First McLaren: 2019 540C - PPI & exhaust options

[PinkHouse]

After a few months searching for something to replace my Exige 410 and considering other options around the £80-£120k range (991GT3, R8 V10, AMG GTR, higher mileage 458), along with the other McLaren models I've finally decided on this 2019 540C which I reserved as soon as I saw it online over the weekend due to the striking colour after seeing it on the other 570 spider thread. Also thanks to the advice and analysis from the long-running sports series thread to give me all the insights to make me confident in my choice. Managed to negotiate a warranty extension and a decent deposit contribution as part of the deal so I feel like I've got a good deal.


I've just got a few questions which I'll be grateful for any help and insight:

• It's my first proper supercar so I've got to make sure I do it properly and wanted a relatively new model and one that had done some miles so the initial troubleshooting had been done. Plus it's still covered for any corrosion by the manufacturer warranty and going in at this price level leaves me less exposed to any future market turbulence

• It's from Sytner Select rather than a Mclaren main dealer, so I had to make sure there wasn't anything adverse in the history and was pleased to see it had a full McLaren service history. Apparently the BMW dealership took it in as a part-ex and they wanted to retail it themselves, which explains why it's not being retailed by the other McLaren dealers in group. However it would be great to know if anyone knows anything about the history or previous owners. I found this video on youtube of the car https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx1_zcTTFv8

• In terms of spec, it looks to have all the right options apart from the sports exhaust, so I'd be looking to see if anyone has got an OEM sports or MSO titanium exhaust for sale then PM me I also wish it had contrast stitching on the interior but it's impossible to find a perfect car. Are there any other desirable options it's missing?

• It's currently going through their workshop for a health-check and I know the usual things to look out for but they're not McLaren specialists, so I'm wondering if it's worth paying for an inspection at a main dealer or someone like V engineering. It would be great to understand from owners if it's worth doing this even if it gets a clean bill of health from Sytner and what PPIs typically cost from main dealers or independents. Finally logistically whether it's worth doing it pre or post-sale if I've got an agreement that they would sort out anything that comes up in the inspection as that may be easier to arrange.

• It's got a "Select" warranty for 18 months, which has a £4k claim limit. It provides some peace of mind and hopefully if anything major goes wrong Thorney or V could sort out most things for less than that.

Other than that, pretty excited for the car and looking forward to collecting it once I've done all the mechanical admin! I'd appreciate any ownership tips and let me know if there's anything else I've missed

[davek_964]

I think an inspection from V was around £300-400 when I checked a few months ago - plus the cost of getting the car to them.
I think I would do so in this case.

[samoht]

davek_964 said:

I think an inspection from V was around £300-400 when I checked a few months ago - plus the cost of getting the car to them.
I think I would do so in this case.

+1

I wouldn't spend £90k on a car without an independent inspection. Doubly true for a supercar where lots of silly little issues can be expensive to resolve. Remember George's FF?

I paid ~£475 for a PPI at McLaren Hatfield. After purchase I took the car to V Engineering who gave a much more thorough and useful overview of my car's condition. If I was buying again I would want them to look at the car rather than a franchised dealer.

In terms of before or after - Romans St Albans had no problem with arranging an inspection at McHatfield. Since it was nearby they ran the car over without charge. I'm sure I could've arranged it to go elsewhere at my expense. So I would expect Sytners to accommodate similar.

[PinkHouse]

samoht said:

davek_964 said:

I think an inspection from V was around £300-400 when I checked a few months ago - plus the cost of getting the car to them.
I think I would do so in this case.

+1

I wouldn't spend £90k on a car without an independent inspection. Doubly true for a supercar where lots of silly little issues can be expensive to resolve. Remember George's FF?

I paid ~£475 for a PPI at McLaren Hatfield. After purchase I took the car to V Engineering who gave a much more thorough and useful overview of my car's condition. If I was buying again I would want them to look at the car rather than a franchised dealer.

In terms of before or after - Romans St Albans had no problem with arranging an inspection at McHatfield. Since it was nearby they ran the car over without charge. I'm sure I could've arranged it to go elsewhere at my expense. So I would expect Sytners to accommodate similar.

Perfect thanks, looks like I'll get the car over to V Engineering for an inspection and see how I get on

[samoht]

Cool, I think you'll be on solid ground with their inspection report in your hand.

Other thoughts:

• Car looks good to me, I like the colour and the wheels seem a good combo. It's clocked up 1500 miles since April which is good that it's not been sat unused. Miguel, the owner in the video, comes across as a sensible chap
• Looking through AT, £90k seems a fair price for a 2019 car.
• I also bought a 2019 car on similar mileage; get a car under factory corrosion warranty, but with enough miles to be debugged. So far that's worked well for me.
• On the exhaust, this thread may be interesting

The Surveyor said:

- The 'standard' exhaust on the 570s is actually the 'sports' exhaust option on the 540c and 570GT. Then there is the 'sports' exhaust option on the 570s, then the louder-still MSO exhaust option.

