From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Guide to vehicle maintenance and care during the first two thousand miles of ownership.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 145\3\ scan0041 | |
| Date | 1st July 1936 guessed | |
| The First Two Thousand Miles and trouble on it than the average mechanic is likely to devote. The filter was then cleaned and the sump refilled with a recommended grade of first-class oil. That is important. I do not say that cheap oil will necessarily harm the engine, but I should insist on investigating its results on the same make of engine in a friend's car before using it. And the friend would have to be someone who knew what he was talking about and could be relied upon to tell the truth. Motorists are as bad as the legendary fisherman in their regard for veracity. Either they will tell you that Blank's oil is an absolute marvel, and puts ten miles an hour on the speed, which is nonsense; or else, if they happen to have indigestion, they will allege that it is a mixture of carborundum and ditchwater, which is equally unlikely to be strictly accurate. If you want to save money on oil, the best method is to purchase a five-gallon drum of a first-class brand and keep it near the car. The same thing applies to battery maintenance, by the way. Nothing so shortens the life of a battery as over-charging when the acid level is too low. Keep a bottle of distilled water and a small funnel close at hand. The third point is the use of the grease gun. Neglected spring shackles are not so damaging as a neglected engine, but they cause squeaks, harsh suspension, and other distressing noises. You should—though I admit a sad failure to live up to my own advice—you should by rights go round the car with a grease gun every week if the car is used regularly. Remember, too, that the nipples which are outwardly visible are not the only, or even the most important, ones. Good Advice The manufacturer has provided you with a chart. Use it well. This will involve removing the floorboards, which is still a scandalously awkward job on many cars, but it must be done. On some designs using Lockheed brakes the reservoir is located in this portion of the car's anatomy. While you are about it, verify the level of the fluid. You may need your brakes in an emergency one day. These are the most important matters, but there are others. For example, on first taking over a new car, it pays to grease the threads of all the wheel nuts. Tyres are so reliable in these days that the occasion to change a wheel may not arise for many months, by which time a nut has been known to rust firmly on to its thread. It also pays to treat the tool-kit to a light smear of grease and to apply a few drops of penetrating oil to such minor points as door hinges and seat adjustments, wiping off any surplus. After the first five hundred miles you will probably take the car back to the vendor for adjustments under guarantee. What service you will obtain varies with the make of car, and it is as well to discover what items have received attention in order to supplement them if necessary. The two most important are tappet adjustment and carburetter setting. The former will reduce noise; the latter will improve fuel consumption. Tappet adjustment, by the way, is best left to the professional by the novice owner, who is often inclined to leave too small a valve clearance. Far better endure the click of loose tappets than tighten the adjustment and burn out a valve. At the same time, the service station should drain the oil not only from the sump but also from the gear box and rear axle. They will also tighten down cylinder head nuts and body bolts. If necessary, have the clutch and brakes adjusted at this period. Linings have a habit of bedding down during their early life, and this, in the first-mentioned case, may result in difficult engagement of gears or possibly even a slipping clutch. After the first overhaul the sump should be drained and flushed again at 1,500 and 3,000 miles. If this is done thoroughly and carefully, renewal of the oil can be deferred for much longer periods later on. Views on decarbonisation vary. Some experts insist on it after the first few hundred miles of a car's life, but, frankly, I have never found any advantage in the process, and there is much to be said for the old motto, “Leave well alone.” Provided that compression is good and even, and that there are no traces of “pinking” or overheating, there is not much amiss with the engine. Remember that actual speed is not so harmful to a new engine as is the use of large throttle openings. Short bursts of 40 or 45 m.p.h. downhill will do no harm once the oil temperature is normal, but hill-climbing calls for plenty of gear changing and a very light toe on the accelerator. Leave It to the Expert Attention to specialised components, such as ignition, fuel pumps, lighting, and starting, should always be left by the novice to the makers’ service station. Of course, he should be capable of replacing a bulb or renewing a fuse, but, unless the cause of trouble is obvious, such as a loose connection, it pays in the long run to call in an expert. There are various signs and symptoms to tell the novice that all is not well in these categories. A sudden and complete failure of the engine may be due to a stuck fuel pump, though it is more likely to prove to be an empty petrol tank. A sharp tap will often effect a temporary cure. Failure to charge will be registered on the ammeter. Always have this attended to at once. On a modern coil-ignition car a dead battery is no joke. Not only your light but your engine is dependent on it. Trouble with the starter motor usually resolves itself into a stuck pinion, which can generally be released by pushing the car forward with reverse engaged; but, as it is probably symptomatic of grit on the starter pinion drive or incorrect alignment, it pays to have it remedied. As regards the whole subject of car servicing my rather cowardly advice is: if you can afford to have it done for you, don’t do it yourself. Every owner should know enough of the mechanism of his car to effect an emergency repair, but routine adjustments are usually back-breaking, and always dirty occupations. The garage has specialised equipment for greasing, washing, and so forth. Moreover, garages have a staff of mechanics who do not object to crawling about on their stomachs in a mixture of mud and oil. They can do the work better and more quickly, and when I look back upon the number of coats, shirts, and pairs of flannel trousers ruined in my garage I think I can truthfully add, more cheaply, too. 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