HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-04-01, Page 24Let us check over all of the items on this list to
put your car in top shape for summer motoring
O ENGINE TUNE-UP—This is the best way to
bring your engine back to life for carefree summer
driving. Our tune-up includes a new set of
Champion spark plugs plus whatever basic tune-
up items we find your car needs. We check points,
copdenser, rotor, .distributor cap, compression,
wiring and electrical connections, coil and air
filter,
0 BATTERY—We'll check it for full power, make
sure terminals are tight and clean.
O VOLTAGE REGULATOR—Let us check it. Over
or under charging can ruin battery.
O STARTER AND ALTERNATOR OR GENERA-
TOR—We'll remove any corrosion and check
brushes.
0 AUTOMATIC CHOKE—We'll check idle
adjustment.
O CARBURETOR—We'll check, remove and
clean it if necessary,
O FAN AND PULLEY BELTS—We'll check ad-
justments. If belts are badly worn they should be
replaced.
O CRANKCASE—We'll change dirty oil—put in
proper grade oil for summer driving.
O LIGHTS AND WIPERS—Summer storms can
mean dark and dangerous driving. We'll make sure
that headlights, parking lights, taillights, stop lights
and directionals are all working properly. We'll
also check wiper operation to see that blades wipe
clean without streaking, fill windshield washer
tank with cleaning solution. •
O TIRES—We'll examine them carefully. Worn
tires can spell trouble on crowded vacation high-
ways.
O BRAKES—We'll check for proper adjustment—
a slight pull to one side can slide you off the road.
Visit us for dependable service. We've been looking after the
motoring needs of Exeter and area residents for over 40
years.
'GRAHAM ARTHUR
MOTORS
Exeter 235-1373
TEXACO
CHECK LIST
for trouble-free summer driving!
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By FRED YOUNGS
We speak of cars in
reverential tones,gof the
maintenance on them And the
need to take care of them.
Fear at the prospect of ma-,
jor work, grown men have
been known to rip off their
own heads rather than face a
bill for a valve job. Talk of
crankshaft and bearing work
is done with the glazed look of
the bereaved, the eyes gaunt
and hollowed, the voice low
and hushed as they stare off
into space. Horror stories of
astronomical bills for the
replacement of
transmissions. "When the
bands went, I had to put a
third mortgage on the house
and sell my youngest son to
pay off."
Then there is the terrifying
prospect of being sans auto.
"We'll be without the car a
week Alice." "Oh my God,
George, how will we eat? and
what about the children?"
Yes, indeed, what about the
children?
Having to walk to school,
and when they grow tired,
grabbing the bumper of a
passing car for a tow just so
they can make it. It's not a
pretty picture at all, but face
facts, we need our cars. We
rely on our cars and, most im-
portantly we don't know the
first thing about how they run.
We know that the handle
opens the door, and when the
key turns it on, some mystical
process of gasoline and air ex-
ploding allows you to put it in
"D" and the wheels will roll
and you'll aim it and you will
get from A to B, if it doesn't
break down,
That's why we need garages
and mechanics, and that is
why people should look after
their cars a little better.
Garages, contrary to pop-
ular opinion, are not out to
gouge your last dollar from
your hand. They are honest
people, who, one can expect,
would rather you follow a
rigid maintenance system
rather than rebuild the hulk-
ing eight cylinders under the
hood. But facts are facts and
if you burn out your engine, it
is going to cost yob money.
Pistons are not just regular
1976 CAR CHECK
CAMPAIGN
Spiralling inflationary costs
hit the automobile owner hard
where it hurts the most — in
the pocketbook. Auto repairs
cost more because parts cost
more, and labour costs more.
The Canada Safety Council
suggests as a result that the
vehicle owner should be
defensive — he/she should
have the vehicle inspected
frequently by a qualified in-
dividual so that defects might
be corrected before extensive
and expensive repairs are un-
avoidable.
The Council calls it 'Defen-
sive Maintenance'. "It is just
like defensive driving", ac-
cording to the Safety Council
— "You take the necessary
precautions to stay out of
trouble."
Citing the most commonly
overlooked defects — steer-
ing, brakes, tires, and exhaust
— the Council points out that
a major fault developing in
the first three of these can
result in a serious accident,
and huge expenses. A fault in
the fourth can be fatal, even
when driving at 5 mph wear-
ing safety belts, since nothing
protects against poisonous
gas that can come spewing
from a faulty exhaust system.
At the same time, each
driver can check other safety
items frequently —
windshield wipers for clean
and proper operation, lights
and turn signals, horn and
mirrors.
pieces of metal that can be
dropped in in a haphazard
manner. They are carefully
forged and each ring on the
piston has to be precisely
applied otherwise you will be
back to square one with an
engine that belches blue
smoke from your driveway to
Toronto.
Proper maintenance can
avoid this sort of thing. If the
only thing you put in your car
over a six month period is
gas, then you deserve a bill,
If, however, you have your
oil changed and the car tuned
properly and the suspension
checked, and if you take care
that all the fluids are up, and
generally take it to a service
station, you won't face one of
those monster bills. Sure,
there'll be smaller, more
frequent bills, but in the end.,
Many drivers would have a
tendency to defer body
repairs to the inside of the
trunk . . . holes usually caus-
ed by an accumulation of salt
and water over a couple of
winters. After all, they
generally do not show to spoil
the vehicle's appearance, and
do not seem to create much of
a driving hazard.
Incorrect reasoning, accor-
ding to the Canada Safety,
Council. Holes in the trunk
floor or rear wheel housing
can be dangerous, since they
can allow substantial quan-
tities of poisonous carbon
monoxide to enter the trunk
compartment, especially
when a car is idling in heavy
traffic. The odourless,
colourless gas then enters the
vehicle around the back seat.
As a matter of fact, a Coun-
cil spokesman says the gas
can be drawn in through the
when your car lasts two or
three years longer, and still
has a reasonable trade-in
value, won't it all have been
worth it?
Spending $40, $50 or even
$60 now with a local garage to
refurbish the engine and keep
it in tip top shape will be an
investment that will repay
itself in several years.
Mechanics have to make a
living too, and they aren't go-
ing to give away major work
free, just as they will charge
for minor work. Remember
though, they have a skill that
is exacting.
Watch them for a while and
you will see what goes into it.
A good mechanic is worth his
weight in gold, and he'll tell
you this too: take care of your
car now and you won't pay in
the'end.
trunk lid opening if not very
well sealed while the vehicle
is in motion, due to the
vacuum created.
An easily seen example of
this is the rear of many sta-
tion- wagons that have not
been fitted with deflectors.
Station wagon owners face a
special hazard even in good
weather if driving with the
rear window down. Enough
carbon monoxide can be
drawn through the open win-
dow to become a hazard.
A recommendation to fix
holes in the trunk is part of
the 1976 "Defensive
Maintenance" program of the
Canada Safety Council. A
sound precaution at any time,
according to Council Direc-
tor, Phil Farmer, is to drive
with a side window partly
open at all times. 'In fact, in
winter,. this helps to circulate
warm air from the heating
unit as well.
Page 4
Times-Advocate, Second Section, April 1, 1976
Joys of driving
Don't defer bodywork