• Spec seems good, got all the main things - nose lift, forged wheels, extended paddles, leather dash. Electric seats which is arguable either way (manual seats are better if you need maximum headroom). I don't know if it has soft-close doors? Other things it's "missing" would be the 12-speaker stereo (not that significant given road noise IMO), and exterior carbon-fibre (very rare on a 540).

The only other tip I can give is to make sure you see the car in the flesh before committing. A PPI may not detail any minor stone chips or other blemishes on the exterior or interior (mine did not), so check it over carefully to ensure you're happy.

Edited by samoht on Thursday 6th July 23:20

[Nuttbelle]

Defo get inspection done before if its a Sytner direct car

[TBCTBC]

Nuttbelle said:

Defo get inspection done before if its a Sytner direct car

+1 x 1,000,000

[VR6VR6]

"Sytner Select car"

100% get it inspected OR walk away.

Have had many issues fixed on our recent Sytner Select purchase (a premium SUV) even after it had apparently passed their 135 point inspection - someone must have simply ticked all of the boxes as there is NO WAY that they could have missed some of the faults if they had actually inspected the car.

To be fair, Sytner have paid for all of the repairs but I wish I had purchased from a main dealer now - be VERY careful!

[CharlesElliott]

Given that Sytner do have McLaren franchises, there must be a reason why this car wasn't / couldn't be McLaren approved. I wonder what that was, and I'd be suspicous of the 'BMW dealer wanted to sell it themselves'.

[PinkHouse]

samoht said:

• Spec seems good, got all the main things - nose lift, forged wheels, extended paddles, leather dash. Electric seats which is arguable either way (manual seats are better if you need maximum headroom). I don't know if it has soft-close doors? Other things it's "missing" would be the 12-speaker stereo (not that significant given road noise IMO), and exterior carbon-fibre (very rare on a 540).

The only other tip I can give is to make sure you see the car in the flesh before committing. A PPI may not detail any minor stone chips or other blemishes on the exterior or interior (mine did not), so check it over carefully to ensure you're happy.

Edited by samoht on Thursday 6th July 23:20

Thanks for the info on options, I'll be going up this weekend to view the car myself and also looking to organise an inspection. I think soft close doors can be retrofitted in any case and I'm getting a main dealer to give me the full list of the build from the factory. The luggage choices you posted on your thread have also come in handy for planning longer trips and tours.

I'll wait to hear the car in person before I make a decision on exhaust and I'm sure it won't be too difficult to source a 570S sports exhaust since many owners have upgraded to the MSO or Larini options

[T350 Al]

PinkHouse said:

After a few months searching for something to replace my Exige 410 and considering other options around the £80-£120k range (991GT3, R8 V10, AMG GTR, higher mileage 458), along with the other McLaren models I've finally decided on this 2019 540C which I reserved as soon as I saw it online over the weekend due to the striking colour after seeing it on the other 570 spider thread. Also thanks to the advice and analysis from the long-running sports series thread to give me all the insights to make me confident in my choice. Managed to negotiate a warranty extension and a decent deposit contribution as part of the deal so I feel like I've got a good deal.


I've just got a few questions which I'll be grateful for any help and insight:

• It's my first proper supercar so I've got to make sure I do it properly and wanted a relatively new model and one that had done some miles so the initial troubleshooting had been done. Plus it's still covered for any corrosion by the manufacturer warranty and going in at this price level leaves me less exposed to any future market turbulence

• It's from Sytner Select rather than a Mclaren main dealer, so I had to make sure there wasn't anything adverse in the history and was pleased to see it had a full McLaren service history. Apparently the BMW dealership took it in as a part-ex and they wanted to retail it themselves, which explains why it's not being retailed by the other McLaren dealers in group. However it would be great to know if anyone knows anything about the history or previous owners. I found this video on youtube of the car https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx1_zcTTFv8

• In terms of spec, it looks to have all the right options apart from the sports exhaust, so I'd be looking to see if anyone has got an OEM sports or MSO titanium exhaust for sale then PM me I also wish it had contrast stitching on the interior but it's impossible to find a perfect car. Are there any other desirable options it's missing?

• It's currently going through their workshop for a health-check and I know the usual things to look out for but they're not McLaren specialists, so I'm wondering if it's worth paying for an inspection at a main dealer or someone like V engineering. It would be great to understand from owners if it's worth doing this even if it gets a clean bill of health from Sytner and what PPIs typically cost from main dealers or independents. Finally logistically whether it's worth doing it pre or post-sale if I've got an agreement that they would sort out anything that comes up in the inspection as that may be easier to arrange.

• It's got a "Select" warranty for 18 months, which has a £4k claim limit. It provides some peace of mind and hopefully if anything major goes wrong Thorney or V could sort out most things for less than that.

Other than that, pretty excited for the car and looking forward to collecting it once I've done all the mechanical admin! I'd appreciate any ownership tips and let me know if there's anything else I've missed

Congratulations! What a stunning car! I started off looking at the 540c, with a much lower budget than I eventually ended up spending! I'm a week into ownership and can safely say that these cars are something very special indeed. I hope that you get the same service and handover from your dealership as I did, as it really put the cherry on top, as it were, of my first supercar purchase! Enjoy the buildup to pick up day, and welcome to the fold!

