My 2012 VW Polo 1.4 petrol automatic has a rattle that makes the engine sound like a diesel. It starts at 1,100rpm and ceases at about 1,250. This occurs under load. Otherwise it’s working well. It has had the VW recall for a change of transmission oil. I would be grateful for any ideas. I’m hoping to go France in the near future and am a bit worried that it might break down. MM
That’s typical of the VW Group DQ200 seven-speed dry clutch DSG. Reports of failures come in all the time. From your description, it’s more likely to be the clutch pack than the Mechatronics, which is a relief because replacing a clutch pack is much cheaper and you might get some goodwill from VW.
I am considering a new Ford Kuga with the 1.5 Ecoboost engine. Would this be a better option than its diesel equivalent? WB
Yes. As long as you don't intend to tow, the 1.5 Ecoboost is a better long-term choice. Also consider a VW Tiguan with the 1.4/1.5 TSI (though there's a wait for that), a Tiguan 2.0 TSI or a Suzuki Vitara 1.4T Boosterjet.
The engine in my 36,000-mile Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDI makes a loudish noise when I accelerate hard in sixth gear, especially on an incline. My main dealer has checked it out but says no fault can be found. What could be causing this - and might it be serious? JH
If you are accelerating in sixth up an incline in a Sportage 1.7 CRDI then you will probably be loading the engine too much, especially if the revs are below 2,000. The noise could be the dual mass flywheel protesting. You need to change down a gear (or two).
I have an MG ZT, bought as new (unregistered for six years) in 2011. It has developed an irritating drumming noise that appears to come from the rear when in motion. I replaced the rear discs and pads but it made no difference. The tyres are the original Continentals and show no uneven wear. I have been under the car and there is nothing loose. I thought it might be the wheel bearings, but I had one of those replaced a couple of years ago and so is relatively new. When the car is jacked up there is no undue movement on either of the rear wheels. I am totally perplexed.PC
It's possible that the strengthening band across the inside of the roof has come adrift from the roof itself.
The catalytic converter of my 1995 Jaguar XJ6 is making noises. The local Jag dealer in Exeter says it cannot be replaced and will fail its MoT in September. The car runs beautifully. What would you do? Is it possible to get one from a breaker? LH
Presumably it's rattling because the ceramic matrix has broken up. It's highly likely that one sourced from a breaker will have suffered shock damage and will be in the same state. If you key “Jaguar XJ catalytic converter suppliers” into Google you will find a cheaper replacement than a main dealer can supply.
I have a VW Golf 1.4 TSI and there is a growling noise at low speed, or when accelerating. It has been suggested this might be the air intake in the turbo. Is this a possibility and is this a known problem? JB
That is most likely to be an air intake noise because a pipe has split or come adrift; not a fault with the turbo itself. But if it’s the timing chain you’re in trouble...
According to the Office for National Statistics the proportion of so-called “silver splitters” – people over 60 separating from their husband or wife - has almost doubled in a decade.
It was once an age when people prepared to wind down after a long career or plan an around-the world cruise.
According to the Office for National Statistics the number of so-called “silver splitters” – people over 60 separating from their husband or wife – has almost doubled in a decade.
Divorce lawyers suggested that increasing life expectancy and a greater “lust for life” among those in their 60s than in previous generations meant that for many people retirement has become a time to reassess their life.
Others said that so-called “empty nest syndrome” when children grow up and leave home, also removed some of the bonds holding long-term couples together.
The figures also show a spike in the number of people in their early forties deciding to divorce, suggesting that the “midlife crisis” is one of the biggest factors behind marital break-up.
And changing social attitudes are laid out in a breakdown of the figures showing that adultery as a cause of divorce has fallen to an all-time low, with “unreasonable behaviour” by one or other party now the dominant cause.
Overall a total of 117,558 married couples finalised their separations in England Wales last year, down from 119,589 in 2010.
