Charge Flap snapped off - ZS EV Trophy

[Slipstream]

ZS EV Charge Flap snapped off

Hello all,

Just a short note to confirm the flimsiness of the front charge flap. Ours was found snapped off last week, and I can confirm that it is a structurally weak design.
I am in the process of a warranty claim and have been quoted £150 to paint and fit a new flap by my dealer in Weston super Mare. The good news is that the flap still fits securely even though the hinge is broken.

I still love this car!

How did you manage to snap it off?

 

[Tay]

Question is though..

The weakest link is what fails.

If this part is strengthened, what part will then be the weakest link, and will that part be even more expensive, and harder to source / change.

Maybe this part was made weak on purpose to protect something more valuable and harder to replace ?

Just a thought

.

 

[Lovemyev]

Looks like they have replaced the part…

Went into my local MG garage and asked for it to be fixed and they said it wasn’t claimable on warranty.

This then transitioned with us trying to work out what the part actually was only to find out they have changed the part code as it has been superseded.

2 questions to ask…

If MG know this is a common fault to the point they have replaced the part surely this should be able to be claimed under warranty as a defect.

And finally does anyone know the new part code of the door itself? Maybe someone that has had the part replaced by their dealer?

Any help would be appreciated!

It certainly should be covered under the warranty, if not covered by the warranty.
Then it should be covered under standard consumer rights policy, as the item has failed in less than 12 months surely ??.
As you correctly state, the fact that the part number has superseded, implies that the door has been updated in some way.
Unless the door is common item on another model, which is worrying in itself.

 

[Eclectic]

You would expect this to be covered by the warranty in the first 12 months regardless.
Trim items are normally covered for 12 months at least.
If enough of these where replaced under warranty and the labour costs became a "red flag" to MG then the quality / strength of this item would soon get improved I am sure.

There was similar problem with the inner flap on the Renault Zoe, where the cover snapped off near the hinge. It proved to be inherently weak, lots of claims and complaints, out of warranty work cost £600 plus for the whole flap assembly including loom.
The part was modified, making it much stronger, and you never hear of it being a problem now.

So yes, get those claims/complaints in!

 

[hmadsen]

It certainly should be covered under the warranty, if not covered by the warranty.
Then it should be covered under standard consumer rights policy, as the item has failed in less than 12 months surely ??.
As you correctly state, the fact that the part number has superseded, implies that the door has been updated in some way.
Unless the door is common item on another model, which is worrying in itself.

Depends on the circumstances

If it fails under normal operation, then yes, but this, much like the petrol flap on petrol and diesel cars, is susceptible to being run into by someone, and if it snaps because of "misuse" then it will not be covered.

I suspect that new cars from a certain date forward, will have the uprated part fitted from the factory.

 

[Lovemyev]

I suspect that new cars from a certain date forward, will have the uprated part fitted from the factory.

I truly hope you are right, as replacing this flap annually could prove to be an expensive game !.
I am no sure how the owner, or MG for that matter is able to determine where the failure is cause by fare wear and tear, or by a careless accident maybe TBH ?.
It's one of them 50-50 calls really.
Maybe we should be totting up the number of doors that does fail ?.
Then if we see the number increases quickly, then surely there is a question to challenge the usable strength of this component maybe ?.
Small failure rates may then be attributed to accidental damage .

 

[hmadsen]

I truly hope you are right, as replacing this flap annually could prove to be an expensive game !.
I am no sure how the owner, or MG for that matter is able to determine where the failure is cause by fare wear and tear, or by a careless accident maybe TBH ?.
It's one of them 50-50 calls really.
Maybe we should be totting up the number of doors that does fail ?.
Then if we see the number increases quickly, then surely there is a question to challenge the usable strength of this component maybe ?.
Small failure rates may then be attributed to accidental damage .

To be honest, if they are made poorly and they redesigned them, they should atleast offer to "split" the cost of the replacement.

Maybe do it so that the dealer can order the new part FOC, and you only pay for the installation.

I dont know if this is simple to replace or not, but i fear that it is a "bumper off" job.

Even so, if this is something that is done on a regular basis, the mechanic should be able to do it faster, because he will be familiar with the procedure.

I know, on my previous car, there was a safety issue with the master cylinder, and they recalled all of this model and replaced the master cylinder, some piping, the slave cylinder and the ABS module.

