Would the world stop revolving should I park my car with the front wheels slightly misaligned. This is becoming a bone of contention with me and HIMBO.
If the world stops then he wins, if not then instead of just shooting him murderous glances when being told to straighten up the car, I'll just murderously shoot him instead.
Rita
|
Globe should continue to revolve whichever way the front wheels point. If globe fails to revolve lodge immediate complaint with much higher authority.
Advise HIMBO is quick and easy way to keep constant check on tyre tread depth and any possible misalignment of round thingys at front of motor. :-))
Happy Motoring Phil I
|
IMHO, parking a car on a road AND leaving the wheels turned at full lock into the road IS a no no. Not only is this dangerous as the car could roll into the road if on a slight incline but, it can also reduce the road for overtaking if on a narrow street.
The correct way should be to point the wheels slightly towards the kerbside.
|
|
Unless of course they are misaligned in relation to one another, with a tree in between them!
|
Leaving the wheels turned SLIGHTLY in or out is obviously a good thing on a slope, but it depends whether pointing up or down the slope.
I know about this because last week my wife parked the car on a slope and forgot to put the handbrake on. No other vehicles were involved, as they say, just a stone wall and a pushed-in back bumper.
But other kinds of misalignements are not having the car itself straight with the kerb, or in the middle of the slot in the car park, or next to a tree so that you can't get the driver's door open, or against a high kerb so that when you have got in and try to shut the door, it has grounded on the pavement and you have to unload again.
But probably having one's pride and joy classic needlessly smashed up by one's own kith and kin is the worste offence, but not quite a shooting matter.
|
|
|
|
Nothing wrong with that as far as I can see. Does he also fold the end of the toilet paper neatly after use, or get annoyed if a teaspoon goes in with the soup spoons?
Even on full lock, wheels pointing out into the street, on most cars you would have lost your mirror before anyone hit the tyre.
On the subject of protocol, when in a tight parking bay, it does make sense to face in the opposite direction to the cars either side. That way you can leave more room for drivers to get in & out - passengers can always get in once out of the space.
|
|
Stop being hysterical.
Do exactly as your husband instructs you to do.
...and why are you wasting good housework/childbearing time on a bulletin board!
--
Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
|
|
PB -
How did you guess about the toilet paper? Only kidding, although he is the type that has to have everything lined up, squared up, ship shape and Bristol fashion. Whereas I, on the other hand .....
Toad -
I am not prone to hysterical outbursts myself although I have noticed in the past that some people when around me have suffered from that condition. I would not neccessarily agree that there is a causal link between the two factors.
As for housework - what dat! Childbearing, pah! I reckon I done bore me enough chillun to last me a lifetime!!! :-)
Seriously, I just wanted clarification as to whether parking a car on a minimum degree of lock, 12.03 - 12.06 say, is likely to lead to any detrimental mechanical wear and tear. I think HIMBO
thinks that a sprocket will be sprung, a ratchet will be wrecked, a wire will be worn, a gear gorn (ain't alliteration awful, but I do like it) should the car be parked with even a piffling amount of wheel turn.
I should just like to be able to say to HIMBO with quiet certititude that I have it on the best authority (the Back Room Boys and you can't get more authoritative than that) that NO damage would ensue if the wheels are not totally alighened when
parked.
Is'all.
Rita
|
You might argue that it is better to park with the wheels at varied angles, rather than the stresses always being borne in exactly the same way on the same places. Think of it like moving the furniture around occasionally to avoid one bit of carpet being always under pressure, or shifting in your seat on a long journey.
|
|
Rita
Placate HIMBO by showing him this. I sent it round the office on 1 April a few years ago and sadly some people, including one of our accommodation people, believed it!
CAR PARK INSPECTION REPORT
1. As a result of the loss of parking space caused by the computer hall extensions in recent years, an Inspection Team was appointed to look at ways of enhancing the capacity and facilities for car parking. The Team have been studying car park management over the past few months and have recommended that all users of the car park observe the following points:-
* Do not leave large and unsightly gaps between vehicles. Remember that you only require enough space to be able to get out of your car. In addition, it helps to leave adequate space on the other side so that any passengers you may be carrying will also be able to get out of the car.
