About to Purchase a pre loved ZS EV... however -

[banners]

We had a nose over a '69 plate ZS EV at the weekend, the good lady fell in love and we left a deposit on a FSH car with a few wrinkles in as much as one rear door didn't work, but will and it would have a minimum of 9 months MOT.
Car drove well, a few body marks but as to be expected of a 4 year car. We took out a 5 year warranty for peace of mind also.

I hadn't planned for us to be saying yes, so not much research had been done beforehand. I've since asked a few more questions and unearthed:
Registered Jan 2020
Full service history - Was serviced at first anniversary,Jan 2021. Second Service at June 2023. So not a full service history .

I'm assuming with the little research from you good people, the MG warranty is gone. The garage is a registered MG dealer if that makes any difference here? They've assured me the latest service shall be conducted before collection. This would be the 3rd service, the 'walk around' service.

Do I bail on the car? MOT was clean other than the rear discs as seems to be the norm for EV's. Any advice gratefully received.

The balance (££) has not yet been parted with.

 

[Gadget Geek]

Ask for a report on the battery state of health and software updates. Also check with the dealership if the MG Recovery will still be honoured.

 

[Jomarkh]

Check with the AA to see if it has been renewed, which is done automatically if serviced at the correct intervals at an MG dealer.

 

[mick coats]

I bought a similar car and was surprised to find that the only true service history lives in the MG UK computer system. If you were able to get an MG dealer to look up this car, it might clarify things.

 

[banners]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to call and request a SOH battery report. Also some bed time reading of their warranty t&c's. The software looks to be the updated version but I'll enquire.
It's from a MG registered garage which makes the full service history claim even more annoying.
I'm not naieve enough to expect any warranty claim inside the 7 offered by MG nor the 5 offered from Stoneacre to be anything but an arm wrestle ultimately.
Let's see how cooperative they are. I expect the AA cover to be gone, they're asking the question, but a break in services is against MG's t&c's.

 

[banners]

A little update.
The battery would not be covered under the lifeline bev warranty, in actual fact not much at all is covered :/ but ties us in to their servicing
The MG assistance should be reinstated with a current service
Battery health will be checked and documented. Not sure why they couldn't check the old service documentation from July?

I'm beginning to get a taste of a lemon.

 

[profdraper]

Maybe shop around then? There's plenty of those getting about.

 

[banners]

I bought a similar car and was surprised to find that the only true service history lives in the MG UK computer system. If you were able to get an MG dealer to look up this car, it might clarify things.

Yes, when you're told it has a full service history pay a deposit, then find it doesn't the situation stinks a little. At the mercy of the sales information provided being correct.

 

[Lovemyev]

For many EV owners, the worry of the life of the HV battery is the main concern.
MG offer ( on paper ) what appears to be a good level of cover when the customer is able to satisfy the T&C’s of that 7 year warranty.
We all know and understand that if unfortunately a battery replacement / refurb is required, it is a very expensive option.
As you have already been told by MG that the warranty on the battery is NOT going to be upheld, then it’s time to look for an alternative EV TBH.
Moving this car on from this MG dealer is going to be a real headache !.
You could buy the car and it could be just fine, but the battery condition will be always be at the back of your mind.
Service history is absolutely key if you are in the unfortunate position that an expensive warranty claim is required.
Any discrepancy in the service records offers the perfect chance to reject the claim.

 

[banners]

The plot thickens.

I've just got off the phone to MG Customer Services, they assure me the car and most importantly the battery is covered so long as a service has been completed at a main dealer. They also looked into the cars history and said it has been serviced every year so again would be under a full MG warranty.
Gaps between services would invalidate the warranty until a fresh service has been completed and then it's covered again up to the 7th year anniversary.

 

[mick coats]

Well done! This is very useful information, which I have printed off, for whenever I might sell my car.

 

[Lovemyev]

The plot thickens.

I've just got off the phone to MG Customer Services, they assure me the car and most importantly the battery is covered so long as a service has been completed at a main dealer. They also looked into the cars history and said it has been serviced every year so again would be under a full MG warranty.
Gaps between services would invalidate the warranty until a fresh service has been completed and then it's covered again up to the 7th year anniversary.

So we have switched from the battery NOT being covered, over now to it IS covered ??.
Left hand right hand comes to mind here.
I guess it has to be covered really, as who was likely to be willing to pay retail dealer prices for a EV without a warranty on the battery at least !.
It would be nice to have what MG CS told you regarding service history / warranty in writing of course.
An e.mail responce would be just fine.

 

[banners]

Well done! This is very useful information, which I have printed off, for whenever I might sell my car.

