The Way Not to Do It.
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By Henry Sturmey.
1 have before now written in these columns of the extremely-short-sighted and pennywise and pound-foolish policy, which some remarkably-smart business men adopt when a motorcar for their business is in question. Knowing nothing of the subject, and being entirely ignorant of mechanical matters, they seem to have an idea that, a motorcar, due to its being a ‘. piece of machinery," can never tire out, can never wear, and ought to run from year's end to year's end without attention. It is these people, as a rule, who find that motorcars are not a success, and then they are loud, frequent and sweeping in their condemnation of the whole idea of motorcars for business purposes.
We have had a great deal of this in the oast, and much of the slow growth of the commercial-motor movement is to be traced to this cause, because I find that it is the easiest thing in the world to make a man keep his money in his pocket, and that a suggestion from " one who has tried it," that motor vehicles are other than a complete success, will decide many an intending purchaser to " wait until they are perfect." Of course, the large firms and people with a mechanical understanding, who really appreciate the business and have given it commonsense, practical, serious thought, are fully alive to the need for unremitting care and constant attention in regard to their motor vehicles: these people make a success where others fail. Messrs. Shoolbred, for instance, and other firms of similar calibre, have properly-organized engineering staffs to look after their vehicles, and, at the slightest sign of wear, the vehicle is put off the road until it is once more in good " fettle," whilst such matters as lubrication and adjustment receive regular and systematic attention. On the other hand, we have the man who simply expects a car to run for ever, and who lets it, run until it falls to pieces; this, naturally, it will quickly do, if adjustments are not kept up and wear taken up directly it is noticed.
As two cases in point, for comparison, I have in mind the experience of two parties in South America, one of whom did not understand the business whilst the other did. The first case was that of a firm doing a large business in the exportation and handling of some of the natural products of Brazil, whose partners, on their having trouble with their muleteers, decided to try motors as an antidote, and se. sent a member of their staff to Europe, to purchase a dozen motor lorries. The lorries in themselves were all right and very good vehicles for their day, but those placed in charge of them had no knowledge of them whatever, and, so long as their men found out how to drive them, they thought that was enough. with the result that, in four or five months, first one and then another got into disrepair, until the whole twelve were relegated. to the receptacle for failures, and mule traction was once more resorted to. In the other case, we have a man, a competent engineer and a good organizer, who was placed in charge of a fleet of cabs. These cabs were totally unsuited for the district, being altogether too light, and they commenced giving trouble from the day they were put on the streets: yet, by unremitting attention and systematic work, every cab was made to run every day for a year, though it must be admitted that the " days " were sometimes extremely short. Here was a contrast. The one user, with a fleet of excellent vehicles, by inattention and ignorance, had them "scrapped " in six months. whilst the other succeeded, by proper handling, in keeping a lot of unsuitable vehicles on the road, earning money and in passable repair, and was able to hand them over to his successor in at least running order. Another case of " how not to do it," which I have in mind, relates to an experience nearer home. A large wholesaler, who was one a those " exceedingly-smart " men, who thought he knew his way round, and who " was not going to have any of these motor people's tricks played on him," decided to buy a van. In making his purchase, the salesman inquired the loads he intended to carry. " Oh, 20 or 30 cwt., I suppose—/ don't know," was the reply, and, later, when getting down to actual selection, lie was shown a catalogue in which 20-cwt. and 25-cwt. wagons were listed. Seeing that the one cost less than the other, he said the 20-ewt, model would do for him. He was again asked as to the load requirements, but, with a smile of self-confidence which was meant to imply that " he knew," he said; " Oh, that will carry 25 or 30 cwt., if I want to put, it on." The salesman did his best to assure him otherwise, but he was not going to be persuaded into buying a vehicle really suitable for his work. He bought the smaller—and cheaper—vehicle. Here was smartness No. 1, and he had " saved " some £40 on the transaction. His next performance was to put in charge, at 18s. per week, a man who had no previous experience of motors, and this poor chap was expected, not only to drive, but to look after the car and to keep it in order, and also to do porter's work in loading and unloading. In these hands it continued, with various vicissitudes, for a eouple, of years, when at last it seemed to dawn upon the owner that, after all, he had better pay a good price for a good man and get more regular running, which he did. Then, instead of having his vehicle thoroughly overhauled and put into good running order for the new man to start with, he did not give him a fair chance, but expected him to take the vehicle, shaking in all its joints as it was, and to run it satisfactorily. The man did his best, but the inevitable happened, and, shortly after he had taken charge, repairs to the back axle were necessitated, and one of the maker's men was sent to fit up the new parts. Examination by this expert showed that the vehicle was badly in want of a thorough overhaul ; the torque-rod joints were worn, and it was evident it would not last many weeks. This was pointed out to the owner, with the suggestion that it should be put in repair. He was most indignant at the suggestion, and evidently looked upon it as only another effort on the part, of the manufacturer to get. some more money out of him. His attitude generally towards the motor may be illustrated, in fact, by a conversation which took place between the said expert and himself. Turning to three horses, which had just come in with a van, the owner pointed sarcastically to them and said :
" You see those three horses? Well, they work year in and year out, and never give me any trouble."
The reply of the engineer was: "Don't you ever get one of them sick ?"
The answer was: "Yes."
"Well, what do you do then?"
" Just call in the veterinary."
" Exactly so; then why don't you do it for the car ? Your poor little engine is badly in want of the vet.'s attention. The valves are worn out, and you have no compression. You are wasting half your petrol, and not getting half the results you ought to get out of it. Why not have it overhauled ?"
But no, he would not hear of it. The motorcar, he said. had been "bought to make money with and not to spend money upon," and he simply would not hear of anything being done "which was not necessary." It would have to run, lie said, " until it wanted it," by which, I suppose, he meant, until it dropped to pieces for lack of needed attention.
Further than this, when the repair above mentioned was executed, the mechanic was asked if he had finished his job, because, if he had, they wanted the car and orders were at once given to load lip for a journey. The engineer's remonstrance and request for a run-around were set at nought. If he had done his job, he had done his job, and there was no need for him to do anything
else ; if the car had to be run at all, it must be run doing work, so the "car doctor " had to make the best of it. He thought the load going on looked heavier than the ten which the vehicle was built to carry, and pointed this out to the owner. The latter professed not to know how much was being put on it, but assured him that " there wasn't anything like a ton there," and they started. Having his doubts on the subject, however, when well away from the depot, the company's representative found his way to a weigh-bridge, and, weighing the car both then and on the return journey, found that the load Caine to 23 cwt. He was assured by the driver that the load they had on then " was not anything like what they had on sometimes." Further than this, the mechanic soon found, when he came to drive the ear, that the steering was stiff and rusted up for want of oil, so that it would hardly turn ; indeed, he came to the conclusion that, in its then condition, the ear was really dangerous to drive. He promptly handed over the wheel to the man who had been handling it for the past mouth, and on his return he again expostulated with the owner, but with the thankless result that he refused to let him touch the car again, or even put a spanner on it !
My only wonder is that his vehicle has hung together so long as it has done, but there is no driving common sense into the heads of people with such ideas, and I suppose he is still going on "saving his money " and " cussing " the unreliability of motors in general, and of his own vehicle in particular. Such ideas are gradually getting wiped out of the minds of motor users, and the true situation and requirements of the case are being better understood every day, but, if there are any who are still inclined to hold the view that a motor vehicle should run without attention, and who have such ideas as the above on how they should be treated. I would once again urge upon them the appositeness and value in practice of the old adage that " a stitch in time saves nine." The principle may well be considered by all motor owners,