My ZS is slowly falling apart...

[Laurence Brown]

Just to square the circle, I have owned and driven the ZS EV Mk1 for two years now. For the money, it has been an excellent car, no major niggles at all. I am very pleased with it...........

Wholeheartedly agree... it's a wonderful car to drive, and niggle free (almost).

 

[Exdro]

Just wondering how many other ZS EV drivers are finding their cars are developing more than an average amount of faults. Mine is.
Started with a rattle at the hatch door as of it's not tight when shut.
Then an intermittent loud noise when slowing down that sounds like a high pressure water hose hitting the inside of an empty bucket.
Little heat in the cabin unless on front window demist (very annoying at this time of year). This follows on to what I consider a design fault with the mirrors misting very easily and having to use the front window demist to keep them clear. I consider this very dangerous because it obviously stops me seeing if anything is overtaking on high speed roads.
Drivers side mirror has stopped folding when locking/unlocking the car.
Infotainment system has a mind of its own like still seeing the main screen when changing to the reversing camera and going back to station selection when text info has been selected for that station.
Mileage capacity on the battery has dropped drastically in this cold weather - I mean down from 180+ miles to just 130+ on some of our colder days of around 2°C or less. At temperatures around 10 to 18°C the range has already dropped to below 150 miles.
So I ain't doing anything about this till my service as the car is still useable but if things don't improve and the car doesn't become more stable in its behaviour I doubt I will be recommending an MG to anyone any time soon. So far out of 23 cars I've had in my lifetime this is going down as the most faulty... And I doubt I'll buy another if the above list is not cleared at service time.
Oh, I forgot... Yesterday the left indicator lost its clicking sound
How do others feel...

I have recently changed my three year old Exclusive for a Trophy connect.
Most of the problems highlighted are possibly as a result of running in ECO mode. E.g. steaming of windows and mirrors. Mileage drop in winter is similar on ALL EVs. Batteries do not perform well in the cold. The other problems seem to be niggles rather than faults and I feel that the headline that the car is slowly falling apart is exaggerated. Sure, some things need to be addressed but nothing in the text suggests “falling apart”.
Best be more realistic in your expectations.

 

[Ding]

My only complaint of MG Zs ev is the reverse camera. It hardly sees anything in the dark and always covered in the mud due to location of the camera.

 

[KJI]

Here is my take on the ZS EV, first model not the facelift. Loss of range in winter is normal in all EVs and don’t go by the MG GOM, it’s less than accurate.

MGZS EV Issues and Niggles



Dealers - Lots of bad ones so it seems from my own experience and those of other on the MG Facebook groups. I ended up travelling over 200 miles to buy mine from Chorley MG, a dealership that I would certainly thoroughly recommend. Just a shame about the car! Local garages Arnold Clark, Glasgow and Fraser’s of Falkirk did not phone me back. The latter also threatened to charge £90 per hour if they deemed the water leak I had wasn’t a warranty issue. Needless to say I never used them and went back to Chorley instead.

Water Ingress - rear doors leak into floor well when the car is parked nose up on the driveway during rain and high winds. Solution is to park face down, no leak, but then I couldnt charge the car. Seals were replaced but it still leaked so appears to be a design fault.

Creaking and excessive steering wheel play - known issue that either needs to be addressed by tightening adjustable bolts on steering column or complete replacement of column.

Door handles sticking in open position - particularly in freezing weather. Again another known and common issue.

Charge Flap not opening or locking in freezing conditions - need to use a hair dryer around the flap or park the car face into the sun to warm it up.

Air vent reflections in both mirrors - silver trim in middle of air vents shines onto the glass and is constantly seen when looking at either near side or offside mirrors.

Condensation build up on windscreen - Another very common issue with the windscreen running with condensation as and when there is a sudden temperature drop. Probably made worse with panoramic sunroof and definitely with carpet mats if fitted.

