540c and 570s warranty question

[Redshed]

looking at changing my 2011 california with Larini X pipe and sports cats for a Mclaren.
Even though i hear so many horror stories first hand from current or previous owners, I still feel like a fly inexplicably attracted to that blue light in the chip shop.
With values around the £75k mark, it's becoming interesting.

Does an RAC warranty have any actual value or would a Thorney or original Mclaren warranty be the ones to look out for?

[murphyaj]

What's the small print look like?
Not sure about the warranties they sell through dealers, but the terms of the warranty you can buy direct from them render it largely useless.

£55 an hour labour outside of London, only 1 hours labour included for diagnosing the fault, claim limit of £2000.

[Ken_Code]

I’m of the opinion now that it’s not really worth paying £5,000+ for a warranty. Get the car thoroughly checked over before you buy it, and stick that amount into a savings account each year.

McLaren (perfectly reasonably) will tend to replace anything sub-par with new parts. There’s no reason to do this with every bit, and if (for example) you’re happy to pay Thorney a few hundred pounds for a new battery rather than McLaren (apparently) putting in a £5,000 one then you’re saving a lot of money without sacrificing anything in terms of the car.

I still get everything done on mine, but no longer by McLaren, and not necessarily on day 1.

My water pump is “weeping”, as in not even dripping yet, so I might wait to get it replaced.

[Redshed]

thanks.

[Fatherdougal]

I wouldn't touch a warranty that wasn't either McLaren's own (although obviously implemented by a third party) or Thorney. If you aren't keen on either of those, there are more and more Mac owners that are simply not taking warranty, and relying on either V Engineering or Thorney to do the work.

When I was last in with V Engineering they said they pretty much had yet to see any problem that they couldn't fix for less than the cost of the McLaren warranty. Obviously you could get unlucky and have more than one in a year, but there does seem to be growing confidence with these indies.

[Davyt]

Just renewed mine for a further 12 months, gives peace of mind especially when I’ve had a new engine fitted on another McLaren £28K, If your not keen on the extra spend then yes there’s a few indies I would use only problem being like many I live no where near either V or Thorney , PPI’s are ok but only worth it at time of writing, bit like an MOT I suppose,,

[Ken_Code]

Davyt said:

Just renewed mine for a further 12 months, gives peace of mind especially when I’ve had a new engine fitted on another McLaren £28K, If your not keen on the extra spend then yes there’s a few indies I would use only problem being like many I live no where near either V or Thorney , PPI’s are ok but only worth it at time of writing, bit like an MOT I suppose,,

My view on insurance (which a warranty is) is that if it’d be difficult to just pay up myself then it makes sense (to me) or if it’s mis-priced then I’ll take it out.

My cars would all be insured third-party only if that was an option, and my main homes are insured, but beyond that I tend to self-insure.

[Redshed]

I had a warranty on the California and the gear speed sensor went which was a big job.
I understand the mindset regarding 3rd party on insurance, i'm other end of the spectrum and go full comp where possible.

[Davyt]

A guy who worked for me several years ago thought he was that good a driver he’d never crash and insured his Focus ST 3rd party only, guess what ? He stuffed it into the back of someone and his car was a total,, think he goes fully comp now,, insurance is a risk based product, you chose the risk at the end of the day and pay the consequences if you get it wrong,, each to their own though that’s why these products are always offered ,

[samoht]

For me I choose to take my car to V Engineering, which then sends me down the no-warranty route as a consequence - I wouldn't want to deal with a garage I don't like and trust for the sake of a warranty. If for example I lived in Scotland and had developed a good relationship with McGlasgow then I might lean the other way.


McLaren Approved cars seem to be more around the £95k mark as they rarely sell the older cars; Thorney does, and so covers a wider range, there are also some cars offered with existing McWarranty (strictly speaking this is only valid if sold privately or SoR). If you want the security of a warranty then I'd recommend looking to stretch the budget a bit and/or being patient until the right car comes along with warranty on it.

[MMarkM]

I bought from a MD as I wanted the warranty, I didn't actually know that it is a third party warranty, more fool me not asking. Very first claim (fault found by V-Engineering) they refused to pay and said it was the dealers issue to resolve. Dealer also said not their problem. Eventually sorted by the dealer after lots of back and forth. With this experience in mind, I wouldn't be looking for a MD car in the future.

Above being said, if you're adamant on Mac warranty I believe you can take the car to a MD for a check up then take out warranty a month later? I'm sure someone on here can provide better/more accurate details

[Davyt]

MMarkM said:

I bought from a MD as I wanted the warranty, I didn't actually know that it is a third party warranty, more fool me not asking. Very first claim (fault found by V-Engineering) they refused to pay and said it was the dealers issue to resolve. Dealer also said not their problem. Eventually sorted by the dealer after lots of back and forth. With this experience in mind, I wouldn't be looking for a MD car in the future.

Above being said, if you're adamant on Mac warranty I believe you can take the car to a MD for a check up then take out warranty a month later? I'm sure someone on here can provide better/more accurate details

90 days before you can apply is the official line I believe, the car then needs inspecting and any remedial work carried out before the warranty can be applied.

Edited by Davyt on Wednesday 8th May 08:30

[Redshed]

thanks again for the information,
I need to decide if I am actually ready to sell the california and then sit patiently for the right car.
Budget is probably around max £75k but if I can be bothered waiting until Q1 next year then I can push it up to £80k.

Not an easy decision but a nice one to have none the less.
I went from Exige to the California, a track car to a touring car and don't regret it. I do however, want to keep going up a level each time I get a new "fun" car and Mclaren always seems to be right there in front of me daring me to go with my "heart" and ignore any thoughts of contracting STDs or buying a lemon.