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

[AK OK]

When I got back to the car last night, I had to drive home (around 8/9 miles). When I got home, I tried switching it off and on a few times, and it was fine. This afternoon, nothing. HV battery contactors aren't kicking in, and it's showing a VCS fault again.

I've also tried charging the battery, and using a boost pack, to no avail.

The AA can take it back to MG again.

There was another vehicle on another charger last night, and it had also shut down. Not sure if he had any issues.

Sounds like a sh@gged 12v battery whichever way I read it... What happened when you tried to charge the 12v battery?

 

[Lovemyev]

Certainly sounds like a failed 12 volt battery.

 

[macd2401]

12v showed it was taking a charge, but when I took it off charge, it dropped again. I'll see if I can scrounge a loan of a 12v, check if it will start. The fact that it won't go, even with a boost pack is a little concerning. Will have to be tomorrow though ?‍

 

[AK OK]

12v showed it was taking a charge, but when I took it off charge, it dropped again. I'll see if I can scrounge a loan of a 12v, check if it will start. The fact that it won't go, even with a boost pack is a little concerning. Will have to be tomorrow though ?‍

Sounds like a duffer ??

 

[Lovemyev]

12v showed it was taking a charge, but when I took it off charge, it dropped again. I'll see if I can scrounge a loan of a 12v, check if it will start. The fact that it won't go, even with a boost pack is a little concerning. Will have to be tomorrow though ?‍

The fact that the voltage dropped also instantly, may suggest that the battery has failed.
How big is your booster pack ?.
If the battery is THAT low, then just maybe the booster can not get enough juice into it.
On my booster, when you connect it to a really flat battery, you press a boost button.
Only when the button turns green, do you attempt to ask the car to start.
It must need to reach a certain SOC first.
The last time I used it to booster a neighbours car, who had gone away for a few days and left his side lights on.
The boost pack was connected for was about 3 - 4 minutes before the green light came on !.
His battery must have been as flat as a pan cake !.
Green light came on and the engine started straight away !.
Thats when I spotted that the light had been left on !.
I expected the 12 volt never to recover, but he is still using the car after about 2 months latter !.

 

[AK OK]

The fact that the voltage dropped also instantly, may suggest that the battery has failed.
How big is your booster pack ?.
If the battery is THAT low, then just maybe the booster can not get enough juice into it.
On my booster, when you connect it to a really flat battery, you press a boost button.
Only when the button turns green, do you attempt to ask the car to start.
It must need to reach a certain SOC first.
The last time I used it to booster a neighbours car, who had gone away for a few days and left his side lights on.
The boost pack was connected for was about 3 - 4 minutes before the green light came on !.
His battery must have been as flat as a pan cake !.
Green light came on and the engine started straight away !.
Thats when I spotted that the light had been left on !.
I expected the 12 volt never to recover, but he is still using the car after about 2 months latter !.

Iirc the 12v flat battery acts as a resistor between the booster pack & the dead car, so those few minutes are essential to get some juice into the dead battery (if poss) to get it somewhere near a normal voltage so that the booster can actually "boost" by paralleling it's Ah with that of the depleted (but now near 12v) flat battery so both together can be fed to the car..... Or I could have imagined all that ?

 

[macd2401]

Tried a different battery, and put the original on a long charge.

No change.

Original battery now holding reasonably at 12.8v after charging most of today. Still won't start up.

Have tried multiple times to clear the faults, no change.

Phoned Arnold Clark to give them the heads up it will be coming back in again, but with the shifts I have over the next few days, **** knows when I'll get a chance.

 

[AK OK]

Tried a different battery, and put the original on a long charge.

No change.

Original battery now holding reasonably at 12.8v after charging most of today. Still won't start up.

Have tried multiple times to clear the faults, no change.

Phoned Arnold Clark to give them the heads up it will be coming back in again, but with the shifts I have over the next few days, **** knows when I'll get a chance.

Did it have a "rest" without a 12v battery on? (To do same as the "disconnect battery with 10mm emergency spanner for a hard reboot")

Does your obd device usually clear faults?

