MG4 Reduction Gearbox Oil Leak

[Swampy]

Had my SE SR 3 days and discovered oil on my drive this morning. Done about 60 miles in it.
Manufacture date of build was 12th Oct 2022.
I was told off the service team when I picked up it up that the car would have been delivered with the reduce level in the gearbox. 0.7l instead of 0.9l as stated in the manual But no revised breather fitted.
They don’t fit the breather unless they can prove to MG there is an issue. So need photos/videos.
So have to arrange an appointment for them to see the leak, then join the merry go round of ordering parts and waiting etc to get it fitted.

 

[Deleted member 10041]

Had my SE SR 3 days and discovered oil on my drive this morning. Done about 60 miles in it.
Manufacture date of build was 12th Oct 2022.
I was told off the service team when I picked up it up that the car would have been delivered with the reduce level in the gearbox. 0.7l instead of 0.9l as stated in the manual But no revised breather fitted.
They don’t fit the breather unless they can prove to MG there is an issue. So need photos/videos.
So have to arrange an appointment for them to see the leak, then join the merry go round of ordering parts and waiting etc to get it fitted.

Joke

 

[Cocijo]

Running out of ways to comment on how MG are STILL churning out new cars to owners with known oil leaks. Get a grip MG this is appalling!

 

[siteguru]

This is another case of inconsistency ... my dealer hasn't seen my car since I collected it, but they ordered the breather mod on my say-so when I reported the oil leak.

 

[Ayoull]

This is another case of inconsistency ... my dealer hasn't seen my car since I collected it, but they ordered the breather mod on my say-so when I reported the oil leak.

But they are consistently inconsistent

 

[Cocijo]

Inconsistency/incompetency - Wow, how not to run a business eh?
I conclude from all this that MG is just not that bothered by it, as long as orders keep rolling in.
I think potential buyers (myself included) need to accept if we go ahead, that getting a competitively priced car from MG means also accepting that the service received post sale is likely to be cheap and nasty, with cost savings wherever possible at the detriment of the customer.

 

[Les burrows]

Inconsistency/incompetency - Wow, how not to run a business eh?
I conclude from all this that MG is just not that bothered by it, as long as orders keep rolling in.
I think potential buyers (myself included) need to accept if we go ahead, that getting a competitively priced car from MG means also accepting that the service received post sale is likely to be cheap and nasty, with cost savings wherever possible at the detriment of the customer.

Well Cocijo I agree with you to and extent but there are some dealers out there that are doing there very best to get things sorted as we can read on here. I think it is MG motors who are not being fair with this lot insisting that dealers send them pictures videos etc when they Sam well know they’re a problem and are just hoping it might fade away.
There should have been a recall for this for all vehicles no matter which model it might be I think on that we can all agree to to read daily now of cars still being sent out is very very bad and it will cost them in the long term.

Les

 

[Cocijo]

Well Cocijo I agree with you to and extent but there are some dealers out there that are doing there very best to get things sorted as we can read on here. I think it is MG motors who are not being fair with this lot insisting that dealers send them pictures videos etc when they Sam well know they’re a problem and are just hoping it might fade away.
There should have been a recall for this for all vehicles no matter which model it might be I think on that we can all agree to to read daily now of cars still being sent out is very very bad and it will cost them in the long term.

Les

Yes Les, a good point - I agree.
There are some dealers that are trying to support customers, and are helping as much as they can.
It’s hard though, not to tar them all with the same brush, when customers are getting treated like they are.
How much reputational damage will this do? I’m not sure. While MG sit in the cheaper end of the market it may be tolerated to an extent. MG the cheap and cheerful brand - you get what you pay for - people might say.

The MG4 in particular seemed a step towards achieving parity with more mainstream brands - I’m not sure that it will now. It winds me up how customers are being treated.
MG will never develop the brand beyond where it currently sits with the current attitude towards its customers.
I’m really surprised and disappointed.

 

[Les burrows]

The reputation of the brand worries me also as if it goes on the resale or partX values of the 4 it might well do damage also, to the brand and MG by not listening to owners like on here and there dealers it’s terrible and I’ve just picked up another one but a 5 that is better machine all round in my view then the 4.
Les

 

[Deleted member 9692]

Had my SE SR 3 days and discovered oil on my drive this morning. Done about 60 miles in it.
Manufacture date of build was 12th Oct 2022.
I was told off the service team when I picked up it up that the car would have been delivered with the reduce level in the gearbox. 0.7l instead of 0.9l as stated in the manual But no revised breather fitted.
They don’t fit the breather unless they can prove to MG there is an issue. So need photos/videos.
So have to arrange an appointment for them to see the leak, then join the merry go round of ordering parts and waiting etc to get it fitted.

Hope you get it sorted soon. Its amazing to me that MG are persisting with the overfill theory as a viable fix for this problem. Such indifference towards their customers is incredible to me. I'm a 1st time purchaser of MG and although I'm keeping my MG4 for 9 months or so, I definitely will not be buying another MG. The reason for that is because of how they are still treating customers like you despite the knowledge they have of this issue. MG do not need proof, they know full well what the problem is and what the fix is, they just choose not to apply the fix proactively.

