Why I cancelled my BV SE order

[Shimi6]

I was contacted yesterday to say my vehicle had arrived. I went along to inspect it today. Although I ideally wanted a Trophy I did previously agree to buy an SE as that is all that was available within a reasonable time. Having seen the silver version in broad daylight for the first time I thought how anonymous it looked. I acknowledge this is subjective. I am also not a fan of the houndstooth fabric. It does seem rather dated, don't you think? I remember that the houndstooth pattern was skinhead vogue back in the 70's, some fifty years ago.

However, the main reason for cancelling is because I am agog at the sheer number of things that have gone wrong with peoples vehicles, which I have read about on these forums. I thank everyone for their openness and honesty. It has been very useful.

Hitherto, I have had a long history of purchasing proven, premium, reliable vehicles that indeed have been mostly all trouble free. In this instance, and in particular as my wife would be the primary user of the vehicle, I did not want to run the risk of her being out and about and then having to deal with the seemingly potential endless list of things that can, have and do go wrong. I know it would flummox her and is not something she is used to dealing with. So, whilst I am enthusiastic about owning an electric vehicle I will now wait until such time as there is a proven, reliable, practical and reasonably priced vehicle on the market.

In the meantime, don't forget to take your 10mm spanners, emergency kits and battery booster packs with you chaps! Have fun!

 

[Striker]

I think that this is a common thing with forums, it can give a false sense of issues, as you typically search for and post on forums when you have a problem

This ZS forum has a mix of MK1 and MK2 ZS, some with very old firmware. I'm not saying that the MK2 has no problems, but I don't recall any that have needed a booster pack. I could be wrong about this, I don't recall anyone fixing a problem on a MK2 with a 10mm spanner (even though it often gets suggested as a possible fix)

I do get your point though, this is the first car that I've had, where I felt that I had to check with the dealer that it had it's firmware updates checked on PDI

 

[slmorgan42]

Hello
Sorry to hear you changed your mind specially as the car had actually arrived. That said I can understand your concerns when you are getting the car for your partner.

That said and to echo Striker you will always see more issue than positive stories as people do not tend to write when nothing is going wrong.

My take away is i will be buying a dedicated 10mm spanner and I already have a battery booster pack so i am good to go there

 

[Vipar]

I find the forums are places that people who have problems go to to vent their anger of find a solution. There a no forums that are set up for people to praise their new purchase. I belong to a Motorhome forum and. Most people on there are having some sort of electrical issue.
I wonder how many MG owners have bought an MG ZS or 5 and not had a problem?that is a question that will never be answered.

Happy trouble free motoring folks.

 

[Nutnut]

Not sure of the need for an announcement, but good luck! I mean it sounds like the car looked exactly as per the spec, so no surprises there. As others have noted, any forum is likely where you'll find a good number of those looking for solutions to problems whilst the vast majority motor along trouble free. There are few (if any) cars completely without any issue whether they are Audi, Merc or anything else. Still, we all make our own choices with our coins.

 

[Mogshock]

I have an SE with the obviously outdated cloth interior (which I like as it happens, prefer it to the plain colour of the Trophy tbh) and have had no problems whatsoever. It's my first EV and have never looked back.

 

[Ron61]

I find the forums are places that people who have problems go to to vent their anger of find a solution. There a no forums that are set up for people to praise their new purchase. I belong to a Motorhome forum and. Most people on there are having some sort of electrical issue.
I wonder how many MG owners have bought an MG ZS or 5 and not had a problem?that is a question that will never be answered.

Happy trouble free motoring folks.

I've been driving BMW's for 20 years and I can tell you now my MG5 has been a joy to own compared to them. The amount of money I've spent on servicing, repairs and warranties would probably pay for my 5.

 

[Fokmg]

I have to say my MG5 has been the most trouble free car i have er owned
It is a pleasure to drive and does everything I want.
previous vehicles owned Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ford Lotus Rover, Skoda VW,.

 

[ZSDave]

I wonder how many MG owners have bought an MG ZS or 5 and not had a problem?that is a question that will never be answered.

I will answer that. Very happy with my ZS.

Dave

[ Edited Coulomb: fixed quoting. ]

 

[Barrie]

Just completed my first year with my Mk1 ZS and its never blinked once in 21k miles. Last cars were late Jaguars at twice the price and the MG is a far better car build and drive wise. I dont need a 10mm spanner or a battery booster pack. I would bever go back to ICE cars. Any issues with our cars are very isolated and when they happen they are funneled towards a forum for people to let off steam. Every auto forum is the same.