So we have switched from the battery NOT being covered, over now to it IS covered ??.
Left hand right hand comes to mind here.
I guess it has to be covered really, as who was likely to be willing to pay retail dealer prices for a EV without a warranty on the battery at least !.
It would be nice to have what MG CS told you regarding service history / warranty in writing of course.
An e.mail responce would be just fine.

I've just finished emailing the customer service address. I shall update once I receive more information.
Fingers are now crossed. The last few days it's been my eyes crossed!

 

[Eclectic]

You definitely need MG's resonse in writing!

 

[chris69]

The plot thickens.

I've just got off the phone to MG Customer Services, they assure me the car and most importantly the battery is covered so long as a service has been completed at a main dealer. They also looked into the cars history and said it has been serviced every year so again would be under a full MG warranty.
Gaps between services would invalidate the warranty until a fresh service has been completed and then it's covered again up to the 7th year anniversary.

I have had a very similar journey to this with my Mk 1. Mine had services 1 and 2 carried out by an independent garage - 1 was on time and 2 was 29 days late. Service 3 was by an MG dealer but was 35 days after the anniversary of first registration. Three local MG dealers advised that the warranty would be void and there was no cover. MG CS said on the phone that the warranty would be reinstated as soon as an MG dealer service was carried out and provided no faults are found. MG CS in writing stated that the warranty would only be void for items that could be attributed to not being serviced and that in an EV that would be almost nothing until year 4 when coolant changes are needed as nothing is actually done in the other services. They stated though that years 4-7 will only be provided if years 1-3 are all MG dealers and all exactly on time. My finance company confirmed all of this when I raised it with them and provided a considerable refund due to the voided warranty.

When chatting to an MG dealer service manager it seems that pretty much the only items still under warranty after 3 years are the battery, drive motor and corrosion. All electronic, electrical, suspension, charging, drive train, braking etc components expire at or before 3 years. EV batteries are very unlikely to drop below 70% SOH in 7 years and if they do the warranty only returns them to 70%. Also every extended warranty I have looked at excludes the battery. So my view in the end was just to take the risk especially as MK1 batteries can be bought from breakers for around £2000 and swapped easily, and buying on PCP lets me return the car after 3 years anyway.

 

[fred12345]

I've just finished emailing the customer service address. I shall update once I receive more information.
Fingers are now crossed. The last few days it's been my eyes crossed!

so what was the outcome in the end? asking because I'm still agonising on what to do, buy second hand MG5 because of longer range or more comfortable ZS (and which ZS, early or updated model)... I almost reached the point of thinking to buy the cheapest possible with higher mileage and just risk it with warranty in hope it will last at least 3-4 years without any major issues ... any advice from your experience?

 

[banners]

We ended up buying the ZSEV. As Chris stated, there isn't too much actually left under warranty. We had the car serviced, so hopefully that will cover the manufacturers' warranty so long as we keep up with the servicing intervals for the full 7 years. One thing I did specifically ask was the battery state of health, they said it was 90%. I checked with a OBD gizmo thing a me jig and confirmed the SOH. At which point, you're in the hands of the 2nd hand car gods!

Having lived with it for a few months now, madam really likes the drive and it ticks the boxes for our needs. The computer declares we're good for a range of around 180+ miles since it's warmed up a little. A few round trips of 140-150 miles have put the mind at ease.

And lastly, to the credit of the dealer, they repaired the door handle/catch before collection but had to replace a lost key. This did take a few weeks for schedules to align but was done in an afternoon with a complimentary wash.

If I was doing the whole thing again, I think I'd have tried to get the newer ZS EV with the slightly larger battery, more for peace of mind in the colder months. But saying that, we've rapid charged once, for the experience and she'd be happy to use a charger out and about now.

 

[Tim Green]

I expect you'll be fine.
My car is exact same age and has done 22000 miles no problems except one door lock. You have not mentioned mileage at time of purchase?
AA told me that all MG ZS remain on their list whether renewed or not - but I have not used them.
I think I would transfer to a better MG dealer.....

 

[fred12345]

I expect you'll be fine.
My car is exact same age and has done 22000 miles no problems except one door lock. You have not mentioned mileage at time of purchase?
AA told me that all MG ZS remain on their list whether renewed or not - but I have not used them.
I think I would transfer to a better MG dealer.....

43,000 miles, £15,000 .... MG warranty likely to be void because they failed to service in regular intervals....

I see people mentioning ODB Bluetooth dongle readers, anyone used it on ZS new model? Which ODB model and where do you plug it in?