MG4 Software Update Thread

[APMG]

OK but i read that the R59 package available only includes mcu version 68.4.3.0. I have also flashed mcu with the R59 package and mcu has stayed at 68.4.3.0

Correct the USB upgrade only is 4.3.0 and seemingly has no Ill effects

 

[Evgen K]

OK but i read that the R59 package available only includes mcu version 68.4.3.0. I have also flashed mcu with the R59 package and mcu has stayed at 68.4.3.0

Please take a look on this post MG4 Software Update Thread

 

[NLMGSAN]

At this moment I do not want to take any risks in doing this myself.

Lawyers representing me have already summoned MG to come up with solutions. Some solutions are directly available in the UK, others (probably) not. We may come to an agreement and things will be settled as an individual case.
But if MG ignores everything, there will be a court case. Then, it isn't just MG. It is the entire car industry (if the lawyers agree to take that step).

 

[the happy bunny]

Hello,

I have successfully installed R59 on an MG4 SE, with all features fully functional, including weather and LTE sharing—but with the exception of GPS navigation (I’ll return to this at the end of this post).

Better still, I did this solely using the resources shared in this thread. A big thanks to all contributors! It’s a collaborative effort, and it pays off!

The procedure is relatively straightforward. I’ll focus only on the key steps and adjustments I made. I’d be more than happy to provide further details on any specific step if needed, but please keep in mind that modifying any system can lead to unpleasant consequences.

My car was previously running 1100R33 MPU and 69.3.8.0 MCU.

To start, I downloaded both 1300R46 and 1300R59 here:

MG 4 - Downloadable Files

I encountered activation issues when attempting to install directly R59, so I first upgraded to R46.

There’s a small tweak here: as the car is still running the “lite” version of AVN, I needed to copy the usb_ota_update.zip file from the AVN_MPU folder and place it at the root directory.

Once installed, I dismissed all activation prompts. I went to the engineer menu to set “SN mode” to TEST. It allowed me to activate both data and navigation!

Then I proceeded to upgrading both the MCU and MPU to R59.

At this point, everything is working perfectly — apart from navigation, for the obvious reason that no maps are installed yet…

I tried to install the latest maps, but it failed at some point. I download them from MG Europe, then extracted the zip file to a USB stick…

https://cdn.mgmotor.eu/map-data/map-update.zip

The installation began as expected, but about halfway through, it was interrupted by an MD5 check error, causing it to abort. It’s possible that one of my files is corrupted, or perhaps it’s due to the fact that I used a hard drive rather than a USB stick. Still, I strongly suspect there is another issue.

 

[NLMGSAN]

So R59 in an SE? What's the bonus compared to the latest R33 (which also has the lka off in the drop down).

 

[Tuareg]

How will this affect warranty?

 

[the happy bunny]

The primary advantage would, of course, be the navigation system, if it’s possible to install it.

However, there are several other small features: weather updates, voice command, Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities, and there’s also Amazon Music (I haven’t been able to test it as I don’t have an account)

In any case, I will downgrade to 1100R33 before service. I sure don’t want my dealer to see my SE boasting R59!

 

[Chrisdriving]

How will this affect warranty?

How does ‘tinkering’ affect safety systems and proper car functionality?

 

[NLMGSAN]

Aahh.. I hope downgrading works properly.
Btw, the wifi hotspot has been seriously devaluated now that only 1Gb is available. Voice commands are welcome, although the ones I would value most (Activate One Pedal Drive, dis/enable LKA, Enable Alert/LDA, ELK mode) are missing. Also, next favourite station is missing. But the commands to change the A/C etc are very welcome and simply help you to keep your eyes on the road.

 

[the happy bunny]

I’ve successfully completed a downgrade after encountering activation issues with R59, and before installing R46, then R59 to override the activation issue.

As for safety, the changes to the MPU and MCU only impact the AVN unit, and these modifications are purely cosmetic and limited to the AVN unit.

I’ll admit, I took some calculated risks. it’s true that tinkering with any system carries a risk of bricking it. However, it’s not unreasonable to imagine that a dealer would inadvertently upgrade an SE to R59. Would this completely brick the AVN system beyond recovery? Probably not.



After carefully reading this thread, I gathered that:

• It’s possible to upgrade or downgrade without restrictions.
• 1300R46 has already been installed successfully on an SE, with the option to revert back to 1100R33.
• A mismatch between the MPU and MCU doesn’t instantly brick the system, though it may cause some bugs.
• The downloadable package includes 1100R33, making it possible to revert to the original settings.

That said, I don’t recommend experimenting with these systems, especially without full understanding. The benefits of having R59 over R33 on an SE remain quite limited if navigation can’t be enabled.

