MG4 Reduction Gearbox Oil Leak

Kithmo said:
Are oil leaks part of the MOT now if excessive ?
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You should fail a vehicle if a fluid leak creates a pool on the floor within 5 minutes that's more than 75mm in diameter or if there are many leaks which collectively leak fluid at the same rate. You can refuse to carry out the test if there's an excessive fluid leak.20 May 2018
 
BugEyed said:
Independently I have come to the same conclusion in the last 24 hours, and today started the rejection process on my MG4 SE SR. Like you I like the car but am not willing to accept the lack of support from MG UK, SAIC and (most surprisingly) the dealer that I purchased from who deserve the gif from Kithmo the most.



We clearly have different major issues - the straw for me is the inability to AC charge reliably which is kind of basic functionality for a BEV.

SAIC need to learn the lessons from the launch of the MG4. Such fundemently new platforms will always have issues, and I expected there to be more than there are, but the reaction to them is key to keeping customers onboard. The response that I have received is textbook how not to do it - fail to acknowledge issues raised, then deny that they exist anywhere else, then fail to offer a solution or timescale for one.

I'm currently conflicted as to where next. I'm torn between the route being trodden by @beefyj in looking to return to another example when the initial issues are resolved or whether to revert to ICE after 5 years of EVs. The former makes sense if you believe that SAIC are learning, but I'm beginning to feel that they have failed to learn from multiple issues with the ZS and that the remainder of the industry are going the wrong way with ever bigger and more expensive offerings - Hyundai moving from the original Ioniq to the Ioniq5 and 6.
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I have thought the same
Switching to another EV will mean an older car with less warranty, but the 7 year warranty means little to me at the minute when they're not fixing current issues quickly enough for me.
I genuinely feel like a beta tester for MG with my MG4.
That's not what a new car experience should be like.
I have also considered going back to ICE too but would prefer not to as I can free charge at work which has saved me a small fortune over the last 18 months with my ZS EV and now the MG4.
I dropped onto a 15 month old ZS after most of the issues had been resolved thankfully so was very happy with the car in general.
But the MG4 experience has soured me again to the brand somewhat.
It does seem to be the norm with technology these days
Microsoft have done it for years, releasing software that is faulty and spending 5 years patching it.
Cars is another matter though.
Not enough R&D and testing in house for me.
Spending a grand on a PC is one thing, spending the best part of 30k on a car is a whole other ball game.
Will see how the dealer responds when he calls me back, they have acknowledged my rejection email so know what's coming.
 
Jester27 said:
Final straw for me this morning was the seat comfort or lack of it over the past few days.
I can genuinely feel the seams in both the seat base and back when sat in it this is only after a 15 minute drive
I am genuinely left feeling like I have fibromyalgia or something as the seams are felt that much.
But never had an issue with any other car before this.
This issue harks back to my original concern over the seat build quality when I test drove with creases and bad stitching etc which mine also has a little bit of.

I'm gutted to have to be going this route but a new car should not leave this bad taste your mouth.

What I'll get instead I genuinely don't know.
But I know I can't have £27k tied up in a car that I don't enjoy driving each time.
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I joined this forum recently due to really wanting to buy this car when it arrives in Australia early next year but the oil leak issue plus the other issues described here are starting to put me off. Also I was keen on the SE Long Range model which in Australia will probably cost around A$45,000 to A$50,000 at a guess less any govt. rebates available at that time.
The issue is however, in my view, for that money it should have cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, SatNav, rain sensing wipers, TPS, etc. that I currently have in my ICE Ford Escape and which is included in most new cars these days.
I realize that you can get some of those extras in the Trophy model but it will cost approx. A$7,000 extra here.
 
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Steve Chope said:
You may be interested in this reply I have just received from MG UK. I think now we have to accept that the problems lie with the breather tube. Good to know they are actually doing something at the factory now.