Was supposed to be an 8 hour job as it was engine partially out, gearbox off, and so on, but the garage said that they had a mechanic that only did these recalls, and he was able to do the procedure in only 5 hours. They found a few corners that could be cut, without affecting the end product, plus he was quickly learning what bolt to take out when, and so on, so he did not have to follow the instructions every time.

 

[Lovemyev]

To be honest, if they are made poorly and they redesigned them, they should atleast offer to "split" the cost of the replacement.

Maybe do it so that the dealer can order the new part FOC, and you only pay for the installation.

I dont know if this is simple to replace or not, but i fear that it is a "bumper off" job.

Even so, if this is something that is done on a regular basis, the mechanic should be able to do it faster, because he will be familiar with the procedure.

I agree, but in this case the price of the replacement flap / door is only about £35.00 which is not that spiteful TBH.
BUT - The labour cost to remove and refit the front bumper cover etc is approx £300.00.
It's is a proven fact, that the actual time taken will drastically cut when the Tech replaces the second or third door maybe.
However, the dealers will use the standard "book time" laid down in the tech manual from MG.
If the actual time allowed is say 3 hours e.g. but the experienced tech can carry out the work in 2 hours, you will still be charged 3 hours labour, regardless !.
That's just how it works unfortunately.
The tech is then free to use that one hour saved, to commence work on the next customers car.
Part of workshop schedulers job is too balance the labour force against the work load of the service department, on a constant daily basis.
I have managed this labour loading task many many years ago now, in a very large dealership that had service workshop that contained 15 lifts and 20 tech's including apprentices.
The dealer does have the ability to submit an applications to the manufacture for a "Sympathetic Claim" where by the manufacture will ask the dealer to take into account the overhaul condition of the car and if the service history is 100% fully in tack.
( Not applicable in the case of a almost brand new car of course ).
Then based on this information, the manufacture will either authorise the dealer to carry out the work FOC or pay for the parts / labour or reject the claim totally !.
I have personally seen claims rejected for as little as £80 and seen claims for £4,000 paid in full !.

 

[hmadsen]

I agree, but in this case the price of the replacement flap / door is only about £35.00 which is not that spiteful TBH.
BUT - The labour cost to remove and refit the front bumper cover etc is approx £300.00.
It's is a proven fact, that the actual time taken will drastically cut when the Tech replaces the second or third door maybe.
However, the dealers will use the standard "book time" laid down in the tech manual from MG.
If the actual time allowed is say 3 hours e.g. but the experienced tech can carry out the work in 2 hours, you will still be charged 3 hours labour, regardless !.
That's just how it works unfortunately.
The tech is then free to use that one hour saved, to commence work on the next customers car.
Part of workshop schedulers job is too balance the labour force against the work load of the service department, on a constant daily basis.
I have managed this labour loading task many many years ago now, in a very large dealership that had service workshop that contained 15 lifts and 20 tech's including apprentices.
The dealer does have the ability to submit an applications to the manufacture for a "Sympathetic Claim" where by the manufacture will ask the dealer to take into account the overhaul condition of the car and if the service history is 100% fully in tack.
( Not applicable in the case of a almost brand new car of course ).
Then based on this information, the manufacture will either authorise the dealer to carry out the work FOC or pay for the parts / labour or reject the claim totally !.
I have personally seen claims rejected for as little as £80 and seen claims for £4,000 paid in full !.

£300

So replacing this part is quoted as a 4-5 hour job.

That's insane. I know people designing usually dont care about repairs, but even in the best if times, this will be a vulnerable part, that is likely to be broken off, due to it's "hanging out" nature.

I remember i broke off the fuel filler flap once on a Vauhall. This was replaced by unscrewing 2 screws, pulling the complete, broken part out, sliding in the new part, and screwing in the 2 screws.

Total job time, even for a kid...Less than 5 minutes.

I know work is being done to make it mandatory for manufactures of mobile phones to make them easier to repair, and i really feel like the same rules should be applied to other manufacturers like for example car manufacturers.

It is no wonder, that nowadays car repairs have become insanely expensive, even for minor things, when it seems everything is designed to be hard to replace or repair.

This part should have been designed so that the mechanism was replaceable, in less than 30 minutes, and the painted part, should be detachable from the mechanism, so that it would just "clip on" to the new part, so that you would not need to repaint it.

