Have confirmed my suspicion, and the consensus opinion of the Internet, that the most likely culprit in my son’s car is a dirty/faulty oxygen sensor.
Tomorrow, when it’s forecast to stop raining, we’ll whip it out and clean it.
Willy.
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They fail ‘electrically’ like spark plugs. The switching will be slower so best to just fit a new one before the cat is damaged too. 
In case anyone is interested, Waitrose are doing their 25% off wine, if you buy at least six bottles.
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It was replaced last year when I replaced the cat as it’s predecessor came out in bits. Will try giving it a clean first and if that doesn’t sort it then I’ll replace it. It’s easy to get at as it’s mounted into the manifold just before the cat at the front of the engine bay. Unclip the cable, couple of turns with a 22mm and away we go.
Willy.
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What brand did you replace it with? 
It also may be worth checking that the heater power supply is working. These things run at 800C 
Whatever East Antrim Motor Factors provided. Phoned up with the registration and collected it later that day. IIRC was about £30. Fitting it doubled the value of the car!
Is there a particular brand you’d recommend?
Willy.
NTK (part of NGK). For 30 quid you wouldn’t have got an NTK one.
£71.25 on eBay for the NTK one.
Willy.
Yep, that’s about the right money. Cheaper in the long run though as you won’t have to replace it every year.
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Time wounds all heels.
I am doing some crew training (wine, obvs) on a teeny tiny boat in Genoa.
I get to stay in an actual guest cabin. In fact I am (amongst) the first people to do so, and the actual first in this cabin, where I have been briefed to see if everything works and is user-friendly.
Everything looks and feels and is new.
I didn’t realise that the yacht is not yet completely finished. Even the owner has not yet been to sea onboard.
Worth every penny. Although, by a staggeringly colossal coincidence, three million euros a week is exactly the amount I don’t have to spend on renting a boat…
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Oh Rod I do feel for you it just sounds horrible. 
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As always , you do the things so we don’t have to
Thoughts and prayers
Thoughts and prayers
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Rod, I suggest you check your Employment Contract to be subject to these types of conditions in this day and age is simply appalling?
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Thanks for taking one for the team 
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It’s tough, but I am coping, thanks for your support.
Genoa in the Spring sunshine is a molto fantastico place to be.
This yacht even has its own airport, but it’s so well insulated you can’t hear the planes.
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During a break in the torrential rain and hail this morning (not at all what the Met Office had forecast yesterday) I set about my son’s car.
As I said the troublesome O2 sensor is easily accessible at the front of the engine bay though requires a bit of trial and error to get a spanner on it at an appropriate angle.
Once removed it was clear that it was a tad sooty.
A few minutes steeping in a jibble of petrol and it was as good as new.
Reinstalled, erased the fault from the car’s memory and off we went. Seems to have done the trick. For now.
Willy.
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Rod, I’m retired but when I was working I used to run a large mixed fleet of vehicles for a private company and was very very lucky to visit suppliers factories in several countries throughout Europe, Italy and Austria were amongst my favourites.
One of these companies had a private jet that they would send over on occasions another had a helicopter it was tough at times but I managed to survive.
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“Did you see that painting what Rothko did?
Looks like it was painted by a two year old kid”
Idles - Stendhal Syndrome
Made me chuckle.
They’re not wrong😂