Px K80027 Suspension Ball Joint Ford Excursion F350 Super Duty F250 on 2040-parts.com

Mechanics qualifications gained using Haynes manuals

MOST MEN enjoy a good Haynes car manual, whether they really understand it or not, but a group of youngsters has used the workshop guides to achieve their first qualifications in car mechanics. The first wave of the Haynes Mechanix scheme has seen a mixed gender youth club group, aged 15-25 and from Islington in London, use Haynes manuals along with guidance from experienced mentors to fix real problems on a real car. The donor Volkswagen, known as Percy the Polo, was a theoretical MOT fail and needed replacement spark plugs, a brake fluid replacement and much more, to give the aspiring tinkerers a broad spectrum of challenges.

Car of the Year 2013 finalists announced: do you agree?

The contest for 2013 Car of the Year is hotting up, with the shortlist for Europe's most prestigious new car award announced. The final eight contenders are: Ford B-max Hyundai i30 Mercedes A-class Peugeot 208 Renault Clio Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86 Volkswagen Golf Volvo V40   This year, there are eight finalists instead of the usual seven, thanks to a dead heat between two contenders. According to the Car of the Year jury, the award's goal 'is to acclaim the most outstanding new car to go on sale in the [last] 12 months.' Not much fuel for enthusiasts in the 2013 CotY list...

SRT Viper production halted amid slow sales

Chrysler has made the decision to suspend production of the SRT Viper for a least two months, citing slow sales. The move is expected to result in layoffs of 91 hourly workers at Chrysler's Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit. Back in October of 2013, Chrysler cut Viper production by a third, citing slow sales and growing inventories.