Victor Reinz 15-36053-01 Valve Cover Gasket Set on 2040-parts.com

Call for reform over road repair funding

FUNDING patterns mean most road maintenance is being carried out in "less-efficient, cold and wet" times, a report from a Government spending watchdog has said. The current pattern of funding, combined with the need to spend money within the financial year, means that most maintenance work goes on between September and March, said the report from the National Audit Office (NAO). It went on: "Although this is less disruptive for road users, it is less efficient than carrying out the work at other times of year because materials can be more difficult to handle in cold and wet conditions, and daylight hours are shorter." The report went on: "As a result of the additional funding for emergency repairs, which is made available at the end of the financial year, almost all highways authorities need extra capacity from the market at the same time, which makes it less likely that they will get value for money." The NAO report said there was a "lack of predictability" over road spending adding that historically, local highway authorities spent more revenue on maintenance, but were now carrying out fewer routine activities such as clearing gullies which are essential to preventing water seeping into roads' sub-structure.

New Kia Sorento at Frankfurt

The new Kia Sorento will get its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show The new Kia Sorento – a seven seat SUV – is longer, lower and more aerodynamic than the current model. Its length has increased by 18mm and its drag coefficient drops to 0.38 – down from 0.43 – which will help with economy. And Kia says that the new Sorento has been set up to be more road-biased, without losing any of the Sorento’s off-road ability.

Honda Jazz Hybrid / Honda Fit Hybrid revealed

The Honda Jazz Hybrid will debut at the Paris Motor Show Despite not really believing that Hybrid cars are anything other than a stop-gap (if they’re any use at all in small cars) Honda is pushing forward with its hybrid range by dropping the hybrid bits from the Insight in to the Jazz to make the Honda Jazz Hybrid (in the Americas, China and Japan read that as Honda Fit Hybrid). The Honda Jazz Hybrid – which will be revealed at the Paris Motor Show in just over a month – will be the first B-Segment hybrid to hit the market (supermini in English), and its smaller size may help the Insight’s hybrid bits be a bit more fun. But don’t hold your breath.