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

Theory test fee to fall

LEARNER drivers will have to fork out less for their theory tests - saving would-be motorists around £100 million over the next decade. The cost of a theory test is being slashed by 25% in October, taking the cost down from £31 to £25, and with a further drop of £2 lined up for October next year. Theory test fees for motorbikes and other vehicles are also set to be cut, a spokesman said.

Used car market pressure eases

AN INCREASE in the number of used cars coming into the market has “taken the edge off prices” and calmed some corners of the industry, according to used car pricing experts CAP. A greater influx of part-exchange cars arriving at dealers is partly responsible, and with many franchised dealers focusing for the time being on selling those vehicles, competition to acquire stock on the open market has decreased. CAP reports that the pressure has been lifted on some dealers who had become frustrated at how expensive it was becoming to source cars at fair prices.

Will your next new car stop itself?

Last week in Park City, Utah, a group of us were discussing the chutzpah that some manufacturers have in charging hundreds of dollars for outboard mirrors that dip downward when the vehicle's placed in reverse. The consensus was, “Since the electric motors in the mirrors are already there, and the computers know the car's set to back up, it's only a line of code. A very expensive line of code.” The European Union seems to be thinking along the same lines.