Buying advice on MG5?

[boomish]

Im looking at buying a secondhand MG5 having seen some good value ones recently, it’s so tempting given some of them have quite low mileage, I wondered if anyone has some top tips on what to look out for.
I know I want the Exclusive for the roof bars & extras like MG pilot & I guess check it’s service history or battery health?
much appreciate any replies.

 

[boomish]

Beyond mileage and perhaps screw holes for the license how could you tell if a car has been used as a taxi? Is there a public register?

Dealer told me they have to register it & MOT every 6 months, also MG won’t sell a car used as a taxi.

 

[Gomev]

Well I got my MG5LR , I wasn’t overly happy to begin with, as I arrived to find the care extremely dirty , looked liked it had never been cleaned & parts of the front chrome were going green, (1 year old) a few stone chips on the front & a large chip right in the middle of the bonnet, so for first impressions I was very disappointed. ...

Which dealer sold you a dirty car ??? You are allowed to name them, and if a MG dealer perhaps put a review on the dealer part of this site.

Search for the dealers name on UK MG Dealer Discussions

 

[slmorgan42]

You can find the manual on the internet and download it as a file on your phone.
What cable have you got eg type 2 to type 2 for AC fast charging?
You won't need a cable for Rapid DC CCS chargers.

FYI the manual is also on the car info screen and on the app for the FL.

 

[boomish]

Did our first charge and Mrs drove it for the first time , a superb car!!! So happy

I’d rather not say the dealer, it wasn’t the best service but they were nice people & were genuinely busy, the manager did apologise saying they they should have arranged pick another day, I noticed they we’re getting a huge delivery of new cars.

First two niggles I discovered the MG iSmart app isn’t supported (very disappointing) dealer said it was, & the boot doesn’t close properly unless I slam it I am hoping there is some kind of adjustment I couldn’t any post in the forum with the same problem.

 

[Lguk]

The confusion around the app in some part is MGs fault. They don't make it clear what models are supported. For clarity first gen mg5s and ZSs don't work on the app and lack the hardware to ever work with it.

With regard to your boot issue. Beyond a poor attempt at closing it when cars locked and it getting caught on the secondary lock, I've not seen others with an issue with locking issues.

Is this an MG Dealer or an unaffiliated 2nd hand vehicle dealer? I would be heading back there to get the boot latch sorted under your warranty. Is the Vehicle AA/RAC checked? - some things you've said have raised my suspicions all is not as it should be.

 

[boomish]

The confusion around the app in some part is MGs fault. They don't make it clear what models are supported. For clarity first gen mg5s and ZSs don't work on the app and lack the hardware to ever work with it.

With regard to your boot issue. Beyond a poor attempt at closing it when cars locked and it getting caught on the secondary lock, I've not seen others with an issue with locking issues.

Is this an MG Dealer or an unaffiliated 2nd hand vehicle dealer? I would be heading back there to get the boot latch sorted under your warranty. Is the Vehicle AA/RAC checked? - some things you've said have raised my suspicions all is not as it should be.

Thanks for the feedback, I suppose the app is fair enough it’s an older model but kind of expect an electric car to have an app wouldn’t you.
The car is from an MG dealer, big place north of England, some way from me, but it was a good deal, I’ll ask my local MG dealer if they may cover it. I can’t see anything wrong with the boot lock but something feels a little odd it sound like the boot rattles a bit when it closes, that seems like just be the bodywork though. If closed normally it pop up on the dash in red and you can feel it isn’t fully closed, only way to solve is open and slam it shut. I’ll have another look today.

I‘m not sure about RAC/AA checked this is a year old car from a main dealer , it’s been through their workshop. They did give me the AA cover I need to apply for. It had its first service in March, it all seems ok just needs a bit of TLC.
I’m making a list of bits on AliExpress, mud-flaps, detail brushes , key fob covers, car lock covers etc
Thanks again to all for the helpful advice.

 

[boomish]

I think I’ve improved the boot not closing problem, I sprayed a little silicone grease and used a screwdriver shaft to work it in, doesn’t need a slam to close it now, I think this MG5 just needs some attention. Attached a few pics of lots of dirt I found under the bonnet, it wouldn’t have taken much to give it a sweep. It makes me wonder if the dealer even looked underneath! Looks like it hasn’t been opened in ages. I’ll have to give it a thorough clean before taking to a detailer & a ceramic coating that I think is good to get done. Or am I being overly fussy?

One thing I spotted which others might find worth checking the bonnet support sits close enough to the engine cover to start rusting because of water must be pooling there. You can see the rust marks on the cover and on the underneath of the bonnet support. I’ll get some rust killer on that right away and a quick touch up. Be interesting what else I find on this 1 year old vehicle.
Nothing major but will only get worse if left.

 

[Lguk]

Sounds like the cars sat in a yard for considerable time for one reason or another. A damn good clean and some silicone spray should alleviate most of that.

I would check the condition of the 12v battery and the brakes.

 

[Gomev]

... They did give me the AA cover I need to apply for. It had its first service in March, it all seems ok just needs a bit of TLC.
...

You do not need to apply for AA cover. When the first service was done the dealer should have notified the AA and that's it. Call the AA on the MG assistance number 0800 072 3338, give your reg no. and ask for the expiry date. If they say it's expired then contact the dealer and ask them to update it with the AA.

