MG4 in Australia

[Coulomb]

But to make things fun, I locked the car to walk into IKEA hoping to find a loo and the alarm starts blaring.

You really do have a talent for finding trouble, don't you? Or perhaps trouble finds you.

Sorry to hear of your woes. ?

 

[tsedge]

Yeah, an OBD dongle with a built-in off switch would be really useful.

 

[Corindikev]

Why do you need an OBD dongle? Given all of the functionality of the car is software driven, anything plugged to analyse functions is bound to find a conflict sooner or later.

 

[wattmatters]

Why do you need an OBD dongle?

I was using it with ABRP for accurate and dynamically adjustable route planning, you know, to take me to all those working fast chargers .

We sometimes like to take detours on trips if something catches our eye so having a system work that stuff out on the fly is handy. But because we lost so much time with charge station stuff ups the only detours made were due Google maps getting it wrong inside Sydney's new tunnels.

You really do have a talent for finding trouble, don't you? Or perhaps trouble finds you.

Perhaps. I do tend to easily find the limits with anything IT/comms related.

Last night CarPlay decided mid-drive to give up the ghost so I lost my nav support.

Right when I was in the middle of a dense Sydney urban setting on a rainy night on roads I am totally unfamiliar with and needed to be somewhere. The car's own mapping is not up to date.

No amount of replugging in cables, powering down the car etc would revive it.

The cheap aftermarket head unit I put in my old Golf years ago has none of these issues. It amazes me that new cars can't get this stuff right. It's so frustrating.

 

[wattmatters]

Yeah, an OBD dongle with a built-in off switch would be really useful.

It would.

It was the second time it happened but last time I has left the phone connected and in the car and with ABRP still active. This time I took the phone with me.

Else the alarm hasn't been triggered with this particular dongle.

Perhaps I had the ABRP app still accidentally on in the background on my phone and it was attempting to communicate after I locked the car. But I am by no means sure and have no way to know, just speculating.

 

[Corindikev]

Pushing systems to find their limits is good for finding bugs and over time results in fixes and improvements. If there were OTA updates and these were released at regular intervals that would make a big difference. I plan to have a face to face talk to the dealer about software upgrades and costs some time soon.

There is supposed to be Trip planning & charger routing upgrade to the on board Satnav (the brochure still says "Coming October 2023". That should be a free upgrade IMO. The problem at the moment is that it will direct you to find a non working Charge point quicker.

China is very Android centric as most of their mobile devices use this as do I even though BYD manufacture most of the iPhones for Apple. Part of the reason is iOS being proprietary Apple and therefore costs are higher. Android is open source.

I've used Android Auto a few times & Plugshare routing. never had an issue except I can't use bluetooth to play music from the phone while AA is running. I think it is possible to play my own music through AA but I haven't worked out how to do it yet.

 

[wattmatters]

I plan to have a face to face talk to the dealer about software upgrades and costs some time soon.

Keen to hear how that goes. You can be sure I'll have pretty much all the same issues you raise.

There is supposed to be Trip planning & charger routing upgrade to the on board Satnav (the brochure still says "Coming October 2023". That should be a free upgrade IMO.

The problem at the moment is that it will direct you to find a non working Charge point quicker.

I've used Android Auto a few times & Plugshare routing.

Am trying PlugShare routing to plan the drive home but struggling with it a bit. It's not particularly user friendly for charge stop planning. I got a range circle for the first stop, but after that I couldn't get a range circle again.

This is a minimum two charge stop trip due to lack of destination charger I won't be leaving with 100% battery and the current location of chargers means one stop is risky.

 

[wattmatters]

One other thing - my seat had developed a god awful creak. Every bump and turn - and it's loud.

I'm no lightweight but I wouldn't expect such a loud creak. I'll probably have to talk with the service centre about it.

 

[ozzz]

Hi all. Not sure if there are any Aussies here but I guess I'll try.

So the MG4 EV just began selling in Australia 2 weeks ago. Took one for a test drive yesterday and really liked it. Looking to get the base model 51kW. Do we know if this batch is identical to the ones UK/EU got last year or they have made some improvements?

After doing some research, the issues that I am mostly concerned about are:

1. Some had deformed undertray beneath the rear motor. The ytuber said it is defect and covered under warranty. Can anyone in Aus with MG4 had a look at this and can confirm it has been addressed?
2. Jerky and potentially dangerous lane keeping assistance (LKA) that forced most users to turn it off. Has a patch rolled out that improved LKA or allowed you to turn it off permanently?

Any other feedback and people's thoughts are appreciated.

Edit: Since this thread is getting a lot of traction, I thought it might be a good idea for fellow aussies to share our honest initial experience with the MG4.

Hi I have a 4 and live in Sydney south coast area , as for the lane keeping issues I have no problem every now and then it beeps slightly jerks ,really it is same as Vw and the rest definitely not a problem.
No problem so far with under tray on my car that just had 1st 1k inspection.
51kWh no problem and I have only used my own solar system to charge so all up cost me nothing to run 1200 km absolutely great.

