First service - experience of charges out there

[wandle MG4 trophy]

I had assumed that all available software updates would be applied during the annual service but I am not sure now.

MG Chiswick have only 1 engineer who specialises on the MG4 - so getting it booked in for investigations and rectifications takes months. Given this delay I asked about booking my first service now which is due in December. They said there was no need as they had lots of people who could service MG4s

Applying software updates is a slow and complicated process that can go wrong if updates are not done in the right sequence. I wonder therefore if they will trust updates to the junior mechanic who gives a cursory glance over brakes and lights etc and tops up your washer reservoir and charges you £90 or so for the service.

 

[tsedge]

I had assumed that all available software updates would be applied during the annual service but I am not sure now.

MG Chiswick have only 1 engineer who specialises on the MG4 - so getting it booked in for investigations and rectifications takes months. Given this delay I asked about booking my first service now which is due in December. They said there was no need as they had lots of people who could service MG4s

Applying software updates is a slow and complicated process that can go wrong if updates are not done in the right sequence. I wonder therefore if they will trust updates to the junior mechanic who gives a cursory glance over brakes and lights etc and tops up your washer reservoir and charges you £90 or so for the service.

My understanding is that it is laborious, not complicated, so the sensible solution is a young lad or lass who can master the laptop in a day and then babysit the car, so hopefully this means they are working around it.

The trouble is when something goes wrong in the update process, usually it means talking to the Chinese help desk, which can delay things a lot.

 

[Tight Git]

My 15k first service will be due in about 4 weeks and if they plan on doing any software updates I will be asking for a courtesy car in case they brick it.

 

[Rolfe]

I got mine back this morning after they did a software update on the BMS (I had asked them to look at the undertray, but they also volunteered the software update) and it seems to have been quite painless. They also left the infotainment software alone so I still have the outside temperature.

Courtesy car offered as standard. A Peugeot e208. SO happy to get my MG4 back after that.

 

[Nicko]

Mine had the latest software update last month, done in 4 hours and no issues?

 

[PristDean]

I got mine back this morning after they did a software update on the BMS (I had asked them to look at the undertray, but they also volunteered the software update) and it seems to have been quite painless. They also left the infotainment software alone so I still have the outside temperature.

Courtesy car offered as standard. A Peugeot e208. SO happy to get my MG4 back after that.

Have you posted feedback on what your dealer did and would not do for you from your list somewhere ?

 

[Rolfe]

Getting there.

 

[tomsk]

Can anyone confirm what is actually done at the services in years 1 and 3? The MG website only lists a few service items (pollen filter, key batteries and brake fluid) at years 2 and 4, and coolant only at year 5. As I expect to do under 10k a year it looks like the key batteries and brake fluid changes may not be needed, so I'm wondering if the servicing is annual or biannual. If it's annual, are there things done at years 1 and 3, and perhaps at the other years too, that aren't itemised in the schedule on the website? Is a full service schedule published anywhere? Thanks

 

[siteguru]

Service interval is 12 months or 15k miles, whichever comes first. In your case your 2nd service will come at 20k miles or fewer.

 

[Rolfe]

I asked my dealer yesterday, and he said that the car itself only reminds you based on mileage, not based on time. So if you haven't done 15,000 miles when a year has passed, you'll have to remember to book the service yourself. (I suspect in fact the dealer is set up to text you or something.) If you get to 15,000 miles without the car having been serviced, it will remind you.

Not quite sure how that works, I suppose there is some way to tell the car it has been serviced, so it won't bug you at 15,000 miles if it was serviced at 12,000. My Golf used to work on both, so it was like "service in 700 miles or 2 months". It kept up that nag until you actually got it serviced.

 

[tomsk]

Thanks for the info, but it's still not clear to me what the service comprises at years 1 and 3, or what I'd ask a non-MG garage to do to be the equivalent.

 

[Kithmo]

Years 1 and 3 are just basic checks and a renewal of your AA cover.

 

[Rolfe]

My concern is that if you didn't bother with these basic checks, which seem wildly over-priced, your warranty would be void.

I had an engine blow up on my Golf when it was 2 years 9 months old, and under a 3 year warranty. I had always had it serviced by a non-VW garage. VW pretty much put the third degree on my garage trying to find a loophole they could weasel out of. He had to fax them proof that he had bought the appropriate grade of VW oil for the car at each service. He was able to prove everything, and they gave me a new engine under warranty. £10,000 otherwise.

The problem here is that they're trying to impose a similar service schedule on EVs that they do on ICE cars, but this really doesn't seem to be needed and is way overpriced. Except, if we don't do it, we lose warranty cover.

 

[Deleted member 10041]

The whole MG process for updates and servicing is outdated, they are treating their EVs like ice cars, servicing should be considerably cheaper, especially year 1 and 3.
The cars also have the ability to receive OTA updates, if this ever gets activated remains to be seen.
The MG update process again is overly complicated, Miles mentioned on the podcast if they are not done in the right order it can cause the car to brick.
Imagine OTA updates happening and everyone coming out in the morning to a bricked car, not good.
They really need to sort their software out, it lets the car down badly.

 

[tsedge]

The cars also have the ability to receive OTA updates, if this ever gets activated remains to be seen.

This is for the infotainment system only, not the whole car and it has yet to be activated.

 

[Deleted member 10041]

This is for the infotainment system only, not the whole car and it has yet to be activated.

I thought it had the ability to receives OTA updates for everything, if it has the ability for the infotainment it should for everything.

As I said they are making the process unnecessarily complicated, it does show a bit of a lack of confidence in their software

 

[tsedge]

I thought it had the ability to receives OTA updates for everything, if it has the ability for the infotainment it should for everything.

No, that has never been claimed.

 

[Deleted member 10041]

No, that has never been claimed.

What’s more, MG has adopted a progressive strategy with this new platform – it enables integration with future tech, such as battery-swap systems, while the Service-Oriented-Architecture (SOA) will allow you to receive Over-The-Air (OTA) updates.

This is Off an MG dealers website, it's a bit ambiguous, it doesn't specify infotainment only.

When in actual fact it doesn't actually do anything

 

[Ian Key]

Thanks for the info, but it's still not clear to me what the service comprises at years 1 and 3, or what I'd ask a non-MG garage to do to be the equivalent.

As I understand it there is nothing to stop you using an independent garage and the warranty shouldn't be a problem as long as they use MG parts. The problem comes is that they won't be able to do any software updates, the AA cover (MG assist) will lapse and the service record which is held on MG's servers won't be filled in.

 

[Tight Git]

Just booked my SE SR in for its first service (have the service plan) and they asked if I'd like the engine oil flush at £35 so the emissions would not get worse....