If you want R33 on your SE, visiting a dealer sure is the best option. But if that’s not possible for whatever reason, there may be alternative options.

I just figured out that my own tinkering can hopefully contribute, even in a small way, to the community, that’s why I shared…

 

[Coulomb]

The benefits of having R59 over R33 on an SE remain quite limited if navigation can’t be enabled.

I wonder about the satellite antenna. It's probably not installed on the SEs. You can probably add a third party one, possibly a copy of the same that the Trophys use. Or one from a wrecker. Hopefully it's not something integrated into the windscreen.

But the satellite antenna is presumably plugged into some kind of specialised Radio Frequency amplifier and filter. I'm no expert on this, so I might be way off. I'm guessing that's a moderately expensive piece of hardware that is also missing in the SE. That might be impractical to replace, unless it's a plug-in module that you can get from wreckers. If it's integrated into another PCB with just a bunch of parts missing, then you might have to replace that whole PCB. It starts to get complex at that point.

Finally, the sat nav is a large piece of software, as anyone updating it will know (huge update files, takes a long time). It may be that the SE model has a smaller and cheaper chip that hasn't got the capacity to store all those maps and software, or has that dedicated storage missing altogether.

But maybe there is just one antenna and amplifier module that's readily available from somewhere at low cost. In that case, it could be a fairly easy upgrade.

Edit: But see next several posts; it seems that the hardware in SEs and Trophys is very similar, including a satellite antenna and hardware to use it.

 

[DixieTGS]

I had assumed that the satnav would use the same GPS hardware that is used to report the cars position on iSmart. On the other hand the engineering menu on the SE has a GPS page and it only shows signals from the USA GPS and not from the Russian, Chinese or EU equivalents which all phones and GPS handhelds do have. The satnav may need the extra reliability that these other systems provide.

 

[Coulomb]

I had assumed that the satnav would use the same GPS hardware that is used to report the cars position on iSmart.

Ah. I didn't realise it did that. Sat nav on an SE sounds a fair bit more promising then.

 

[kiwi]

I never use the SATNAV, instead using Apple CarPlay and Google Maps. The difference is chalk and cheese. Once you experience the live congestion indications provided by Google, it hard to go back to a static map. However, I would very much like the AM radio band if any trips across a setting to enable that.

I appreciate that AM reception is greatly compromised in EV due to self interference but it would still be useful close to AM transmitters.

 

[leonkernan]

Ah. I didn't realise it did that. Sat nav on an SE sounds a fair bit more promising then.

At this point we know they're identical hardware except for the surround cameras and rear speakers.

 

[the happy bunny]

I can confirm the GPS antenna is present…

It even displays “3D data available” so I’m fairly certain it’s the same as the Trophy in terms of hardware.

I can open the Nav app from the main menu, and it briefly displays the arrow before closing itself, as there are no maps installed.

 

[tsedge]

At this point R59 (and R33) are quite old, we are due some more updates. Still lots of bugs in R59 yet.

Anyone seen any evidence of a new version coming?

I am a little worried they aren't focusing on the MG4 any more due to the imminent facelift and that future updates will be prioritised for the facelifted car.

Also, what on earth happened to the ELK fix that we were all supposed to get letters about??!

 

[the happy bunny]

At this point R59 (and R33) are quite old, we are due some more updates. Still lots of bugs in R59 yet.

Anyone seen any evidence of a new version coming?

I am a little worried they aren't focusing on the MG4 any more due to the imminent facelift and that future updates will be prioritised for the facelifted car.

The 1100R33/1300R58 versions have been around for over a year now, which is quite a while. I read in this thread that 1100R38/1300R63 should be coming soon, but as far as I know, they haven’t been rolled out yet. And I don’t even mention OTA updates, which will likely never make their way to our cars.

In terms of technology, the AVN system is completely outdated—it’s essentially an Android box with a custom manufacturer interface. It can’t compare to what BYD, Renault, Stellantis or VW offer, not to mention the lack of responsiveness and the bugs.

OK, MG is by no means Tesla. I don’t believe they intend to support or introduce new features to cars that are no longer in production, apart from recalls and (hopefully) bug fixes, but they still lag way behind the other manufacturers!

 

[ardsar]

I can confirm the GPS antenna is present…
View attachment 31974
It even displays “3D data available” so I’m fairly certain it’s the same as the Trophy in terms of hardware.

I can open the Nav app from the main menu, and it briefly displays the arrow before closing itself, as there are no maps installed.

Map update method changed from R46 upwards. You need to use this site to download the map, there is a slight difference in the file contents. - just enter your vin number then press next (no need to upload fingerprint file)

https://iov-mapmg.soimt.com/#/downloadMap

 

[the happy bunny]

I’ll try this tonight!!!
Thanks for the info