Thanks for the info and suggestions guys, much appreciated. I'll try to get a new fuel filter fitted this week end as I haven't changed it since getting the car. Re the belt stretch issue, I am actually a fully qualified mechanic, bt left the trade just as diesel engined cars were becoming popular so I have practically no experiance with them and this is my first diesel car. Way back when I was in the trade, timing belts were starting to replace timing chains and belt stretch was an issue in those days, some engines actually had spring loaded belt tensioners to address this issue, the 4 cylander Ford "Pinto" engine being one example, I did my aprenticeship with a Ford Dealer and when a car was due a major service, ie, every 12k miles, part of the service was to release the tensioner lock nut and rotate the engine twice to allow the spring to take up any stretch in the belt, so hence my query regarding the possability of it being an issue with these engines because my engine is behaving exactly as those early engines would when the belt had stretched. Re the fuel filter, in those days petrol engined cars with fuel injection had inline fine particle filters, much the same as diesels, but unlike diesels, it was quite common for a petrol engine to go 70, 80, even 90k miles without changing the filter and without suffering any of the symtoms described. So it seems that the roles have now reversed with diesels, belts not stretching yet fuel filters clogging very quickly. As they say, we learn something new everyday, and I'm quite happy to be corrected and learn new things. I'll pick up a filter during the week and change it at the week end and let you know how it works out. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.
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