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

Approved mechanics essential for quality service

DRIVERS need to make sure their car is being properly serviced by a qualified mechanic, says the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI). To help drives do this, it has launched a government-backed scheme called the Professional Register. While there are around 175,000 people in the UK who call themselves automotive technicians, the IMI says it can only recommend around 27,000 as having the required skills and competence to carry out work to the required standard in their specialism.

Toyota recalls Highlander hybrid, Lexus RX 400h

Toyota is recalling about 82,000 hybrid vehicles in the United States to fix a flawed control board inside the powertrain. The recall covers about 45,000 Toyota Highlander hybrids and 36,700 Lexus RX 400h hybrids from the 2006 and 2007 model years. Toyota says some of the transistors on the control board might have been improperly soldered and could be damaged from large current flow during high-load driving.

Interior Motives Design Conference 2005

Patrick le Quement, Senior Vice President, Corporate Design, Renault made the opening address in which he remarked that "the most profound change I and my team have made is the investment in interior design". He took the audience through a succinct overview of the recent history of Renault design and how far it has evolved from being 'the art of dressing up the hunchback' as a senior Renault manager remarked several decades ago. One of the interesting Renault Design processes he talked about was its 'Trends Missions' where groups of four or five designers make trips into creative areas adjacent to car design for a few days to explore, research and bring back to the studio valuable insight that enriches the design group as a whole and informs the many issues and tasks being grappled with, one of the most important at the moment being defining 'what is Renault'.