I've got a a bit of a communications gap here as my wife brought the car in, and she didn't probe as deeply as we would. However, here's where it stands now.
Both the tech (just back from France) and the service manager agree the tat. tat, tat, may not be the purge valve. I get the sense they are fishing for the answer.
They are to call me when the parts arrive and make an appointment to bring in the car. If I don't hear from them this week I will start to bug them.
I'll keep every one posted. A2Jack