Hi Mark - hopefully the final update on this ...
It was the pump leaking (kibbled O-rings), and eventually forced me to act by
causing non-starting in cold weather. This was solved by fitting the parts
from Bosch seal kit: F01M101454 (14GBP). This is the same as the Mercedes
/ Smart part A6600780080 (aka Renault 8200760858) but cheaper, and fits
a few pumps including the CP1 (0445010008) I found on mine. Beware, the
"Flag" seal kit commonly supplied may have some metal parts that don't fit!
I had to remove the pump to fettle it (3x 8mm "star" capscrews), so
replaced the O-ring (where it sits in the head) A012 997 07 45, for 2.86 GBP
The hose numbers were a bit different in the end ... this is on a facelifted
W210, where they've integrated the intermediate hose between pump
and shut off valve with the hose to the mount on of the fuel rail with the
manual pre-fill plunger - A612 070 32 32 (30.72 GBP)
The hose from the rail back to the pump is A611 070 63 32 (23.64 GBP)
The hose from the filter to the shut off valve is A611 070 72 32 (11.90 GBP)
I reused the two hose clips under the pump but I noticed these leave the
hoses perilously close to the serpentine belt, so added a ty-wrap. Apart from
that the repair's gone according to plan and it's back running again, with
only minor hassle over keeping things clean, and keeping batteries charged
enough to flush everything.
Hope this helps anyone else that's teetering on the brink of attempting it ...
Rod