CarSpecInfo

On Valentine's Day, BMW presented the second generation X4. Today we know which amounts are written on the price tags.

Those who visit the BMW dealer from July 14 should be able to step into the brand-new second generation X4. BMW now lets you know for what amounts the car changes owner.

The starting price of the new X4 is € 62,995. For that amount you get handed the keys of the 184 hp and 290 Nm strong xDrive20i.

The 252 hp and 350 Nm strong xDrive30i has a starting price of € 75.595 and for the 190 hp and 400 Nm strong xDrive20d BMW asks € 71.995.

The xDrive25d, which is 231 hp and 500 Nm strong, is allowed from € 78.995. Diesel bar M40d, with 326 hp and 680 Nm under the hood, has a base price of € 97,695.

This summer BMW is adding the M4 M40i and the xDrive30d to the delivery range.

Toyota Motor Europe has a good first quarter. In the first quarter of this year, the company sold 4 percent more cars than in the same period last year.

In the first three months of this year, Toyota Motor Europe sold 280,300 new cars on our continent. This concerns models from both Lexus and Toyota.

That number is 4 percent above the number of cars that the brands sold in Europe in the first quarter of 2017. As a result, the market share of Toyota and Lexus increased by 0.1 percentage point to 5.1 percent.

Toyota itself sold 261,700 cars in Europe of which 113,100 were Hybrid. The remaining 18,600 units, of which 12,400 were Hybrid, are attributable to Lexus.

In Western Europe, 53 percent of all Toyota's sold was a hybrid. At Lexus, that percentage is even at 98 percent. In Eastern Europe, these percentages are respectively 13 and 6 percent.

Toyota and Lexus are specialized in hybrid models and that means that an increasing part of the portfolio consists of cars that can only be delivered with a hybrid powertrain or where that is in any case an option.

In the first quarter of this year 125,400 Hybrids found a new owner, 18 percent more than in the same period last year. The hybrids account for 45 percent of the total sales of Toyota Motor Europe.

Success numbers at Toyota are the Yaris (65,400 pieces), the C-HR (36,500 pieces) and the Auris (33,800 pieces). At Lexus, the NX (7,900 units) the RX (3,900 units) and the CT (2,400 units) were the most popular models.

Porsche sold more cars in the first quarter of the year, partly as a result of the economic recovery.

Worldwide sales increased by 6 percent to more than 63,000 units, as Volkswagen's luxury brand announced.

The United States was the most important growth market for Porsche, which sold a tenth more cars across the Atlantic.

As far as models are concerned, the Panamera, among other things due to the hybrid versions, and the well-known 911 were the biggest drivers for higher sales figures.

Porsche expects the increase to continue this year, according to driver Detlev von Platen.

According to him, the brand has a market share of 0.3 percent. The brand thus fulfills its objective to remain 'exclusive'.

WHAT DOES THE TIMING BELT DO AND HOW DO I NOTICE WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED? AND WHAT IF THE TIMING BELT BREAKS?

The crankshaft of the engine drives the overlying camshaft by means of the timing belt. Sometimes the diesel injection pump is also driven at the same time.

It is a toothed belt that in principle can not slip on the gears of the crankshaft and camshaft. This is very important because the camshaft must open the valves just in time for the engine to function properly.

How do I notice that my timing belt needs to be replaced ?

If everything goes well, you do not notice it. It is a part that is preventively replaced at a certain mileage, for example at 120,000 or 150,000 km.

When it has to be done exactly, it is in the owner’s manual or maintenance schedule. Some garages advise to replace the belt earlier to reduce the risk of breakage.

How so? The car manufacturer does build a safe margin when determining the replacement period? Yes, but if you drive few kilometers, the belt can dry out before it needs to be replaced according to the odometer.

Also in cars that drive a lot of city kilometers, the belt wears harder than the mileage suggests. Some brands take this into account in the maintenance schedules.

What if he breaks?

Two things can go wrong with the timing belt: it can break or slip. If it breaks, the engine stops running.

In the worst case, engine damage can occur because one of the pistons hits an open valve. Then repair can become an expensive joke.

If the belt is slid, you notice that because the engine is bad or no longer runs. Over the years, the quality of the materials has greatly improved.

A timing belt nowadays rarely breaks itself, mostly because suddenly there is a lot of power on it.

For example if there is another part that crashes. However, the teeth wear out slightly afterwards, so that slipping can occur.

Even if the belt is not sufficiently tensioned, it can start to slip.

This is normally done in the maintenance booklet and often a sticker with the mileage is also placed somewhere in the engine compartment. It is also useful to keep the invoice of the garage.

What does it cost ?

A timing belt is a precision part. It often has to go 100,000 km or more. Then you do not take a risk and have a cheap part of an unknown brand assembled.

The price of the belt starts at € 50, assembly costs easily 2-3 hours, depending on the type of car. This will be significantly higher if the belt breaks or slips.

Could I have prevented it ? 

No, that is unavoidable, because the replacement is part of the normal periodic maintenance of the car.