Wishbone bushes knackered @35 months and 17k

[davehedgehog31]

Hi folks,

Hate for my first post on the forum to be a moan, but it is. I have a 72 plate MG5 Long Range Exclusive with 17k on the clock, it's my second EV, I had a 41kWh Zoe and bought this MG privately as a replacement in June. Have since done 5k miles in it, really enjoying it and sang its praises to all and sundry.

I've had loads of cars and I'm no stranger to working on them, this is by a good margin the newest car I've ever owned. I run a newish car to avoid ridiculous situations like spending my weekend rolling about underneath it to get it fixed ahead of going on holiday next week, yet this weekend I was doing exactly that.

Its first MOT is due on the 31st so I took it in on Wednesday there, failed on both (rear of the arm) front wishbone bushes, they were separating from the metal housing on both sides.

They're covered under warranty for 36 months or 45k miles, so I'm within both. I rang round the main dealers in my area and was variously fobbed off, the delaying, obstructing and scaremongering tactics out in force. Special shout out to Frasers in Falkirk, the guy there very politely fed me a load of rubbish about not being able to see it at all in October and that MG would need all the work completed before 31/10 even though I was advising them of it now...

Between parts and getting the alignment done I'll be about £140 and four hours down, I don't value my time particularly highly but highly enough that it wasn't worth pursuing it through the warranty system with them stalling, scaremongering and obstructing.

I've really enjoyed the car up to this point, it's been great, so hopefully trouble free motoring and more positive contributions from here on!

 

[salty]

To the forum.

 

[davehedgehog31]

Thanks Salty, sorry for my first post to be slightly negative!

Just to add, the arms look a lot like those fitted to MK4/5 Golf era VAG cars, not sure if there are any which would be a direct fit.

13, 15 and 18mm sockets, spanners variously, some extensions and a torque wrench are about all that's required for the job. The bolt for the front bush is a bit of a ball ache to get lined up when the car is on stands a foot and a half off the ground. The bolt is deeply recessed inside the subframe with an opening for access, it threads into a captive nut on the subframe, I imagine removing that bolt after ten years of Scottish road salt could lead to a whole world of pain, I hope to not have to touch it again....

 

[5teep]

Re the delay in getting the car in, it's a common problem with MG dealers, they tend to have small overworked service departments. Even trying to book mine in for service can take weeks.

 

[davehedgehog31]

Re the delay in getting the car in, it's a common problem with MG dealers, they tend to have small overworked service departments. Even trying to book mine in for service can take weeks.

Do appreciate they're busy, I just got the sense I was being fobbed off, there was no acknowledgement/recognition of the issue.

I suppose warranty work isn't profitable, more money in doing servicing and discs and pads.

Anyway, my handiwork was up to snuff at least.

Hopefully trouble free motoring from here...

 

[M44LCY]

Hi folks,

Hate for my first post on the forum to be a moan, but it is. I have a 72 plate MG5 Long Range Exclusive with 17k on the clock, it's my second EV, I had a 41kWh Zoe and bought this MG privately as a replacement in June. Have since done 5k miles in it, really enjoying it and sang its praises to all and sundry.

I've had loads of cars and I'm no stranger to working on them, this is by a good margin the newest car I've ever owned. I run a newish car to avoid ridiculous situations like spending my weekend rolling about underneath it to get it fixed ahead of going on holiday next week, yet this weekend I was doing exactly that.

View attachment 40468

Its first MOT is due on the 31st so I took it in on Wednesday there, failed on both (rear of the arm) front wishbone bushes, they were separating from the metal housing on both sides.

View attachment 40467

They're covered under warranty for 36 months or 45k miles, so I'm within both. I rang round the main dealers in my area and was variously fobbed off, the delaying, obstructing and scaremongering tactics out in force. Special shout out to Frasers in Falkirk, the guy there very politely fed me a load of rubbish about not being able to see it at all in October and that MG would need all the work completed before 31/10 even though I was advising them of it now...

Between parts and getting the alignment done I'll be about £140 and four hours down, I don't value my time particularly highly but highly enough that it wasn't worth pursuing it through the warranty system with them stalling, scaremongering and obstructing.

