[alfa2063]

Thank you for your kind words of sympathy. I was feeling very sorry for myself and it felt like I had lost a close friend. I agreed to £500.

Anyway, whilst in the pub drowning my sorrows the garage called and the guy stated that he had fixed the car, replacing all the various chambers etc, new plugs and it had fired up fine. He stated how he would only charge me for the parts if I still wanted it so it would be approx £400. This installed me with good faith as he could have taken the £500 off me and not informed me that he had fixed it.

Do I trust the car? This is my problem. I know if I accept the £500 I am agreeing to lose £1000, however I don't want to spend the £400 just for another or the same problem to occur again, or alternatively spend the £400 then decide to get it all done properly i.e. cambelt etc which I know is the sensible thing to do, and have a bill of over £1000 which was the reason I wasn't going to get a new engine.

I apologise for using this thread to think out loud but so many things in my head.