Poor headlights - Replaced bulbs with Osram Nightbreakers, they are a bit better but still not great.

Lack of interior lighting - At night time the inside of the car, particularly the rear passenger space is a very dark place. No ambient lighting other than the pathetic courtesy light which has a filament bulb.

Sport Mode - don’t use it unless you want your passengers to feel sick. The car just can’t put down the sudden torque from the tyres onto the road. It judders and wheel spins and just gets annoying. Stick to normal or Eco mode instead.

Exposed Underpinnings - Other EVs I own have completely flat floors but not the ZS, everything including the “engine bay”, batteries and suspension is open to all of the elements, road grime and winter salt. See online posts relating to rust and that would certainly be a long term worry.

Suspension and Handling - not the worst but it’s a bit sloppy in the corners. Don’t try driving it fast on a country road, it’s not that type of car.

Poor positioning of charge socket - it’s not ideally suited given that you’ve got to crouch down to see the covers and insert the cable into the charge port.

Speed sign recognition - regularly misreads road signs or isn’t intelligent enough to realise you’ve left a speed restricted area. I’ve had it showing that I’m in a 60 in a built up area and likewise showing I’m in a 20 when I’m on a National speed limit road.

Speed warning indicator - keeps coming on by itself despite me switching it off. Flashing indicator is annoying. Seems to default back to on position after charging.

Lane Keep Assist - other than on a motorway it’s more annoying than anything. If you need this to stay in lane your driving skills aren’t very good or you are so tired you should be stopping!

No lighting in charge port - would be nice in the dark when you are crouching down to see what you are doing. I’m sure most other EV’s have a light in there, i3 certainly does and it’s colour coded too. They went to the bother of created a glowing MG badge so pity they couldn’t have added a light to the rear of the flap when they were at it.

Poor infotainment system - extremely sluggish and on occasion non responsive. I’ve had to restart mine many times to get it to work although sometimes it just randomly goes blank and restarts by itself. It seems to be worse when a phone is connected and using CarPlay. The ZS finished in last last place in a What Car review of infotainment systems.

Sat Nav system - mapping detail very basic. No live traffic information. Use Waze instead.

Faux leather seats - they are vinyl, not even remotely like leather, not absorbent nor perforated.

Telephone Calls - can barely hear Bluetooth calls through the speaker when car is moving even at full volume.

12 volt battery drain - using consumables like heater and so on drain the 12 volt battery, even for a short while is enough for the car not to start.

Front seat belts are fixed and have no adjustment.

Steering wheel reflection - Shiny metal insert on steering wheel reflects sunlight into your eyes when the sun is at certain positions in the sky.

Big drop in load floor so useless for dog cage with opening front door.

Rear floor isn’t flat with seats folded down. In fact the seat bases don’t move so backs lie on top when folded.

Not provided with a type 2 cable - you have to pay for one, haggle or take out MG finance to get one from the dealer.

No window tints - so you have to pay for after market fit. Most folks get it done. It’s much better with it and makes the car look much smarter too.

No battery percentage indicator - It’s there when it’s charging so why can’t we have the display available as and when required when actually driving instead of having to guess what the little led light on the speedo indicate.

Regenerative braking - it’s not that strong even in Kers 3 and despite MG suggesting that you will be able to one pedal drive you most certainly will not. It’s more like stronger deceleration and the car just will not come to a halt on its own, it’s just keeps rolling forward unless it’s going uphill.

Sound system - it’s decidedly average, if that, even with it optimised in the Exclusive model.

No climate control - just air conditioning

No light in glove box - again a little light in there would be handy. Some cars also have them in the storage tidy in the centre console.

No baggage hooks in boot - I bought mine from AliExpress and hung them onto the rear headrests so that a couple of shopping bags can at least be held secure without falling over.

No phone app - Another common feature but missing here so no ability to control any of the vehicles functions remotely or check on the state of charge.

No scheduled charging - Not in the vehicle itself so reliance is on the home charger having that facility.

