Spare parts availability

[Aussi55]

Hi everyone,

Bad day last week, someone suddenly changed lanes leaving a roundabout and sideswiped our new car.

The wing is torn, along with the front bumper and wheel arch surround. Likely to be more underneath.

It's going in for repair next week, has anyone had experience on lead times for parts? I'd rather avoid a long wait without the car, we are getting a hire car but of course it will be small.

Hopefully it will all be fixed properly in a reasonable time.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Alb]

The most common experience of lead time is pretty negative I'm afraid.

 

[Lovemyev]

The bumper cover and the wing are likely repairable, but because it’s an insurance job, they will replace everything regardless !.
You MAYBE lucky and MG U.K. may have the parts in stock.
Failing that, they will be coming from China.
If our experience is anything to go by, then I
am estimating 2 - 3 weeks wait on bits.
Question :- Is the car still safe to be used in its present state ?.
I am just thinking, allow the car to go in for a parts assessment and let them order the bits, then when they arrive, take the car in then to have the work done, this will avoid being without your car, when it is just parked up at the repair shop, waiting for the bits ?.
Just an idea !.
When they have the list of parts required, visit the stores department and they can go onto the system and check for availability.
They can also e.mail / ring MG main stores for an estimated arrival date of all of the parts if they are coming from overseas.
I did this with a local dealer, while awaiting two parts to rectify a problem on handbrake of our previous ZS EV.
They rang MG stores and gave me predicted arrival dates for both parts, they where both coming direct from China.
The original arrival date was about two weeks for both items, but latter one item slipped by another week.
By the time we received the car back, it was almost 4 weeks from the day it was transported to the dealer, too the day we collecting it, fixed !.

 

[Aussi55]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

The initial impact was to the wheel, suspect that needs checking and the suspension etc as it makes a funny noise and doesn't feel right.

The other car then decided to move off rather than back up which caused the damage to the bodywork.

I will take your advice and see what is needed after the assessment, if it could be made safe to drive whilst parts are ordered that would be better.

The bumper cover is sticking out and quite sharp, it would be sensible to somehow make that safe as I wouldn't want someone to brush by and get hurt.

Thanks again, I will keep you posted.

 

[Lovemyev]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

The initial impact was to the wheel, suspect that needs checking and the suspension etc as it makes a funny noise and doesn't feel right.

The other car then decided to move off rather than back up which caused the damage to the bodywork.

I will take your advice and see what is needed after the assessment, if it could be made safe to drive whilst parts are ordered that would be better.

The bumper cover is sticking out and quite sharp, it would be sensible to somehow make that safe as I wouldn't want someone to brush by and get hurt.

Thanks again, I will keep you posted.

If there is any suspension / wheel alignment issues, then no don’t use the car !.
Is the steering wheel in the straight ahead position when the car is travelling in a straight line ?.
Or is it slightly out of true and not in the normal central position when diving in a straight ahead.
If so, this would indicate that something on the steering / suspension has taken a bump and is bent !.
If so, then the steering geometry is out of whack and is then unsafe to drive.
The noise could caused by a piece of the broken trim rubbing on the wheel or the tyre.

 

[dgs99]

Hi everyone,

Bad day last week, someone suddenly changed lanes leaving a roundabout and sideswiped our new car.

The wing is torn, along with the front bumper and wheel arch surround. Likely to be more underneath.

It's going in for repair next week, has anyone had experience on lead times for parts? I'd rather avoid a long wait without the car, we are getting a hire car but of course it will be small.

Hopefully it will all be fixed properly in a reasonable time.

Thanks in advance.

Still waiting for a replacement front windscreen which has a 12" crack. Now been a month since it was reported to insurance company.

 

[djenson]

Still waiting for a replacement front windscreen which has a 12" crack. Now been a month since it was reported to insurance company.

same issue. one actually tuned up, but the camera bracket was fitted incorrectly so another needed to be ordered

 

[Tim Falkiner]

If there is any suspension / wheel alignment issues, then no don’t use the car !.
Is the steering wheel in the straight ahead position when the car is travelling in a straight line ?.
Or is it slightly out of true and not in the normal central position when diving in a straight ahead.
If so, this would indicate that something on the steering / suspension has taken a bump and is bent !.
If so, then the steering geometry is out of whack and is then unsafe to drive.
The noise could caused by a piece of the broken trim rubbing on the wheel or the tyre.

Also remember you have some fancy stuff on the steering if you have lane keep assist.

 

[Aussi55]

Thanks everyone,

ETA for return is the 7th July. Assessment was new wing, wheel, tyre, front bumper etc. The tracking and alignment was ok. Going to have that double checked by MG dealer on return. Want it to be 100% as only a few weeks old.

Fingers crossed there are no significant delays and they do a good repair.

 

[JohnInFrance]

........ we are getting a hire car but of course it will be small.

You do know that you can call your insurance company, reject a car that does not meet your needs and request an equivalent one don't you?

Insurance companies in the UK mainly demand that their repairers supply the loan cars as part of the contract (to reduce their costs) and hence as they are being screwed to the ground on price by the ins co anyhow, the repairers buy and run the smallest and cheapest cars that they can.

However, what insurance companies do not tell you that you can request a more appropriate vehicle, (for instance, back in the day when still in the UK someone drove into our Volvo estate, we were offered something tinny and small from the repairer, probably a Saxo or similar along with the advice to call our company and demand a more appropriate car - 2 days later a Saab estate arrived), and, in your case, they would pass this additional cost onto the insurer of the vehicle that hit yours.

