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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1969-05-08, Page 9CAR CARE SUPPLEMENT MAY 9, 1969 • • • goigemilt • • it* • •114kA • • The road to pleasant motoring starts with a smooth-running car. Here's how to travel in safety, economy, and comfort. :.7.•'•4•J Guess What Tops List of Careless car-Owner Woes This could have been forestalled, In Windsor, Ontario, a policeman removed the tags from a par following a safety inspection. With brakes defective and alignment components worn, this car was rejected. Repairs had to be made before plates were returned to the owner. A more careful motorist would have been able to avert this embarrassment if he were in the habit of having his car checked periodically by competent mechanics. Car Inspections Serve to Make Motoring Safer • • Results Becoming A pparent in Terms Of Fewer Accidents Chargeable To Mechanical Failures There are several subjects which are more commonly dis- cussed in recent years, Certainly not the least of these subjects is highway safety, and automobile inspection. And usually, some questions are raised. Like — did you pass? The query is often posed by one who has recently been ex- posed to PMVI — periodic motor vehicle inspection. And the answer, in a surprisingly high percentage of cases, is no! How- ever, the answer may not be so surprising, when you consider one expert's opinion, In testimony before the House Interstate and Foreign Com- merce Committee, H. C. Stivers, then president of the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association, estimated that 42% of the cars on the highways have defects that affect the safe operation of the vehicle. Supporting this figure is a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It reports that 42% of the vehi- cles brought in for inspection, voluntarily or in spot checks, do not pass the minimum requirements for mechanical safety. The Institute's study was categorized in four groups: Vehi- cles up to one year old (25% rejection rate) ; two to five years (40% rejection rate) ; six to ten years (51% rejection rate) ; and 11 years or older (53% rejection rate) . In another report, the City of Detroit utilized a specially developed test lane to ferret out defects in automobiles. A voluntary inspection program of two weeks duration last May, involving approximately one thousand cars, showed that four out of ten cars were mechani- cally unsafe. Major defects centered around improper wheel alignment and steering assembly. Other components that inspection teams check closely for defects include shock absorbers, windshield wipers, headlight aim and wheel vibration. Without question, they all affect the safe operation of a vehicle, Annual in Ontario Just across the border from Detroit, in Windsor, Ontario, automobile inspection has been an annual occurrence for the past six years. It's con- ducted both on a voluntary basis, and in spot checks dur- ing May. The vehicle test equipment is owned by the Provincial government; tests are con- ducted by Windsor police. This is an oil' filler cap. It is sup• posed to breathe through a wire mesh filter. This one choked to death long ago and its engine sta. tered the conSequeneetl. When the air filter is so badly dogged with dirt it can't be cleaned any more, you have TWO choices: buy a new one or ven- tilate it, as was done here. What do you do when the spark plug insulator breaks? Wrap it with sonic plastic tape and keep on driving • but probably not for In planning your car main- tenance, it's wise to know where trouble is likely to strike. A list of the most frequent causes of trouble is contained in a survey of the Missouri Auto Club in the ILS, The Clith's recently opened St. Louis diagnostic center tabulated defects found on the first 1,603 cars to pass through its lanes, According to the re- sults revealed by F. B. Oldham, Club technical services direc- tor, these were the most fre- quent critical faults: 1. IGNITION — (points, condenser, dwell and variation, coil, timing, spark plug pee- fortnance, ignition under load) —1,500 defects or .94 per eat. 2. FRONT END (inelud. ing alignment, front suspen- sion pivots and shocks)--1,450 defeets or .90 per car. 3. DRAKES -- (including brake lining thickness and condition, adjustment, hand• brake, drum or disc condition, brake hoses, pedal pressure, brake balance and progres- sion) — 1,354 or .85 defects per car. 4. HEADLAMPS.-- (incind. ing candle power, aim, warn- ing lights and retraction) --- 1,055 or .66 defects per car. 5. TIRES—, (including tire pressure, tread depth and walls) -- 922 or .58 per car. 6. STEERING LINKAGE* (including steering box, tie- rods, steering arm and ball joints) — 402 or .25 per car. The St, Louis facility, first of its kind ever run by an Auto Club, performs only diagnostic work. Repairs, If needed, are performed at area facilities with the Club Making no rec- ommendations on where to go. The Club will perform re- checks of work performed, consulting, on request, with the mechanic doing the repair work. Heavily encrusted with deposits, this spark plug was still firing sometimes. This distributor rotor was SO bad- ly cracked it was failing apart. The oweer wrapped it with cord so that it managed to hold to. other and somehow kept on de. livering its spark. Helpful Tips on . . . How to Get More Miles Per Gallon Ttle0 drivers of the same au- tomobile may get different gas mileage due to the differences in driving habits, Other fac- tors include driving conditions and mechanical condition of the automobile. It costs almost 50% more to drive 80 mph than it does to