Sharp edged trim - I’ve cut my wrist on the plastic of the rear wiper washer hole whilst washing the car. There are also a few sharp edges along the bottom of the doors and below the bonnet to be wary of.

Glue Marks - I had them on both the carpet and another on the dash.

Expensive and limited official MG accessories. “Cheap” car but expensive add ons like the mats, cables, roof bars and so on. Mostly all found at a fraction of the price aftermarket or on the aforementioned AliExpress which has loads.

Window Wiper blades are poor and a specific fit so you either buy expensive ones from MG or opt for the aforementioned AliExpress. Problem with mines were that they were left hand drive so had cut tabs off to get them to fit.

So all in all cheap nasty. Chinese shit, can't wait to get mine -NOT! Company car, and only taking it as its effectively a free car

 

[Lovemyev]

My only complaint of MG Zs ev is the reverse camera. It hardly sees anything in the dark and always covered in the mud due to location of the camera.

Better option was to house the camera under the MG badge on the hatch back.
After all, it is the same design as the VW lift up hatch release found on the Golf etc.
When you select reverse on the VW model, the badge pops up ( without opening the hatch ) then the camera, which is mounted behind the badge has a clear view to the rear and does not collect any road smuts.
When reverse is deselected, the badge drops and the camera is totally protected.
Great design !.

 

[Elec Car Aust]

Wholeheartedly agree... it's a wonderful car to drive, and niggle free (almost).

Agree. Great value for money after 2.5 yrs of ownership.

 

[Colin E]

Agree. Great value for money after 2.5 yrs of ownership.

Same for me. First (2 year) service due in April 2023. However, this EV mainly has done short trips, and we don't get mud on the rear camera!

 

[Laurence Brown]

The mud and muck is a camera issue for sure, also on my Volvo V40, so I had a pair of mudflaps fitted to the rear wheels on both cars. I think they were £11 per pair online. Ebay, universal fittings, I never did sus out how the stupid brackets should work so just screwed them into place through the plastic with 1" self tapping screws. It has made a difference to how much muck is thrown up at the back.

 

[Eclectic]

I've got mudflaps on order, and the replacement LED reversing lamp bulbs arrived today!

I just need a break in the weather to fit everything

 

[Dstretty]

Just wondering how many other ZS EV drivers are finding their cars are developing more than an average amount of faults. Mine is.
Started with a rattle at the hatch door as of it's not tight when shut.
Then an intermittent loud noise when slowing down that sounds like a high pressure water hose hitting the inside of an empty bucket.
Little heat in the cabin unless on front window demist (very annoying at this time of year). This follows on to what I consider a design fault with the mirrors misting very easily and having to use the front window demist to keep them clear. I consider this very dangerous because it obviously stops me seeing if anything is overtaking on high speed roads.
Drivers side mirror has stopped folding when locking/unlocking the car.
Infotainment system has a mind of its own like still seeing the main screen when changing to the reversing camera and going back to station selection when text info has been selected for that station.
Mileage capacity on the battery has dropped drastically in this cold weather - I mean down from 180+ miles to just 130+ on some of our colder days of around 2°C or less. At temperatures around 10 to 18°C the range has already dropped to below 150 miles.
So I ain't doing anything about this till my service as the car is still useable but if things don't improve and the car doesn't become more stable in its behaviour I doubt I will be recommending an MG to anyone any time soon. So far out of 23 cars I've had in my lifetime this is going down as the most faulty... And I doubt I'll buy another if the above list is not cleared at service time.
Oh, I forgot... Yesterday the left indicator lost its clicking sound
How do others feel...

Wow really sorry for your experience. You must have got a Friday afternoon car. I've had my mk1 ZS EV for 2 years from new without any faults at all. Auto braking does make a warning noise but it's just a warning. Only issue is Android connection a bit hit and miss but don't use it very often at all as Dab and nav are excellent. Love it and happy to have another. My previous BMW (from new) was much more trouble.