 

[Bodgerx]

should have been designed so that the mechanism was replaceable, in less than 30 minutes, and the painted part, should be detachable from the mechanism, so that it would just "clip on" to the new part, so that you would not need to repaint it.

The OP stated that the book time includes the front bumper removal, so It doesn't sound like a "clip on" task.

Having removed and refitted bumpers before on cars to replace various bits I can say it can be a real PITA. If you are familiar with the car 3 hours sounds a bit on the high side, but I can see it easily taking 2 by the time you have faffed with all the trim pieces and the crazy amount of bolts and poppers these things have.

If they can just sell the part the DIY option is always a thing...

 

[hmadsen]

The OP stated that the book time includes the front bumper removal, so It doesn't sound like a "clip on" task.

Having removed and refitted bumpers before on cars to replace various bits I can say it can be a real PITA. If you are familiar with the car 3 hours sounds a bit on the high side, but I can see it easily taking 2 by the time you have faffed with all the trim pieces and the crazy amount of bolts and poppers these things have.

If they can just sell the part the DIY option is always a thing...

Yeah i know, i have had the front bumper off of a previous car to replace an aircon evaporator and fan assembly.

Worst part was not getting it off, worst part was getting it off, gently enough, to not break a lot of plastic "locks" that mostly held the bumper to the car.

Still, £300 sounds like quite a lot for an experienced, brand specific mechanic to remove and reinstall the front bumber.

 

[Whiskery]

Absolutely correct. As an example and a bit of a story for a Saturday morning, my sons Corsa (his first car) developed a fault where at first it was difficult to start and then ultimately wouldn't start at all. I read the codes and it indicated the crankshaft position sensor. If this fails, then the engine is impossible to start.

So I got a new one (£6) and proceeded to take the old one out. It is located at the bottom end at the back of the engine obscured by the exhaust and offside driveshaft. We tried to remove it without removing anything but it was stuck firm (these sensors are known to be a b*tch to remove).

To get better access I removed the offside driveshaft, took all of 30 minutes and access is much better. The top part of the sensor broke off (soft plastic) and now it was flush with the block. I viewed dozens of youtube videos and so many folks had the same issue, not only on Corsa's by the way. The opinion was to drill it and then screw in a large lag bolt and then use this to draw it out. This failed miserably as there is a cylindrical magnet running through the sensor.
I am now resigned to chipping away at the plastic bit by bit, the magnet is now out so if I carefully chip the plastic away from the walls, I should (in theory) be able to release it. The magnet is now out but the rest is really fused in.

This started out as a simple job but due to the weather, Xmas and work, we are 3 weeks down the line. This morning is it not raining so will have another session! Picture shows the current state plus one picture of the internals (in case anyone else has to do this job).

On the bright side, we don't have to worry about this part on our EVs!

 

[uali]

Anyone had any luck with MG and a warranty repair. £300 for labour is a lot to fork out

 

[Bodgerx]

Anyone had any luck with MG and a warranty repair. £300 for labour is a lot to fork out

Do you mean for this specific charge flap problem or another one?

 

[Kithmo]

Anyone had any luck with MG and a warranty repair. £300 for labour is a lot to fork out

If it's accidental damage, you can claim off your insurance.

 

[N2STY]

If it's accidental damage, you can claim off your insurance.

Don't think it's really worth using insurance after excess and claim marked against you the £300 hit is the better long-term option?

 

[Gadget Geek]

Don't think it's really worth using insurance after excess and claim marked against you the £300 hit is the better long-term option?

That's why I have a 360 camera plugged into a battery pack as a sentry for just those occassions. Get the number plate and claim against the third party.

 

[N2STY]

That's why I have a 360 camera plugged into a battery pack as a sentry for just those occassions. Get the number plate and claim against the third party.

That's a good idea unfortunately claim is a claim at renewal even with protected no claims any claim will affect renewals for up to 5 years

 

[Susanna]

That's a good idea unfortunately claim is a claim at renewal even with protected no claims any claim will affect renewals for up to 5 years

I agree. The insurance company will make you pay in the end by increasing your premiums. Such a rip off!

 

[Gadget Geek]

I agree. The insurance company will make you pay in the end by increasing your premiums. Such a rip off!

Premiums are never going to go down though.