7 , 25 - Friday, April 6, 1990 - North Shore News _ AUTOMOTIVE § ASK THE 69) Vehicle serves as a °° fifeline for seniors ASK THE Expert is a weekly column in the North Shore News’ Automotives section. Each week a ‘IT COMES as no surprise that, in western and pedestrians who disobey where driving decisions have reader’s question will be answered by an expert society, the automobile is king. It provides mobil- traffic rules. They also men- io be made, the poor visibili- from the British Columbia Automobile Associa- ity, sociability, economic gain, existential mean- on toad direction signage ty of street signs and the lack tion (BCAA). This week’s question is: ing and social status....for the elderly, the vehicle P!@¢ed (00 close to points of left turn lanes. is the enhancer of lifestyle.’” So says Dr. Peter Rothe, manager of research and evaluation for ICBC in a new book entitled ‘‘The Safety of El- What kind of maintenance/trouble spots/ tune-up should | be looking for (and are needed) for a four-wheel drive vehicle? I drive a Suzuki Samurai. Barb Mortlock North Vancouver Regular maintenance on a 4x4 should, just like any e vehicle, be done in accordance with the manufactur- er’s service schedule. At the recommended intervals: oils in the engine transmis- sion and drive axle should be changed, filters replaced, lubricated points serviced and bearings repacked or adjusted. However, the intervals between servicing are generally shorter on 4x4s, and much shorter if the vehicle is used off- road. “Dirt and moisture are the enemies of driveline bearings and steering/suspension joints,"’ says Dave Villiax of Red Hawk 4-Wheel Drive Centre. ‘‘Four wheel drive vehicles have more of these components than the average car and when used in deep water, mud or very dusty conditions, they need to be checked reguiarly.”’ 4x4 Tips: *® With both manual and automatic vehicles it is a good idea to use the front locking hubs at least once a week to avoid binding problems. © If your 4x4 is used off-road or has oversized tires, a steering damper is a good investment. (You may already have one.) The steering damper reduces steering box and linkage wear. ® Underbody guards or shields to protect the engine, transmission and gas tank are a must for off-roaders. A cracked transfer case can easily translate into an $800 repair Bill! Suzuki recommends you periodically check the axle hub oil seals on your Samurai. (A felt wiper seat on the drive coupl- ing to the front wheels.) Under normal use, this seal should be replaced every 10,000 km. Bob McHugh, BCAA's Consumer and Technical Advisory Dept. If you have an auto-related question, write to: ‘‘Ask the Ex- pert,’? North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4. Car seat defective BCAA, IN _ co-operation with the Canadian Automobile Association and Transport Canada, advises consumers of a potential safety problem with Century Infant Car Seat 4580 models. Almost 3,000 seats made J between Aug. I, 1989 and & Oct. 31, 1989 are affected. The problem: screws securing the carrying handle to the shell of the safety seat may work louse and cause H size she seat to separate from the MJ WHITE STRIPE sheil. This will not affect the J Horta noes ’ ws : seat’s safety while in the P173/89R13 vehicle, but could result in (8 pigsygonia. injury if the carrying handle P185/75R14 falls off while the baby is be- P195/75R14. ing carried in th while §@ P205/75R14. ne f ¢ seat while P20S/75A1S...... it’s out of the car. pois ¢. 