 

[Bodgerx]

Wow really sorry for your experience. You must have got a Friday afternoon car. I've had my mk1 ZS EV for 2 years from new without any faults at all. Auto braking does make a warning noise but it's just a warning. Only issue is Android connection a bit hit and miss but don't use it very often at all as Dab and nav are excellent. Love it and happy to have another. My previous BMW (from new) was much more trouble.

You like the MG Nav better than the BMW Nav?

 

[Tim Green]

Mine is 3 years old and 16000 miles and only problem was one door handle. I think they are great cars and excellent value. A bit more range would be useful but I can work around that issue. Constant griping from some forum members is very boring.

 

[Exdro]

Just wondering how many other ZS EV drivers are finding their cars are developing more than an average amount of faults. Mine is.
Started with a rattle at the hatch door as of it's not tight when shut.
Then an intermittent loud noise when slowing down that sounds like a high pressure water hose hitting the inside of an empty bucket.
Little heat in the cabin unless on front window demist (very annoying at this time of year). This follows on to what I consider a design fault with the mirrors misting very easily and having to use the front window demist to keep them clear. I consider this very dangerous because it obviously stops me seeing if anything is overtaking on high speed roads.
Drivers side mirror has stopped folding when locking/unlocking the car.
Infotainment system has a mind of its own like still seeing the main screen when changing to the reversing camera and going back to station selection when text info has been selected for that station.
Mileage capacity on the battery has dropped drastically in this cold weather - I mean down from 180+ miles to just 130+ on some of our colder days of around 2°C or less. At temperatures around 10 to 18°C the range has already dropped to below 150 miles.
So I ain't doing anything about this till my service as the car is still useable but if things don't improve and the car doesn't become more stable in its behaviour I doubt I will be recommending an MG to anyone any time soon. So far out of 23 cars I've had in my lifetime this is going down as the most faulty... And I doubt I'll buy another if the above list is not cleared at service time.
Oh, I forgot... Yesterday the left indicator lost its clicking sound
How do others feel...

I have watched this post and the replies with some incredulity since it was first posted.
Firstly, I cannot reconcile any of the minor niggles mentioned as “falling apart”.
I also cannot believe that in the 23 other cars owned that there have not been any faults.
1. Rattle at hatch as if it’s not fully closed. Close it and perhaps see if any screws or bolts need to be tightened ( This would come under preventive maintenance).
Slowing down noise is possibly relays kicking in which you would not hear in an ICE car or possibly brakes being applied if on ACC.
Misting in cabin is all but eliminated if you drive in normal mode. AC and heaters do not function well in ECO mode. That is where the energy is harvested.
The infotainment system has always been a bone of contention but hardly means that the car is falling apart.
Batteries in general do not store or release as much energy in cold weather. It is a chemical reaction, basic physics. All BEVs will react in the same way with lower range in colder weather.
Clicking sound I’m sure can be addressed but again hardly constitutes “falling apart”.
I personally feel that the title of this post is inflammatory and wrong. If the problems listed are all that troubles the OP in three years and he/she thinks they are insurmountable then I don’t think they are living in the real world.

 

[Bodgerx]

Mine is 3 years old and 16000 miles and only problem was one door handle. I think they are great cars and excellent value. A bit more range would be useful but I can work around that issue. Constant griping from some forum members is very boring.

Wouldn't it equally as boring if it was just constant praise and delight?

