Mg 5 rear heated windscreen - demist function

[saladdodger]

Hi all,

New member here. I picked up an MG S5 Trophy in December and generally I have been happy with it, except for this weekend's server issues . I’m hoping a few other S5 owners can sanity-check something for me.

I noticed what looks like a demisting/heated rear screen issue: the bottom third of the rear screen doesn’t clear, even though the rest does (see photos).

I had the car at an MG dealer today and they said the “uncleared” section is normal because the bottom part of the rear screen is the aerial, so it isn’t heated. I’ve seen similar comments for other MG models, but I can’t find anything specific to the S5. So I wanted to ask on your MG S5, does the bottom section of the rear screen not demist/defrost as well?

For reference, I’ve seen similar discussions here (other models):

• Mg 5 rear heated windscreen
• facebook post on zs

Also, in my last photo (blue sky background, upside down with the boot open), there appears to be a small ~8mm gapin one of the horizontal elements near the bottom of the glass. Can anyone confirm whether they have the same “gap”, or whether mine looks like a defect that could explain the behaviour?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TimothyN]

Yes, one of several really bad design choices on the S5 is that the bottom of the rear mist panel is used instead of a functioning DAB aerial.

The result is not just poor demisting, but dreadful DAB performance.

What is this "blue sky" of which you speak? I remember my father talking about such things.

But yes, the pattern is the same as mine, which I am currently looking at in the rearview mirror…

 

[Alb]

Yes, looks completely normal to me.

 

[saladdodger]

Thanks all. Lesson learned: ask the hive mind before booking a dealer visit.

It’s a shame it’s a design quirk, but I’m relieved the dealer wasn’t fogging me off… only the rear screen does that.

 

[MG Clive]

This is one of those occasions where an MG Dealer has got it right @saladdodger, welcome to MGEVs.