[jonno74]

Would be very grateful for any advice anyone can offer! Coming to the end of an unsuccessful investigation with our independent (but BMW trained) mechanic who can’t diagnose the fault with our 2007 318i touring, this version https://www.encycarpedia.com/bmw/06-318i-touring-estate . Looks like we’re going to have to scrap it but have spent a load trying to diagnose the problem so far. The car has 115000 on the clock and isn’t worth much in the scheme of things but we love it and would much prefer to repair and try and make this last than having to fork out for another high mileage second hand car, which are getting increasingly expense and are pretty much all we can afford. I am not that experienced with terms so excuse if any of the below isn’t phrased correctly.
Over several weeks the car developed an intermittent issue starting and on occasion – once on a slip road – would lose power and cut out. When it happened (some days would start fine, some days not) the engine would turn over but not start. The battery was replaced within the last year and seems decent. I took it to my regular garage and they said it had fault codes associated with the cam sensor and said I needed to take it to a bmw trained mechanic, which I did, can’t afford the main dealer. He checked the chain and said it wasn’t stretched and appeared fine, then checked the codes and said it was coming up with a vanos and a misfire code. He inspected the engine and said that there were leaks from the vanos valves as well as from the rocker cover and oil filter housing. He cleaned the vanos valves and replaced seals on vanos, gasket and oil filter, put a flush through the oil then changed oil with filter. It seemed to start fine to begin with then wouldn’t. He found there was no fuel pressure. He then checked and found no power going to fuel pump. He connected power direct to fuel pump and it worked, so checked wiring to the fuse box behind the glove box found it at fault and then replaced fuse box. He then tried it several times seemed to be fine. I drove it that night in the rain and idling at a set of traffic lights it gradually lost power then cut out and wouldn’t start. After 5 minutes it eventually started and managed to get it home. Took it back to him and in discussion with him concerned that it was a CPU fault. He opened CPU found it had some oil within, cleaned it and it appeared to be ok. Car still wouldn’t start. By this point we’re running out of money and he’s spending a lot of time on the car not all of which he’s charging for. Concludes that CPU is probably at fault, intermittently cutting out power to fuel pump. He cuts the wire from the fuel pump and earths it, saying that this will mean the fuel pump comes on every time the ignition is on. This seems to work and car starts, take it home, car won’t start again, but now after each attempt I can hear the fuel pump working for four or five seconds so presume the rewiring has worked and the fuel pump is working. At a loss what to do for the best.
Thanks for reading