 

[stevews]

I have watched this post and the replies with some incredulity since it was first posted.
Firstly, I cannot reconcile any of the minor niggles mentioned as “falling apart”.
I also cannot believe that in the 23 other cars owned that there have not been any faults.
1. Rattle at hatch as if it’s not fully closed. Close it and perhaps see if any screws or bolts need to be tightened ( This would come under preventive maintenance).
Slowing down noise is possibly relays kicking in which you would not hear in an ICE car or possibly brakes being applied if on ACC.
Misting in cabin is all but eliminated if you drive in normal mode. AC and heaters do not function well in ECO mode. That is where the energy is harvested.
The infotainment system has always been a bone of contention but hardly means that the car is falling apart.
Batteries in general do not store or release as much energy in cold weather. It is a chemical reaction, basic physics. All BEVs will react in the same way with lower range in colder weather.
Clicking sound I’m sure can be addressed but again hardly constitutes “falling apart”.
I personally feel that the title of this post is inflammatory and wrong. If the problems listed are all that troubles the OP in three years and he/she thinks they are insurmountable then I don’t think they are living in the real world.

Good comment, can I share my view as well
1. I had owned my brand new made in Japan Honda Accord before, a brand new car with intermittent rattle noise at the back, I need to go back the dealer 2 times to fix.
2. I had owned my brand new made in Japan Honda Stepwgn, the cooling fan die in only 1 year of ownership, I need to tow the car to garage for a replacement, and the sound system is super-bad even though a japan car.
3. No car will be fault free even made in Japan, it is a matter of in what level of defect.
4. Forget about the infotainment of the zs, no people will use it but apple carplay or Android auto always, just treat it a touch screen is okay.
5. For the infortainment of zs, if you dont want plug/unplug the phone always, just buy an android box to fix it permanently, it can auto turn the system into a truly entertainment center every time you start the car without plug/unplug, you can watch youtube, netflix, apple music etc. One commonly use - carlinkit t-box can do.
6. forget about the lane keep, we are smart driver why need a computer to assist your driving, please dont drive if you have no confident to drive, or go for tesla if you dont want driving yourself

So all in all cheap nasty. Chinese sh*t, can't wait to get mine -NOT! Company car, and only taking it as its effectively a free car

sorry man, too many technology from China nowadays if you consider Chinese sh*t, cheap nasty. dont buy tesla as many of the nasty battery sourced from China, dont by BMW as most of the parts manufacturing from China, dont buy Mercedes as most of the nasty battery from China also, dont buy volvo as it is own by Geely, dont buy polestar as it is made in China. Please limit your choice and go straightly to Korean car, most of them made in Korea.

 

[Ruislip Resident]

Good comment, can I share my view as well
1. I had owned my brand new made in Japan Honda Accord before, a brand new car with intermittent rattle noise at the back, I need to go back the dealer 2 times to fix.
2. I had owned my brand new made in Japan Honda Stepwgn, the cooling fan die in only 1 year of ownership, I need to tow the car to garage for a replacement, and the sound system is super-bad even though a japan car.
3. No car will be fault free even made in Japan, it is a matter of in what level of defect.
4. Forget about the infotainment of the zs, no people will use it but apple carplay or Android auto always, just treat it a touch screen is okay.
5. For the infortainment of zs, if you dont want plug/unplug the phone always, just buy an android box to fix it permanently, it can auto turn the system into a truly entertainment center every time you start the car without plug/unplug, you can watch youtube, netflix, apple music etc. One commonly use - carlinkit t-box can do.
6. forget about the lane keep, we are smart driver why need a computer to assist your driving, please dont drive if you have no confident to drive, or go for tesla if you dont want driving yourself

I never use Android Auto or Apple Car Play fir myselfvfir anything. I have tried AA and it doesn't do anything for me, I have no problems with the Infotainment system either. For long journeys I use my stand alone Tom Tom sat nav. I prefer it's interface and screen than anything on AA or car play or the carscsat nav. I do use the cars sat nav for short local journeys if I need a sat nav eg to avoid one of several routes that may be busy with traffic. I use the Bluetooth link if I need to make or answer a call. I very rarely make a call if driving. The wife and kids occasionally use Car Play to put to put their music on. Though we normally have the radio on and/or the kids use headphones.