‘Following thorough investigation by our Technical and Engineering team in both the UK and China, the results of this concern with the MG4 are that oil is being ejected through the breather pipe which is presenting itself as an oil leak. Therefore, a modified breather pipe is currently in the process of being supplied to the repair network to rectify the issue.
Rest assured, the issue does not leave the vehicle undriveable and does not impact the performance or functionality of the vehicle.
Once the part is available in the next few weeks, dealerships will be able to carry out the necessary repair for those cars that are already on the road.

MG's that are yet to be built at the factory in China will have the issue with the breather pipe rectified before they are placed on a ship.
Any vehicles that have already left the factory that present this concern will need rectification at an MG dealership once the vehicle arrives and the part is available.

I hope that this provides some reassurance and I thank you again for your email.’
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Well Steve Chope, that is a very interesting and encouraging reply you have posted here can you tell us please who from MG Motors sent you that reply.
Thank you
Les
 
Les burrows said:
Well Steve Chope, that is a very interesting and encouraging reply you have posted here can you tell us please who from MG Motors sent you that reply.
Thank you
Les
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I seem to have heard this before: "Rest assured, the issue does not leave the vehicle undriveable and does not impact the performance or functionality of the vehicle." Wasn't it Mr. Smart?
 
It is exactly a month since the first post on this thread and the first report of an oil leak (that I saw). In that time cars have gone back to dealers, been reported to MG, escalated, diagnosed and a fix designed and manufactured, due to arrive on these shores next week. It seems this will now get applied to all cars.

Terrible communication aside (which is a huge problem), what do people think about the speed of response for what (we seem to be being told) is not a major issue?

Personally, I can't excuse the communication issues and the awful experience those affected have had. However, the response time seems reasonably fast compared to experiences I have had with other manufacturers. What do you think?
 
My personal opinion, for what it's worth, is that issues with new models are not uncommon, regardless of the manufacturer.

Previous experience with a new model that had an issue (Mazda CX-5) was that initially the issue came to light on forums, the dealers denied any knowledge, some dealers were proactive while others weren't, Mazda UK were slow to respond or even acknowledge the problem and an official "solution" from Mazda in Japan took many weeks to be announced, even then with no recall.

Sound familiar?

I'm not trying to play down the MG4 oil issue - it very much needs resolving. The problem is that these days the internet is super fast to highlight issues and manufacturers are slow to respond. This could be due to collecting data, identifying and producing a fix (which doesn't inadvertently cause other issues), or simply protecting their brand by not admitting the problem exists until they have to. In the meantime, you get 60-odd page threads from (rightfully) worried owners and potential owners, with snippets of information mixed with opinions which just amplifies the concern.

Communication is key, and MG have failed in that respect. But they're not the first and won't be the last manufacturer in that regard.

To pick up on @tsedge point about the time to produce a solution, I agree that (again, in my opinion) they've been pretty quick about it. Whether it's the correct solution, only time will tell.
 
I think there's a combination of issues impacting the MG4. Oil leak, undertray, software (Android dev., Lane keeping, charging?, Settings retained, Driver Attention Warning), Window welds, Seat Quality.. Many of these can be attributed to New Car teething issues but however they materialize as a customer we need to feel that trust exists and a firm commitment to resolving ALL these things as part of the marketed '7 Year Warranty'. So the problems present two issues:
1. The support and trust between buyer and dealer. (Yeah we know about xxx, Never heard of that issue, Your car is on its way, That's not a leak under the car it's humidity).
2. The communication and action by the Manufacturer. (Only two cars have possible leak, the undertray is a feature, software will fix that... probably eventually - please don't return the beta version of the car).

If you spent a thousand pounds on a laptop. iPhone, big TV, new garage roof or just on carpets would you really expect to deal with fluffy communications hiding when you're getting what you have paid for or if there is a quality issue how patient would you really be?

I'm in the situation where my promised Trophy is now three weeks later than original delivery date and the dealer 'cannot confirm when it is likely to be shipped from the port'.
As the list of issues increases and the number of new owners returning vehicles inside the first four weeks grows (only have visibility of forum members taking these steps) I am genuinely inclined to cancel today.