 

[JCFlippen]

Had Gen1 and then when weekly circumstances changed (lots more mileage) I moved to Gen 2 TCLR. I‘m amazed how good the car is compared to expensive marques (Honda, Volvo, Saab) I’ve had in the past.

 

[Susanna]

Thank you to the above posters for your positivity. It’s good to hear.

 

[LouthMGZSEV]

Done 25k miles in a ZS Mk1 and Mk2 no problems whatsoever.

 

[Bodgerx]

I was contacted yesterday to say my vehicle had arrived. I went along to inspect it today. Although I ideally wanted a Trophy I did previously agree to buy an SE as that is all that was available within a reasonable time. Having seen the silver version in broad daylight for the first time I thought how anonymous it looked. I acknowledge this is subjective. I am also not a fan of the houndstooth fabric. It does seem rather dated, don't you think? I remember that the houndstooth pattern was skinhead vogue back in the 70's, some fifty years ago.

However, the main reason for cancelling is because I am agog at the sheer number of things that have gone wrong with peoples vehicles, which I have read about on these forums. I thank everyone for their openness and honesty. It has been very useful.

Hitherto, I have had a long history of purchasing proven, premium, reliable vehicles that indeed have been mostly all trouble free. In this instance, and in particular as my wife would be the primary user of the vehicle, I did not want to run the risk of her being out and about and then having to deal with the seemingly potential endless list of things that can, have and do go wrong. I know it would flummox her and is not something she is used to dealing with. So, whilst I am enthusiastic about owning an electric vehicle I will now wait until such time as there is a proven, reliable, practical and reasonably priced vehicle on the market.

In the meantime, don't forget to take your 10mm spanners, emergency kits and battery booster packs with you chaps! Have fun!

Cheap though isn't it?

It never was a looker. Most MGs seem to have that short wheel-based, underwheeled, weird ride height setup that looks awkward. The front end is the best bit, but that's pretty much the last gen Mondeo.

On the reliability thing, I think you have to be careful of forums where it can make issues that a small number are having apply to all.

Most of the stuff is fairly, minor, the steering column thing being the most worrying.

 

[MichaelJHunt]

14,000 miles in my ZS EV TC LR. No issues and such a pleasant environment to sit in.

 

[Fokmg]

I love my MG5 it has been faultless over 17 month. I quite like its style and practicallity . I accept the wheel are not the smartest in the world but I am glad that they are 16 inch and not lower profile 17 or 18 inch rims. My last Skoda got through 2 tyres in one day due to the combination of low profile tyres and rough rural roads.
I also love the "dated analogue " dials which are very clear and easy to read at a glance and the various control knobs are much easier to use than touch screen items.
Funny most people confuse it with the old VW passat estate (probably copied back in 2017 when the car originated ?). I am sure fashions will change may times before I eventually sell it!
I shall not be changing mine in a hurry and hope I never have to use the 7 year warranty.
My only concern is if MG get rid of my excellent"Rural" Dealer O.C. Davies.

 

[Kithmo]

SWMBO's 2020 MG5 (SR) and my 2020 ZS have had no problems in two years, apart from my knocking steering, which was cured by tightening the tilt adjuster right up.
I don't think the quality of MGs is any worse than most modern vehicles, visits to other forums show very similar trends of people venting their frustrations or seeking solutions when things go wrong, that's just the nature of forums.
I think confidence in your vehicle and mechanical (or maybe electrical in our case) sympathy seems to keep them reliable, I believe in the power of positive thinking.

 

[JCFlippen]

Positive thinking is key to enjoying the car. When I think of past cars and their cost my TCLR is amazing value. My car feels solid and has no squeaks and rattles just as my Gen1 was. Yes up market cars can feel subjectively better but in buying an MG EV you have made a conscious decision not to spend big bucks.
When you read other forums you can see that other EV manufacturers are not immune from a wide range of issues.
I just love driving my car full stop.

 

[adiel]

We owned a ZS EV Mk1 for just over a year and replaced it with an MG5 LR, which we still own. We also now have a ZS EV LR Trophy and an MG4 on order. We've experienced no trouble at all in over 2 years of MG EV ownership across 3 cars. We also owned a Hyundai Ioniq Electric during the last 2 years and that did have a 12V battery issue resulting in the car being immobilised for a few hours.

 

[Alanp]

I've been driving BMW's for 20 years and I can tell you now my MG5 has been a joy to own compared to them. The amount of money I've spent on servicing, repairs and warranties would probably pay for my 5.

My experience with BMW and Audi is similar. I had multiple versions of them while being hooked on their brands until I quit them for good. Subsequently I've been more than happy with Hyundai and Honda and like the look, spec, tests and prices of the MG4 but will wait a while to see how MG fares.