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Cost of garage labour falling

THE AVERAGE labour rate at both franchised and non-franchised garages has fallen compared to 2012, according to new figures. An annual survey of 12,000 cases conducted on behalf of Warranty Direct has concluded that the average labour rate in 2013 is £74.70, a fall of 9.84% from £82.86 in 2012. Less encouraging is the overall trend of rising labour rates, with the average having increased by 33% over the last ten years.

BMW M3 and M4 on track, on video ahead of Detroit debut

The new BMW M3 and M4 on track at the Nurburgring The next instalment for the new BMW 3 and 4 Series is the arrival of the new range-topping, benchmark-setting BMW m3 and M4 at Detroit in January. Ahead of that, BMW has already given us plenty of the specs for both the 2014 M3 and M4. They include the arrival of a new 3.0 litre turbo engine for the M3 and M4 offering 424bhp and 369lb/ft of torque – more than the old 4.0 litre petrol could muster – attached to a manual gearbox as standard with a tweaked seven-speed dual-clutch auto as an option.

Vauxhall customers to benefit from Government funding

VAUXHALL customers can now benefit from free installation of a home charging unit for their Ampera extended-range electric vehicles. Following the Government's announcement of funding for owners of electric vehicles (EVs) where they will cover 75 per cent of costs for home charging unit installations up to a maximum of £1,000 including VAT, Vauxhall has now offered to meet the remaining 25 per cent on the same basis for new retail customers taking up the offer. The Government’s £37 million package of benefits also includes additional measures for local authorities to install on-street charging posts and rapid chargers.