📓 Journals Scoates' Magma Red Emira

[kitkat]

Just noticed something mildly interesting on the courtesy car. The boot lid is all body colour right under the glass to where it ends and goes into the engine bay. My car is only body colour up to just under the glass then becomes a black plastic the same as the underneath material of the boot lid. I wonder when that change occurred? Made no difference to the bubbling though...

Rough feeling black plastic here too

 

[scoates]

Rough feeling black plastic here too

What colour and glass option is your car?

My car is Magma with privacy, the courtesy car is DV with clear glass. Wondering if that makes a difference?

 

[scc.131.fe]

What colour and glass option is your car?

My car is Magma with privacy, the courtesy car is DV with clear glass. Wondering if that makes a difference?

rough black plastic under mine, Jan '24 build. no privacy glass.

 

[VL3X]

Privacy glass and black plastic here.

 

[kitkat]

What colour and glass option is your car?

My car is Magma with privacy, the courtesy car is DV with clear glass. Wondering if that makes a difference?

Magma with privacy as well.

 

[seriously]

Since my last post nothing has happened on the rejection front. I emailed the escalations team stating I want a new car or a refund and then it just so happens that the part I've been waiting 5 months for miraculously appears at the dealer two days later...

Giving them one last chance, booked the car in to have all the mechanical and trim issues sorted. They're going to have the car for 3 weeks so it better be sorted when I collect it! What has surprised me though is they have also told me that the parts are in to have the door AND both rear quarter panels replaced so that is getting done while it is in as well, so should be car completely sorted and good to go? Nope, just last week paint bubbling on the boot lid. It is on back order so won't be possible to replace this time... Only bumpers, front wings, roof and bonnet to go and it's a whole new body!

On the plus side though I've been given a lovely DV Emira as a courtesy car. It was bliss driving back home and being able to use the cruise control on the motorway and to not be sweating and deaf as the AC works in the courtesy car and my fans only blow hot and I needed the windows down to stay cool!

View attachment 47971

Are you storing your car outside? Is it really hot right now for you?

 

[scoates]

Privacy glass and black plastic here.

View attachment 48684

That's not quite the area I'm talking about. You can see the bit where it joins into the engine vent on the top of the boot lid, the other side of that. Where the water sits after it's been raining.

 

[scoates]

Are you storing your car outside? Is it really hot right now for you?

My car has always been stored outside, and I live in Scotland so it's never really hot but is very wet, hottest this year maybe been 24°c.

 

[PsymonR]

What colour and glass option is your car?

My car is Magma with privacy, the courtesy car is DV with clear glass. Wondering if that makes a difference?

My i4 has privacy glass and is painted body colour (DV) under the glass, no black plastic finish like you're describing.

 

[scoates]

Pretty bad photo, but the best I could find from old pics in my phone! You can just about see where the body colour ends and the plastic begins under the rear window

 

[Tomwa]

I have the rough black plastic once you get fully under the glass, I also have privacy glass. Wonder if that makes the difference since you can't really see they body trim under that part of the glass

 

[seriously]

Pretty bad photo, but the best I could find from old pics in my phone! You can just about see where the body colour ends and the plastic begins under the rear window

View attachment 48759

Mine is something like that. But the paint goes pretty far into the glass. No real concerns that you would notice anything off.

 

[scoates]

So after initially being told it would take 2 weeks, 1 month later my car has returned from the dealer (mostly) fixed!

The replacement wheel bearing, along with the replacement ABS sensor fitted in January has cured my traction control/ABS issue at long last!

They also replaced both doors and both rear quarter panels under warranty due to the paint bubbling. Unfortunately I'm not happy with the finish, the paint is a slightly different colour in the shade, but looks perfect in sunlight. Maybe the older paint just needs a polish to bring it back? I'm not sure... There is also significantly more orange peel, the panel gaps are off and there is a weird dent in the driver door. Comparing the original paint on the front wings and the panel gaps before replacement there are clear differences. The service manager agreed and so it is due to go back to the bodyshop to have it rectified, along with the replacement boot lid. There is also water potentially leaking into the passenger door. I asked them to give the car a rinse off to clear the dust as the bodyshop said paint still too soft for a contact wash, and there was an actual pool of water inside the door between the window and the leather door trim, way more than just a few drops!

