Diesel Estate - Flywheel And Other Problems!

[jkimmo]

This is my first post and I don't know an awful lot about cars, so please bear with me!

I have a 2001 Avensis Diesel Estate. I've been delighted with it and it has given me several years of trouble free motoring.

However, about 6 weeks ago the clutch failed (It's done 110,000 miles so no big surprise) and I had it replaced.

Then, a couple of weeks ago the engine management light came on. I noticed the car engine would race a bit sporadically and the temperature guage was behaving erratically - shooting up and down in a crazy fashion.

I booked it in to the garage and was told it would be ok to drive it in the meantime.

Then I noticed that the power steering had developed a fault - there was a screeching noise and it would be incredibly heavy for a while, then ok again.

Then came a knocking sound when I pressed the clutch, the car eventually emitted a foul smell and died on me altogether - I had to be recovered to the garage by the RAC.

After two days of trying to work out what is wrong with it, the garage has told me that the dual mass flywheel has failed, causing some damage in the process. It's going to be expensive to repair, but I am worried that it might not solve all the problems.

Could a dodgy flywheel have caused all the above problems? Or will I fork out a load of cash only to find that there is loads more to put right?

Sorry for such a long post - I'd be interested to hear any opinions.

john