Is rust a problem on early MG5s?

[tsedge]

Hi folks,

Maybe you can help me. I am often being told that "modern MGs rust", that they are not well protected and that after 4 years or so there are problems.

Is this true at all with MG5s? There must be a number of you with older 5s now who can comment.

I'd like to gather some evidence to repudiate this if it isn't true.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[Pebblefeline]

Mine is just over three and down at show any issues yet

 

[Verdigris]

No sign of rust on my grey 2021 model. I've seen reports, here, of white cars showing some rust under the bonnet. I think they all start white but other colours get extra coats.

I had the opportunity to look at the underside of mine, when it was on the ramp for an MOT, and it looked pretty much like new.

 

[5teep]

Nope.

 

[Pebblefeline]

The rust warranty on these is the full seven years as well as far as I remember

 

[Jomarkh]

I have put on the forum that there are holes under the bonnet on my SR that are rusty.
I have also reported, at my last service, that above the windscreen there are a few rust spots. The garage have not heard back from MG about that yet, but then it is in for the 5th time for the Radio Module Disconnected issue.

 

[tsedge]

How rusty @Jomarkh? Are we talking light surface rust or something more serious?

I presume it is paint bubbling you are seeing above the windscreen?

 

[5teep]

Pretty sure any anti rust warranty is going to be "anti perforation" i.e. it only comes into effect if the rust becomes a hole and not just unsightly brown surface rust.

 

[Alb]

Not just a hole, but one that rusts from the inside out!

 

[CanyonReveller]

... above the windscreen there are a few rust spots.

Do you have any pictures of these? Is it coming from the seal between the window and the bodywork?

I think the MG ZS saw quite a few rust problems. Rumour has it that the cavities aren't wax filled and a new thin film zirconium treatment process was used for underbody rust proofing, which is less robust than the conventional process.

I've got no idea whether the 5 uses the same processes as the ZS, but I'd assume it does.

 

[Jomarkh]

Here a few pictures

 

[tsedge]

That is not good. Is it partly because you are by the sea (like me)?

 

[Paulie68]

Here a few pictures

Sorry to see your issue. That rust has almost certainly started because of stone impact in that area, so sadly MG aren't likely to cover it under warranty.

From the way it's rusting and spreading though, there appears to be little or no sacrificial zinc layer present, which is a bit depressing to see these days.

I do worry a little bit about longevity of these cars. The 7 year perforation warranty is a warning flag, 30 years ago, before anyone was even using galvanised steels it used to be 6 years! The norm today with the usual use of pre galvanised sheet steel is 10 or 12 years and you don't usually see any rust at all to speak of on most new cars now for at least the first 10 years.

I'm not sure how long I'm keeping mine for yet, but if I decide it's going to be longer term, it's getting all the underbody and cavities flooded with Dynax, as I'm not convinced these don't need a little extra help.

Do you have any pictures of these? Is it coming from the seal between the window and the bodywork?

I think the MG ZS saw quite a few rust problems. Rumour has it that the cavities aren't wax filled and a new thin film zirconium treatment process was used for underbody rust proofing, which is less robust than the conventional process.

I've got no idea whether the 5 uses the same processes as the ZS, but I'd assume it does.

Thin film zirconium dipping is nowhere near as good as the old hot zinc phosphating baths were. This doesn't really matter too much if the manufacturer is using quality 10+ micron zinc plated sheet steels, but if the steel is less well protected...

The change was, of course, for environmental reasons, as the old method used heavy metals and was terrible in that respect.

 

[CanyonReveller]

Thanks for the images, Jomarkh. It's both interesting and troubling to see what a stone chip can do in terms of rust.

Paulie68, thanks for the more detailed explanation. I hadn't realised the perforation warranty was only half that of other recent car models. I'm hoping to keep mine for the longer term, so I guess I'd better get flooding those cavities!

 

[MGEV5]

Hi folks,

Maybe you can help me. I am often being told that "modern MGs rust", that they are not well protected and that after 4 years or so there are problems.

Is this true at all with MG5s? There must be a number of you with older 5s now who can comment.

I'd like to gather some evidence to repudiate this if it isn't true.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Yes big problems with mine
See attached photos
Been getting worse since it was first reported when the car went in for a service at 2 years old
MG have been giving me the run around for 2 years now not accepting responsibility
But the photos don't lie

Just to give an update on the attached corrosion issue
MG said they were not accepting responsibility for the rust issue but were offering £800 towards repair costs. Work that one out !!
Lex sent the car for inspection to one of there repair shops

They advised that the car needed approximately £6500 of repairs to replace and repair the effected panels

Unbelievably the car has now been WRITTEN OFF by the company insurance

So for context a 4 year old car with no problems mechanically and has never been in an accident is declared a total loss due to rust.

 

[tsedge]

Wow, that's bad. Looks to me as if those parts were not properly rustproofed in the factory.

 

[MG Clive]

Sorry I have posted twice didn't think the first one had uploaded

I've deleted one, that's terrible rust, it's like a 20 year old Ford.

 

[5teep]

Yes big problems with mine
See attached photos
Been getting worse since it was first reported when the car went in for a service at 2 years old
MG have been giving me the run around for 2 years now not accepting responsibility
But the photos don't lie

If you read your warranty it says it's guaranteed against perforation, not rust. i.e. the rust has to go all the way through the metal.

I'm on my 2nd (company car) MG5 with a total of around 200k miles between the two of them. The paint stripped off the bottom of the wheel arch behind the front wheels on both but no sign of any rust so far.

 

[Paulie68]

If you read your warranty it says it's guaranteed against perforation, not rust. i.e. the rust has to go all the way through the metal.

Surface rust coming through the paint is warrantied for 3 years though. The issue is dealers will often (sometimes legitimately) argue it started from stone chipping.

 

[Dekkerb]

Hi folks,

Maybe you can help me. I am often being told that "modern MGs rust", that they are not well protected and that after 4 years or so there are problems.

Is this true at all with MG5s? There must be a number of you with older 5s now who can comment.

I'd like to gather some evidence to repudiate this if it isn't true.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

My pre FL SR is nearly 4 years old. @72k miles. No rust to date. I did get the paint work 'coating' thrown in as part of the deal when I bought it new. The odd tiny dent/scratch but nothing untoward as yet.