Guys, thanks for your replies.
Pottsy: I'm with you - 8000 miles is far too low. Without knowing what would be a reasonable replacement - tyre dealers tend to want to flog this weeks star buy - UniRoyal, I sheepishly replaced with more MPS's at £110 a pop. If anyone can recommend a good steering geometry specialist in the Bristol / Bath area I'll give them a visit.
PTR: I've got a 2.2 EX. First post yesterday - got the signature now
Elis: Funny you should mention your offset steering wheel. Mine's the same - not by much but it's annoying. It's been like it from new. I pointed this out to the dealer - questioning whether this could possibly be symptomatic of steering geometry problems. He seemed convinced that this was due to the wheel hitting the kerb hard - which as the only driver I know is untrue. Again aligning the steering wheel is not now covered by warrenty (why?). Had I pointed this out within 500 miles it would have (!).
Could it be a dodgy batch of MPS's. I bought mine in April 2006. I realise that tyre manufacture could be many months in advance. But it may give up a clue.
Anyway, no more blasting away from the lights - might even buy a cap and pipe
This is a great forum - masses of really useful information. Can be a great help when discussing problems with unhelpful dealerships