Not how I thought today was going to pan out...

[macd2401]

MG assistance gets you 2 days hire for free. After that, it'll be down to the dealer. And right now, they're not interested, because they haven't even looked at the car yet.

 

[Deleted member 7171]

I think that's appalling service by the garage, they are a standard bearer for MG and paints a rather poor picture of the company. It has broke down through no fault of yours and they either can't, won't or don't know how to fix it then they should supply you with an alternative means of transport.

If the car was off the road due to a collision then you would have cover for a hire vehicle (if taken) from your insurance company.

Warranty is a form of (7 year!) insurance given by the manufacturer as an illustration of their confidence in the product they have sold you.

I'd be inclined to contact CAB or trading standards, having read all the small print.

 

[macd2401]

Contacted their customer services department by email just there.

Unfortunately, compounding the situation, I'm currently having to get through to the house insurance because the recent storms have left me with a brand new cold water only shower in my bedroom

 

[Cocijo]

I sympathise with your position and hope that you get it sorted very quickly.
Does anyone actually know if the provision of a courtesy car is part of the warranty if the car is off the road with a warranty fault? I think that is the starting point to establish what MG and their dealers are committed to provide and then take it from there. Perhaps one for friend of the forum Miles?
If it turns out that there is no agreed replacement car when your car is off the road due to a warranty fault then it is a very poor situation for MG and needs to be made publicly known.
These cars can take ages to get parts and repair.

 

[Deleted member 7171]

Contacted their customer services department by email just there.

Unfortunately, compounding the situation, I'm currently having to get through to the house insurance because the recent storms have left me with a brand new cold water only shower in my bedroom

Oh dear. Hope you get that sorted very quickly.

 

[Lovemyev]

I sympathise with your position and hope that you get it sorted very quickly.
Does anyone actually know if the provision of a courtesy car is part of the warranty if the car is off the road with a warranty fault? I think that is the starting point to establish what MG and their dealers are committed to provide and then take it from there. Perhaps one for friend of the forum Miles?
If it turns out that there is no agreed replacement car when your car is off the road due to a warranty fault then it is a very poor situation for MG and needs to be made publicly known.
These cars can take ages to get parts and repair.

When our car was taken to the local dealer by the AA when the electric handbrake locked up on one wheel.
The AA guy said that if we needed a replacement car, he could have one at our house within about 2 hours.
I think he said, we could have the car for about 3 days ?.
Once the dealer had diagnosed the fault, and then established there was no parts available in the U.K. the dealer had to contact the MG after sales team.
They look at the case, then decide if a loan car is warranted.
We had a hire car from a local hire company delivered the following day.
We had the car for almost four weeks while waiting for the parts to arrive.
In that time, our car was just sitting on the car park at the dealership, waiting for two parts costing less than £160 in total to arrive !.
The hire car cost us about the same in fuel over the four weeks.
I though I would post our experience so the OP could judge if they are getting treated fairly.

 

[macd2401]

That seems to be the main issue at present. They've got a backlog of work, so they're not diagnosing anything for weeks. I'm not without sympathy that they may be short of staff, or they may have a lot of repairs to do. But that's their problem, not their customers fault. How far behind are they if it's taking weeks just to look at the vehicles that are piling up?

 

[Deleted member 7171]

waiting for two parts costing less than £160 in total to arrive !.

Of course this is also a very major problem, lack of spares in one of MGs main overseas market and the apparent lack of an established supply chain. It's an area MG needs to pay attention to going forward.

 

[Dave]

Of course this is also a very major problem, lack of spares in one of MGs main overseas market and the apparent lack of an established supply chain. It's an area MG needs to pay attention to going forward.

You should try owning a Tesla that has problems - service support is next to nothing and spares are impossible to get in the UK.

 

[macd2401]

My mate got annoyed on my behalf and emailed MG...


Seems like it's entirely down to the dealer, and MG have also washed their hands of it. That's more than a little bit crap.

 

[Cocijo]

When our car was taken to the local dealer by the AA when the electric handbrake locked up on one wheel.
The AA guy said that if we needed a replacement car, he could have one at our house within about 2 hours.
I think he said, we could have the car for about 3 days ?.
Once the dealer had diagnosed the fault, and then established there was no parts available in the U.K. the dealer had to contact the MG after sales team.
They look at the case, then decide if a loan car is warranted.
We had a hire car from a local hire company delivered the following day.
We had the car for almost four weeks while waiting for the parts to arrive.
In that time, our car was just sitting on the car park at the dealership, waiting for two parts costing less than £160 in total to arrive !.
The hire car cost us about the same in fuel over the four weeks.
I though I would post our experience so the OP could judge if they are getting treated fairly.

Did you establish if they are committed to supply a car when a car is off road under the warranty or is it at MG’s discretion? I’m guessing the latter

 

[Cocijo]

You should try owning a Tesla that has problems - service support is next to nothing and spares are impossible to get in the UK.

My M3 has been back to Tesla under warranty for quite a few repairs over a 2 Year+ period.
I have to disagree - every time it has been in, Tesla has supplied an equivalent courtesy car for the full duration and completed the work as quickly as possible - they have also had a ranger call at my home for minor rectification as required. Parts supply has not really been an issue - I had a new glass roof that but it was delivered within 3 weeks from the states and the car was not off the road waiting.
Yes, you can argue the quality should be better, but as far as dealing with issues they have been fine. Have you experienced poor support and delays?

 

[Dave]

Glad to hear you have had better service experience than I had with my Model S.

