MG4 Software Update Thread

[dave99]

I mean, they are supposed to check version numbers and update it via USB. Sounds like they are just pressing the update OTA Button which does nout.

It's hard to tell without being MG "trained" on MG's systems, but it sounds like they plug it in to the computer, the system checks all the version numbers and flags if anything is "required" to be updated. If the infotainment has a required update it will tell them to update it and they'll get the USB key out. If you have an issue you think should be investigated they have to report it to MG and MG will authorise (or not) the update as a warranty item.

Seems like there are some good dealers out there who will do updates when we ask for them out of goodwill, but not sure there is any compulsion for them to do it - maybe there is no correct procedure and some just can't be arsed doing it

 

[CharlieT]

So in a rage I just phoned MG UK. They confirmed the car is definitely due R59, and R63 should be out soon (if not already). With that information I stormed back into the dealership, and they then said well yes, but we can't do updates under warranty, unless there's a specific fault found that an update would fix. (Despite the fact that the car is highly flawed on earlier software...).

God I hate MG! Utterly useless.

 

[dave99]

So in a rage I just phoned MG UK. They confirmed the car is definitely due R59 and R63 should be out soon (if not already). With that information I stormed back into the dealership, and they then said well yes, but we can't do updates under warranty, unless there's a specific fault found that an update would fix. Despite the fact that the car is a highly flawed on earlier software...

God I hate MG! Utterly useless.

have you told the dealer you have any of the things that are benefited by an upgrade? Bluetooth keep needing pairing, or radio not playing, or screen sliding back and forth etc?

 

[Wadda]

So in a rage I just phoned MG UK. They confirmed the car is definitely due R59 and R63 should be out soon (if not already). With that information I stormed back into the dealership, and they then said well yes, but we can't do updates under warranty, unless there's a specific fault found that an update would fix. Despite the fact that the car is a highly flawed on earlier software...

God I hate MG! Utterly useless.

Yeah but you have Bluetooth connecting issues

Truthfully just do the update yourself it’s easy.

 

[CharlieT]

have you told the dealer you have any of the things that are benefited by an upgrade? Bluetooth keep needing pairing, or radio not playing, or screen sliding back and forth etc?

I didn’t, but should have…

It’s a lease car, so I just called the company that owns it and told them it has a long list of issues (and has done for the 16 months I’ve had it) but MG won’t do anything unless they find a particular fault, or they see a fault code. They’re being brilliant and are having it out with MG on my behalf. The lease company is a big one, so hopefully MG will see sense and stop being so ludicrous. I’m certainly not going to pay £120 (which I was quoted) myself to get the update done.

It’s odd, you’d think MG would be desperate to update the cars whenever they can (absolutely free of charge of course) to stop all of the bad reports, which surely are going to affect future sales?

 

[the happy bunny]

They release new software to fix bugs and add features, yet they won’t pay dealers to apply these updates unless a customer specifically reports an issue. If you don’t raise a complaint, your car will simply never be updated.

From a dealer’s perspective, I understand that they can’t be expected to work for free. However, when we purchased our cars, they were advertised as OTA-ready. So far, it seems our vehicles might never actually receive these over-the-air updates.

As a customer who was led to believe that the car I was buying would receive OTA updates, I feel I have a right to expect my vehicle to be updated to the latest software release.

 

[BingBong]

They release new software to fix bugs and add features, yet they won’t pay dealers to apply these updates unless a customer specifically reports an issue. If you don’t raise a complaint, your car will simply never be updated.

From a dealer’s perspective, I understand that they can’t be expected to work for free. However, when we purchased our cars, they were advertised as OTA-ready. So far, it seems our vehicles might never actually receive these over-the-air updates.

As a customer who was led to believe that the car I was buying would receive OTA updates, I feel I have a right to expect my vehicle to be updated to the latest software release.

Module updates should be part of the service.

