There was a man whose grandparents were born before the Great Depression in the United States. This man was born in the 1960s in America, a time much different than the days of his grandparent’s youth.
In those days, cars were just making their appearance in the United States as a means of transportation for every family. Henry Ford led the way by making quality if primitive vehicles affordable to every man with a job. As the man’s grandparents grew, so did the cars. What also grew was the business of repairing broken down cars. A mechanic shop and a body shop were businesses that evolved right along with cars themselves.
By the time the man himself was born, his grandparents had owned three or four different models of cars. They took care of them with regular maintenance and steady improvements. New tires were periodically needed, and the regular oil change was taken care of when the mileage warranted it. There was an accident or two, mostly fender benders, but luckily they became good friends with the man in town who owned the local body shop. It was a time when neighbors knew each other’s names and local businesses took good care of their loyal, local customers.
Now the man is an adult and his grandparents have departed. Among many other things, what they taught him was the value of taking care of automobiles. The man’s grandparents seemed to make their cars last for a very long time. Now, the man tries his best to do the same with his.
Over the last several years, great achievements have been made in motor oils, making what was once a regular 3,000-mile change into a 5,000 mile or more maintenance chore. Many cars made today utilize an oil monitoring system which is able to alert the owner when his car is in need of a change of oil. These monitors were utilized by 16 of 34 car manufacturers in 2013 and more are expected to follow suit in the coming years.
One of the things the man watched his grandfather do from time to time was to check the belts and hoses. He never let them get to the point of breaking because of regular wear. Belts and hoses, when checked properly and maintained can save an owner a great deal of money. Drivers these days witness at least a 19% unsatisfactory rate from their belts and at least 17% of inspected cars are likely to need at least one new hose.
With the kinds of technology found in cars today, every driver should be aware of the fact that with more that can go wrong, more certainly will. That’s why having a maintenance plan in place, whether it’s with a mechanic that is particularly trustworthy, or with a body shop, in the case of an accident.
Automobiles of all shapes and sizes are extremely important to our way of life in this day and age. While the man’s grandparents may not have needed one for work or other travels when they first became adults, over time, that changed. America opened up tremendously with the evolution of the automobile. Find a car you love and take care of it. It will bring you much good service and many great times.