I've really enjoyed the car up to this point, it's been great, so hopefully trouble free motoring and more positive contributions from here on!

Oh dear - my ‘5’ goes for its first MOT in the morning …

Its birthday is 2 November and I booked it into Frasers of Falkirk. First available slot was 11th November so it seems there is quite a lead time.

 

[davehedgehog31]

Oh dear - my ‘5’ goes for its first MOT in the morning …

Its birthday is 2 November and I booked it into Frasers of Falkirk. First available slot was 11th November so it seems there is quite a lead time.

I don't think the suspension bushes are a particularly common issue so I'm sure you'll be fine! Good luck for the MOT

 

[Lovemyev]

I do struggle to understand just why people are complied to have their cars MOT’s by the dealer, even if it is so called offered FOC by some ?.
Let’s be clear, nothing is free today unfortunately.
An MOT is an MOT regardless where you have it done, they all should be operating to the same standard code of practice.
Dealers who carry out free health checks and offer free MOT’s, do so purely in order to gain some extra revenue.
I was given a free health check, while a VW Polo we once owned, was having an annual service.
The service was already paid for by the previous owner under a transferable service plan.
I asked to wait for the car and had been sat down for about 10 minutes, when I was approached by a guy to say that he had checked the service data for the car and told me the car was due for a cam belt replacement.
I questioned why given the low milage and age of the car.
Arrahhhh……. It is actually due in 16 months time to the book, but we could do it today if you wanted, at a discounted price of £300.
It will save you coming back again !.
I mean really .
Good example of looking for work I think .
The service was done FOC and I left the dealership, never to return again.
Be careful out there folks.

 

[5teep]

Re in warranty servicing, you do not have to use the MG dealership to keep your warranty. As long as any parts used are of comparible quality and the service is carried out correctly.

This from the RAC

New car warranty, servicing and dealerships | RAC Drive

Will you invalidate your new car warranty if you get it serviced outside of the dealership network in the UK? Find out with our in-depth guide with RAC Drive.

www.rac.co.uk

 

[davehedgehog31]

For anyone else who finds themselves in a similar warranty situation with unhelpful dealers who try to fob you off due to missed or late services... From the MG Warranty Statement:

“The vehicle has not suffered from neglect, improper repair, or improper use, and has been properly cleaned, maintained and serviced in accordance with MG’s recommendations.”

And

“If a defect arises from non-compliance of Manufacturer recommended service intervals and/or Manufacturer recommendations for care and maintenance, the Authorised MG Repairer reserves the right to reject any subsequent claims.”
MG can only reject a warranty claim if the defect arose because you missed servicing.

It doesn’t say they can reject a claim for any missed service, only when the missed service caused the fault.

Since suspension bushes are not a serviceable item, and there’s no maintenance action in the MG schedule that would prevent bushes delaminating, late servicing cannot logically be linked to this failure.

 

[Lovemyev]

Re in warranty servicing, you do not have to use the MG dealership to keep your warranty. As long as any parts used are of comparible quality and the service is carried out correctly.

This from the RAC

New car warranty, servicing and dealerships | RAC Drive

Will you invalidate your new car warranty if you get it serviced outside of the dealership network in the UK? Find out with our in-depth guide with RAC Drive.

www.rac.co.uk

True, but if you go third party, then you will not get MG Assistance ( AA) cover for the next 12 months.

 

[salty]

True, but if you go third party, then you will not get MG Assistance ( AA) cover for the next 12 months.

Agree, and that in itself is worth it. And knowing MG, pretty sure it would argue the toss for any warranty claims. If you've had it serviced, at a third party Garage. Also as bad as MG dealers (not all) can be, you'd like to think, they know a bit more about MG EVs, than just a general garage.
EVs are complicated machines, do you really want, Fred in his Shed messing with it. That's my take, anyway.

 

[Lovemyev]

Agree, and that in itself is worth it. And knowing MG, pretty sure it would argue the toss for any warranty claims. If you've had it serviced, at a third party Garage. Also as bad as MG dealers (not all) can be, you'd like to think, they know a bit more about MG EVs, than just a general garage.
EVs are complicated machines, do you really want, Fred in his Shed messing with it. That's my take, anyway.