Perhaps it has collected so many it's now having a proper sulk that only MG or maybe AA software can delve into ??‍

Will your dealer not come & get it somehow? Via AA or ?

 

[macd2401]

Did it have a "rest" without a 12v battery on? (To do same as the "disconnect battery with 10mm emergency spanner for a hard reboot")

Does your obd device usually clear faults?

Perhaps it has collected so many it's now having a proper sulk that only MG or maybe AA software can delve into ??‍

Will your dealer not come & get it somehow? Via AA or ?

I did give it a few minutes between changing batteries, should have been enough time.

MG Assistance will probably take it in, they have previously.

Last time it failed, the OBD cleared the faults at least enough to get the relay to kick in.

I pasted the fault list above, there's not a lot showing, but the P1B41 fault relates to the HV side of things. Surprisingly, even the AA can't always get into the fault codes. Last time it failed, the fella showed me the fault list, and it was blank ?‍

 

[macd2401]

Update time...and I'm now moving from mildly annoyed to properly ticked off.

Pulled the 12V battery for 36 hours while I gave it a proper out of vehicle charge.

Took the full battery, plus a booster, before Car Scanner could clear the faults and get it running.

Left it for a few days, because work, but it still worked every time I went out to start it up.

Took it into MG Rutherglen today, maybe a 15 mile drive...

Never made it. VCS fault, HV disconnect, and trickled to a stop just off the motorway.

Now the kicker. The last service was due around the same time it last broke down. The time when MG decided it had to go to Longbridge. somewhere in amongst all that, between MG and their service dealer at Linwood, nobody renewed my MG Assistance ???

This will be an interesting conversation when I finally get it back to MG.

And from what I can tell, the 12V system is shot. After 30 mins with the hazards running, I got this message...a 63Ah battery should not die after 30 mins of minimal current drain.

 

[AK OK]

Update time...and I'm now moving from mildly annoyed to properly ticked off.

Pulled the 12V battery for 36 hours while I gave it a proper out of vehicle charge.

Took the full battery, plus a booster, before Car Scanner could clear the faults and get it running.

Left it for a few days, because work, but it still worked every time I went out to start it up.

Took it into MG Rutherglen today, maybe a 15 mile drive...

Never made it. VCS fault, HV disconnect, and trickled to a stop just off the motorway.

Now the kicker. The last service was due around the same time it last broke down. The time when MG decided it had to go to Longbridge. somewhere in amongst all that, between MG and their service dealer at Linwood, nobody renewed my MG Assistance ???

This will be an interesting conversation when I finally get it back to MG.

And from what I can tell, the 12V system is shot. After 30 mins with the hazards running, I got this message...a 63Ah battery should not drain after 30 mins of minimal current drain.

Nope the 12v battery is most likely goosed from some time ago.

I'm wondering if all that is down to a knacked 12v battery....?

 

[Lovemyev]

It would indicate that 12 volt battery is just not retaining it's charge correctly ?.
Surely the red flag was raised when the battery was on charge for a full 36 hours, which would also indicate the battery was super super low, even after this length of charge, you STILL needed the help of a booster pack as well !.
Thats not right surely ?.
Unless the car is not putting anything back into the battery when it is running of course.
As for the dealer not renewing the A.A. cover, well I guess that means they are now picking up the tab for ANY of the out of pocket expenses you have incurred, as a direct result of their total incompetence.

 

[AK OK]

It would indicate that 12 volt battery is just not retaining it's charge correctly ?.
Surely the red flag was raised when the battery was on charge for a full 36 hours, which would also indicate the battery was super super low, even after this length of charge, you STILL needed the help of a booster pack as well !.
Thats not right surely ?.
Unless the car is not putting anything back into the battery when it is running of course.
As for the dealer not renewing the A.A. cover, well I guess that means they are now picking up the tab for ANY of the out of pocket expenses you have incurred, as a direct result of their total incompetence.

If it hasn't actually been serviced (& paid for), it's somewhat understandable (but bloody annoying) that the MG AA renewal has not been triggered.

