Cracks in rear light plastic - internal

[Anon70]

Slamming tailgates can cause cracks in lights and light bars after some time.

The thing is if you are going to design or engineer something that can fail through standard use and not provide instructions (close gently, with less than xxNm of force) or a mechanism (electric closing, stronger gas struts) to prevent the failure then you would probably expect warranty claims. Most consumer rights say something should be fit for purpose and the purpose of a hatch/tailgate is that it is opened and closed

 

[Tuareg]

The thing is if you are going to design or engineer something that can fail through standard use and not provide instructions (close gently, with less than xxNm of force) or a mechanism (electric closing, stronger gas struts) to prevent the failure then you would probably expect warranty claims. Most consumer rights say something should be fit for purpose and the purpose of a hatch/tailgate is that it is opened and closed

Nothing can be 'fit for purpose' if some are heavy handed enough to treat their vehicles like a piece of rubbish. The tailgate IS fit for puropse during reasonable use which includes taking a light touch to such areas if the car. Still, people can do what they like.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

I don't slam it, so can we rule that out!

Besides, that would be more likely to crack the tailgate plastic.

 

[Rolfe]

If I don't slam my car's tailgate it doesn't shut properly. So there.

 

[Michiel]

By "2 small cracks" do you mean the ones right in the curve, coming from near the top of the grey triangle of body panel?

Yes.

 

[Anon70]

The tailgate IS fit for puropse during reasonable use which includes taking a light touch to such areas if the car.

One persons light touch can be someone else's heavy handed, also the car is designed with a single grab handle to pull down on to close the hatch, which will always lead to some twisting motion as more force is applied to one side of the tailgate than the other.

The only way to really guarantee the same force applied in the same way every time the tailgate is closed is to have a powered mechanism.

 

[tsedge]

Powered tailgates are becoming a lot more common, they may become standard on all vehicles soon.

 

[ReintjeWA]

I read somewhere, in an article I think, that MG chose not to have electric tailgates on the MG4 because they expected ride share drivers to buy the cars, and apparently they dislike automatic tailgates. Harder to fix if they break and something about them closing slowly if I recall correctly.

Would’ve been a nice option though, depending on the price of course.

 

[gary333]

I read somewhere, in an article I think, that MG chose not to have electric tailgates on the MG4 because they expected ride share drivers to buy the cars, and apparently they dislike automatic tailgates. Harder to fix if they break and something about them closing slowly if I recall correctly.

Would’ve been a nice option though, depending on the price of course.

More like MG didn't want to spend extra on anything they didn't need to. Sounds like a convenient excuse someone is peddling there. If MG imagined this car would be used as a taxi you would think they would have put more effort in to making the tailgate easier to lift.

 

[tsedge]

I read somewhere, in an article I think, that MG chose not to have electric tailgates on the MG4 because they expected ride share drivers to buy the cars, and apparently they dislike automatic tailgates. Harder to fix if they break and something about them closing slowly if I recall correctly.

Would’ve been a nice option though, depending on the price of course.

I would have thought if taxi or similar drivers were using them, they'd want an electric (and remotely operated) tailgate to make it easy to open it up for passengers and close it without getting out of the car. Slow speeds wouldn't matter surely, a taxi driver would just drive off as it was closing!

 

[ReintjeWA]

I would have thought if taxi or similar drivers were using them, they'd want an electric (and remotely operated) tailgate to make it easy to open it up for passengers and close it without getting out of the car. Slow speeds wouldn't matter surely, a taxi driver would just drive off as it was closing!

Or keep the meter running haha