MG4 Tailgate - To fix or not fix ?

[Wil Tryharder]

So we’ve had a bit of an ongoing ’Tailgate’ saga since buying our MG4 Essence 64 here in Australia.

Our local dealer has been pretty good about it. The service personnel have been back and forth with MG Australia to find a solution, under warranty.

The left hand side of the tailgate is misaligned by about 5-6 mm. Other areas are out to a lesser degree. You can feel where it’s right and wrong by rubbing your knuckle or thumb across the joins.

At the first visit they took some pics and took it to a local body/panel shop to quote on the fix (they don’t have a paint shop of their own). The problem being that any adjustment to the painted hinge nuts, would probably result in damage to the paint finish. I’m guessing the solution is to wedge a spacer in somewhere to create some lift. And then touch up the paint.

It’s been 40 years since I did any panel spraying. And in those days ‘touching up’ ?was a ‘no no’. It was whole panel or nothing! It looks like it’s a fairly awkward place for masking and paint spraying.

The quote came back (not shown to me) and was sent to MG for approval. It was declined stating the misalignment was within tolerances. Our dealer (having taken photos) wrote back asking what the tolerances were. And magically the works have been approved.

It’s booked in to be done next week. I’m going to ask tomorrow if I can get some details of what the panel shop plans to do. We had the car ceramic coated, and I’m conscious of wrecking that. And I don’t know enough about modern paint spraying technology to know how good the results will be. I don’t want the car looking patchy this early on.
Others have mentioned clunking tailgates and ours has the cheaper end of the market sound for sure. We haven’t had it out in heavy rain yet but it seems dry after a ‘lively’ car wash.
Maybe just stick some tough rubber spacing in around the edge and forget about it.

Any thoughts ?

 

[Ian Key]

The paintwork should be OK and I doubt when the ceramic coating was applied that they did the door shuts and fastenings.

Of course they could straighten it the same way as they did one of my old cars when as a young lad I heavily kerbed it in the snow and twisted the body shell. It involved a tow rope and a Land-Rover ?

 

[Daedalusminos]

Well they won't be able to perform miracles - a square peg won't fit a round hole. MG have obviously got a problem witht he tail gate fit on these but there's a lot of separate panels and trim meeting so it's always going to be a compromise.

Mine is similar to yours except a mirror image - the RHS is set too far forward, it's most noticeable in that it breakes the swage line. The boot lid could come back slightly and not close as much but then you'd be affecting other gaps (roof line - not sure how much adjustmnt on the trim).

They should be able to preserve the paint on the screw heads with sacrificial socket insets but any movement will likely expose undercoat.

I hope whoever takes out the work as soft soled shoes...

 

[Wil Tryharder]

Well they won't be able to perform miracles -
I hope whoever takes out the work as soft soled shoes...

I could only watch half way… thats almost as bad as watching Qantas baggage handlers ?

 

[mg4owner2024essence64]

So we’ve had a bit of an ongoing ’Tailgate’ saga since buying our MG4 Essence 64 here in Australia.

Our local dealer has been pretty good about it. The service personnel have been back and forth with MG Australia to find a solution, under warranty.

The left hand side of the tailgate is misaligned by about 5-6 mm. Other areas are out to a lesser degree. You can feel where it’s right and wrong by rubbing your knuckle or thumb across the joins.

At the first visit they took some pics and took it to a local body/panel shop to quote on the fix (they don’t have a paint shop of their own). The problem being that any adjustment to the painted hinge nuts, would probably result in damage to the paint finish. I’m guessing the solution is to wedge a spacer in somewhere to create some lift. And then touch up the paint.

It’s been 40 years since I did any panel spraying. And in those days ‘touching up’ ?was a ‘no no’. It was whole panel or nothing! It looks like it’s a fairly awkward place for masking and paint spraying.

The quote came back (not shown to me) and was sent to MG for approval. It was declined stating the misalignment was within tolerances. Our dealer (having taken photos) wrote back asking what the tolerances were. And magically the works have been approved.