The 1.7 per cent fall came after a surprise five per cent increase in 2010 but the ONS warned that it might be only temporary, following patterns in previous recessions in which unhappy couples sat it out until their house goes up in value before making the break.
The ONS calculated that 42 per cent of marriages now end in divorce – down from 45 per cent six years earlier.
Meanwhile the average marriage now lasts about 32 years – while around a fifth of all people getting divorced are serial divorcees.
The figures also suggest that the “seven year itch” is still a reality, with those between the fourth and eighth year of marriage statistically more likely to separate within a year than any other group.
But the highest number of divorces for both men and women was among those aged between 40 and 44, falling steadily among those in their late forties and fifties.
Last year eight per cent of all husbands who got divorced – or 9,439 – were over 60. A decade earlier the proportion was 4.6.
Vicki McLynn, a partner at Pannone, said: “This trend has developed over the last decade and possibly represents a greater lust for life than might have been seen in that age group in previous generations.
John Nicholson, a partner at Irwin Mitchell, added: “It is often as a result of couples drifting apart after ‘empty nest syndrome’ as the children head off to university or move out of the family home.
“People are also living healthier, longer lives and are wishing to pursue other relationships whereas before couples may have felt compelled to stay together in old age.”
As with in the past, about two thirds of divorces were granted to the wife. But the importance of adultery has fallen dramatically.
Last year it was cited in just 15 per cent of divorces, while “unreasonable behaviour” accounted for almost half.
In total 11,129 unfaithful husbands in England and Wales were divorced for adultery and 6,173 unfaithful wives.
Ruth Sutherland, chief executive of Relate, said: “The decline in divorce statistics might not be a sign that relationships aren’t under strain as nearly half of Relate counsellors are seeing an increase in couples having to live together because they simply can’t afford to break-up.”
Marilyn Stowe senior Stowe Family Law, said: “I am surprised the number of divorces has fallen: our firm has offices around the country and we have all been busier than ever over the past 18 months.”
Michelangelo statue to go on display in London after National Gallery does deal with Italian monastery
A 500-year-old marble statue of Christ will form the centrepiece of a blockbuster exhibition on Michelangelo at the National Gallery after curators negotiated a deal to bring it to London from its permanent home in a monastery in Italy.
The statue of the Risen Christ, weighing almost a ton, is one of almost 30 works which will go on show at the National Gallery next year in its first major exhibition on perhaps the greatest of all Renaissance artists in more than 20 years.
The Michelangelo exhibition, two years in the making, could set new visitor records. The show, which opens in March 2017 and runs until the end of June, will focus on Michelangelo’s friendship and collaboration with the artist Sebastiano del Piombo and their acrimonious falling out.
Michelangelo's Risen Christ, which weighs almost a ton, goes on display in London from March 15 Credit: Alessandro Vasari
The artworks, including the sculpture, drawings and paintings, have been assembled from across Europe and the US as well as two rare oil paintings from the National Gallery’s permanent collection.
“Michelangelo is one of the great great figures of the Renaissance. We have not had a Michelangelo show here for 20 years,” said Gabriele Finaldi, the recently installed director of the National Gallery. “The show focuses on his friendship with Sebastiano and a very fruitful artistic relationship. The exhibition will give exposure to their remarkable relationship and a very, very significant moment in the history of Renaissance art through sculpture, paintings and drawings.”
The sculpture was only recognised as a Michelangelo at the turn of this century by an art historian. It had stood in the church of San Vincenzo Martire, part of a monastery, at Bassano Romano, a village just outside Rome, since 1644.
Michelangelo began working on the statue in 1515 but abandoned it when he discovered a black vein in the marble. It was completed in the 17th century.
A second, more famous version is in the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome. Sebastiano, then Michelangelo’s great friend, declared that the “knees alone were worthy of more than the whole Rome”.
Matthias Wivel, the National Gallery’s curator of 16th century Italian paintings who is responsible for putting the exhibition togeth
r, said the negotiations to bring the statue to London had been “complicated” but that the monastery had been keen to have it shown to wider audience. It will be transported to the UK on a lorry with special suspension.
