Anyone know main dealers near Stanley (Co Durham)?

[MrT]

Stanley (Co Durham) is my nearest weekday stop at the moment, and as my Vec's still under warranty, with service card etc I'm more interested if there are any decent vxl main dealers thereabouts - when it's out of cover I'll worry more about cost! Need the handbrake recall, rear brakes and speedo/TECH2 work doing.

IIRC there used to be Parkers of Stanley (saw that on a car sticker in Leeds a few months back), but they don't appear in a Google search - this place is listed though; I drive past it every day:-
John Wheeler of Stanley Ltd, Chester Road, STANLEY, County Durham. DH9 0TJ.

Alt: I've accommodation in Cleadon, so Sunderland area is okay, so long as I can get a courtesy car for the duration.

[chunkster]

there is Patricks of durham in pity me which is just north of durham or reg vardy in peterlee, bristol street motors in sunderland, evans halshaw blaydon, theres also one in gateshead just passed the stadium, cant recall the name

[B19CBB]

evans halshaw in Peterlee, ive dealt with them for the past 6 years and never had any problems.

[chunkster]

that'll be the reg vardy one wont it? didnt EH buy them out?

[MrT]

Cheers for the info guys.

EH existed before, but they did buy Vardy's out, about two years ago - wasn't a smooth changeover by all accounts. When the computer records system was transferred, the Leeds branch lost all previous details of work done on customers cars, plus the correct details for things like MOT reminders - so I got a reminder that the first MOT was due a couple of months ago, for a car first registered at the end of March 2006. Fail.

I rang Patrick's, who seem good, but curiously only have two courtesy cars that are only loaned out for service work, not my list (handbrake, rear brakes, speedo and front suspension/rollbar noise). I have yet to ask the manager if one of the lads could run me up to Stanley and either collect me or drop the car back again after the half-day or so they may need to fettle it all up.

I may try the Sunderland dealership instead, if they can lend me a car...

Courtesy cars - my dad's old garage was told about 4 years back that to qualify as an authorised Citroen service dealership they had to have a car per service bay - they were tiny (4 mechanics plus dad when he rolled his sleeves up - add on sales and fuel/village post office and it rose to seven total) but it had two ramps and three other bays, which meant five cars available. Hmmm.