* If you intend to park your vehicle around the edge of the car parks, please make sure you reverse your vehicle into position. This helps to improve the general appearance by creating an overall symmetry.
* Alignment is particularly important. Those extra couple of moves to line up your vehicle in accordance with other parked vehicles can make all the difference between an unkempt car park and a smart one.
* It has been suggested to the Inspection Team that more space could be created within the car park by positioning vehicles so that they are parked parallel to the Epsom Road. The Team recommends that, by way of an experiment, car users should park their vehicles in the normal way, ie parallel to Down Road, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but that they should park parallel to the Epsom Road on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This will come into effect on 1 April.
* It is not aesthetically pleasing to look out on a badly co-ordinated car park. Please make every effort to colour co-ordinate your parking by making sure that you park your vehicle next to one of a similar shade. It may be possible to regulate this by ruling that all red cars, for example, should be parked on the "A" block fore-court, with blue cars around the lawns. Obviously these points are open to discussion. The Inspection Team are also of the opinion that a select committee of car users should be set up to encourage those using the car parks to park their vehicles in such a way as to form colourful patterns and images, eg a "Union Jack" or maybe even the company logo. Not only would these look particularly spectacular for those special events at the office, but forming them would help develop a sense of camaraderie between car users.
* Owing to a recently heightened state of security, known as "Black Special with Red Trim", the Inspection Team are compelled to recommend that owners of cars that are manufactured in former Communist Bloc countries should obtain special security clearance for entry into the car park.
* As a general rule, we recommend that car owners clean their vehicles at least once a week. No-one likes to look at a dirty car and remember - a clean car is a happy car and with a car park full of happy cars, who could fail to feel more content and self-fulfilled. If you are unable to keep your car clean, or if it is in poor condition or simply the wrong colour, eg lime green, please would you co-operate with the new car park policy by parking your vehicle out of sight. The utility yard behind the Canteen block would be suitable or alternatively you could park in Down Road where people may not realise that the car belongs to a member of this office.
2. It is the ultimate aim of the Inspection Team's recommendations to bring harmony to the car park, restore morale to those whose only view out of the window is the car park, and to create a general sense of well-being throughout the office. If you have any comments on these recommendations or if you have any other suggestions in respect of the car park, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Team.
THE CAR PARK INSPECTION TEAM
Terry
|
|
|
Rita, I should have thought that parking the vehicle, with the wheels slightly misaligned, shows your consideration for that irritating component known as a steering lock. The steering lock will not engage,(except if the vehicle is being stolen by some Bounder without a key), you will not have that tiresome business of wrenching and straining the steering wheel, just to get your ignition key to engage, and neither will he have to stump up a lot of money, fairly frequently, to have broken keys and failing steering locks replaced.
He obviously does not realize what a sympathetic and mechanically minded treasure he has at the wheel.
|
Jeez, like we don't have enough to do already. Park it lock it leave it. Been doing it for years, no noticeable effect on fuel consumption, trade-in value or tyre wear ;-]
|
One small point - if you leave it at *full* lock, depending on the car you stand a chance of blowing the seals on the power steering pump when you restart the engine. I don't think it applies to newer cars, though.
V
|
According to the handbook for the new model Renault Laguna, this is still a problem if wheels are not pointing straight ahead. All to do with hydraulic principles.
|
I prefer to park wheels in line on the flat because i don't like the drive shaft rubbers being compressed, silly i know, also when setting off quickly it is possible to forget lock has been left on, i agree with hubby, not parking square in a marked bay causes adjacent cars to move over to leave door space, very untidy.
|
|
|
Ho hum, I forgot to mention that these minor contretemps usually occur when HIMBO is at the front of the house as I access the drive. I have a minor right turn to park the car parallel to the house and it is laziness on my part that I don't always park tidy. As someone once made a fortune out of saying, amongst other bon mots, "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom".
I'm pleased that the majority opinion seems to be in my favour. There is justice in this world after all!
Rita
|
|