 

[the happy bunny]

Module updates should be part of the service.

That doesn’t seem to be the case in practice, unfortunately.

 

[simonb]

Have just taken delivery of my SE LR!

The mpu software looks like 1100R21 and the mcu is 69.3.5.0. The R21 makes me think this hasn't been updated, am I wrong?

Thank you

 

[the happy bunny]

Have just taken delivery of my SE LR!

The mpu software looks like 1100R21 and the mcu is 69.3.5.0. The R21 makes me think this hasn't been updated, am I wrong?

Thank you

No, it definitely hasn’t…

 

[BingBong]

That doesn’t seem to be the case in practice, unfortunately.

It's definitely not.

 

[haloweenhamster]

It's hard to tell without being MG "trained" on MG's systems, but it sounds like they plug it in to the computer, the system checks all the version numbers and flags if anything is "required" to be updated. If the infotainment has a required update it will tell them to update it and they'll get the USB key out. If you have an issue you think should be investigated they have to report it to MG and MG will authorise (or not) the update as a warranty item.

There are 2 systems
one you type in the vin & it tells you if there's updates (including USB ones)
The other is SIPS where it checks the car & compares it to a server & tells you if there's any updates available

 

[leonkernan]

For anyone curious, here's what a workshop sees when they plug in.
(Sorry was taken outdoors in the sun)

Ticks mean the cars version and the server version match. Crosses mean an update is needed.

There is a one-click function on the left hand side that updates all the parts with a cross. That's how most places do it.

 

[Tuareg]

So in a rage I just phoned MG UK. They confirmed the car is definitely due R59, and R63 should be out soon (if not already). With that information I stormed back into the dealership, and they then said well yes, but we can't do updates under warranty, unless there's a specific fault found that an update would fix. (Despite the fact that the car is highly flawed on earlier software...).

God I hate MG! Utterly useless.

You phoned in a 'rage'? You haven't even driven the car yet. It could very well drive perfectly well. Why don't you take delivery of the car, drive it for a few days and see if there are any perceived 'faults' before raging at the dealer? Crikey, if someone 'raged' at me, I would just close the 'door' in their face for something so trivial.

 

[mathiasgmeiner]

You phoned in a 'rage'? You haven't even driven the car yet. It could very well drive perfectly well. Why don't you take delivery of the car, drive it for a few days and see if there are any perceived 'faults' before raging at the dealer? Crikey, if someone 'raged' at me, I would just close the 'door' in their face for something so trivial.

Great point! Despite the, undeniable, numerous annoying software bugs, I still think it's a great car to drive. We drove this summer as a family of 5 2500km from Lake Constance to Denmark and back. Driving was an absolute pleasure, even the 12-hour drive home. But of course MG's update policy really needs to improve. I'm also eagerly awaiting the new versions.

 

[davidfraser75]

I don’t think so, the archive extracts to thousands of tiny files… there are around 121000 files.

Hello, here’s a step-by-step tutorial for those looking to update the firmware.


Get 1100R33 and 1300R59 from this link: MG 4 - Downloadable Files

• Set the directory based on firmware version:
  • For updates FROM a 1100Rxx release, place usb_ota_update.zip at the root directory of the USB.
  • For updates FROM a 1300Rxx release: Create a folder named AVN_MPU in the root directory and place usb_ota_update.zip inside the AVN_MPU folder.
• Extract the downloaded files onto USB sticks.

Download the maps from this link (no VIN required): https://cdn.mgmotor.eu/map-data/map-update.zip

• Extract the maps from the archive onto a USB stick (this may take a while!).
• Get a USB stick or SSD (preferably) and format it to NTFS.
• Copy the entire “Maps” folder to the USB stick (this step may take several hours).

If your car’s firmware is below 1100R33, you may need to update to 1100R33 before proceeding to 1300R59.


