A 10mm spanner is really all we need

[Martin]

Am I right or wrong, I invite criticism or support. I’ve read a lot of the posts on this forum and I’ve come to the following conclusion: Most of the problems that occur could be resolved with the only tool we really need, a 10mm spanner. As I see it we don’t own a car, we have no engine, no gearbox, no clutch, no turbo, no oil, no coolant, etc. etc. What we do have is a computer with an electric motor and wheels. What do we do if our computer, tablet or phone suddenly freeze or go wrong? We re-boot it. So when something goes wrong with the ev, we should disconnect the negative terminal on the 12 volt battery, leave it 5 minutes and re-connect it, then press the start button. Bingo, it should re-boot and 9 times out of 10 everything should be back to normal. I had to do this once and it was fine, had I not done it or not known what to do, I would have had to call the breakdown service. If of course it doesn’t re-boot successfully then there is something seriously wrong, but on most occasions this little remedy will sort it. If MG installed a cold re-boot switch, we wouldn’t even need a 10mm spanner.

 

[AdamMGEV]

My friend said he tried that several times and didn't work.... so when it eventually went to the garage what they did was touch each cable together, the positive and negative and that released any remaining charge I guess and cleared it. Then it worked. Just incase it happened to anyone else.

 

[N2STY]

You still have oil and coolant

 

[Jomarkh]

I would leave it for minimum of 10 minutes for any capacitors to discharge.

 

[hmadsen]

As some commenter said.

Electric cars are essentially just computers on wheels.

As as guy that works with IT every day, i can just say, that even though it feels really silly asking people to reboot their computer, it actually solves the problem maybe 80% of the time.

 

[Gadget Geek]

I'm thinking of investing in some quick release terminal connectors.

Amazon product ASIN B09JWDG48D

 

[N2STY]

I'm thinking of investing in some quick release terminal connectors.

Amazon product ASIN B09JWDG48D

There is a thread on this the problem with them ones is you need to cut cables?
This type no cutting

https://amzn.eu/d/dkUBpCw

Ps they do a right angled one as well if fitting is tight

 

[Lovemyev]

My wife's 2016 Fiat 500 has a "factory fit" quick disconnect facility on the negative terminal.
No spanner required, you just push in a button and the terminal just releases from the main cable and leaves a tall spigot connected to the battery still.
Brilliant idea, I will try and include a photo.

 

[AK OK]

I'm thinking of investing in some quick release terminal connectors.

Amazon product ASIN B09JWDG48D

Standby......

 

[Striker]

Am I right or wrong, I invite criticism or support. I’ve read a lot of the posts on this forum and I’ve come to the following conclusion: Most of the problems that occur could be resolved with the only tool we really need, a 10mm spanner. As I see it we don’t own a car, we have no engine, no gearbox, no clutch, no turbo, no oil, no coolant, etc. etc. What we do have is a computer with an electric motor and wheels. What do we do if our computer, tablet or phone suddenly freeze or go wrong? We re-boot it. So when something goes wrong with the ev, we should disconnect the negative terminal on the 12 volt battery, leave it 5 minutes and re-connect it, then press the start button. Bingo, it should re-boot and 9 times out of 10 everything should be back to normal. I had to do this once and it was fine, had I not done it or not known what to do, I would have had to call the breakdown service. If of course it doesn’t re-boot successfully then there is something seriously wrong, but on most occasions this little remedy will sort it. If MG installed a cold re-boot switch, we wouldn’t even need a 10mm spanner.

That seemed to be a standard fix on the ZS MK1, I've read lots of reports of this not working on the MK2

 

[Martin]

That's a shame, I must admit when I used that trick it was on a mark 1. I've now just got a Trophy. Has anyone actually tried it on a mark 2? Surely it's the same principle.

 

[N2STY]

Someone said a man AA pushed and held the Start button 20 seconds or so then car re booted got to be worth a try

 

[Martin]

I'll give it a try when I'm not in a hurry. We should all know and share these tricks, especially when stuck by a faulty charger that's just frozen the car.

 

[AdamMGEV]

You still have oil and coolant

Where does the oil go ?

 

[Alb]

In the reduction gearbox.

 

[hmadsen]

In the reduction gearbox.

Is that something, that needs changing, and if is, how often ?

 

[Alb]

Like most modern gearboxes, design intent is it's there for life so there is no service requirement.

 

[N2STY]

Is it not part of the 4 years service?

 

[MichaelJHunt]

Like most modern gearboxes, design intent is it's there for life so there is no service requirement.

Well it’s certainly a service item in a Tesla.

 

[N2STY]

It's not a gearbox some automatic box's now say 100k miles but more really 70k if iam honest
On the ZS is just reduction Gear bit like a differential and will definitely need charging as the swarf builds up especially when new