Four Seasons 56157 A/c Hose-a/c Refrigerant Hose on 2040-parts.com

Renault's future performance models

By Richard Yarrow Motor Industry 24 April 2008 10:20 There has never been a hot version of the Laguna from Renaultsport – the performance arm of the French car maker – and our advice is don’t hold your breath for one any time soon. With the MkIII Laguna launched last year, the timing would be perfect for the debut of a flagship model on the home turf of the Paris motor show in October 2008. But Patrick Pelata, Renault’s director of product planning, told CAR Online the quality of other super-saloons coupled with environmental concerns meant it wasn’t likely.

V6 dropped for redesigned Mazda 6 sedan

Mazda will drop the V6 engine from the Mazda 6 lineup, the company told Automotive News. Instead, the redesigned Mazda 6 will use powertrains from Mazda's Skyactiv technology bin, including direct-injection four-cylinder engines and ultra-efficient transmissions. “We believe that the balance of fuel economy and power that Skyactiv offers is what customers want,” a Mazda spokesman said.

Bungling thief caught after stealing hire car's steering wheel

A DIM-WITTED criminal has been convicted of theft after stealing parts of a brand new Audi A3 hire car and replacing them with old bits taken from his much older Audi S3. Alexander Keating, a 23-year-old former bodyshop technician who lost his job following the conviction, stole parts as obvious as the steering wheel and gear knob from the A3 that his mum had hired after damaging her car in an accident. Keating foolishly believed no one would notice the battered old steering wheel on the otherwise shiny, new car, but sure enough the mismatched parts were spotted and the hapless bungler was caught by the car hire firm’s bespoke anti-fraud team Asset Protection Unit (APU).