There cannot be a single reader who hasn’t experienced a vehicle with an annoying squeak or rattle, that no matter what you do, you just cannot get rid of. Help is at hand it seems from Newgate Simms with the new aftermarket Squeaks and Rattles Kit. These guys have been supplying all these products to the trade for years, but now you can get your hands on them. This kit includes various anti-friction coatings, dry film lubricants and also specialist automotive felts and foams that you can use to try and stop those highly irritating noises.
The company has a whole range of individual products if you don’t want to stump up for the full kit, check out www.newgateonline.com
Checking out where the heat is created in a competition engine can be difficult, but vital if you want to avoid engine, brake, tyre problems. How do you check the temperature for specific areas or points on a vehicle? Micro-Temp now have a range of digital intrared thermometers – you just point and shoot and can read the temperature. The range it will register is from -76degF to a whooping 1800degF. Prices range from £28.91 to £289.28 and the kits are distributed in Europe through Nimbus Motorsport.
Powerflex has produced new inserts made specifically for the Subaru Forester SH, model range – mid 2008 onwards. These are the same design as the 2011 Impreza, but the Forester uses a spacer on top of the sub frame to raise the body, the spacer has a ring that protrudes which the new inserts accommodate. The inserts limit the movement of the sub frame giving an improved positive feel to the rear end under cornering. Ideal for a more tired, hard-worked vehicle.
As VW’s new pick-up hits the roads of the UK, so do the new range of accessories designed specifically for the exciting new model. Stylish new roll bars and a truck top have been announced by 4x4at.com. These large diameter roll bars with rear stays are available with a long or short side stay option. Manufactured from grade T304 Stainless Steel 76mm tubing which is polished to a chrome like mirror finish.
Finally we have had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the much-heralded Range Rover Evoque, off-road across some difficult tracks in Snowdonia National Park and under the streets of Liverpool. Yes, that’s right, under the streets…
A team of students from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Horncastle, Lincolnshire have won the prestigious 4×4 in Schools Technology Challenge National Finals. The competition, which is supported by Land Rover, has teams of students design and build a remote controlled vehicle which will negotiate obstacles and electronic tests. The model off-road track which “emulates the concept of a Land Rover 4×4 vehicle” apparently was actually designed by Land Rover. 
The future of the SsangYong brand in the UK is now said to be secure thanks to a 70 per cent acquisition of the Korean company by Indian engineering conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra. New investment in the importing company will see a name change in the UK to SsangYong Motor UK (SYMUK). This development means that the launch of the new Korando crossover vehicle can go ahead, and SYMUK expects an increase in dealerships from the present 50, to 65. New models, developments of the Korando range, and even an electric vehicle are planned and the first of these will be seen at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September. 
After the disparaging description of 4x4s being ‘Chelsea tractors’, it is interesting that extreme, outrageous modifier, Kahn Design has launched a new range of ‘expedition vehicles’ under the brand name the Chelsea Truck Company. First model to come from this is the Wrangler. If we were concerned that the latest Wrangler in ‘stock’ format had gone rather too bling for some tastes, you haven’t seen anything yet! The claret red leather interior is striking, and the 18 and 20in matt black wheels dramatic. 
While the numbers themselves seem staggeringly large, one thing is for sure, SUV sales in China are soaring. Last year, total SUV sales were some 1.3 million, which represents a 100% rise over the previous year. And this is continuing with May 2011 figures up some 38.3% on the previous year. It seems that SUVs are becoming the vehicle of choice for the better off citizens in China and demand continues to rise. 
This month’s story on the Polar TRV expedition attempt to beat the World Record for the fastest unsupported motorised vehicle to the South Pole (page 20) got us thinking. Not only did our test drive of the vehicle prove impressive, and highly enjoyable but also it got us wondering about the future potential of the vehicle. The project is funded by global information company, Thomson Reuters, who wanted a ‘money-can’t-buy’ competition prize for its global, 55,000 workforce. Experienced polar expedition expert Jason De Carteret was commissioned and came up with the plan to build a vehicle to drive to the South Pole and in the process beat the current World Record, exactly 100 years after Norwegian Roald Admunsen was the first to visit the bottom of the world. We wish them well, but are tempted to wonder, ‘what next?’
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