The strangest issue is the air conditioning. It had failed completely and refused to blow cold, so they re-gassed it and tested for leaks and said all was well. On my journey from the dealer (around 120 miles) the car got warmer and warmer and didn't respond to any changes in the climate control (except warmer!) so I thought still broken. Until, that is, I dropped a couple of gears to overtake another car, and once the manoeuvre was completed suddenly ice cold air blew from the vents! After trial and error it appears the A/C does work, but only above 4000rpm. A couple of minutes of full blast cold after the 4000rpm it returns to blowing warm air until the next time. Very strange, and hopefully an easy fix!

Either way, back to the dealer at some point... Going to try and tie it in with the 2nd year service in November, and hopefully get the bodywork done at a more local shop that did the passenger door last year. Their repair was flawless!

 

[seriously]

So after initially being told it would take 2 weeks, 1 month later my car has returned from the dealer (mostly) fixed!

The replacement wheel bearing, along with the replacement ABS sensor fitted in January has cured my traction control/ABS issue at long last!

They also replaced both doors and both rear quarter panels under warranty due to the paint bubbling. Unfortunately I'm not happy with the finish, the paint is a slightly different colour in the shade, but looks perfect in sunlight. Maybe the older paint just needs a polish to bring it back? I'm not sure... There is also significantly more orange peel, the panel gaps are off and there is a weird dent in the driver door. Comparing the original paint on the front wings and the panel gaps before replacement there are clear differences. The service manager agreed and so it is due to go back to the bodyshop to have it rectified, along with the replacement boot lid. There is also water potentially leaking into the passenger door. I asked them to give the car a rinse off to clear the dust as the bodyshop said paint still too soft for a contact wash, and there was an actual pool of water inside the door between the window and the leather door trim, way more than just a few drops!

The strangest issue is the air conditioning. It had failed completely and refused to blow cold, so they re-gassed it and tested for leaks and said all was well. On my journey from the dealer (around 120 miles) the car got warmer and warmer and didn't respond to any changes in the climate control (except warmer!) so I thought still broken. Until, that is, I dropped a couple of gears to overtake another car, and once the manoeuvre was completed suddenly ice cold air blew from the vents! After trial and error it appears the A/C does work, but only above 4000rpm. A couple of minutes of full blast cold after the 4000rpm it returns to blowing warm air until the next time. Very strange, and hopefully an easy fix!

Either way, back to the dealer at some point... Going to try and tie it in with the 2nd year service in November, and hopefully get the bodywork done at a more local shop that did the passenger door last year. Their repair was flawless!

Based on the water ingress issues, I don't think your AC issues have anything to do with the integrity of the flow. Rather it's purely an electrical issue. This makes sense that something with the RPM would make it go wonky. I would have them check your entire related wiring harness for issues, not just the AC unit.

 

[JClem]

Based on the water ingress issues, I don't think your AC issues have anything to do with the integrity of the flow. Rather it's purely an electrical issue. This makes sense that something with the RPM would make it go wonky. I would have them check your entire related wiring harness for issues, not just the AC unit.

Agree. Any electrical issues the harness terminal needs to be checked for water ingress and corrosion. I’ve just had mine replaced but AC abnormalities was one of the symptoms along with the radiator fan not working. B&C are seeing more cases of this and it is a known issue.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

You have the patience of a saint.

 

[scoates]

Based on the water ingress issues, I don't think your AC issues have anything to do with the integrity of the flow. Rather it's purely an electrical issue. This makes sense that something with the RPM would make it go wonky. I would have them check your entire related wiring harness for issues, not just the AC unit.

Agree. Any electrical issues the harness terminal needs to be checked for water ingress and corrosion. I’ve just had mine replaced but AC abnormalities was one of the symptoms along with the radiator fan not working. B&C are seeing more cases of this and it is a known issue.

Thanks for the tips, will get them to check it out next time it is in. Thankfully coming towards Autumn the AC will be needed less and less!

You have the patience of a saint.

If the car didn't drive as well as it does it would've been sent back a long time ago!