I do not currently have any faith in the quality of the car, dealers ability to resolve or in MG who clearly focus on quantity over quantity.

Happy to be convinced otherwise..
 
snurt said:
I think there's a combination of issues impacting the MG4. Oil leak, undertray, software (Android dev., Lane keeping, charging?, Settings retained, Driver Attention Warning), Window welds, Seat Quality.. Many of these can be attributed to New Car teething issues but however they materialize as a customer we need to feel that trust exists and a firm commitment to resolving ALL these things as part of the marketed '7 Year Warranty'. So the problems present two issues:
1. The support and trust between buyer and dealer. (Yeah we know about xxx, Never heard of that issue, Your car is on its way, That's not a leak under the car it's humidity).
2. The communication and action by the Manufacturer. (Only two cars have possible leak, the undertray is a feature, software will fix that... probably eventually - please don't return the beta version of the car).

If you spent a thousand pounds on a laptop. iPhone, big TV, new garage roof or just on carpets would you really expect to deal with fluffy communications hiding when you're getting what you have paid for or if there is a quality issue how patient would you really be?

I'm in the situation where my promised Trophy is now three weeks later than original delivery date and the dealer 'cannot confirm when it is likely to be shipped from the port'.
As the list of issues increases and the number of new owners returning vehicles inside the first four weeks grows (only have visibility of forum members taking these steps) I am genuinely inclined to cancel today.

I do not currently have any faith in the quality of the car, dealers ability to resolve or in MG who clearly focus on quantity over quantity.

Happy to be convinced otherwise..
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Yes, so much could be addressed with better communication.

With delivery timelines, it seems dealers do not get information early enough from MG and allocations change and then there are hold ups at the ports and then which colour/trim combinations they make in the factory changes. This will settle down but it means the only date from dealers that can be depended on is when they have the car and it has passed PDI.

I can't say what is right for you to do but with most other manufacturers you will likely wait even longer.
 
My opinion is that an oil leak is not a minor issue on a brand new car. It is an embarrasment to park your brand new car anywhere knowing you will leave a puddle of oil behind. The speed of response is not bad , however it could of been better if they had acknowledged the fault sooner and given a good customer service focussed response instead of trying to say there wasn't a problem or saying it was only minor. And then saying they would rather have customers taking cars and finding a leak than eliminating the leak happening in the first place. This is my first experience of MG customer service and it hasn't exactly impressed me.
 
AndyL61 said:
My opinion is that an oil leak is not a minor issue on a brand new car. It is an embarrasment to park your brand new car anywhere knowing you will leave a puddle of oil behind. The speed of response is not bad , however it could of been better if they had acknowledged the fault sooner and given a good customer service focussed response instead of trying to say there wasn't a problem or saying it was only minor. And then saying they would rather have customers taking cars and finding a leak than eliminating the leak happening in the first place. This is my first experience of MG customer service and it hasn't exactly impressed me.
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I recognise we are all keen to see a clear resolution to the leak issue (and everything else) but we still have no evidence that the 'new breather' will provide a permanent solution. If MG acknowledge a more material issue (very unlikely given commercial and reputational impact) then all shipped MG4 will require recall and will put a huge hole in revenue streams when global markets are fragile...
I've had history with MG - an MGBGT spent months off the road repair and repainted then an MG Metro that was actually ok.. perhaps they're trying too hard to build in legacy MG engineering 😁
I would dearly love to see one post that says we found it, they sorted it. The continued uncertainty is damaging and all the wonderful reviews can be quickly undermined if MG and dealers don't quickly get control and demonstrate a path to resolution..
 
I guess the thrust of this thread can be determined by how people view this image:

1667565071599.png


;)
 

Are you enjoying your MG4?

  • Yes

    Votes: 501 79.4%

  • I'm in the middle

    Votes: 84 13.3%

  • No

    Votes: 46 7.3%
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