Only one Michelangelo marble sculpture is on permanent display in the UK - a marble relief of the Virgin and Child at the Royal Academy.
Michelangelo drawing which inspired Sebastiano oil painting Credit: The Trustees of the British Museum
Dr Wivel said the exhibition would demonstrate the close collaboration between the two great artists and will contain drawings by Michelangelo which were used as inspiration for oil paintings by Sebastiano.
The exhibition will also contain correspondence between the two men. The friends fell out in 1534, allegedly because Sebastiano had recommended that Michelangelo paint The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel in oils rather than as a fresco.
Dr Wivel said: “There was a macho fascination with fresco. Michelangelo said oil painting is for women and Sebastiano.”
For Michelangelo-Sebastiano: A Meeting of Minds to break the record for paid for exhibitions it will need to attract in the region of 330,000 visitors.
The exhibition will be displayed in the North Galleries with permanent paintings by the likes of Rembrandt and Poussin moved to spaces on the ground floor.
The exhibition is one of a series unveiled by the National Gallery at a press conference on Thursday.
The gallery will depart from its normal remit of showing European art with a show entitled Australia’s Impressionists while it will also break with the tradition of showing pre-20th century art with a new work by Chris Ofili, the Turner Prize-winning artist.
Ofili, 47, famous for incorporating elephant dung into his paintings, is producing a specially-commissioned tapestry. The tapestry being made in secret at a studio in Edinburgh before going on display in London from April 26 to August 28 next year.
The prospect of the National Gallery displaying the work by Ofili will raise eyebrows in the art world. There have been concerns that the National Gallery is stepping on territory normally reserved for the Tate by showing a contemporary artist. The two galleries have a loose agreement in place that post-1900 art work is shown at Tate and anything before that at the National. That agreement is due for renewal in 2019.
Mohd Samsul Mohd Said (Malaysia) | 1st Place Current Affairs & News Life inside the refugees camp Ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine state has taken a turn for the worse, where on Aug 25, more than 400 houses were burnt, & within this two weeks, nearly 125,000 Rohingya refugees left Myanmar for Bangladesh International organizations have reported claims of human rights violations & summary executions allegedly carried out by the Myanmar army. Now Over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh since violence erupted in the Rakhine state. This pictures show their life inside the Balukhali camp in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh. | Sony World Photography Award 2018, Overall winners revealed - News
Ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine state has taken a turn for the worse, where on Aug 25, more than 400 houses were burnt, and within this two weeks, nearly 125,000 Rohingya refugees left Myanmar for Bangladesh International organizations have reported claims of human rights violations and summary executions allegedly carried out by the Myanmar army. Now Over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh since violence erupted in the Rakhine state. This pictures show their life inside the Balukhali camp in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh.
The "face" of Calcutta's premier road race had pushed himself to run the hardest when he was dropped from the Indian cricket team in 2006 and ended up doing 21 laps of the Eden Gardens.
Calcutta: The "face" of Calcutta's premier road race had pushed himself to run the hardest when he was dropped from the Indian cricket team in 2006 and ended up doing 21 laps of the Eden Gardens.
Sourav Ganguly recounted the experience at the launch of the fourth edition of Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, partnered by The Telegraph.
Ganguly, who has been the face of the run since 2015, had flagged off last year's race with Boris "Boom Boom" Becker and will be doing so in the company of elite athlete Mike Powell of the US this year.
"I was angry at being dropped because I was still scoring runs and getting Test centuries. One morning I just got up, came to Eden and started running... It was only after someone stopped me and said I had run 21 laps that I realised I had run that much," said the former Team India skipper, who went on to make a comeback in South Africa.
The race, in its fourth year, is set to graduate into an international event with the signing up of an elite band of professional distance runners.
In another first, the race will be beamed live for the first time. The organisers, Procam International, expects the live telecast will result in a spurt in participation.