The Mail-Journal, Volume 15, Number 13, Milford, Kosciusko County, 19 April 1978 — Page 23

6 Auto log 9 helps keep you up to date on maintenance

It may never rival the excitement of the H.M.S. Bounty’s or the U.S.S. Caine’s, but keeping a log on your car’s maintenance may be the wisest thing you’ve done for your transportation needs. Keeping logs or detailed records of every shipboard activity has been a longstanding tradition on the sea. And aircraft maintenance logs must be carefully kept as an FAA requirement. But the idea of keeping a log on car maintenance is a new idea, prompted by the facts of motoring life

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today. Some reasons to keep careful records of maintenance performed include: With extended recommendations for performing vital maintenance procedures, it’s easy to forget to do them at all. For example, some manufacturers recommend changing oil every 7,500 miles. Under former oil change intervals of 1,000 miles or so, it became a monthly habit. Now half a year can go by before an oil and filter change is in order. Unless a reminder is available in the form of a maintenance log, an owner is likely to forget the vital

service. Self-service gasoline sta- - tions also became a factor. The absence of service personnel to tell customers of items like tires with low pressure, worn windshield wipers or battery deterioration makes it important for the owner to record replacement periods. With the rise in used car prices, trading in an old car can become increasingly lucrative. Anyone who can show a well-kept log of faithful maintenance to a prospective used car buyer can expect to get hundreds of dollars more for the car.

Here’s how to keep your car

Spotless inside

Staining the car’s interior fabric, especially for the first time, can be a trying experience. Usually the owner has been proudly keeping the outside clean and bright, but he or she has very little knowledge about how to remove a smudge of chocolate or shoe polish from the seat fabrics. Not always difficult Whether or not the stain is difficult to remove depends mainly upon the type of stain and the fabric. Most automobile seat and door panel upholstery use three types, according to Fisher Body Division of General Motors. 1. Vinyl coated fabrics. 2. Genuine leather. 3. Synthetic cloth fibers (nylon or rayon). Vinyl and leather are relatively easy to clean. In fact, there is but one recommended method of removing stains from these two types of fabrics. Use lukewarm water and only the suds from neutral soap worked into a piece of gauze or cheesecloth. This treatment should work on most stains. Synthetic fibers Cleaning nylon or rayon cloth fibers is more of a challenge. For best results, stains should be removed as soon as possible after they have been made. The longer they set, the more difficult the job becomes. Experts warn that treatment of some stains, especially where water treatment is specified, may cause discoloration or disturbance of the finish. These negative results, however, may be considered preferable to the stain itself. Before discussing what can be done for stains, one should first learn what NOT to do when cleaning fabric. Here are four points to remember: 1. Never use gasoline or naphtha. 2. Do not use solvents

| PROPERLY WORN BELTS MELP SAVE GAS |

Wearing combination seat and shoulder belts is a good safety idea for motorists, and can help save gasoline. Properly worn belts help assure a correct posture,

such as acetone, lac# quer thinners, enamel reducers or nail polish remover. 3. Do not use laundry soaps, bleaches or reducing agents. They weaken fabric and change its color. 4. Do not use too much cleaning fluid because an excessive amount may destroy rubber padding or leave a solvent ring. There are two ways of cleaning general soilage from cloth fabrics. One is with a cleaning fluid and the other is with detergent foam cleaners. Cleaning Fluid Use Cleaning fluid, which can usually be obtained through an automobile dealer or reputable automotive supply house, should be used to clean stains containing grease, oil or fats. Here’s how to use it: 1. Vacuum area to remove loose dirt. 2. Always clean at least a full panel or section of trim by masking off adjacent trim along stitch or weld lines. 3. Mix detergent type of foam cleaners strictly according to directions on label. 4. Use foam only on a clean sponge or soft bristle brush. Do not wet fabric excessively or rub harshly with a brush. 5. Wipe clean with a slightly damp absorbent towel or cloth. 6. Immediately dry fabric with ' a dry towel or hair dryer. 7. Rewipe fabric with dry absorbent towel or cloth to restore the luster of the trim and to eliminate any dried residue. Good housekeeping inside the family car can mean extra dollars at trade-in time, so it should be worth your effort to keep it tidy and spotless.

thus making it easier for you to keep a light foot on the accelerator. Your car seat should be adjusted so your foot rests gently on the accelerator.