My car conked out on my bf this morning. He thought he'd stalled her but now she wont start at all. The battery is not dead and she has just last month passed an mot.

The breakdown guy wrote this out 'suspect fuel fault, not firing, suspect pump unit'.

What does this mean? And what do l say to a garage if l take her in? How much should l roughly be spending? l always seem to be taken for a ride at anything like this.

Sounds like the fuel pump is not running, this is usually due to a failed fuel pump relay. Cost? l would not think more thant £80 for part+fitting.

l think you're potentially looking at a big bill here. Second hand pump should be reasonably priced but quite a job fitting it then it needs to be timed up etc. I'd be surprised if you could get the whole job (parts and labour) for under at least £300. However do not take my word for it and if you think you might get ripped off then best thing to do would be to phone round as many local garages as you can, tell them the problem and ask for a quote.

We have a 106 diesel (1995 & it is done 192,000 miles) & it is been surprisingly reliable!

1. Our 106 would not go properly a few years ago & l eventually traced it to a fuel hose going to the injector pump slightly split & sucking in air. If you're lucky, it could be the same thing & only a few pounds to fix. There is a short clear hose on the injector pump (the pump is on the front of the engine). If u watch it while someone tries to start it & u can see air & fuel in the hose, then that is the problem.

2. Another thing to check is the fuel shut-off solenoid on the pump & the wiring to it. This caused a different diesel of mine to stop once (on a busy roundabout at rush-hour). Check that when the ignition is on, there is 12V on the solenoid terminal on the pump (under a little rubber cover). Checking the solenoid itself is not so simple but it is possible to disable it such that engine runs (if it is the source of the problem) but u have to stall the engine to stop it. Solenoid is about £30.

3. Also check the fuel filter. It is unlikely to suddenly clog up if it was running fine before, but it is cheap (£10?) & quick to replace so worth checking.

4. Another thing would be a broken timing belt, but the breakdown guy should have spotted this. That would be perhaps £400 including repairing engine damage. Put the car in gear, ignition off, open the oil filler cap, take the handbrake off, push the car backwards & forwards, & watch to see if the cam rotates. If it does not rotate, the belt is broken.

5. The injector pump should usually be good for the life of the engine, but not always. Not easy to check yourself.

6. Are u sure there is fuel in the tank? If the fuel gauge was faulty, it would be easy to think there was fuel when there wasn't. When did u last fill it up?

l do suggest u check 1, 2, 4 & 6 yourself if u can. Then u can go to the garage better informed & more confident that they're not ripping u off. Take it to a diesel specialist. It is a relatively simple engine, no special electronics needing dealer-only test equipment.

PS l do not think the diesel has a relay in that system, so do not think the first answerer is suggestion is correct. (It would be more likely on a petrol car.)