I read and cleared the fault codes on Saturday afternoon using my cheapo code reader, there was still only 1 code showing, P1113, I reckon that's a red herring! Anyway having cleared the code the car started fine with no fault, so I decided to take it for a spin, only for a few miles. she was running fine until the engine got properly up to temperature, then she cut out again
. Restarted immediately with the MIL on and ran another half a mile or so before cutting out again. Then this continued with the distance getting shorter each time until she was firing up then cutting out immediately. By this time I'd found a nice, safe, empty car park (behind a pub 
) and called the RAC. When the RAC man arrived, the car was still cutting out as soon as it started, he of course had better diagnostic kit than me and he read the codes, his machine told a different story:
So he located the fuel regulator and gave it a tap with a screwdriver, then started the car and it revved up and ticked over fine. He checked the live data using his machine and all seemed correct. With my theory of "it's going wrong when it gets warmed up" in the back of my mind I purposely left it ticking over while he completed his paperwork, about 10 - 15 mins, then went to drive home and she cut out again, luckily the RAC man was still behind me so I got a tow home.
I live at the top of a hill in a cul-de-sac, so there was no way I could get the car back into my drive when we got home, I had to leave it outside a neighbours house a couple of doors down, but after a few hours when she'd had a chance to cool down, I went out and started her up fine, drove it up the street and into the drive no problem.
So the RAC man says that the fuel regulator is sticking when it gets hot and that's what causes the cutting out, the component is about £150 IIRC and fitting shouldn't be too difficult, although it's not a DIY job to to the stupidly high pressures involved, I imagine fiddling with that if you don't know what you're doing could be pretty dangerous! Maybe a £3-400 bill in total?
So I'm still unsure about what to do with the car. I've decided that I'm not going to start another repair cycle on it, I'm just not willing to spend any more money on it, not on top of the £650 I've already spent on it this year. If the Pug specialist guy had been able to look at it I'd have taken it down to him, he knows the car and it's history and he repaired the fuel pump issue last year, so I'd have let him at least diagnose it, but since he can't and I can't find anyone else locally who I'd trust, I'm a bit stuck. I've got a very expensive Volvo to pay for after all!!
The other problem now is that my temporary insurance runs out today and I'm not planning on renewing it (£60 for a month!!
), and due to this stupid new law whereby any car that's taxed has to be insured, the only thing I can do is SORN it, at least I get to send the tax disc back for a refund. My plan is to get rid of my Suzuki 4X4 quickly (made one phone call to and old friend yesterday and already had someone up to look at it!! 
) freeing up my garage for the 406, giving me a bit more time to think about what to do with it....To be honest I feel like I've only got 2 real options:
1, to sell it with the fault and hope that whoever buys it will get it sorted and have many more happy years out of it.
2, to break it myself and sell off the bits, I know that's financially the best option, tbh I always knew that its probably worth more in bits than the original £1500 asking price, let alone what I'd get for it now, but I really don't think I can bring myself to break it, it's far too good for that
Ideally I'd like someone to take it as it is and fix it up, I'd happily sacrifice the extra money for the knowledge that my pride and joy lives on. If anyone's interested in taking a punt on it in this way I'd be looking for offers approaching a grand for it, you'll probably end up with a bargain!
Words can't describe how gutting this situation is but in a way I'm glad it happened now, if I'd sold it to one of you then this had happened I'd have been mortified!!