 

[ozzz]

Went to Melbourne yesterday for a test drive. Rocked up and given a white 64 kWh essence and told to go for an hour or more drive wherever I wanted. Most impressed. Zippy, quiet and sure footed. Never noticed LKA. Maybe I change lanes correctly. Turned the wipers on twice which I thought wasn't bad considering indicator on wrong side to what I am used to. Tried the launch control a couple of times. Put a deposit down in January but still haven't got a delivery date. Possibly Oct - Nov I'm told. Have white 77 kWh on order which apparently has more grunt again.
If 1 vehicle out of 10,000 develops a rattle you can guarantee it will be front and centre on the forums. I therefore take little notice of the reported negatives.

I have done 1k km in my 4 very happy LKA no problem issue,
when I purchased my car the dealer wanted to keep it on display in a shopping centre for two weeks , that’s the only way I could get one with out the delays as I wanted to get in before the rebate ended in NSW.

 

[PaddyOz]

I have done 1k km in my 4 very happy LKA no problem issue,
when I purchased my car the dealer wanted to keep it on display in a shopping centre for two weeks , that’s the only way I could get one with out the delays as I wanted to get in before the rebate ended in NSW.

I believe that as long as you have ordered before the January cut off date then the rebate still applies.

 

[Corindikev]

The EV rebate of $3,000 is for the first 25,000 vehicles registered on or after 1/9/21 costing $68,750 or less & ends on 1/1/24. As well as the rebate they are also exempt from stamp duty. When I got my rebate it was about half way through the 25,000. It is $7,000 in Queensland.

To qualify you have to provide the fully paid invoice and registration certificate so that rules out just having ordered it by 31/12/23.

 

[wattmatters]

Tried a cark park charger in Crows Nest today as was having lunch with family there:

Holtermann St Car Park | Crows Nest, NSW | EV Station

Driver's instructions BYO charging lead Plug your car to the charger The charging process should be started automatically (indicated by green LED on the charger) ----- To be replaced/expanded with 10 dual 22KW AC ChargePost chargers...

www.plugshare.com

That was a fail. After taking ages to park in a ridiculously tight space (the Porche in adjacent bay was badly parked) and struggling to actually get out of the car, it required yet another bloody charger app but it would just fail.

Constant loop of register -> sign in -> fail -> register -> sign in -> fail.

Call the listed helpline number. Unattended.

Gave up, moved the car to another parking bay.

Looked up Plugshare, seems others have had same problem with the app.

Why do they bother with junk like this?

 

[ozzz]

I believe that as long as you have ordered before the January cut off date then the rebate still applies.

There is also a number registered after the total reached it ends but probably never get the number, my application is now under review.

 

[wattmatters]

To qualify you have to provide the fully paid invoice and registration certificate so that rules out just having ordered it by 31/12/23.

According to NSW Govt it just needs a deposit placed before 1 Jan 2024:

Important changes from 1 January 2024

The stamp duty exemption and the rebate for all eligible EV purchases will end on 1 January 2024.

Individuals and businesses that have purchased or placed a deposit on an eligible EV prior to 1 January 2024, and are awaiting delivery of the vehicle, will still be eligible to receive the stamp duty exemption and rebate, regardless of whether the vehicle has been delivered by that date. This will ensure that purchasers who are unable to register their vehicle by 31 December 2023, are not disadvantaged for delays in delivery.

Rebates for electric vehicle purchases

The NSW Government is making EVs more affordable for the people of NSW by reducing the upfront cost for the first 25,000 eligible EVs.

www.nsw.gov.au

 

[wattmatters]

With the trip back home now complete, it was better than the journey south.

Yesterday I did some sniffing about in the car park of the hotel and found a power point. I had no access to it before but last night the nearby parking bay was empty. So I quickly moved the car and put on the granny charger to run overnight. It put about 100km of extra range into the car, which was handy.

Was frustrating looking at all the electrical infrastructure available in the car park:

Big fat cables and isolators adjacent to every parking bay but just one lousy 10A GPO stuck down one end!

Two charge stops en route, both Evie stations and both took multiple attempts before charging would commence. It's a real lottery. Holding the plug, not holding the plug, it made no difference.

The first was at Cameron Park:

Evie Cameron Park | Cameron Park, NSW | EV Station

(2) 350kW Evie chargers - Each Charger has 1x CCS2 and 1x CHAdeMO. Requires Evie Networks App

www.plugshare.com

Basic facilities but all new and the toilets in the servo were clean and they had some chairs and table to sit at.

Next charge was Taree again:

Taree South Service Centre | Glenthorne, NSW | EV Station

Find EV charging stations with PlugShare, the most complete map of electric vehicle charging stations in the world!Charging tips reviews and photos from the EV community.

www.plugshare.com

Again it took multiple attempts. I used the other station than the one I used the other day. After spending another age, by this stage needing to relieve myself, I left the plug in the car with it not charging and a fault showing on the screen (but there were no other cars there after a charge) and went and did my business.

