10 Caliber Air Bag Wheel Knee Dash Module Oem Lkq on 2040-parts.com

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

VW Passat Alltrack 4motion (2012) goes on sale

Volkswagen is launching its own cut-price rival to those mud-loving Allroad models from Audi in May 2012 – the new Passat Alltrack 4motion. It's a Passat estate in a Barbour and green wellies, its ride height hoiked up and with 4motion all-wheel drive boosting traction for soft-roading and pulling horseboxes over slippery grass. VW quotes a two-tonne towing capacity – 200kg greater than an equivalent Passat estate.

2013 Toyota RAV4: Price from £22,595

Toyota has announced that the new Toyota RAV4 will cost from £22,595 for the RAV4 Active 2WD 2.0 Diesel to £29,295 for the Invincible AWD 2.2 Diesel. The new RAV4 is better looking, bigger, promises better driving dynamics and more equipment than the current RAV4, but Toyota has still conspired to bring in the RAV4 entry point at a lower price than currently, albeit with a new, smaller engine. Trim levels on the new RAV4 are now Active, Icon and Invincible with 4WD available on all trim levels except Active.