19/12/2023
This was fun…after being handed a bill for £4,000 with the diagnosis of “We think it needs an engine” from the main dealer…who had the vehicle for months with their “top technician” on the job! I agreed we’d spend a couple of to see if we could either retrieve normal running or at least further confirm this not so definitive diagnosis.
After an air intake clean the engine note was improved but it was like she didn’t want us know what was going on. So this seemed to agree that carbon build up had contributed to the current state but what was hiding beneath the nuts n bolts. While going through a step by step process of check and challenge she then shared some codes that followed what was looking more and more like the issue and at it required more mechanical strip down and time the garage owner agreed on the plan and test methods to take this repair forward.
After only 3 hours which included over 1 hour doing the air intake clean we are on the way to having her sorted and at the point where the garage is happy to take on the repair after we discussed the next step in repair and diagnosing the issue either way. Hey with 188k on the clock it may still prove to be terminal but the next step will prove the issue 100%.
Main dealer is sat patiently in the wings hoping their diagnosis is correct…swapping bits n educated guessing with not enough data and testing to confirm the diagnosis is not what you want for a £4,000 bill.