Came back to find the car was charging. WTF?
Honestly, I don't get these chargers. The info displayed on the screens is just wrong.

The Evie app was non-functional for both stations (I used the RFID card).

Road trip stats today, same as the other day but in reverse:
Start charge: 94%
End charge: 30%
522.9 km
6h:28min (total with stops)
16.7 kWh/100km

Two charge stops:
Cameron Park Evie: 20.268 kWh
Taree Evie: 31.788 kWh

Along the way I pulled off the highway to check out the station at Nabiac

Nabiac Park | Nabiac, NSW | EV Station

NRMA EV Fast Charging Network www.mynrma.com.au

www.plugshare.com

The one NRMA charger was ICED, ironically by an NRMA van. A guy in Polestar was waiting to charge and was stuck with insufficient charge to go further. Location is not that convenient, being some distance from local cafe. An OK short walk on a nice day but if the weather was not so friendly it wouldn't be much fun.

The took a look at Port Macquarie stops (the ones at the large service centre) and the other two down the road from there:

Port Macquarie Service Centre | Thrumster, NSW | EV Station

Station currently under repair and will be unavailable until further notice. www.chargefox.com Drive up between KFC and McDonald's, the chargers are at the middle section of the parking lot, before the truck parking spaces. Note 2022/11/07 - Only one stations currently in operation.

www.plugshare.com

Sovereign Place Town Centre (Sovereign Hills) | Thrumster, NSW | EV Station

Left side charger is dodgy 29 Oct 2023. Reported to NRMA. ## RIGHT SIDE NO POWER. ## - been reported 12 and 15th Oct 2023 faulty stop start button Free parking at location while charging your EV. Two NRMA DC fast chargers and two charging bays.

www.plugshare.com

Both looked to be decent places to stop. But would seem also to suffer regular outages.

The journey north was nearly a full hour quicker - all down to less time wasted at charge stations, which on the journey south had flow on consequences.

 

[Corindikev]

You are certainly not having a good experience. It seems to demonstrate the poor state of the Australian public charging network as well as its inadequacy. The reviews posted on Plugshare show this as well.

I decided to have a good look under my car and discovered the rear undertray was warped, a known problem. Took a photo called Geoff King this morning & the service bloke said bring it in so made an appointment at 2pm. When I got there he was not there & the serviceman showed me an Email from MG Australia with a photo of a warped undertray with an instruction not to replace any parts, that the issue was known and a resolution would be advised in due course. Here is a photo of mine. This is the RH side & you can see a fixing bolt at the bottom left.

The problem as I see it is there is at least 1 bolt that should be there but isn't.

The left side leading edge of the undertray has a bolt on the extreme left, another 170mm in and another about 200mm from that towards the centre of the car, then another about 400mm from that in the centre but about 100mm behind the leading edge.

On the right side it is the same with a bolt at the extreme right leading edge, another 170mm in towards the centre (shown) but nothing till the centre located bolt 4-500mm away. Another bolt is required so the gap between fixings is no more than 2-250mm.

The dilemma is probably that there is nothing other than the transmission to fix it to & that would be a no no.

Replacing the tray with the same item won't resolve anything. What the warp is doing at present is allowing water and dirt in to the transmission area and creating extra drag.

I also asked about software updates.
The service blokes knew nothing & the Manager is away for several weeks, very convenient. I spoke to the MG sales bloke and he stated that software updates will be charged for but had no idea of the cost & referred me to service. When I mentioned the promised Satnav upgrade, his advice was to use Google maps as they are more up to date. At least chargefox uses google maps & that runs fine on Android Auto .

 

[wattmatters]

I decided to have a good look under my car

It's my next item to check.

 

[ozzz]

Hi all further info regarding software updates my local MG dealer in Albion park nsw tried twice to complete the update with no success, I was told I am not the 1st for it to not load up.
They said we will call when updates are ready so who knows! 1300km done and no under tray problem yet.

 

[Trooper]

I would not be recommending my extended family and friends get an EV, at least not yet - the charge network has let me down on each of my four trips so far and they all like doing trips. And this weekend I'm about to interact with many dozens of them and I know the questions are coming.

I am prepared to be a bit of a lab rat, I do that with many things but I just know my extended family will have little tolerance for just how shitty the charge network really is.

The previous federal government made no secret of their hatred of EVs so yep we’ve ended up in this ridiculous situation where the charging network is almost non-existent at a time when EV sales (and petrol prices) are on the rise.

There’s still a good market for them though in some cases: e.g I (and now one of my friends also) bought one just for local driving - not for out-of-town trips, and it was a perfect replacement for the old ICE that I got rid of.

But yeah, if we had a decent charging network at least I’d have the option of feeling confident to scoot over to the coast in it if I wanted to.