75R15. .. The Century infant Car P225/75R15 _.. Seat 4580 is sold in Canada P235/75A15 TIGER PAW ALL SEASON st LIST PRICE OUR PRICE | Ware STRIPE , P155/80R13 : $98.50 derly Drivers — Yesterday’s Young in Today’s Traffic.” As we = mentioned _ last week, Dr. Rothe was prompted to undertake the study of older motorists after Transport Canada fig- AutoTopic Ken Hardie INSURANCE CORPORATION OF BRITISH COLLAMEA ures indicated they have more accidents per kilometre driven, even though B.C. Motor Vehicle Department Statistics rate them as the safest group on the road. Rather than try to identify problems and arrive at solu- tions based vily on those statistics, Dr. Rothe felt it was necessary to go an extra step. He wanted to look at the realities of driving through the eyes of older motorists to clarify the issues and find solutions that took into account their options. Rothe used this same method in previous ICBC publications on young motorists, motorcyclists and safety belt use in B.C. The automobile is an im- portant lifeline for older motorists. It is the link to . P165/80R13 . P1B5/80R13 » P18575R14 P195/75R14 . P205/75R14 .. P1gss75Rt5 P20S/75R15 218/75R15 P22s/7SA15 P2as/75R1S P235/75A15XL " PISS/70R14 PI9S/70R14 . TIGER PAW PLUS ZE LIST PRICE OUR PRICE such pleasurable pursuits as shopping, visiting family and friends, vacationing and travel, social and cultural events. It also allows access to necessary health and social services. Older motorists recognize some of the physical prob- lems that come with aging, and they make compensa- tions. To reduce their risk of accidents, they tend to avoid tush-hour traffic. They also often choose not to drive at night or in bad weather when drivers have to con- tend with headlight glare, poor visibility and slippery roads. Most rate themselves as **good to excellent’’ drivers. They believe that experience, wisdom, extra patience and caution can compensate for any deficiencies. However, they feel their age makes them a target for blame in the event of an ac- cident. In fact, as we've mentioned previously, older motorists are judged respon- sible in crashes more often than middle-aged drivers. The top pet peeves they mentioned are the pur- posefully rude (and often young) motorists who roar up behind, flash their lights and then make a big show of passing. They are riled by drivers who weave from lane to lane without signalling LT195/75R14 LT215/75R15 LT235/75R15 LT235/85R16 LT235/85R16 8.75R16.5LT 9.50A16.5LT LAREDO® M/T LT TRUCK MUD TERRAIN STEEL BELTED RADIAL PLY RANGE LIST PRICE OUR PRIC! LAREDO? ALL SEASONS ALL SEASON LT. TRUCK RADIAL PLY RANGE LIST PRICE OUR PRICE SIZE URE ecg BLACKWALL * DESTINATION CHARGE & P.D.I. $598° DL#7496 YOU DON'T HAVE TO CROSS THE BRIDGE TO GET THE BEST” Guaranteed B.C.’s Lowest Prices *Net of ait programs LAREDO! AT ALL TERRAIN LT. TRUCK STEEL BELTED RADIAL SIZE PLY RANGE OUR PRICE LST PRICE TUBELESS-RAISED OUTLINE WHITE LETTER 3X19.SOR15LT 6C $228.95 $130.50 31X11.50R1SLT = 6C $252.95 $144.18 33X12.S50R1SLT —6C $276.95 $157.86 LAREDO® LTL ON/OFF HIGHWAY LT. TRUCK STEEL BELTED RADIAL § PLY RANGE OUR PRICE LIST PRICE TUBELESS-BLACKWALL by Consumers Distributing J BLACKWALL SUE UST PRIC LT235/75R15 6C $189.10 Co. Ltd. Anyone with one [J 155SR12 .. 175170813 GUBELESS RAISED OUTLINE LT235/85R16 8D = $216.70 of these seats should check 1558R13 195/60A14 P23S/75R15 8.75R16.5LT 8D $240.95 . Y6SSAIB.. ...... . 5 215/60R14 z . . 950A16.SLT 8D $254.15 the manufacturing date and HM ;escnia $10 235/60R14 . 3OX9.SORISLT = 6C = $248.40 . model number on the com- 165SA1S ; : 245/607214 SIX1O.SORISLT 6C $264.50 TUBELESS-RAISED OUTLINE pliance label, which is glued # 175/70SR13.. $92. : _ 195I60R15 B2X11.50RISLT 6C $297.40 .52| WHITE LETTER onto the carrier Mm 185/70SR13. . .. $98. i sorte SXI2SORISLT BC $319.95 : | es sc $201 30 5 A 185/70SR14.. ; . 35x! 1§L $343.6! . If the date code is 8908, I iocosria_ JOSrTORt4 _SXI2S0RIG.SLT_ GC $316.35 8909, 8910 {indicating the PISIGSRIS S520 SKN2-SOAIESLT 8D $342.25 system was manufactured " : : during the cighth, ninth or tenth month of 1989), and the model number is 4580, consumers may get 2 free repair kit — consisting of two modified screws and in- structions — from the Con- sumers Distributing outlet from which they bought the seat. "1484 F Rupert Street Narth Vancouver ° 986-8.