MG4 Undertray dip/bulge

[2CV]

I’ve noticed it after the first 500km done.

 

[Rip Van]

My car went in to have a few things fixed Mon 22nd-Wed 24th Jan 2024.

Replace rear window seal and replace light clusters. The light bar was replaced previously and the window seal was damaged in the process. This appears to be a satisfactory repair.

Repair charging flap not sitting flush when closed. Satisfactory repair.

Check aircon noise again! They all do that sir!
When they told me that the first time, I said OK, I'm not worried about it but if anything goes wrong down the line, I have it on record (email) that I've brought it to their attention. So since then they've "checked" it twice, why, if it's OK?

Repair/replace undertray bulge/wave/whatever. 2nd attempt at this. I got under the car to check this when I went to pick it up and it was worse than previous. I told the person at reception this and she got a "technician" to look at it. After a relatively long session of being fobbed off by the "technician", he said something like "I can fit a replacement if you like but it'll be exactly the same". I asked him to fit it anyway but not try to make it the same. He came back and told me that's it fitted and it's exactly the same. I thanked him then left and checked underneath the car before driving off. There's more of a slight wrinkle in the undertray now, much better than it's ever been. If it had been as minor as that when I got the car I might not have bothered about it. Checked again when I got home and it's exactly the same.

I guess my previous experiences with this dealer were just luck as there were no issues to instigate discussions of this sort.

I'm back to the "can't trust any of them" attitude.

 

[Corindikev]

I had the rear undertray leading edge bracket installed today. This only seems to be available in Australia. Possibly they are trialling it here due to the reletively small market before releasing it in larger markets.

Anyway the bracket which I thought would be steel is actually plastic. It is not perfect but is a lot better than the undertray was without it.

Attached are before and after photos

 

[siteguru]

Cheers Kev - I'd previously sent my dealer the details of the fix, so I've now sent them a copy of your "after" photo for reference. (I hope that's OK - seek forgiveness. not permission, and all that). ??

 

[Coulomb]

Attached are before and after photos

It looks all proper now ?. I hope the Brits and others get this too.

 

[AndyL61]

It looks all proper now ?. I hope the Brits and others get this too.

To look proper they would need a new tray design. But it is better than drooping.?

 

[MG Phill]

I wish they had done that repair when I lost the tray entirely in October '23. I noted something hanging down from the underside last weekend and noted half of the tray has been ripped off again. after the first incident, I contacted MG Customer Service and they said I had to speak to the dealer. The dealer did a check and reported to MG that it was not a fault and not covered by the warranty. This forum suggests otherwise. Did anyone get a reasonable response from MG?

 

[Rolfe]

Welcome to the forum! I'm just sorry you've come with such a problem.

You must be about the fourth person this has happened to. It certainly is a fault, but MG don't want to admit it. The trouble is, most people haven't looked under their car and spotted it before disaster strikes, so it can be hard to persuade them there was a fault there to begin with.

I complained about mine and the dealer said they were refitting the tray. I got it back looking no different. I hit some standing water in the dark just before New Year and my heart was in my mouth. I got away with it, but now there is evidence they are admitting it is a fault and there is a fix out (albeit in Australia) things may be looking up.

 

[pecker]

Thanks to this forum I raised this straight away when I collected mine, I also advised them of the fix from MG Australia so if there an issue at a latter date they can't deny it.

 

[Swampy]

I also emailed my MG dealership and was told this bulletin is not available in the UK.
I then forwarded the email to Customer Service MG UK and got this reply:

“Thank you for your email.
We are unaware of any official fix from the factory at this time. This may be something that Australia are doing as a local distributor. We cannot comment on how successful a modification it would be.
The undertray is part of the cars design and isn’t a manufacturing defect. We are not aware of any planned change and there is no detrimental effect on drive and performance.
If you feel there is manufacturing defect on your particular car, your dealership can investigate, however, it looks as though you may have already visited a dealership for this purpose.”

My Bulge isnt as bad as what others have shown, but it is there and I would rather be proactive then reactive.

