Should I be worried about the number of used MG4s around at the moment?

[T1 Terry]

Well, BMW are a "stack 'em high" and "sell 'em expensive" type of car retailer. I bought my 2009 330D touring from a dealer in Birmingham but I lived in Surrey, no problem, it was the spec I was looking for. The car was only 3 months old with 2500 miles on the clock. After washing the car at home a couple of days later I notices what looked like 2-3 large tar stains on the wing and bonnet but in fact they were under the clear coat on grey metallic paint. Went to my local BMW dealer and they said that the car had been repainetd at some point. The original dealer denied that so I then had to go to the nearest otjer dealer about 30 miles as the supplying dealer was too far away for that kind of issue. This dealer said it hadn't been repainted at all and was a clearly factory issue which looked like a problem with the painting process. It took more than 3 months to get the bonnet and wing repainted under warranty when in fact it should have been sorted out immediately. No courtesy car was provided. I went back to the local dealer who claimed the car was repainted and they stuck to their story, so I never ever went back there for any service or anything else. Appalling treatment that caused me lots of hassle and wasted time.

I will never, ever touch a BMW again after that experience and the Xpower is better in every way except the leather interior of the BMW. That 330D cost me £34,000 in late 2009. The Xpower cost me the equivalent of £26,000 brand new in 2025. No contest in price, performance, running costs and in my experience, quality. Friends have had similar unprofessional issues with other well known manufacturers.

Crickeys ..... how long did it take to get the hang of using indicators again

T1 Terry

 

[JonnyG]

...........And the winner is

Well since you asked !! .... I asked my AI friend to compare the two and this is what it said :-

Quote from Perplexity to the question "Who wins in car reliability surveys between BMW and MG"

"BMW consistently outperforms MG in UK car reliability surveys for 2025, with MG ranking at or near the bottom and BMW placing substantially higher among mainstream brands.
Reliability Ratings Comparison

• BMW scored around 94.6% in major surveys, with several models—like the petrol 3 Series—achieving scores above 98% for reliability.
• MG, in contrast, was ranked as the least reliable car brand, with a reliability rating of 76.9% overall, and its MG 4 model scoring as low as 63.8%.
• Surveys show that 37% of MG owners reported faults within five years, and repair times were often lengthy, with many vehicles off the road for over a week.

Survey Highlights

• BMW generally sits within the top ten for reliability across mainstream and premium brands, while MG regularly occupies the bottom spot in consumer satisfaction and reliability surveys.
• The only MG model with a noteworthy score, the MG5, managed a rating of 92%, but this is an exception rather than the rule.
• Owners of MG vehicles reported a wide range of issues, especially with electronics and interior components, and faced above-average costs and inconvenience for repairs.

Table: BMW vs MG Reliability (UK 2025)

Brand	Overall Reliability Rating	Fault Rate	Models with Highest/Lowest Rating	Survey Position	Time Off Road
BMW	94.6%	Lower	3 Series petrol (98%)	Top 10	Shorter
MG	76.9%	Higher	MG5 (92%), MG4 (63.8%)	Lowest/Last	Longer

Conclusion

BMW wins decisively in every major UK car reliability survey when compared to MG, with MG’s models scoring poorly for reliability, high fault rates, and lengthy repairs, while BMW owners report fewer issues and higher satisfaction"

 

[Tuareg]

If that's how you feel about BMW then you surely you must know that that is exactly how MG owners feel when the same (or similar) happens to them. Just because any faults hav'nt happened to your MG4 yet does'nt mean it has'nt happened to many other MG owners - hence the very poor scores for MG in the car reliabilty surveys above.

Sure but the car I have is at least half the price of what BMW can offer and I'll take that option avery single time. Not a fair comparison at all. As usual, most of those who post on forums do so because they have an issue or pereceived issue (as often it's use error). However, most who have no issues don't post on forums and that will be the vast majority by far. You then have to discount those that have an agenda, such as competitor manufacturer employees who want to slate the competing products, people who are jealous of those who don't have issues, people with other issues in life who simply want to vent and those that simply want to troll to get a reaction as they have nothing else in their lives to interest them and/or are simply sad people.

Crickeys ..... how long did it take to get the hang of using indicators again

T1 Terry

I have always had a couple of motorcycles, so no issues there

 

[tsedge]

Much of the difference between BMW and MG is explained by software issues with the MGs. BMWs tend to arrive with working software that doesn't require lots of updates for it to work correctly. In the case of the MG4, the software was uncharacteristically bad out of the box and the update process has been chaotic, difficult and a mess.

Hopefully that's something MG have learned from and the new architecture vehicles (like the IM5/6) and future MGs will arrive with things properly working from day 1.

In terms of hardware, I'd say there isn't a huge difference between them.

In terms of servicing/warranty experience. BMWs have a much shorter warranty but it tends to be much more comprehensive. However, I have seen a million "bad dealer experience" reports from BMW and MG alike.