It’s booked in to be done next week. I’m going to ask tomorrow if I can get some details of what the panel shop plans to do. We had the car ceramic coated, and I’m conscious of wrecking that. And I don’t know enough about modern paint spraying technology to know how good the results will be. I don’t want the car looking patchy this early on.
Others have mentioned clunking tailgates and ours has the cheaper end of the market sound for sure. We haven’t had it out in heavy rain yet but it seems dry after a ‘lively’ car wash.
Maybe just stick some tough rubber spacing in around the edge and forget about it.

Any thoughts ?

Hi Wil , did your noise issues get sorted? Happy in the end?

We have the same noise. I'm looking at your photos to see where i can measure the alignment but yours are too zoomed in. Could you zoom out and point where you measured. That way I can have some hard data if MG are difficult about it

And how about your tailgate noise @Daedalusminos ?

 

[Wil Tryharder]

Hi Wil , did your noise issues get sorted? Happy in the end?

We have the same noise. I'm looking at your photos to see where i can measure the alignment but yours are too zoomed in. Could you zoom out and point where you measured. That way I can have some hard data if MG are difficult about it

And how about your tailgate noise @Daedalusminos ?

Ok, so here’s some more pics with rather amateur-ish arrows added.
Zoom in to see the differences at the arrow points.

A. Show the small differences at various points around the edge.
B. + C. Show the more obvious differences when viewed from the side.

Some of the noise comes from the rattling number plate. If you hold it as you close the tailgate it’s reduced. but not completely. My thought is there could be some ‘stuff’, loose and flapping inside the tailgate. Maybe part of the wiper mechanism. I’m guessing really. Putting some extra rubber cushioning at various points is on my ‘to do list’.

Our local MG dealership closed and my next local is a 90 minute drive away. I don’t have a lot of confidence that it be worth having repaired. So I’m leaving it as is.

Pic C. Also shows my now unwanted Peugeot 308 which is going very cheep if anyone wants it

Hope that helps.

 

[mg4owner2024essence64]

Ok, so here’s some more pics with rather amateur-ish arrows added.
Zoom in to see the differences at the arrow points.

A. Show the small differences at various points around the edge.
B. + C. Show the more obvious differences when viewed from the side.

Some of the noise comes from the rattling number plate. If you hold it as you close the tailgate it’s reduced. but not completely. My thought is there could be some ‘stuff’, loose and flapping inside the tailgate. Maybe part of the wiper mechanism. I’m guessing really. Putting some extra rubber cushioning at various points is on my ‘to do list’.

Our local MG dealership closed and my next local is a 90 minute drive away. I don’t have a lot of confidence that it be worth having repaired. So I’m leaving it as is.

Pic C. Also shows my now unwanted Peugeot 308 which is going very cheep if anyone wants it

Hope that helps.

Do you mean you don't think the dealer 90mins away will fix it?

Or you mean a fix won't make a practical difference? The noise doesn't bother you?

Thanks a lot for these pics. I'll have a closer look now

 

[Wil Tryharder]

Do you mean you don't think the dealer 90mins away will fix it?

Or you mean a fix won't make a practical difference? The noise doesn't bother you?

Thanks a lot for these pics. I'll have a closer look now

No problem, more pics if you want.

My old dealership at Noosa had got conformation from MG that the work could go ahead under warranty subject to a reasonable quote from a local body shop. And then Noosa MG closed and the paperwork/case was transferred to Gympie.
Which is where the project stalled.
There’s some bolts that needed to be removed which would have probably resulted in some paint repair work. I’m concerned the paint won’t match or at least will look different in 3 or 4 years time.

As for the noise, it’s just the same as my 14 year old Peugeot’s tailgate. It’s not rattling while driving. It’s just a clunk on closing. Guess I was expecting something better from a brand new car. For at least a few years or until the rubbers have deteriorated in the heat and humidity.
I’m sure I can improve it, I just need to schedule it in for some tinker time