Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Toyota recalls Corolla, Lexus IS models

On Wednesday, Toyota said it is recalling 752,000 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles from the 2003 and 2004 model years, and about 270,000 Lexus IS vehicles built between 2006 and 2012. The Corolla and Corolla Matrix may be susceptible to an electrical short that could cause the frontal airbag and front seatbelt pre-tensioners to inadvertently deploy, according to Toyota. The Lexus IS faces a problem with windshield wipers that are not sufficiently secured and may not operate properly when weighted down by heavy snow.

One Lap of the Web: Stop! It's Sledgehammer time!

-- There's a Bitter SC on eBay this week, and unlike most examples that we see on the list that is Craig's and the Electronic Bays, this is actually in decent shape. Some of you might remember these when they were new, and they remain the best way and perhaps the only way to get into an Opel Senator on this side of the Atlantic. (If you're into that sort of thing.) -- OK, we get it -- Mongolia has only about 2,000 miles of paved roads, but that's no excuse for chafing through a bottleneck in this manner.

Toyota and Mercedes-Benz are top global car brands

Toyota & Mercedes-Benz are the Top Global Automotive Brands 2011 Interbrand, a branding consultancy, delivers a report on the world’s brands every year, and in 2011, despite recall woes and the devastation of the Japanese Tsunami, Toyota leads the automotive brands, with luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz just behind. Interbrand uses three measures to gauge how effective a brand is – performance of branded product, the brands ability to secure earnings and the role of the brand in purchasing decisions – to come up with a chart of the top 100 world brands. At the top of the tree are companies like Coca Cola, IBM, Microsoft and Google, but car brands do well with Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda, VW, and Ford all making it in to the top 50.