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

Maintenance 'favours' end up costing more

GETTING help from family, neighbours or friends for basic car maintenance tasks costs the UK public an estimate £300million a year, according to a new survey. Over 2,000 people were surveyed on behalf of Halfords Autocentres and one in six said they regretted asking for help in the first place. 45% who subsequently had to pay a professional to rectify mistakes were left with a bill in excess of £100.

Volvo XC90 grabs IIHS Top Safety Pick+ on its way out

The Volvo XC90 may be the oldest car in Volvo's lineup, with 2013 being the last year for the XC90 before it's replaced by an entirely new model, but it has just captured the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick+ award. The award is a relatively new title, requiring a car or truck to achieve "Acceptable" or "Good" ratings on each IIHS test. Crucial to the Volvo XC90's achievement of this award was its performance in the new small overlap front tests, which test how a vehicle behaves in an front offset crash with a stationary object at high speeds.

Button: I over-reacted at Hamilton

JENSON BUTTON has conceded to an over-reaction in his criticism of Lewis Hamilton following Sunday's German Grand Prix. Button initially claimed Hamilton's performance at Hockenheim to be "strange" as his former McLaren team-mate was involved in a trio of minor collisions en route to finishing third from 20th on the grid. One of those involved Button at the hairpin as an attempt by Hamilton to pass culminated in the latter losing the front-wing endplate from his Mercedes.