Polaris Atv Standard Piston Pn 3085488 Sportsman on 2040-parts.com

Maintenance 'favours' end up costing more

GETTING help from family, neighbours or friends for basic car maintenance tasks costs the UK public an estimate £300million a year, according to a new survey. Over 2,000 people were surveyed on behalf of Halfords Autocentres and one in six said they regretted asking for help in the first place. 45% who subsequently had to pay a professional to rectify mistakes were left with a bill in excess of £100.

2014 Volkswagen Polo now on sale – price from £11,100 to £19,715

The facelifted 2014 VW Polo (pictured) is now on sale The 2014 facelift for the VW Polo was revealed back in January and, although the cosmetic tweaks were the usual facelift fodder – tweaked bumpers and grill, new lights, new alloys and interior updates – the big changes came under the bonnet. New 3-cylinder engines arrive for the Polo with two new 1.0 litre petrols with 60PS or 75 PS, two 1.2 litre petrols with 90 or 110PS and and extra 10-PS for the 1.4 litre, which also gets cylinder deactivation. The diesel BlueMotion also gets dropped in favour of a petrol BlueMotion offering 68.9mpg from its 1.0 litre 3-pot and there’s a pair of 1.4 litre diesels with 75 or 90PS replacing the old 1.2 and 1.6 litre diesels.

BMW 5-series is in line for the company's new triturbo diesel engine

Details leaked from a dealer conference held in Holland this week suggest that BMW's upcoming 550dX will be the first recipient of the German carmaker's new high-tech triturbo 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engine. The new engine, which also is destined for the new X5 xDrive50d and X6 xDrive50d models, is claimed to produce 376 hp and more than 516 lb-ft of torque--some 70 hp and more than 74 lb-ft more than the most powerful version of BMW's existing twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engine, as found in the X5 xDrive40d. The radical new engine, which is rumored to use two traditional exhaust-blown turbochargers in combination with an electrically driven turbocharger to add low-end response, is planned to be offered exclusively with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive.