My Frustrating Experience with MG Greece After-Sales Support

[acme]

I wanted to share my ongoing and deeply frustrating experience with MG Greece’s after-sales support for my MG4. Despite being informed by MG Europe about an available R46 update, my local service centers have consistently been unaware of it. After more than 6 months of back-and-forth communication, I’m still without the promised update, and the lack of coordination is alarming.

When my 12V outlet stopped working, I had to visit two different service centers—neither had the correct fuse in stock, despite being informed weeks in advance. One center even scratched my car’s interior while searching for the fuse box.

Additionally, I was told that rear speakers couldn't be installed due to a lack of wiring, but no one could confirm what this means for my warranty if I go aftermarket. Despite multiple requests, I have received no written confirmation or solutions, only conflicting information and unfulfilled promises.

To top it all off, I’ve requested that all future communication be in writing, and MG Europe has been kept in the loop in all my written correspondences. However, I’ve had to constantly follow up and chase for answers.

Has anyone else had similar issues, or can anyone recommend a course of action? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tuareg]

Are you Greek? If not can you speak & write in Greek? Are all of your communications in Greek?

 

[Rolfe]

There may be a misunderstanding here. You are referring to an update R46, but the R46 update is only available for Trophy models and your profile says you have an SE.

This may be even more complicated because some of the version numbers are different between different countries, or between Britain and the EU, but as I understand it, R46 is the latest TROPHY software for the EU. (There is an R59 available in Britain.)

The latest software update for the SE is R33, and I think that is the case for Europe also. Can you look on your infotainment screen and see what number of infotainment software you have at the moment? If it's R13, R16 or R21, you want an upgrade to R33. If it's R33, you're doing better than I am frankly, stuck here on R13.

(I'm going by the updates available in Britain, but I think they're the same for the EU. If not, someone will be along to correct me.)

 

[acme]

There may be a misunderstanding here. You are referring to an update R46, but the R46 update is only available for Trophy models and your profile says you have an SE.

This may be even more complicated because some of the version numbers are different between different countries, or between Britain and the EU, but as I understand it, R46 is the latest TROPHY software for the EU. (There is an R59 available in Britain.)

The latest software update for the SE is R33, and I think that is the case for Europe also. Can you look on your infotainment screen and see what number of infotainment software you have at the moment? If it's R13, R16 or R21, you want an upgrade to R33. If it's R33, you're doing better than I am frankly, stuck here on R13.

(I'm going by the updates available in Britain, but I think they're the same for the EU. If not, someone will be along to correct me.)

Currently my MPU software version ends in R21

The R46 information was given to me by mgeurope after letting them know my vin number.

Are you Greek? If not can you speak & write in Greek? Are all of your communications in Greek?

Yes I am Greek. But I am now almost certain that MG Greece dont speak any language...

 

[DannySB1]

Yep they're absolutely terrible, sorry you've also had to experience their ineptitude. I also made a thread on here about my pretty poor experience with my local MG dealer to which the issues I wrote about are still not resolved.

Not been a great week..

Been singing the MG4s praises since I got the car earlier this year, despite a very strange air ventilation issue I've had very little to complain about with both car and MG in general.. ..Until this week. Tuesday evening I got in the car and to my surprise the main infotainment screen just...

www.mgevs.com

I've now been forced to contact another garage 30 minutes away but the soonest available date they can take a look at my car is late November! Sigh..

 

[Rolfe]

Currently my MPU software version ends in R21

The R46 information was given to me by mgeurope after letting them know my vin number.

MG Europe have misled you. Typical MG efficiency. The R46 version is the Trophy one. The version you need is R33.

Don't feel so bad about your dealer, you're not alone. Lots of us in other countries have had lousy dealership experiences. I have been screaming at my dealer to update my car from R13 to R33 for literally months, and they are going to have their third try next week. Deep joy.

One way to approach this is to complain to your dealer that your car does not display the outside temperature. That is a bug in R21. It is fixed in R33. This works in Britain, anyway, where the lack of outside temperature is acknowledged to be a fault. Then you are entitled to have that fault fixed, and the fix is R33.

(I'm complaining about other things, because R13, for all its bugs, actually does display the outside temperature!)

Maybe if you approach them with the correct number for the software you need, something will click somewhere, and it might just get done.

 

[siteguru]

Currently my MPU software version ends in R21

The R46 information was given to me by mgeurope after letting them know my vin number.

I'm not aware of there ever being a 1300R21 for the Trophy/Luxury spec car. Given that you say R21 then I'm presuming that you have 1100R21 ... as @Rolfe says the latest for the SE spec (Standard or Comfort in EU terms) is 1100R33.

 

[Rolfe]

Yep they're absolutely terrible, sorry you've also had to experience their ineptitude. I also made a thread on here about my pretty poor experience with my local MG dealer to which the issues I wrote about are still not resolved.

Not been a great week..

Been singing the MG4s praises since I got the car earlier this year, despite a very strange air ventilation issue I've had very little to complain about with both car and MG in general.. ..Until this week. Tuesday evening I got in the car and to my surprise the main infotainment screen just...

www.mgevs.com

I've now been forced to contact another garage 30 minutes away but the soonest available date they can take a look at my car is late November! Sigh..

I am determined to make my dealer do that bloody software update, do the undertray fix, and sort the charging port lights. If they manage to do that on Thursday, I'm off. They will not be seeing me again. There are four or five MG dealers within practical reach of me, and they can't all be as bad as this one. There is one about 35 miles away that seems to deal only in MGs, has apparently been an MG dealer since Morris Garages was a garden shed, and is now advertising that it is a fully-accredited MG service centre (as of June 2024).

I'm not aware of there ever being a 1300R21 for the Trophy/Luxury spec car. Given that you say R21 then I'm presuming that you have 1100R21 ... as @Rolfe says the latest for the SE spec (Standard or Comfort in EU terms) is 1100R33.

Well, since his profile says he has an SE SR, I think we knew that. MG Europe has been about as efficient as MG anywhere-else when advising him of the update he needed.

 

[siteguru]

People don't always update their profiles correctly. And I was typing as you posted previously.

Which is that MG service centre BTW?

 

[acme]

I think that problem is not if I am saying to them that the version I should have is R46 or R33. The problem is that when I tell them about "software update", they are looking at me like an alien...
And the most frightening thing is that 2 garages didn't even have the fuse that I needed and they didn't know where the fuse box is!!!

 

[Rolfe]

Which is that MG service centre BTW?

Central Garage Galashiels. I looked at their web site when I was originally looking to buy an MG4, and ended up making fun of them because on one page it was exhorting you to come and drive straight off in your new MG (like that ever happens), and on another it stated baldly that it had no MG cars in stock. At all. I didn't enquire further. But someone in the village said the garage has been MG since the dawn of time. Then more recently someone else said they thought the garage owner actually lives here.

Central Garage Galashiels | MG Car Dealership Galashiels

Searcing for the best MG car dealers in Galashiels? Well, we at Central Garage provide the new MG cars in Galashiels. We also provide best and approved used cars from MG and various other makes in Galashiels, Scottish Borders.

www.centralgaragegalashiels.co.uk

I looked again at their web site more recently and it has had a complete re-vamp. Test drives offered on all MG models. Cars in stock. Still only MG mentioned on the home page, no sign of Kias, Hyundais or whatever else it is Macklin Motors sells. And a new announcement that as of June 2024 they were now a fully-accredited MG repair centre. I haven't been in touch yet, but it all looks very promising. I'm scenting possible genuine commitment to MG cars.

It's the wrong side of the country for you, but I go that way fairly often. I used to do occasional days of work in St Boswells, and the county hospital is in Melrose. The garage seems to be within walking distance of the town centre with shops and cafés, and even the Great Tapestry of Scotland exhibition. So getting a courtesy car isn't such an issue as it is with Macklin, where you end up stuck in the Edinburgh new car village out by the airport with absolutely bugger-all to do and nothing within walking distance but other car dealerships.

I think that problem is not if I am saying to them that the version I should have is R46 or R33. The problem is that when I tell them about "software update", they are looking at me like an alien...
And the most frightening thing is that 2 garages didn't even have the fuse that I needed and they didn't know where the fuse box is!!!

OMG, that's bad!