New MG ZS high fuel consumption and frosty glass shattering

ontheroad1970

Personally I wish that stop start couldn't be turned off.  It is there to help reduce emissions in traffic.  People that moan it takes them longer to pull away need to do better preparation at the lights.

jimbo6977

ontheroad1970 said:

jimbo6977 said:

I would suggest changing up a gear (or two). You'll get better mpg and your neighbours' ears will be as thankful as your wallet.

Being an auto, will depend on there being a manual override on gear changes.

So either the gearbox is dicky or (if possible) the OP is holding it in too low a gear. 

Goudy

I too had a series of windows just shattering on a previous car, one rear quarter light and a rear screen.

It was thought that there were some imperfections in the glass and as the windows were bonded in any flex in the body caused the imperfect panes to just shatter.
If they were on rubber seals they wouldn't shatter so easily due to the seals flexing.

The company that replaced them said they see a lot of it this days, nicks in the edges or tiny bubbles in the panes cause them to shatter unexpectedly.

I also had a job getting the replacements, my model was a new limited edition and the only model in the range at that time that had dark tinted glass in the rear windows, so no one had them on the shelf. 

tifo

Herzlos said:

Fuel economy improving after a few miles is nonsense these days, car's don't really need to be broken in anymore though they do recommend going easy for the first while.

That's what I was told, the staff were just laughing at me and the manager walking off as I was talking.

Honest John reckon a real MPG of somewhere between 29 and 40mpg (https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/mg/zs-2017/10-gdi-automatic) so you're falling short of that, but of course small journeys will be much worse for fuel economy and it's a small turbocharged engine with an automatic gearbox on a relatively heavy car so it's likely to be working pretty hard. So 18mpg isn't that unlikely.

If the review says 29 - 40 mpg then I should be getting mpg in the late 20s not teens? I calculate on actual gallons per fill (not price) and it works out at approx 17 mpg.

You've had the car for a little over a year now and put 4000 miles on it, which is about 10 miles a day. What kind of driving are you doing? Lots of short journeys or a few longer ones?

Just several local journeys.

I'm not sure about the glass fault; you've already had it for a year and thus a winter, albeit this one was much colder than last, so it may be a manufacturing defect but it'll be almost impossible to prove. It's also possible it's been some minor damage you couldn't see / didn't notice. So realistically your best option there is to just get that window replaced and then let them do to the mileage test on it. You should be able to do it through your insurance if you have windscreen cover, or you can try the car glass places directly.

I do have windscreen cover (comprehensive insurance).

If you're not happy with the car then after a year your options aren't great. You can trade it in for something else or just put up with the poor fuel economy given how few miles you do.

How does the price compare to somewhere like webuyanycar.com? I suspect they are offering to buy it from you at trade price if they are insisting there's nothing wrong with it.

webuyanycar are the lowest (£2,000 lower than cazoo), best are cazoo then motorway (£800 lower than cazoo). The dealer offered same as motorway but £500 less than november as he said prices have gone down in december and will go lower.

Depreciation is always worst in nearly new cars though given the supply/demand skew at the moment they are holding their value better.

Yes they are, but not when dealers want to buy, only when they sell.

Replies above in bold.

tifo

Goudy said:

I too had a series of windows just shattering on a previous car, one rear quarter light and a rear screen.

It was thought that there were some imperfections in the glass and as the windows were bonded in any flex in the body caused the imperfect panes to just shatter.
If they were on rubber seals they wouldn't shatter so easily due to the seals flexing.

The company that replaced them said they see a lot of it this days, nicks in the edges or tiny bubbles in the panes cause them to shatter unexpectedly.

I also had a job getting the replacements, my model was a new limited edition and the only model in the range at that time that had dark tinted glass in the rear windows, so no one had them on the shelf. 

Is this with the newer MG ZS from SIAC motors?

tifo

ontheroad1970 said:

jimbo6977 said:

I would suggest changing up a gear (or two). You'll get better mpg and your neighbours' ears will be as thankful as your wallet.

Being an auto, will depend on there being a manual override on gear changes.

It does have manual override and I do change it up occasionally when it revs too much (usually uphill), but I shouldn't constantly have to do this, it's an auto for a reason. It usually changes itself at 3,000 revs. My idle speed has always been 1,000 revs, previous cars are 800 revs.

tifo

At 4302 miles. This is from £50 of shell fuel a few weeks ago, actual mileage works out lower if calculated against price and gallons.

tifo

At 2789 miles.

tifo

At 873 miles.

Goudy

I can see your problem from here.
Look at the miles, time and average speed, (119 miles in 12hours 50 minutes = 9mph).
You are obviously using the car in heavy city, stop start traffic.

Reset the trip, get on an A road or motorway and try getting a reading like 120 miles in 2 hours or so, then see what your mpg is.

If I solely drive my car back and forth to work in London I get 27 to 30 mpg.
When I drive up to the Scottish Highlands, I get 58 mpg.

One trip I am constantly speeding up and stopping every 25 metres, the other sitting at a set 70 mph for hours.
Monday to Friday I get 265 miles out of a tank.
Saturday and Sunday nearly 500 miles.