Quick update on the cube, sorry it been so long but I got a bit disheartened with it all for a while.
So it failed it's MOT in October and finally passed in December but when I went to pick it up I found that the garage hadn't done the work I'd expected after they'd diagnosed a stretched timing chain. All they did was reset the check engine light to get it through its test. Of course it went on straight away again. They then told me I'd have to wait another month before they'd look at doing the chain job, after they'd already had the car for over a month. I told them to forget it.
Since then the cold starting issues have been getting worse to the point the car wouldn't start at all if the temperature was very low.
Today I finally phoned around to get some quotes for the chain replacement and ended up speaking to Jan at Panther City Garage in Dundee. He got me to bring it over, got it on the diagnostics, checked the timing chain which was fine, ordered a cam position sensor and had delivered and fitted in an hour. Problem solved for £120. The car starts and runs like a dream now. I can't recommend them enough.
If I'd left it to my local garage I'd be many hundreds of pounds down and probably no closer to having it fixed so I'm pretty relieved I gave Jan a call.
So it failed it's MOT in October and finally passed in December but when I went to pick it up I found that the garage hadn't done the work I'd expected after they'd diagnosed a stretched timing chain. All they did was reset the check engine light to get it through its test. Of course it went on straight away again. They then told me I'd have to wait another month before they'd look at doing the chain job, after they'd already had the car for over a month. I told them to forget it.
Since then the cold starting issues have been getting worse to the point the car wouldn't start at all if the temperature was very low.
Today I finally phoned around to get some quotes for the chain replacement and ended up speaking to Jan at Panther City Garage in Dundee. He got me to bring it over, got it on the diagnostics, checked the timing chain which was fine, ordered a cam position sensor and had delivered and fitted in an hour. Problem solved for £120. The car starts and runs like a dream now. I can't recommend them enough.
If I'd left it to my local garage I'd be many hundreds of pounds down and probably no closer to having it fixed so I'm pretty relieved I gave Jan a call.