Evening star., 1936-09-06

dented popularity. over a half mil
lion copies already have been printed.
Another company has taken the mys-
terry out of the instruction book by
producing version that is not only
entertaining, but packed with useful
information. In every case the new
instruction books make it more evi-
dent than ever that cars still are suffi-
GENTLY different in design to warrant
special instructions in each case.
There seems to be no escaping the
belief that a too general knowledge OF
cars, without consideration for specific
differences in design, can be serious
handicap.
Every motorist owes it to .inlself
to read these new-type instruction
books carefully. One offers COM
plete chapter on how to save gasoline,
including such timely information as
warning against pumping on the ac-
celerator pedal, urging the driver to
shift to high at about IS miles per
hour and avoiding sudden stops. In
idling it is found that an engine will
use about one-third as much fuel as
it does when powering the car nor
mally along the road. This is a
warning to the impatient. Waiting
for a traffic light to turn green may
seem wasteful but it is economical by
comparison with trying to beat the
lights, building up inappropriate
speeds and then having to slam on
the brakes.
WE HAVE read many times that
w new spark plugs will improve
gasoline mileage, but it has taken a
modern instruction book to bring out
the point that just one faulty or dirty
plug may waste as much as 10 pei
cent of fuel carried in the tank. A
the gas bill a little high is to keer
the radiator filled to the proper level
This does not mean to fill the radiator
to the brim, because during expansion
there may be considerable loss o1
water through the overflow pipe. The
O1lCh ID W dtOl0 ofClllCdl1lf6, ClllSC
this condition always results in in
creased fuel consumption.
The new instruction books do not
start out with the intricacies of the
car, but instead they put the reader
behind the wheel and start him out
into an imaginary drive that grad
ually acquairts him with the me-
chanical details. In one such book
the engine is not started until page
II. All of the preliminary discus
sion concerns getting acquainted with
the controls and reading the instru.
ment board meters.
Designed primarily for the higher
education of those millions of drivers
who think they are quite skillful, the
new instruction books should play az
important role in cutting down acci-
dents and fatalities. They completely
break down the ego of the so-calleo
experienced driver. The point is ef-
fectively brought out that. while mil
lions of persons drive, only small per-
centage can boast of anything compa-
rable to art in handling car. In the
preparation of these instruction books
the car makers are encouraging COM
petition among the writers who pre-
pare them. I have been looking over
several of the newest books and find
that each embodies some special hints
which have not previously been in
cluded in the general hints on car op-
Grafton and maintenance. One of the
best of the hints is the precaution to
use the same gear going down hill as
you would going up.
In one of the new aids to drivers ]
find an interesting suggestion regard
ing the use of stale beer for cleaning
fluid for the cars windows and wind
shield. This is used in some of the
fine glass shops. Gum can be removed
from the cars upholstery by moisten-
ing it with carbon tetrachloride. While
the gum is moist it is worked of the
fabric with dull knife.
Mechanics are now commencing to
turn to the instruction book for ref
erence when working on cars with
which they are not too familiar. 1t
saves lot of errors and is better for
all concerned. The brake cylinders OF
several cars, for instance, are installed
the exact reverse of those in other
cars using seemingly identical sys-
tenn.
If your car does not come through
with a good instruction book, ask your
friends if you can read theirs. Bear
ing in mind the difference in the cars,
you will find these books thought-pro-
voking reading.