Third party agents don’t have access to the official MG database, so any updates can not be checked for and applied either.

 

[davehedgehog31]

Agree, and that in itself is worth it. And knowing MG, pretty sure it would argue the toss for any warranty claims. If you've had it serviced, at a third party Garage. Also as bad as MG dealers (not all) can be, you'd like to think, they know a bit more about MG EVs, than just a general garage.
EVs are complicated machines, do you really want, Fred in his Shed messing with it. That's my take, anyway.

I would argue the MG5 isn't a particularly complicated machine, it is all extremely conventional apart from the powerplant, which is effectively maintenance free anyway. I've only really dug into the front suspension but it is all extremely recognisable as lightly modified 20+ year old Volkswagen componentry. From the raised floors, big engine bay it's all very obviously an old internal combustion design retrofitted with (very good) electric running gear.

None of this is a slant against the car by the way, it's relative simplicity was a big selling point to me.

The only thing I'd say MG dealers have over a reputable independent mechanic is access to the manufacturer specific diagnostics software for applying updates, although many seem to not bother/know how to do this properly, or charge over and above routine servicing. As @xblackwolf90 has shown it's possible to be self sufficient in that regard too.

When you look at the MG service schedules the service is very light touch and extremely poor value for money in my opinion. I won't be having my car serviced but will run through the service schedule at home in line with MG's recommendations. I realise this will affect resale value, but I intend for it to have seen plenty use and be worth £notalot when I sell it on anyway. From reading the warranty schedule the service dependent parts of it seem pretty worthless beyond 3 years anyway.

I don't mean to villainise all main dealers, they're not all bad, but personally I have had nothing but poor experiences with them with this car and previous ones, up to and including them charging for a service which consisted only of them stamping the book and throwing a bucket of water over it.

Sorry this thread has turned a bit ranty, just to be clear I love the MG5 and really enjoying the community here and hearing other owner's experiences!

 

[emmrecs]

True, but if you go third party, then you will not get MG Assistance ( AA) cover for the next 12 months.

And that fact alone to me makes having my car "officially" serviced well worth it! And I've never (yet) needed to call the AA but the reassurance that I can if I need to is extremely welcome.

 

[Gomev]

... From reading the warranty schedule the service dependent parts of it seem pretty worthless beyond 3 years anyway.

...

Summed it up in one. There's a lot of fuss about MG's 7 year warranty but it isn't really. Most things are 3 years or less.

Warranty | My MG

All new MGs come with a warranty as standard, along with a six-year anti-perforation warranty. Discover more about MG warranties here.

www.mg.co.uk

 

[Everest]

Also as bad as MG dealers (not all) can be, you'd like to think, they know a bit more about MG EVs, than just a general garage.
EVs are complicated machines, do you really want, Fred in his Shed messing with it.

Good point - you'd have to find a "Fred" who knows where the pollen filter is

True, but if you go third party, then you will not get MG Assistance ( AA) cover for the next 12 months.

Yes, but that's only worth about £40 - i.e. the price you could purchase annual breakdown and recovery for from another company.

 

[salty]

Yes, but that's only worth about £40 - i.e. the price you could purchase annual breakdown and recovery for from another company.

That's the basic cover. The AA cover you get with your MG, is the all singing all dancing one. Breakdown, Recovery, Relay,
Homestart etc. That's about £120.
Might be able to get it a bit cheaper from another company, but not much. So it's well worth it. Just not worth the hassle of getting it serviced at a non franchise dealer.

 

[Gomev]

That's the basic cover. The AA cover you get with your MG, is the all singing all dancing one. Breakdown, Recovery, Relay,
Homestart etc. That's about £120.
Might be able to get it a bit cheaper from another company, but not much. So it's well worth it. Just not worth the hassle of getting it serviced at a non franchise dealer.

I think you'll be surprised, but you can get the equivalent for a lot less than £40. A quick Uswitch search gave me this

 

[Everest]

That's the basic cover. The AA cover you get with your MG, is the all singing all dancing one. Breakdown, Recovery, Relay,
Homestart etc. That's about £120.
Might be able to get it a bit cheaper from another company, but not much.

Autonational do roadside, recovery and homestart, any driver for under £40.