Hi Again Everyone, Thanks for the advice / thoughts....just to add some more info. - the water temp sensor was replaced but has made no difference (NB the oil temp is ALLWAYS low and seems to take a long time to get towards the middle reading....is this sensor worth changing?) - no fault codes are logged and - I have tried hydraulic lifter additive to no avail. As my car is the petrol model I dont think there is a EGR to change (isn't that only on turbo cars?) Any other thoughts....... Many thanks for your help...