Sierra 3253 Suzuki Water Pump Kit on 2040-parts.com

Capitol Hill notebook: Obama defends autos, Akerson defends the Chevrolet Volt

Less than 10 hours after President Barack Obama wrapped up his third State of the Union address, manufacturing and automobiles continued to command the spotlight on Wednesday in Washington. The day began with General Motors CEO Dan Akerson defending the Chevrolet Volt before a U.S. House committee hearing, saying he didn't want it to become a "political punching bag," according to testimony provided by the company.

Daftest hard shoulder stops revealed

DRIVERS have illegally stopped on motorway hard shoulders for all sorts of barely believable reasons, according to a list from the Highways Agency Some of the dumb and dumber reasons include picking flowers, renewing insurance policies and even trying to sell their car. One motorist pulled over after seeing "Fire" on his dashboard display, but fortunately for his car it turned out to be the name of an Adele track he was listening to. On another occasion, traffic officers found two cars on the hard shoulder, with the owners halfway through the selling and buying process for one of the cars.

Poll: what should be done with donated Dodge Vipers?

Last week Chrysler sent letters to a number of colleges ordering them to crush the remaining Dodge Vipers that they have in their custody, in accordance with the agreement entered into by the carmaker and a number of vocational school when Chrysler donated the cars. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the interet got wind of this and blew a head gasket. How could early pre-production Vipers be ordered to the crusher when they're...