Although many people are not aware of it, they commit car abuse almost every day.
Consider the morning start. The car has been parked up all night, maybe in a garage, maybe not. Perhaps it has been a cold, clear winters night, perhaps a hot, summer one. Either way the driver expects the car to start straight away. He just gets in, pulls the choke if fitted, turns the key and the engine starts.
The engine, transmission, and differential are all cold, the oil is cold, the grease in the various joints and bearings a little bit stiff, the tyres cold and unresponsiveness.
But what do many drivers do?
Having started the car they shift into first gear, floor the pedal, slip their foot off the clutch and roar away.
Racing the engine in the gears to the first junction. Slam on the brakes, and, as soon as a gap appears accelerate hard into the traffic flow. Meanwhile the cold oil is trying to do its job of lubrication and protection of moving parts. Despite all the genius of modern chemists, the oil still needs to warm up to do its job most effectively.
Consider the driver who has spent the night at one of the motorway motels. In the morning he starts the engine, drives out of the parking and blasts the car onto the motorway at 120 kph or more.
With a cold engine!
With oil that isn’t hot enough to perform to its best!
Just consider the mechanical wear that’s taking place. It’s no wonder why some people have unreliable cars, even modern ones.
Perhaps car abuse should be illegal.
How about forming the
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Cars. 