Mopar 53032509am Egr Valve on 2040-parts.com

Call for reform over road repair funding

FUNDING patterns mean most road maintenance is being carried out in "less-efficient, cold and wet" times, a report from a Government spending watchdog has said. The current pattern of funding, combined with the need to spend money within the financial year, means that most maintenance work goes on between September and March, said the report from the National Audit Office (NAO). It went on: "Although this is less disruptive for road users, it is less efficient than carrying out the work at other times of year because materials can be more difficult to handle in cold and wet conditions, and daylight hours are shorter." The report went on: "As a result of the additional funding for emergency repairs, which is made available at the end of the financial year, almost all highways authorities need extra capacity from the market at the same time, which makes it less likely that they will get value for money." The NAO report said there was a "lack of predictability" over road spending adding that historically, local highway authorities spent more revenue on maintenance, but were now carrying out fewer routine activities such as clearing gullies which are essential to preventing water seeping into roads' sub-structure.

Audi RS7 Sportback refreshed with 190 mph top speed

Audi has fitted the RS7 Sportback with a series of mild styling changes only 18 months after its reveal at the 2013 Detroit auto show. Among the subtle visual modifications brought to the plush performance liftback is a lightly reworked front end. It features a restyled single-frame grille set within a slightly more structured bumper, bringing its appearance in line with less-powerful versions of the A7 Sportback revealed last week.

BMW M6 Gran Coupe leaks out ahead of debut

The BMW M6 Gran Coupe – the four-door, swoopy-coupe version of the 6 Series – has leaked out ahead of a debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. We already think the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is probably the best car BMW make, so the arrival of the BMW M6 Gran Coupe offers lots of promise. The 640d Gran Coupe is a joy to drive with sublime handling that belies its size – and stunning performance from the diesel engine in the 640d – and if BMW has managed to endow the M6 Gran Coupe with the same levels of refinement and even more performance and power then the queue for an M6 Gran Coupe is going to be a long one.