It's Central Garage in Gala that I've been talking to about taking over my servicing. He seems honest and genuine. At the time I was looking for my car their web site said they had no MGs in stock. Macklin had Caliban sitting out the back just waiting for me so it was a bit of a no-brainer. But I never trusted them, I always had a bad feeling. Which is why I didn't take their service plan. Then, about a year ago, Central Garage revamped their web site saying they now offered a full range of services for MGs and I thought, looking good.
When I originally spoke to the guy there, he knew which dealer I was fulminating about without being told. But between that conversation and me actually going to book the service, my passenger door button failed. The new handle needs painted and they don't have a body shop at the Gala garage. Apparently he has to send his customers who have that fault to another dealer anyway - or that's what he told me. He did mention one or two others, even the one
@siteguru uses in East Kilbride, but I thought, let's not drag yet another dealer into it at this stage, I'll just go back to Macklin this one last time.
I thought I had been using the brakes enough, but maybe not. Anyway, on the way home this evening when it was after eleven and the A721 was deserted apart from me, I turned the regen down to 1 and did a few emergency stops. Until I felt a bit car-sick, then I quit. The brakes felt fine, even when the ABS came on a couple of times.
Then the car boinged and I thought O God, what now? "Possible icy roads." From being up there at 19°C during the day it had dropped to 3°C. A few minutes later another boing and a warning triangle. O God what now? Tyre pressure. You guessed it. Macklin had dropped my tyre pressures at the service, with predictable results.
Anyway, I have Andrew at Manor Garage in West Linton looking at the car on Tuesday. It was already scheduled, to put the original Conti tyres back on following my slaughter of the Goodyears in the Lake District, so I asked him to check the brakes, the undertrays and the wheel arch liner while he has the car. He's someone I know is very reluctant to do unnecessary work, so his verdict will be interesting.
Caliban is due back at Macklin's a week on Friday to fit the new door handle. The one they were going to have ready to do at the service, yeah right. But once that's done there's nothing outstanding as regards servicing or software issues, so I can shake the Macklin dust off my feet. And Caliban's wheels.
Honestly, I felt as if I was being played like a salmon on Friday. And depending on what Andrew says, I may well tell them so.
