Toyota Celsior 2001 Hood Damper [0110510] on 2040-parts.com

Parents 'taxi drivers' for their children

PARENTS spend around six months of their lives playing taxi driver for their children, a poll has found. A new survey claims that the average mum and dad clocks up around 30 miles a week ferrying their youngster to school, to clubs and to see friends, spending around three-and-a-half hours in the car. It means that the average parent racks up around 26,741 miles driving their child around between the ages of three and 20, and spends around 3,147 hours behind the wheel, according to Goodyear, which commissioned the poll.

AC Schnitzer upgrades the Mini Cooper coupe

The Mini Cooper coupe is still fresh--it hasn't been out for more than a year. Now, German tuner AC Schnitzer has taken it into the shop for some upgrades. The company is working on performance upgrades for both the diesel- and gasoline-powered cars, starting with a front limited-slip differential.

Mercedes Marco Polo (2014): first pics of Merc's camper van

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 10 July 2014 10:51 Mercedes has unveiled its answer to the VW California camper van: the new V-class-derived Marco Polo bijou home on wheels. As the exploratory name suggests, the Mercedes Marco Polo is for adventurous types who want to take their home with them on outdoor trips and camping holidays. Not sure we'd take one from Venice to the Far East though, like its namesake...