 

[Lovemyev]

If it hasn't actually been serviced (& paid for), it's somewhat understandable (but bloody annoying) that the MG AA renewal has not been triggered.

Yeah - When I read the post again, it would appear that the service had not been completed for a few good reasons, but if the renewal is triggered by the payment, then you’re buggered basically.
The system maybe assumes that you have taken the car to a third party for service ?.

 

[AK OK]

Yeah - When I read the post again, it would appear that the service had not been completed for a few good reasons, but if the renewal is triggered by the payment, then you’re buggered basically.
The system maybe assumes that you have taken the car to a third party for service ?.

Let's change payment to "completion" ??

 

[N2STY]

I take it with hazards on you had everything else switched off like the hole car? If not 30min is understandable

 

[Gadget Geek]

Yeah - When I read the post again, it would appear that the service had not been completed for a few good reasons, but if the renewal is triggered by the payment, then you’re buggered basically.
The system maybe assumes that you have taken the car to a third party for service ?.

I don't think it's payment, I believe all services are registered on line now, which is why you don't get a service record booklet. Someone hasn't done their job right. Send copies of all your reciepts for recovery etc, and it's always an idea to ask about their customer satisfaction policy (usually gets the manager's attention).

 

[Lovemyev]

The service schedule has been set against time ( date ) or a certain mileage reached by the car, or which ever arrives first.
So, when the car reaches the annual service date ( which they have on record from its first date of registration ) and the car has not been presented for service, then it does not get a tick in the box for the service records or therefore it’s renewal of the breakdown cover.
I think MG with allow you an extra 28 days allowance, to turn up late for your service.
After that, I am not sure where to stand really ?.
I can only assume that when your local dealer updates the service record data base, it must trigger a renewal of the MG Assist break down cover.
When we had our ZS EV Gen1 I paid for my service on the day, when I collected the car I was told by the service advisor, that she had renewed my MG / A.A. Cover for another year.
So, it looks like the dealer has the ability to trigger the renewal somehow.
After my second service, I decided to call the A.A. to check if my car was in their data base and it was !

 

[AK OK]

The service schedule has been set against time ( date ) or a certain mileage reached by the car, or which ever arrives first.
So, when the car reaches the annual service date ( which they have on record from its first date of registration ) and the car has not been presented for service, then it does not get a tick in the box for the service records or therefore it’s renewal of the breakdown cover.
I think MG with allow you an extra 28 days allowance, to turn up late for your service.
After that, I am not sure where to stand really ?.
I can only assume that when your local dealer updates the service record data base, it must trigger a renewal of the MG Assist break down cover.
When we had our ZS EV Gen1 I paid for my service on the day, when I collected the car I was told by the service advisor, that she had renewed my MG / A.A. Cover for another year.
So, it looks like the dealer has the ability to trigger the renewal somehow.
After my second service, I decided to call the A.A. to check if my car was in their data base and it was !

Wise move ???

 

[macd2401]

Finally home (it's a bit of a hike) and fed, so another update.

Shout out to the person on the phone at MG Assistance, sounds like they were having a mare of a day today. They managed to override the system, so no costs to me for the recovery. MG Linwood will be getting a call tomorrow. I have a service plan (so likely not payment related) but the vehicle was in the hands of MG when the service was initially due, and that was explained to them at the time. It's probably an oversight, but we'll see in the morn.

By the time the tow truck got there (about an hour or so) the 12V was so low, the hazards had stopped working.

Had a bit of a chat with the tech at Rutherglen. It's a well known car in there now ?‍. As a few have already said, the thinking is the 12V system isn't charging the battery, so they'll be taking a look at that as the likely culprit. He also filled me in on what happened when it was in previously, and what little info MG gave him about what they did to it. Hv battery pack was removed, did some tests and some work on it...

As an aside...some peeps seem to be driving with their eyes shut. It failed on a motorway slip road, I had the hazards on, and the warning triangle out 100+ yards up the road, and people STILL nearly ran into the back of the car. Until the cops turned up, and then their brains just stopped working all together ?‍?‍?‍