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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.

'Defective tyre' prosecutions top 10,000

MORE THAN 170 motorists were convicted every week in 2012 for driving on defective or even dangerous tyres. The figures, obtained by tyre safety charity TyreSafe as part of its efforts to improve awareness during Tyre Safety Month, show that 10,228 drivers were taken to court over their tyres. As rain becomes a more regular fixture for most motorists up and down the country, following an unusually dry summer, tyre tread depth and pressure become even more important.

Toyota eyes turbos, direct injection

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to introduce 11 new or redesigned hybrid vehicles by 2012, but the carmaker is hardly neglecting the humble internal combustion engine. Takeshi Uchiyamada, executive vice president in charge of r&d, also wants to increase the fleet's fuel efficiency by putting turbochargers and direct fuel injection in smaller vehicles.