National Oil Seals 472397 Spindle Hub Oil Seal on 2040-parts.com

Vauxhall Astra tweaked & Astra GTC BiTurbo diesel

The Vauxhall Astra Hatch and Sports Tourer (Estate) have been given a bit of a facelift and the Astra GTC BiTurbo diesel has arrived. It’s probably a bit of a stretch to call what Vauxhall has done to the Astra Hatch and Astra Sport Tourer a facelift, but it’s enough of a tweak for those who’ve just bought a new Astra to be less than thrilled. The main changes to the hatch and estate are a new grill, new indicators and new fog lights; a minor rhinoplasty.

Parents ignoring school run safety rules

MORE THAN a third of parents who drive their children to school think it is acceptable to stop or park on school safety zigzag lines, with a quarter admitting to doing so, according to research from AXA Car Insurance. Furthermore, 88% of school-run parents have witnessed fellow motorists stopping in the restricted zigzag area at least once a week. Zigzag lines prohibit waiting, parking or stopping for any reason during school run times, and yet only 17% of adults in the survey knew that.

2013 Ford Escape can tow 3,500 pounds with EcoBoost engine

The 2013 Ford Escape, which we saw at the Detroit auto show in January, will have a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds when equipped with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, Ford said on Wednesday. That number easily bests four-cylinder-equipped competitors such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Kia Sportage and the Acura RDX. Ford says the new engine will make enough power to pull two jet skis down to the lake with a trailer, or to drag a snowmobile to the frozen tundra.