 

[profdraper]

I have watched this post and the replies with some incredulity since it was first posted.
Firstly, I cannot reconcile any of the minor niggles mentioned as “falling apart”.
I also cannot believe that in the 23 other cars owned that there have not been any faults.
1. Rattle at hatch as if it’s not fully closed. Close it and perhaps see if any screws or bolts need to be tightened ( This would come under preventive maintenance).
Slowing down noise is possibly relays kicking in which you would not hear in an ICE car or possibly brakes being applied if on ACC.
Misting in cabin is all but eliminated if you drive in normal mode. AC and heaters do not function well in ECO mode. That is where the energy is harvested.
The infotainment system has always been a bone of contention but hardly means that the car is falling apart.
Batteries in general do not store or release as much energy in cold weather. It is a chemical reaction, basic physics. All BEVs will react in the same way with lower range in colder weather.
Clicking sound I’m sure can be addressed but again hardly constitutes “falling apart”.
I personally feel that the title of this post is inflammatory and wrong. If the problems listed are all that troubles the OP in three years and he/she thinks they are insurmountable then I don’t think they are living in the real world.

Totally agree, but is the nature of social media, eh? Beggars belief why someone would vent into that aether (and be followed) & not simply go to a service centre. Or google it for that matter. LazyFace. Both gens of ZS EV here & like most of us I suspect, zero issues.

 

[Dstretty]

Just wondering how many other ZS EV drivers are finding their cars are developing more than an average amount of faults. Mine is.
Started with a rattle at the hatch door as of it's not tight when shut.
Then an intermittent loud noise when slowing down that sounds like a high pressure water hose hitting the inside of an empty bucket.
Little heat in the cabin unless on front window demist (very annoying at this time of year). This follows on to what I consider a design fault with the mirrors misting very easily and having to use the front window demist to keep them clear. I consider this very dangerous because it obviously stops me seeing if anything is overtaking on high speed roads.
Drivers side mirror has stopped folding when locking/unlocking the car.
Infotainment system has a mind of its own like still seeing the main screen when changing to the reversing camera and going back to station selection when text info has been selected for that station.
Mileage capacity on the battery has dropped drastically in this cold weather - I mean down from 180+ miles to just 130+ on some of our colder days of around 2°C or less. At temperatures around 10 to 18°C the range has already dropped to below 150 miles.
So I ain't doing anything about this till my service as the car is still useable but if things don't improve and the car doesn't become more stable in its behaviour I doubt I will be recommending an MG to anyone any time soon. So far out of 23 cars I've had in my lifetime this is going down as the most faulty... And I doubt I'll buy another if the above list is not cleared at service time.
Oh, I forgot... Yesterday the left indicator lost its clicking sound
How do others feel...

So you must have been very unlucky with your ZS. Which model is it? My 2021 ZS EV has been totally faultless in 2 years. Range still an accurate 150 to 170 miles depending on settings. Winter drops by around 20 miles but all EVs do. Indicator click noise is muted if seatbelt warning is sounding. Auto braking makes a noise think its to let you know its activated. Hope you get yours sorted.

 

[Robf]

Mine has been great, very happy with it.

 

[Colin E]

So you must have been very unlucky with your ZS. Which model is it? My 2021 ZS EV has been totally faultless in 2 years. Range still an accurate 150 to 170 miles depending on settings. Winter drops by around 20 miles but all EVs do. Indicator click noise is muted if seatbelt warning is sounding. Auto braking makes a noise think its to let you know its activated. Hope you get yours sorted.

I have the 2021 ZS Essence. Just had it's 24 month service and no issues. BUT, I have had the same issue with the driver's side wing mirror not closing when locking. I sprayed some EasyGlide lubricant under the body of the mirror and that seems to have cured it. I can also understand the heating issue, but live in a warmer climate so it mostly does not trouble me. My travel distance is seldom more than 50 Km, and charging with the granny charger is sufficient. I make sure to do a balance charge every month to keep the big battery happy.