drive 50 mph. Cost of driving 60 mph is 25% higher than cost of driving 30 mph. • Wet driving conditions: Slowing down under wet or snowy conditions conserves fuel. Wet pavement can reduce mileage by 1 mile per gallon. • When parked, turn off en- gine. One minute of idling uses more fuel than restarting uses, • Starting and stopping. Avoid "jack rabbit" starts, suit!, den stopping and racing on the green light. • Windy conditions. Drive slower if you're interested in better fuel economy. * Here are some suggestions ott eare and mechanical conk dition of your car for better fuel economy: • Use good grade of gaso- line recommended by the man- ufacturer of your automobile, • Ile sure the thermostat isn't stuck in the open post., Bun. A warm-running engine is more efficient (uses less fuel) than a cold-running engine. • Be sure Brea are inflated properly. • Balanee and align tires. In cleaning your windshield, don't forget the inside. Tobac- co smoke can put a film of residue on the glaSs and dis- tort vision. So, if you smoke, periodically clean the wind- shield with a window washing Solvent. * * * "Let's See Row Past She Can Go"— Pamou,s Last Words . „ Drive gaiety * * What's a safe diStance to follow another car? Experts recommend one car length for every 10 Miles per hour of speed on dry roads. When roads are slippery, the dis- tance between should be dou- bled. mail? Consider the benefits, Under PMVI, accidents and, more important., fatalities are reduced. A study by a New York con- sulting firm in 1967, found that in areas without an inspec- tion plan the fatality rate was nearly 10% higher than in areas with a vehicle inspee"- ton program. That is mighty strong evidence in favor of PMVI. -' And with new legislation to encourage safety inspection programs together with a more aware and increasingly con- cerned motoring public, the wheels are in motion to help make our highways safer from automobile mishaps due to mechanical failures. Sports Car Roar From Sedan May Signal Trouble Has your family sedan start- ed to develop a sports car "rap"? Instead of taking it to Watkins Glen or Lemans, bet- ter check your exhaust system. That deep-throated roar un- der the chassis undoubtedly means your exhaust system is defective. Not only might it earn you a traffic ticket for making too much noise but it could mean a death sentence for you and your family. A leaky exhaust is a potential source of lethal carbon monoxide. When you hear a noisy ex- haust, head straight for your favorite service outlet. Better yet, have a mechanic check your exhaust system next time your car is on the hoist, Overheating Can Be Forestalled By These Checks While most cars made today have cooling systems that are "sealed" in the factory, a wise motorist still takes precau- tions against engine overheat- ing. Here are some basic pre- cautions to take to make sure your car keeps its cool, Test the anti-freeze to make sure it hasn't lost its rust in- hibiting elements. If it has, drain and flush the cooling system before installing new anti-freeze. Test the condition and ten- sion of all drive belts as well as radiator hoses. Check the radiator and hoses for leaks. Also check pump gaskets and tightness of the pulley hub on the water pump. Check to see that there is no foreign matter on the cool- ing fins and that the overfloW tube is not obstructed. Safety experts advise never driving more than three hours without stopping to rest on A long trip, Getting out of the car to stretch or stopping for coffee is recommended to avoid excessive driving strain. * * Reckless Driving Can Really Get You Down . About Six Peet, ,lay * * * The average spark plug will fire 15,060,000 times in 10,000 miles of driving, The effects of the electrical charge wear down the plug's firing end, Plug manufacturers recom- mend servicing plugs at 5,000 miles and replacing them at 10,000 miles. • • You're Right—It's Ignition; Tests Reveal Critical Fault in Every Automobile Examined The tip of this coil was so badly • eroded it had completely dis- appeared on one side. Plastic tape to the rescue • . . temporarily. Police Chief Gordon Preston and his department are very pleased by the growing num- bers of Windsor motorists who volunteer their cars for in- spection. Their most recent test period showed that of 4700 owners who voluntarily put their cars through the check lanes, al- most half couldn't pass the test. Owners failing the test were instructed to have their cars repaired to bring them back up to the standards set down by the Provincial gov- ernment. However, the point is that by volunteering, motorists are showing their concern with the safety of their vehicles — moreover, they're doing some- thing about it. In the Windsor program last year, safety officials also or-. dered 327 vehicles through the test equipment—vehicles that were obviously in disrepair, and from appearances, unsafe. Fifty-seven were approved, 145 were rejected and had to have repairs made, while 125 were totally condemned. Accidents Reduced It would seem, after a lot of talk about automobile safety and vehicle inspection, some- thing really concrete is being done abOut it. All states now are required to implement a program of vehicle inspection, within guidelines issued by the National Highway Safety Bur- eau — or take the chance of losing some of their Federal highway construction funds. In some Canadian Provinces (like the law that was passed in Ontario effective November, 1963) motor vehicles must be inspected and certified safe before the vehicle title can be transferred to another owner. Does that sound like blae,k- SHORT TAKES ON CAR CARE