Three years ago I started getting oil smells in the car and a small oil leak on the drive. The main dealer where I bought the car diagnosed a leaking vacuum pump, which is apparently part of the fuel system and is located at the back of the engine.

Since there is an integral gasket the whole pump had to be replaced, at a cost of several hundred pounds. The car was 6 years old.

The problem has now started again after only 3 years (the warranty on replacement parts expires after 2 years). Has anyone else experienced this problem and could there be an underlying problem which causes premature failure?