 

[Lovemyev]

Thanks everyone,

ETA for return is the 7th July. Assessment was new wing, wheel, tyre, front bumper etc. The tracking and alignment was ok. Going to have that double checked by MG dealer on return. Want it to be 100% as only a few weeks old.

Fingers crossed there are no significant delays and they do a good repair.

Thanks great news !.
I am a little surprised that they have stock of a new face lift front bumper cover and a front wing already ?.
If the road wheel is only scratched, ask them if you can have it to use as a full sized spare !.

 

[a1970man]

You do know that you can call your insurance company, reject a car that does not meet your needs and request an equivalent one don't you?

Insurance companies in the UK mainly demand that their repairers supply the loan cars as part of the contract (to reduce their costs) and hence as they are being screwed to the ground on price by the ins co anyhow, the repairers buy and run the smallest and cheapest cars that they can.

However, what insurance companies do not tell you that you can request a more appropriate vehicle, (for instance, back in the day when still in the UK someone drove into our Volvo estate, we were offered something tinny and small from the repairer, probably a Saxo or similar along with the advice to call our company and demand a more appropriate car - 2 days later a Saab estate arrived), and, in your case, they would pass this additional cost onto the insurer of the vehicle that hit yours.

Be careful with this.

I friend of mine had someone drive into him and his insurance company referred him to a car rental firm who hired him a Vauxhall Grandland, telling him that's all they had. He only had an astra, so was quite happy, The claim got sorted, then the other partys insurance company reckoned he'd authorised a car that wasn't a like for like replacement and sent him a bill for a few hundred quid.

It all got sorted eventually, but they were saying that he should have refused the car and got his insurance to source his something smaller from another supplier. Apparently car hire firms do this a lot as they have the big stuff sitting around and the normal guy in the street won't pay for it so they give them to insurance companies, claiming that's all they had.

I didn't believe him until I googled it and it's quite common, companies will send out 5 series beemers to people with a corsa etc.

So make sure they don't offer some high end executive motor without you being able to argue it's like for like.

 

[JohnInFrance]

Be careful with this.

I friend of mine had someone drive into him and his insurance company referred him to a car rental firm who hired him a Vauxhall Grandland, telling him that's all they had. He only had an astra, so was quite happy, The claim got sorted, then the other partys insurance company reckoned he'd authorised a car that wasn't a like for like replacement and sent him a bill for a few hundred quid.

It all got sorted eventually, but they were saying that he should have refused the car and got his insurance to source his something smaller from another supplier. Apparently car hire firms do this a lot as they have the big stuff sitting around and the normal guy in the street won't pay for it so they give them to insurance companies, claiming that's all they had.

I didn't believe him until I googled it and it's quite common, companies will send out 5 series beemers to people with a corsa etc.

So make sure they don't offer some high end executive motor without you being able to argue it's like for like.

As I said, call the insurance company, get them to sort it out.

 

[Aussi55]

Hi everyone,

Quick update, after quite a wait we got the car back yesterday.

Unfortunately they have not repaired it properly, big paint run, chips, bonnet badly aligned, several paint scuffs and a small dent. Not impressed, due to go back early next month. Also the boot opened fine but refused to close.

Drove it today, low tyre pressure warning and lights indicating lane assistant problem and active cruise control.

I've set all tyres to the correct pressure and hopefully it will reset when I drive it next.

HV battery was flat so charged overnight and the boot seems to work now.

I'm really hoping this isn't the start of a saga!

 

[Alb]

That doesn't inspire confidence

 

[Lovemyev]

Unfortunately they have not repaired it properly, big paint run, chips, bonnet badly aligned, several paint scuffs and a small dent. Not impressed, due to go back early next month.

Who the hell has the responsibility to check over the rework, before the car is offered up to the owner ??.
Surely this is the bodyshop manger job - right ????.
Issues like this should be rectified BEFORE the owner gets to inspect it.
I would have rejected straight away and told the insurance company why !!!!.
Very shoddy work, not good enough.

 

[Aussi55]

Thanks for your comments, totally agree, I noticed the paint run from a distance when they dropped it off. Got the driver to go round with me and took photos, he agreed it wasn't good.

When I called I asked why it had left in such a poor state? Also notified insurance company. Frustrated but won't give up !

 

[Aussi55]

Hi everyone,

Quick update, car went away a second time, I was very clear about what I expected them to do. Took over a week but it returned looking much better.
In the end it's back as it should be.

All in not an experience I want to repeat, now chasing insurance for my excess back as other party accepted liability.

That and a parking fine for a hire car we didn't have.... Fortunately that was sorted fairly easily.

Thanks again for all your help and advice.

 

[Lovemyev]

Hi everyone,

Quick update, car went away a second time, I was very clear about what I expected them to do. Took over a week but it returned looking much better.
In the end it's back as it should be.

All in not an experience I want to repeat, now chasing insurance for my excess back as other party accepted liability.

That and a parking fine for a hire car we didn't have.... Fortunately that was sorted fairly easily.

Thanks again for all your help and advice.

I am really glad to hear that you have your car back, and it’s in a condition that is acceptable to you.
I see you have updated your avatar and your car is finished in solid white.
To be honest, this has to be one of the easiest colours to get right, it s very forgiving.
A good lesson learnt for the repair shop.
Obviously never heard of the “Right first time” policy then .
Rework is always costly both in valuable workshop time and money and is total counter productive.
Very sloppy workmanship on a practically brand new car.
It’s not good enough really.
All turns out okay in the end .