Tow bar

[Astral]

I hope somebody makes a video about removing the rear bumper

 

[aitch]

I hope somebody makes a video about removing the rear bumper

It’s not hard tbh. Mainly time consuming as you have to take off both rear lights and loads of screws and bolts. There are 5 screws in each wheel arch as well as those under body ones, plus 2 under covers each side of the opening and under the rubber tailgate locators . You’ll need 2 people to lift off the bumper as one will need to hold it whilst the other disconnects three electrical connections

 

[Astral]

Is it required to lift the back of the car in order to get to the screws below? Any plastic clips? Any sketchy parts where you need to pull on the bumper and make sure some plastic clips don't break?

 

[aitch]

Is it required to lift the back of the car in order to get to the screws below? Any plastic clips? Any sketchy parts where you need to pull on the bumper and make sure some plastic clips don't break?

I didn’t lift the car, the screws in the wheel arch can be hard to access with the wheel on but def possible.
There are a series of clips, they are clear and obvious when you take the lights off and a couple either side connecting the bumper to body panel, very gentle persuasion did the trick.
Definitely take a picture of the underside so you know where the screws go and bolts go as it’s not always clear.

 

[Astral]

Thanks, waiting for mine to clear customs then when this freaking heat wave passes I will give it a go.

 

[Astral]

OK so I installed everything myself but I had to give the car to an electrician to fit the electrical parts - he said it was not a problem with a universal kit I bought. It was 100 euros for this part. Now I am in process of legalizing this on the road. I provided all the documentation that was given to me by Witter, but they require something more. Not sure what yet, I will find out next week...fingers crossed it's something obtainable. Total cost until now 800 euros. It should also be the final price.

BTW it took me about 5h to get everything done, and 2h for the electrician. I'm pretty sure it could be done in half this time now that I know exactly how to do it.

 

[pecker]

How much can you tow with the 4

 

[aitch]

500kg

 

[pecker]

Not my caravan then

 

[aitch]

Er, no, just small trailers and bike racks

 

[White Walker]

Er, no, just small trailers and bike racks

Perfect, have a small trailer and bike rack. Also note the ball weight is only 50kg.

 

[leonkernan]

Fitted my EV Stealth towbar today. Not too difficult but definitely time consuming as mentioned above.

Getting the rear bumper off was a bit of a pain, all those annoying plastic covers and clips!
Did it myself as a one person job but wouldn't recommend it. Getting the parking sensors unplugged while the whole bumper cover is falling off isn't easy one handed.

Still got to finish the wiring, but at least i've got it run into the boot. Splicing it in can be a job for another day.

 

[Davecut1]

Fitted my EV Stealth towbar today. Not too difficult but definitely time consuming as mentioned above.

Getting the rear bumper off was a bit of a pain, all those annoying plastic covers and clips!
Did it myself as a one person job but wouldn't recommend it. Getting the parking sensors unplugged while the whole bumper cover is falling off isn't easy one handed.

Still got to finish the wiring, but at least i've got it run into the boot. Splicing it in can be a job for another day.

You can't just splice the wires in, the lights won't work. I know, I tried it myself. You have to buy the specific kit and it's not cheap. You also have to run a 12V power supply from the fuse box. Sorry to give you the bad news but you're only half way through the job. Best of luck..Dave

 

[JIS]

I note that MG says that the MG4 can tow up to 500kg, so I assume that there is a connector to the wiring loom for the trailer electrics. Does anyone know what towbars are available?

Yes, our new MG4 "Luxury" 64kWh had a tow bar fitted by the dealer here in SW France. It wasn't cheap but we haggled. Yes it has to be correctly linked to the car's electrical system. When connected, the lane assist turns off and a warning is very briefly displayed. I have not used it yet with my bike rack (two electric bikes), but 500kg is more than enough for a small trailer or bike rack. I've yet to see the impact of trying to reverse and the cameras etc but I suspect they will not operate.

 

[DixieTGS]

I think the 500kg refers to the weight of the trailer when towing. For a bike rack you will be limited to a much smaller amount ('nose load' or 'static vertical mass’).

There's a thread somewhere about it, because person posting would have been well over weight with 2 electric bikes if I'm remembering correctly.

 

[siteguru]

Nose load rating is/was 50kg. (I don't know if it has been increased since the original specification).

 

[ReintjeWA]

I don’t know anything about this, but is nose load based on the whole car, or on the construction/fitment of the tow bar? As in, could you buy a beefed up tow bar with twice the bolts to attach to the car and now you can have a higher nose load?

Or is it based on the suspension setup of the car? And then, could you change your suspension setup to increase it?

 

[siteguru]

No idea ... all I know is that (in the UK at least) the MG4 is type-approved to tow a maximum of 500kg with a maximum nose weight (i.e. force on the tow ball) of 50kg.

 

[leonkernan]

You can't just splice the wires in, the lights won't work I know I tried it myself. You have to buy the specific kit and it's not cheap. You also have to run a 12v power supply from the fuse box. Sorry to give you the bad news but your only half way through the job. Best of luck..Dave

And this is why I don't post online sometimes...
The kit came with the towbar, including the box and the fused wire to the battery.

 

[MarekD]

See the excellent link in this post.