Update from older 1100Rxx releases:

• Go to the phone keypad on your infotainment system.
• Dial #*#4479*#* to enter the engineering menu.
• Update SOC-AVN:
  • In the engineering menu, go to USB Update.
  • Select SOC-AVN and let it update (this takes about 5 minutes).
  • After the update, the infotainment system will reboot automatically.
• Update SOC-MCU:
  • Once the system has rebooted, re-enter the engineering menu and go back to USB Update.
  • Select SOC-MCU to install the update (this will take another 5 minutes).

Allow unattended updates

• Once your system is under 1100R33 with 69.3.8.0 MCU, go back to the engineering menu, tap 5x on the lower right corner.
• To get the password, use this generator: https://ws2.tommasovietina.it/mg4/se/password.html
• Tap “verify updates” to uncheck it.

Upgrade from 1100R33 to 1300R59

• To proceed from 1100R33 to 1300R59, repeat the USB update process as above with the 1300R59 file.
• Upon reboot, try to validate the system. It should pass. If you can’t get it to work, go to “validate AVN” section
• Go to Settings, tap 5x on the AVN version and use “200519” pin to enter the engineering menu.
• Go to USB settings and then to “Entertainment system ECU” to perform the update

Install maps

• Go to settings, then to “Maps/VR updates” and tap OK
• The package will be checked tor integrity for about 5 minutes. Proceed to installation when prompted…
• At around 70%, after approximately 30 minutes, you may receive an error. You can dismiss the error and reboot the system by holding the home button for 10 seconds.
• Once the system reboots, open the navigation menu. It should now be functional.

To validate AVN

If the update system doesn’t validate readily, you may need to downgrade to 1300R46.

Go to the engineering menu, then tap “validate” and set “Get SN Mode” to “Test”

You can now update back to 1300R59


If you want to revert to 1100R33 from 1300R59, don't forget to put the usb_ota_update.zip file at root and proceed to a standard update…

Hello, just some clarification.
I have the SE SR, which I would use the 1100R33 to update it.
Would I then update it with the 1300R59 or is that strictly for the Trophy model?

 

[the happy bunny]

Hello, just some clarification.
I have the SE SR, which I would use the 1100R33 to update it.
Would I then update it with the 1300R59 or is that strictly for the Trophy model?

According to MG’s instructions, the 1300R59 update is strictly intended for the Trophy model.

However, I’ve recently documented that it can technically be installed on the SE model, offering a few minor improvements, including:

Navigation
Weather display
Wi-Fi hotspot
The ability to limit charging to a specified percentage
3D sound (albeit only through the front speakers, but still an enhancement)

Since MG does not endorse this update for the SE, if you decide to proceed with the installation, you should revert to the original software before bringing the car in for service.

 

[tikel]

For anyone curious, here's what a workshop sees when they plug in.
(Sorry was taken outdoors in the sun)

Ticks mean the cars version and the server version match. Crosses mean an update is needed.

There is a one-click function on the left hand side that updates all the parts with a cross. That's how most places do it.

View attachment 32307

Hi!
What diagnostics tools and software are you using to see this information?
Are those tools available just for technician and car services?
Care to elaborate a bit more what SIPS is?
Thanks!

 

[haloweenhamster]

Hi!
What diagnostics tools and software are you using to see this information?
Are those tools available just for technician and car services?
Care to elaborat a bit more what SIPS is?
Thanks!

Have a read here
Thread 'Diagnostic VDI, VNCI, MDI with MG4' Diagnostic VDI, VNCI, MDI with MG4

 

[colsky]

I've just dropped my Mg4 off for it's 2nd service. I asked about software updates. They said at the service they do any necessary (recall) updates, but there's none outstanding on my car. As regards other updates, they said there are lots coming out all the time, so it's not practical to install every available update on a car. She asked if there was anything I might be having issues with. I said the lane keep assist is a bit over zealous at times. She said there might be an update for that, so she'd ask them to have a look. I'll find out later!