MG4 Activate Head Unit Message

[Scurry1974]

Hi Scurry,

Did you manage to solve the issue?
Mine was fine before receiving the software update of the recall, and now I receive the same "turn on head unit first" and "device id does not exist" warnings.

Do you know anyone else that manage to solve the issue?
Mine was perfectly working before this "upgrade" so it's really annoying to have these issues now.

So I have had a new head unit fitted and apparently that was totally dead. I have now had the car 5 months and no luck. I left the car with the dealer this week and they just messaged to say there is a bad batch of head units and they may not be able to fix it in the next several weeks.

I want to progress rejecting the car as there is no end in sight. Anyone done this yet?

 

[JeffMcC75]

I just got my MG4 today, I made sure I could bind my phone with the dealer present and surprise surprise got the "Headunit not registered" message when I tried. I went through the settings menu and eventually found an option to activate and register and it activated successfully it after a few seconds, then I could bind my phone.

Not sure if this is the same issue others have had, but there is the option hidden in there somewhere.

 

[siteguru]

I want to progress rejecting the car as there is no end in sight. Anyone done this yet?

Yes they have ... just search this board for reject and you'll find relevant threads.

 

[martingperry]

Picked our new Trophy up on Monday, we have exactly the same problem.
The dealer techies spend several hours on it, updated all the software to the the latest versions (they'd previously told me it was on the latest already!).
They contacted MG Support in China but two days later no response.
Anyone had a head unit changed that fixed the problem?

 

[Scurry1974]

I have had a head unit replaced but it was apparently dead when swapped so they swapped it back. My issue is a security exception and not a registration error message.

 

[AndyL61]

Picked our new Trophy up on Monday, we have exactly the same problem.
The dealer techies spend several hours on it, updated all the software to the the latest versions (they'd previously told me it was on the latest already!).
They contacted MG Support in China but two days later no response.
Anyone had a head unit changed that fixed the problem?

See post #42 , how to fix it ?

 

[Scurry1974]

See post #42 , how to fix it ?

No luck. Been 6 months and car is in with the dealer at the moment.

 

[morf]

Picked our new Trophy up on Monday, we have exactly the same problem.
The dealer techies spend several hours on it, updated all the software to the the latest versions (they'd previously told me it was on the latest already!).
They contacted MG Support in China but two days later no response.
Anyone had a head unit changed that fixed the problem?

Does the solution at Post #31 help?

 

[DaWheel]

I have the issue still. It has been in 4 times and now they are replacing the head unit. This may be a problem with the vehicle I guess on the odd unit.

The thing I don't understand it's that was working really well before the "update", now I got this problem, so to me it looks like a software issue more than a hardware one.
I got an appointment with the dealership tomorrow, hope they will be able to sort it

 

[DaWheel]

Update: I brought my car in and after few hours they called me cause it was ready. They did a new software update and now everything works perfect, also I had bluetooth connection problem that I thought were caused by my phone but apparently it was a glitch of MG software, now working like a charm since I got it back.

 

[AndyL61]

Update: I brought my car in and after few hours they called me cause it was ready. They did a new software update and now everything works perfect, also I had bluetooth connection problem that I thought were caused by my phone but apparently it was a glitch of MG software, now working like a charm since I got it back.

Have they updated your infotainment version? If so what does it end with R33.2 ?

 

[DaWheel]

Have they updated your infotainment version? If so what does it end with R33.2 ?

It looks to me it's just R33, don't know actually in what's different from how it was but now it works. In the receipts it just says "software update issued by MG and all ok"

 

[siteguru]

It annoys me when dealers don't give info about what updates have been applied. Thankfully mine has (so far) inasmuch as they specify the module (BCM, FVCM etc.) and the update reference number - they don't say exactly what the update does, but at least I've had reference numbers (which may be useful in future).

 

[DenisG]

Hi all. I had a similar problem this morning. My satnav had no favourites home etc and I noticed I was not logged in. A silly message appeared when I tried to log in saying activate the head unit/ er code error. Well I reset by holding down the home button but no joy. I went to the settings screen (swipe left from home) and tried to re-activate that wouldn’t work so I gave up for a while. This afternoon I got home and connected the car to the house wifi. Tried again with the re-activation process and it worked. I had to scan the qr code again but all is now ok. Hopefully it might help someone else with this issue.

 

[GeorgeB]

Took delivery of my MG 4 Trophy this evening. Purchased as a company scheme (Arval) car, so very little direct contact with the dealership who happen to be four hours away from my house. The car is a '22 plate (order placed in Feb '23) and I have a feeling its been sat idle in a compound for a fair while prior to delivery (I believe the car is allocated an an individual from a pre-purchased pool). Wasn't aware this was a 'known issue' and only discovered once the delivery driver had left. I tried to connect the MG iSmart app, but got the same error, "activation required" as others have mentioned. I connected the car to my home WiFi (thanks DenisG for the suggestion) and tried to activate but had error messages "TSP doesn't have car info - please contact dealer" and "Parameters are not correct please try again". I then tried a factory reset and a long press of the home button, no dice. If there is a more recent R33 software update to fix this, I'm wondering if a local MG dealer may be able to help me (even though I didn't purchase from them), otherwise dealing with fleet sales of a dealership four hours away is going to be a hassle!

