I'm purely asking this as i think i know the score, but if there is even the slightest chance its another issue that's not so dire, i'd maybe look into it to save my Fabia...

about 5 days ago, the engine lost a lot of power - juddering, but limped home. I suspected it was an ignition coil failure.

i removed all 3, but found the middle one (its the 3 cylinder chain cam engine) had oil on the end of the coil and a little pool of it round the spark plug (probably a thimble amount if that).

This had happened before (about 5-6months ago, but less oil. i was suspicious, but thought it could have been spillage/residue from the oil service i did previously.

I suspected a potential gasket fail as a possibility, but couldn't quite see where the leak was coming from, so I cleaned it all up, replaced all the coils and she was purring like a kitten.

didn't use the car for a couple of days, but i then started it up and the engine sounded rough and was a bit juddery. i left it for a few mins and it sounded better, but after revving, when the revs got back down to 1K, it dipped like it was gonna stall - and white smoke started coming from the exhaust (not plumes of thick white smoke, but more noticeable and there was a distinct fumey smell) - i lt it get to temp, but it still came out and was getting a bit worse.

i'm pretty sure this is a blown head gasket (valve cover gasket?) and after speaking to a couple of garages, its a bitch to replace - and often disturbs other parts that make the job spenny (one garage said at least 4 hours of work), other people said it also requires chain to come off and injectors coming out, all which add levels of peril to the job i think?

its had 155K miles (of relatively trouble free running) and has been serviced and nutured its whole life since i took it on at 35K miles from one owner. i wanted to get 200K out of this little machine, but i think this might be the end of it....

if there are any thoughts on this that could maybe help me eeek some more miles out of this car or fix it, then id appreciate it, otherwise, my next question is, how much more would i get breaking it myself compared to WBAC or local garage to collect it for scrap money???

Removing injectors isn't difficult, but it is indeed time-consuming to do other, major work on these engines (two variants, single and twin cam exist).

Getting a compression test done might be about the cheapest and easiest diagnostic aid, or just drive it and see whether the coolant level in the expansion tank falls.

I have my doubts that the oil in plug well is relevant.

Check there are no bubbles in expansion tank when running and as pete said check level of coolant regularly. If its water its normally thick white smoke and if its oil then greyish white and can have a slight oily burning smell. Check the oil level regularly and also check filler cap for emulsified oil. If its burning oil then it might be the HG or stuck piston rings /bad valve stem seals. From memory my old mechanic friend used to use a mix of ATF and Acetone added to cylinders and left overnight to soak the rings then turn engine over by hand a few times and then boot it down the road. If its water then you could try some kseal or steel head head gasket repair. Not ideal but kseal managed to keep my old toyota lucida on the road for another couple of years.

As for scrap value its pretty low these days but a bit better if you can take the car to them. Probably around £150

I just got about £1000 by breaking my daughters old Figaro but the parts are difficult to find so you get reasonable money.

Alasdair