A knavish trick
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
Sir,
Knowing of your interest in the various current malpractices towards the everyday motorist, I would appreciate your comments on the following episode.
In June of last year I bought a secondhand M.G.A. 1600 from a Midlands garage. After three to four months of satisfactory usage the car was returned for the fitting of four new Pirelli Cinturatos plus their appropriate inner tubes.
The car was collected, together with an invoice indicating that all the work had been done. It wasn’t until about 2,000 miles later after two punctures and a stationary blowout that suspicion turned towards the tubes themselves. It then transpired, despite the invoice, etc., that the original tubes were still fitted to the car. (Identification is certain due to the presence and quality of aluminium paint on the valve covers and wheel rims.)
The tubes were not the correct size after the fitting of the Pirelli outers and since the latter are of a radial-ply construction the tubes were totally unsuitable even at quite moderate speeds.
Because of the size difference between outers and inners, the tubes were severely creased and cracked and this was clearly the cause of the punctures and blowout.
I am quite prepared to forward the address of this garage and I have retained both the invoices and the tubes themselves.
Woodmancote – C.P. Trye.