 

[stevegus]

At least its not this bad

https://www.reddit.com/r/Renault/s/eyY51xZqjW

 

[tsedge]

At least its not this bad

https://www.reddit.com/r/Renault/s/eyY51xZqjW

That's a really low diffuser! ?

 

[Ian Key]

At least its not this bad

https://www.reddit.com/r/Renault/s/eyY51xZqjW

Renault have misunderstood how ground effect works ?

 

[Outthere88]

Hi all, I've been reading through this thread and am hoping for a bit of advice. I'm in the market for a second-hand MG4 - only looking at cars from 2023 with less than 7000 miles on it, so still very new. I clocked this thread earlier, so I've been asking the dealers about the bulge in the cars they are selling. Commonly the answer is: yes it has a bulge, it's very minor, they all have it.

Is there any need to push for a replacement or repair at the point of sale, or am I better off negotiating the price down a bit and then taking it to a local MG dealer under warranty? Should I 'flag' the issue in any way to ensure a warranty fix if it does become a major bulge down the line?

Any advice appreciated - I'd like to approach this pro-actively!

 

[emmadragon]

Our Trophy is an August 2023 model, and we didn't have any bulge in the undertray at all - we specifically checked it on pick-up.
Now, it is second-hand (only 4 months old when we got it), so it is possible that it had it, and has been fixed, and we don't know about it. But it is also possible that it's something they've fixed in these later models.
We specified that it had to have a rear wiper, in order to ensure that it was the most recent model/edition, you might want to consider that. There are some bargains out there, we saved £8k by not buying new, and we're very happy with it.

 

[Outthere88]

Our Trophy is an August 2023 model, and we didn't have any bulge in the undertray at all - we specifically checked it on pick-up.
Now, it is second-hand (only 4 months old when we got it), so it is possible that it had it, and has been fixed, and we don't know about it. But it is also possible that it's something they've fixed in these later models.
We specified that it had to have a rear wiper, in order to ensure that it was the most recent model/edition, you might want to consider that. There are some bargains out there, we saved £8k by not buying new, and we're very happy with it.

That is a good point, about the model refresh. I just looked at the cars we have an eye on: they state 'rear wiper' and '3 headrests' in the specifications, but I can't see those in the pictures...! What exactly is the difference between the older and the newer edition in 2023?

 

[Grriff]

Our Trophy is an August 2023 model and I recently checked for bulges but there were none serious. I certainly wouldn't press for the dealer to replace the undertray, which might be no better.
I would take photos before you buy and decide on whether to insist on a replacement. If it's not necessary but gets worse after you have bought it, then at least you have evidence.
There are checklists available on the forum for new cars, so it's worth looking at these.
I would also get the dealer to set up iSmart, which will ensure an account is not already bound to the car and get the dealer to check the 12v battery and provide you with the printout which shows it's OK. Make sure there is a 'granny' charger included and, possibly, a type 2 7kW cable. Also get the dealer to confirm all software updates have been applied. The infotainment version should be R46, which should solve the bluetooth dropouts which R40 has.
My guide may help MG4 Trophy - a Guide

 

[Outthere88]

Thank you that's really helpful! Good advice about the undertray photos - I'm glad you are saying not to push for replacement as it makes our buying position much more difficult. Obviously we wouldn't buy a car with a bad bulge, but if it's a minor one I at least want to have some evidence to have it fixed if it does get worse...

 

[Les burrows]

Hi all here just returned from my dealer who has just replaced the undertray on my wife’s MG4 SE SR and what a disappointment when the replacement was in place the technician ask me to come into the workshop to have a look while the car was still on the ramp the old tray was on the floor and the new one now on the car, with exactly the same bulge as the old one nothing more they can done the technicians said, and he then added they are all the same on the MG4s with varying amounts of the bulging from on car next he agreed it’s not good but said it is of no detriment to the vehicle or its performance.
Before and after pictures below. So it is what it is I suppose.
Les.

Old tray before

New tray fitted today

 

[siteguru]

That's why MG should roll out the "fix" that's available Down Under ... it doesn't resolve the root cause but seems to be an appropriate remedy.