Roadside Assistance | My MG

In the unlikely event that something does, we provide a one-year roadside assistance package from the AA with all new MGs.

www.mg.co.uk

 

[Lguk]

You do not need to apply for AA cover. When the first service was done the dealer should have notified the AA and that's it. Call the AA on the MG assistance number 0800 072 3338, give your reg no. and ask for the expiry date. If they say it's expired then contact the dealer and ask them to update it with the AA.

Roadside Assistance | My MG

In the unlikely event that something does, we provide a one-year roadside assistance package from the AA with all new MGs.

www.mg.co.uk

Some 2nd hand car dealers list their sales on AACars.com that gives the buyer assurance the vehicle has been fully checked and also gives a years free breakdown cover, you have to register for it.

 

[Gomev]

Some 2nd hand car dealers list their sales on AACars.com that gives the buyer assurance the vehicle has been fully checked and also gives a years free breakdown cover, you have to register for it.

Agreed but @boomish said he bought from MG main dealer in post #26

 

[dragon2611]

I have MG 5 exclusive LR, 22 plate, I've had 3 problems with it in 16 months 13k miles.
1 HV battery fault when trying to fast charge from a street charger.
2 infotainment Centre not booting correctly on occasions.
3 when turning on, HV battery fault.

All these were sorted within 5 minutes by turning vehicle off locking it and waiting for vehicle to shut down. After that, re entered vehicle and all was well.
I do like it have been round Wales and Lake District. It's a work horse for me as it's a company car. It's great.

I've had 1 happen before, 3 only happened when I had problems with HV battery fault that needed a software update to fix.

For 2 holding the button in the centre of the volume knob for about 30s should force it to reboot, I've had to do that occasionally when CarPlay is playing up

 

[boomish]

I managed to get an old OBDII dongle to work this morning, the SOH shows 96.65, our new MG5 has done 23000 miles & is 1year & 3 months old, should I be worried ? I’ve seen people say it should be pretty near to 100% . I’m at 81% charge & it shows 386v current 1A.

Am now thinking the MG5 possibly has been charged to max all the time & not looked after that well. But apart from stone chips on the front, the car is in great condition & it’s second hand. So maybe that’s as good s it gets. I chose this car because it was coming from a MG dealer rather than a lower mileage from a private sale. I suppose I still have 2 days to return it. Bit of a hassle but if others think this is unhealthy? We won’t be doing that much mileage ,roughly 6k a year, no commuting, so it will be looked after from now on.

Appreciate any thoughts or comments.

 

[Jomarkh]

If it has been on rapid chargers a lot and not battery balanced monthly that may be an issue. What battery chemistry is it?

 

[dragon2611]

I believe all the Pre-Facelifts are NCM. Also, there's no charge limiter on them so unless you go and turn the charger off or unplug them they're always charge to 100%

 

[boomish]

If it has been on rapid chargers a lot and not battery balanced monthly that may be an issue. What battery chemistry is it?

No idea on the chemistry I presumed all MG5 were the same , this is the 2022 LR model pre-facelift. I have found the SOH thread & it seems 96.65 might not be that bad, some have still 100% some have less. I have no balanced the cells using a granny charger, what I can't find clear enough here is if you can balance on a 7kw street charger or does it have to be the granny charger?
I'm going to leave it at 80% from now on unless I travel to my daughters house which fortunately has a drive & only uses 20% to get there, then I can granny charge & rebalance.

 

[slmorgan42]

No idea on the chemistry I presumed all MG5 were the same , this is the 2022 LR model pre-facelift. I have found the SOH thread & it seems 96.65 might not be that bad, some have still 100% some have less. I have no balanced the cells using a granny charger, what I can't find clear enough here is if you can balance on a 7kw street charger or does it have to be the granny charger?
I'm going to leave it at 80% from now on unless I travel to my daughters house which fortunately has a drive & only uses 20% to get there, then I can granny charge & rebalance.

You can balance on the street chargers just not on rapids.

 

[johnb80]

I think I’ve improved the boot not closing problem, I sprayed a little silicone grease and used a screwdriver shaft to work it in, doesn’t need a slam to close it now, I think this MG5 just needs some attention. Attached a few pics of lots of dirt I found under the bonnet, it wouldn’t have taken much to give it a sweep. It makes me wonder if the dealer even looked underneath! Looks like it hasn’t been opened in ages. I’ll have to give it a thorough clean before taking to a detailer & a ceramic coating that I think is good to get done. Or am I being overly fussy?

One thing I spotted which others might find worth checking the bonnet support sits close enough to the engine cover to start rusting because of water must be pooling there. You can see the rust marks on the cover and on the underneath of the bonnet support. I’ll get some rust killer on that right away and a quick touch up. Be interesting what else I find on this 1 year old vehicle.
Nothing major but will only get worse if left.

View attachment 19157

I would put some electrical heatshrink sleeving on there, it will stop the metal rubbing and exposing bare metal to water. As an option, you can get a gas strut kit to hold the bonnet open without the stay at all.

 

[boomish]

I would put some electrical heatshrink sleeving on there, it will stop the metal rubbing and exposing bare metal to water. As an option, you can get a gas strut kit to hold the bonnet open without the stay at all.

Genius idea! Thank you, I'll do some rust killer first.
Am afraid the boot not closing well still persists, I might go to our local MG dealer & see how it should shut, something in it's sound it makes when it closes makes me think something is loose within the door.

 

[Deep purple]

My boot has never been good at closing from new and when I raised it with the dealer they totally ignored me. So I just have to remember to shut it with a positive push all the way to close, it doesnt need to be slammed. I suspect that if just dropped it bounces back before the latch has a chance to catch the lid.