 

[Lovemyev]

Did you establish if they are committed to supply a car when a car is off road under the warranty or is it at MG’s discretion? I’m guessing the latter

I will be totally honest and say I don’t really know ?.
I am guess the latter myself.
I know the dealer has to e.mail the request through to MG main after sales and it is at their discretion, if it’s granted.
The car was totally unsafe and unusable due to the brake issue.
I have no doubt in my mind that MG would run some checks first, before authorising the hire car.
E.g. - Did the car compile with regards to its timely service schedule ?.
What was the estimated lead time on the components needed to facilitate the fix ?.
The car reached the dealer on a Saturday afternoon ( AA service guy in attendance ).
The car was taken into the workshop on Monday morning and parts placed on order straight away.
I think we received the OK on the hire car on the Tuesday and the hire company delivered the car to our home address about 6.00pm on the Wednesday.
It was booked out for three weeks with the option to extended it, according to the hire company.
One of the parts was slightly delayed and they extended the loan car.
Then a few days later, MG contacted the dealer and told them that the would be receiving the second part the following day and to free up time to get the car repaired !.
They wanted that hire car returning ( due to cost ) ASAP.
They extended the hire car for one more day only and then it was collected about two hours after we returned home from the dealership.
The total time we had the hire car, was about 1 - 2 days short of 4 weeks !.
So with this in mind, I can’t really knock the service we received.
It did cost about £150 in derv to run the hire car over that four weeks though !.

 

[Cocijo]

I guess MG would never commit carte blanche to a courtesy car under warranty. However, it seems to be the fair and reasonable thing to do should the fault conform to warranty and the car off the road for an extended period as a result.
It’s something that not many of us consider. We tend to have insurance accident cover that provides a cc, and assume that the manufacturer warranty will cover an alternative car if the car being off the road with a warranty claim.

 

[Deleted member 7171]

I guess MG would never commit carte blanche to a courtesy car under warranty. However, it seems to be the fair and reasonable thing to do should the fault conform to warranty and the car off the road for an extended period as a result.
It’s something that not many of us consider. We tend to have insurance accident cover that provides a cc, and assume that the manufacturer warranty will cover an alternative car if the car being off the road with a warranty claim.

Yes, it's now actually making me think should I go ahead and actually buy one?

I live in the sticks, my nearest MG dealer is 20+ miles away, the car is coming from my preferred dealer 60+ miles away. If I can't get to work 13 miles away because my car is waiting for repair under warranty and no courtesy/hire car is provided/available I don't get paid. My 3 year warranty on my Pug, (with spare parts a plenty and the excellent dealer a bus ride away), provides me with a vehicle to keep me on the road The Pug dealer even gives me a car when my Pug is in for service.

 

[Cocijo]

Yes - it does make you think. I would suggest that in the majority of cases MG would supply a cc. But no guarantees - I guess the same is true with your local pug dealer - if they got too busy, no cars available. I’m not too sure how other manufacturers deal with off road supply of cars - I would guess that many of them don’t commit to a car either and classify it under manufacturer discretion.

 

[Dave]

Glad to hear you have had better service experience than I had with my Model S.

Yes - it does make you think. I would suggest that in the majority of cases MG would supply a cc. But no guarantees - I guess the same is true with your local pug dealer - if they got too busy, no cars available. I’m not too sure how other manufacturers deal with off road supply of cars - I would guess that many of them don’t commit to a car either and classify it under manufacturer discretion.

My local Jaguar dealer always had plenty of loan cars. Owning a Jag means you really get to know everyone at the service dept.

 

[Whiskery]

My local Jaguar dealer always had plenty of loan cars. Owning a Jag means you really get to know everyone at the service dept.

...and also the parts dept. I am forever there getting spares!!

 

[Lovemyev]

The delay in procuring the spare parts is the real concern / problem here, I feel.
MG increased their new car sales by 30% in the UK in 2021 and hoped to increase it's foot fall again in 2022.
This maybe seen as a little more than just ambitious, given the chip shortages everybody is encountering right now !.
If you increase production rates and therefore increase new car sales by 30% .
Then it makes common sense that the back up services need improving in line with that increase ?.
All cars are subject to developing problems / faults, turning them around quickly is the trick here.
The MG parts department needs bring up to the same speed as increased sales.
If you intend to take more than two weeks to procure simple replacement service parts, then you have to be prepared to offer the customer a replacement vehicle in the mean time, I am sorry !.
Maybe that is why they offer a 7 year warranty, as 1 year will be for waiting for spares.
No, seriously MG needs a much bigger parts warehouse in this country or at least based somewhere in Europe, where parts are stocked on Min / Max basis and can be called on in only a few days.
Then back fill the items from China on a longer lead time.
Sending for replacement parts from as far away as China, is nether cost effective or convenient for the customer, or the dealer for that mater !.
My local dealer told me that when they get a problem with an MG - they are holding their breath when they go to order the parts !.
If they are not held in stock in the UK - They know the wait is going to be long !.
Having dead cars hanging around the forecourts, awaiting basic service items is totally and utterly ridiculous.
The ZS ICE is not a new model anymore and the ZS EV has was released well over two years ago now, parts availability should be MUCH better than this now.
PLEASE - Don't blame C19 for god's sake !.
I have heard this excuse used FAR too many times, for poor performance.
Say a little prayer tonight, that you do not get involved even in a small accident, and therefore need some replacement body panels.
You could grow old very fast awaiting your parts to arrive folks.