 

[Ian Key]

Took delivery of my MG 4 Trophy this evening. Purchased as a company scheme (Arval) car, so very little direct contact with the dealership who happen to be four hours away from my house. The car is a '22 plate (order placed in Feb '23) and I have a feeling its been sat idle in a compound for a fair while prior to delivery (I believe the car is allocated an an individual from a pre-purchased pool). Wasn't aware this was a 'known issue' and only discovered once the delivery driver had left. I tried to connect the MG iSmart app, but got the same error, "activation required" as others have mentioned. I connected the car to my home WiFi (thanks DenisG for the suggestion) and tried to activate but had error messages "TSP doesn't have car info - please contact dealer" and "Parameters are not correct please try again". I then tried a factory reset and a long press of the home button, no dice. If there is a more recent R33 software update to fix this, I'm wondering if a local MG dealer may be able to help me (even though I didn't purchase from them), otherwise dealing with fleet sales of a dealership four hours away is going to be a hassle!

Yes, contact your local dealer. Also let Arval know that the company supplying you the car has failed to provide a fully working car.

 

[GeorgeB]

Yes, contact your local dealer. Also let Arval know that the company supplying you the car has failed to provide a fully working car.

Thanks Ian
Some updates from today, just in case anyone else is ordering from Arval / similarly affected with these issues.
1) This morning driving to work, the TPMS warning light also came on - tyre looks fine, pressure is okay.
2) The dealership Arval used to provide me the MG 4 is a Drive Vauxhall dealership in Western-Super-Mare. Because they are a Vauxhall dealership they tell me that they can't deal with faults on the new MG cars they sell but instead, as I was told in an email reply today "Sorry you have experienced some issues; I would recommend getting this booked in at your local MG dealer who can assist further. Apologies I am unable to assist further". Why they are allowed to sell new MGs with no ability to support them is beyond me. They have offered to cover charges for a courtesy car on the day(s) the car is in with my local MG dealership.
3) I phoned my local MG dealership (in Preston), they've booked me in to take a look but the earliest they could do is 12th May. Tried other local dealerships near to me but there was no availability before 9th May.
4) I phoned the Arval Ignition team, and was greeted with "let me guess, the fault is about head unit activation". Apparently there have been four MGs delivered from the same dealership to Arval customers in the last week with the exact same issue. Arval were apologetic and said they'd be chasing up with the dealership - they don't seem to view themselves as accountable though (from a compensation perspective) everything is "lets see what the dealer can do etc. etc." I also asked why they hadn't proactively reached out to people expecting deliveries to warn them to check this if they'd already received reports. Clearly, when buying an MG, I wouldn't have chosen a Vauxhall dealership 4+ hours from my house if I had any say in the matter!
5) I will update on the resolution of the head unit activation issue and TPMS warning light following my servicing appointment in May.

 

[Ian Key]

Thanks Ian
Some updates from today, just in case anyone else is ordering from Arval / similarly affected with these issues.
1) This morning driving to work, the TPMS warning light also came on - tyre looks fine, pressure is okay.
2) The dealership Arval used to provide me the MG 4 is a Drive Vauxhall dealership in Western-Super-Mare. Because they are a Vauxhall dealership they tell me that they can't deal with faults on the new MG cars they sell but instead, as I was told in an email reply today "Sorry you have experienced some issues; I would recommend getting this booked in at your local MG dealer who can assist further. Apologies I am unable to assist further". Why they are allowed to sell new MGs with no ability to support them is beyond me. They have offered to cover charges for a courtesy car on the day(s) the car is in with my local MG dealership.
3) I phoned my local MG dealership (in Preston), they've booked me in to take a look but the earliest they could do is 12th May. Tried other local dealerships near to me but there was no availability before 9th May.
4) I phoned the Arval Ignition team, and was greeted with "let me guess, the fault is about head unit activation". Apparently there have been four MGs delivered from the same dealership to Arval customers in the last week with the exact same issue. Arval were apologetic and said they'd be chasing up with the dealership - they don't seem to view themselves as accountable though (from a compensation perspective) everything is "lets see what the dealer can do etc. etc." I also asked why they hadn't proactively reached out to people expecting deliveries to warn them to check this if they'd already received reports. Clearly, when buying an MG, I wouldn't have chosen a Vauxhall dealership 4+ hours from my house if I had any say in the matter!
5) I will update on the resolution of the head unit activation issue and TPMS warning light following my servicing appointment in May.

At least something appears to be being done so fingers crossed but it sounds like a bit of passing the buck is going on but it's difficult whose door it stops at. You said you're buying the car through a company sacrifice scheme so who are you buying it from, the company you work for, Arval or Drive Vauxhall?
Others who are more knowledgeable will probably know.

 

[Ian MG4 Trophy]

Hi all. I had a similar problem this morning. My satnav had no favourites home etc and I noticed I was not logged in. A silly message appeared when I tried to log in saying activate the head unit/ er code error. Well I reset by holding down the home button but no joy. I went to the settings screen (swipe left from home) and tried to re-activate that wouldn’t work so I gave up for a while. This afternoon I got home and connected the car to the house wifi. Tried again with the re-activation process and it worked. I had to scan the qr code again but all is now ok. Hopefully it might help someone else with this issue.

I have the same issue waiting for mg to call when they get a response from china. I've connected the home wi-fi but cant seem to find the re-activation bit, could you point me in the right direction?

 

[DenisG]

On the home infotainment (sic) screen swipe left to get to the user button. If your data is already displayed then try to log out on the little door (bottom left) and you should unlink the car. Then log back in. The QR code should appear and you can rescan your phone. All the settings are still saved (thank you god!). Hopefully that will help.