Nissan Moco 2004 Throttle Body [0920300] on 2040-parts.com

Maintenance 'favours' end up costing more

GETTING help from family, neighbours or friends for basic car maintenance tasks costs the UK public an estimate £300million a year, according to a new survey. Over 2,000 people were surveyed on behalf of Halfords Autocentres and one in six said they regretted asking for help in the first place. 45% who subsequently had to pay a professional to rectify mistakes were left with a bill in excess of £100.

Toyota Prius 10th Anniversary special edition (2010)

The Toyota Prius might be more normally associated with sandal-toting eco saviours, but to mark its tenth birthday Toyota is launching a blinged-up Prius 10th Anniversary special edition with a bad-boy bodykit and blacked-out windows. Yes, this is one of the stranger creations of the year. The Prius 10th Anniversary special edition marks a big shift for normally cautious Toyota, but remember this is just a UK edition marking a decade of British sales.

College Exhibition: IAAD - 'My First Renault'

Transportation Design students at Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design (IAAD) in Turin presented the results of a Renault-sponsored project with the theme 'My First Renault' in July. The students were given a fairly open brief to design a personal vision of a Renault vehicle of the near future. In addition to an exhibition in Turin, selected project work was presented at the Renault Technocentre to the directors of Renault Design.