 

[Swampy]

Hope you get it sorted soon. Its amazing to me that MG are persisting with the overfill theory as a viable fix for this problem. Such indifference towards their customers is incredible to me. I'm a 1st time purchaser of MG and although I'm keeping my MG4 for 9 months or so, I definitely will not be buying another MG. The reason for that is because of how they are still treating customers like you despite the knowledge they have of this issue. MG do not need proof, they know full well what the problem is and what the fix is, they just choose not to apply the fix proactively.

Thanks.
I thought I was onto a winner with the LKA software updated I haven’t had to switch this off from new. Been working a treat.

 

[Ayoull]

Hope you get it sorted soon. Its amazing to me that MG are persisting with the overfill theory as a viable fix for this problem. Such indifference towards their customers is incredible to me. I'm a 1st time purchaser of MG and although I'm keeping my MG4 for 9 months or so, I definitely will not be buying another MG. The reason for that is because of how they are still treating customers like you despite the knowledge they have of this issue. MG do not need proof, they know full well what the problem is and what the fix is, they just choose not to apply the fix proactively.

The litmus test for me is when the cars manufactured December onwards are here, if they come with out the breather then to me it's sloppy as thats post identification and fix being made available.

I know we could all argue about how this should be done at the PDI and I think it probably should, but has anyone contacted MG Motors UK direct? Like I did with my missing undertray to see what the official stance is opposed to just what the dealer says.

 

[Swampy]

The litmus test for me is when the cars manufactured December onwards if they come with out the breather then to me it's sloppy as thats post identification and fix being made available.

I know we could all argue about how this should be done at the PDI and I think it probably should, but has any contacted MG Motors UK direct? Like I did with my missing undertray to see what the official stance is opposed to just what the dealer says.

I will wait and see what the dealership come back with. Make sure it is the transmission gearbox issue. Then email MG for their take on it.

 

[Deleted member 10041]

You lot are on a role with the MG bashing today, I don't even need to say anything

 

[Eber]

Hope you get it sorted soon. Its amazing to me that MG are persisting with the overfill theory as a viable fix for this problem. Such indifference towards their customers is incredible to me. I'm a 1st time purchaser of MG and although I'm keeping my MG4 for 9 months or so, I definitely will not be buying another MG. The reason for that is because of how they are still treating customers like you despite the knowledge they have of this issue. MG do not need proof, they know full well what the problem is and what the fix is, they just choose not to apply the fix proactively.

Yes. Hard to understand. Just send all the dealers the modified breathers and let them install them on every vehicle. Problem sorted. The way they are doing it now is ignorant.

 

[Deleted member 10041]

Yes. Hard to understand. Just send all the dealers the modified breathers and let them install them on every vehicle. Problem sorted. The way they are doing it now is ignorant.

That idea will never catch on, been getting said for months now

 

[Deleted member 9692]

The litmus test for me is when the cars manufactured December onwards are here, if they come with out the breather then to me it's sloppy as thats post identification and fix being made available.

I know we could all argue about how this should be done at the PDI and I think it probably should, but has anyone contacted MG Motors UK direct? Like I did with my missing undertray to see what the official stance is opposed to just what the dealer says.

Yup, I contacted MG direct. Mr Gary Smart, literally could not care less. I shared the response I got from him somewhere but can’t justify expending the energy looking for it.

 

[Cocijo]

The litmus test for me is when the cars manufactured December onwards are here, if they come with out the breather then to me it's sloppy as thats post identification and fix being made available.

I know we could all argue about how this should be done at the PDI and I think it probably should, but has anyone contacted MG Motors UK direct? Like I did with my missing undertray to see what the official stance is opposed to just what the dealer says.

Possibly. But hasn’t this model been available for some time outside the UK? Surely this issue has been known for much longer than just since the cars have been sold in the UK?

 

[Swampy]

I will wait and see what the dealership come back with. Make sure it is the transmission gearbox issue. Then email MG for their take on it.

Dealership contacted me on Monday and booked the car in today 9am. They had a modified breather on the shelf and once they got approval from MG they fitted it this morning.
when I went to pick the car up I couldn’t resist taking a look under the car to look for oil and see how my small bulge was doing with the under tray.
Laid down in the snow and ice and discovered no oil and no difference with the tray, but what did catch my eye was the technicians mobile light hanging there under the car
Managed to retrieve it. Took it back into the dealership and asked if anyone was missing a mobile light.
Through their embarrassment they couldn’t apologise enough.
I am just glad I am staying positive and my glass is half full.

In the meantime I have filled out a contact form on the MG website about the oil leak and also filled out a second contact sheet about the creases in the seat covers. Nothing back yet.

 

[siteguru]

Got my car sorted today for the breather mod. No idea yet if the "fix" has worked (too soon and not enough miles) ... what I do know is that they topped up the oil by 0.2l. (I assume that the bulletin - TB057A - says to refill the oil to a specific level mark, and it took 0.2l to reach that mark). I don't know what level that mark represents, but I am assuming that it is to reach 0.9l as per the original specification.

This suggests that I have lost 0.2l* of gearbox oil from the initial leak and in the 6 weeks since I reported it.

I'll update my poll result in a few weeks once I know whether or not the mod has fixed it.

* if the refill was to 0.75l then the oil lost may have been 0.35l