[PinkHouse]

Thanks all, looks like there's definitely a consensus for the PPI so I'll be sorting that for next week and going up to see the car in the flesh tomorrow!

[PinkHouse]

T350 Al said:

Congratulations! What a stunning car! I started off looking at the 540c, with a much lower budget than I eventually ended up spending! I'm a week into ownership and can safely say that these cars are something very special indeed. I hope that you get the same service and handover from your dealership as I did, as it really put the cherry on top, as it were, of my first supercar purchase! Enjoy the buildup to pick up day, and welcome to the fold!

Thanks and it's great to see the impression it's made on you already! What spec did you go for with yours and was it from a main dealer?

[cgt2]

Nuttbelle said:

Defo get inspection done before if its a Sytner direct car

If it was McLaren Approved standard one of their McLaren dealers would be retailing it with a higher margin. I saw a Vanquish at Select a few months ago, the car was absolutely shocking. Not to say this is but tread carefully.

[T350 Al]

PinkHouse said:

Thanks and it's great to see the impression it's made on you already! What spec did you go for with yours and was it from a main dealer?

It's not an incredibly high spec compared to some; only interior options are heated electric seats and carbon steering wheel badge. Exterior only has the stealth exhausts, but dear lord is it a clean example. On any other car I'd call it "poverty spec", but if it was good enough for Chris Harris In the end, it was the colour that did it for me; I'd considered going loud with and orange, but Pacific Blue really suits the GT in my opinion.

I did go for main dealer in the end; being new to the marque, having something McLaren Qualifed, whatever that might mean in the long run, just gave more confidence and with 12 months warranty and roadside assist hopefully means I've got some assurance. Having done some research, I think I'd happily buy from Thorney and would certainly consider their warranty in the future.

[justin220]

Nice to see the 540C getting some love Looks great in that colour and the spec is very good. I'd prefer the alcantara interior over the leather but thats personal preference..

As mentioned above a 570S sports exhaust will effectively be two steps up, as it goes -

540 Non < 540 Sports (570S Non) < 570S Sports < MSO

[PinkHouse]

I saw the car in the flesh today and it looks even better in person! It's got track pack PPF so there's no stone chips to speak of and the interior is barely worn so I'm feeling much more confident.

I'll be getting the pre-warranty inspection done at a main dealer and I'll be looking forward to wrapping things up this week all being well

[PinkHouse]

justin220 said:

Nice to see the 540C getting some love Looks great in that colour and the spec is very good. I'd prefer the alcantara interior over the leather but thats personal preference..

As mentioned above a 570S sports exhaust will effectively be two steps up, as it goes -

540 Non < 540 Sports (570S Non) < 570S Sports < MSO

Thanks! It should definitely get some more love because it didn't feel much different to a 570 I drove previously and on public roads the power is more than enough. I think it's easy enough to be hyper-analytical and scrutinise all the numbers but driving every model puts a smile on your face

[samoht]

Great stuff on the condition, I think a car that has done some miles but remains in very good cosmetic condition is ideal, sounds good. Having the PPF is good.

I have to say I personally wasn't that impressed with the main dealer PPI I had. Firstly ceramic brake disc condition is pretty significant; the PPI just said they were 'OK', whereas V Eng later described them as '50% worn' which is much more useful. Secondly the PPI reported that both front suspension arms were making a creaking noise and needed replacing, however when the selling owner sent it back to the same dealership for that to be done under warranty immediately after, they said they were fine (couldn't reproduce the issue) and didn't need doing. Third, the car had an advisory on its last MoT for slight play in the right rear wheel; the PPI raised no concerns so I assumed it had been remedied. First MoT under my ownership six weeks later, guess what the single advisory was for? Yup. Finally the car as-sold had the right rear toe way out - it was 1.5 degrees out, when it should be 1.5 degrees or so in. Yeah it's just alignment, but it was so bad it was (a) visibly wrong to Steve at V Eng and (b) frankly dangerous.

Anyway, if you do decide to have it PPI'd at a main dealer hopefully it'll be one whose name doesn't start with an item of headgear, and they'll do a better job for you. But that's why I recommend V!

IMO the main 'problem' with the 540C was often they were being put up for almost equal money as a 570S while having a less generous load of options, making them hard to recommend. This car has a nice spec and is £15k less than the cheapest 2019-on 570S, at which point being indeed basically the same car, it looks a really good buy.

Anyway, hope everything goes smoothly, let us know if anything comes up on the PPI.

[PinkHouse]

samoht said:

Great stuff on the condition, I think a car that has done some miles but remains in very good cosmetic condition is ideal, sounds good. Having the PPF is good.

I have to say I personally wasn't that impressed with the main dealer PPI I had. Firstly ceramic brake disc condition is pretty significant; the PPI just said they were 'OK', whereas V Eng later described them as '50% worn' which is much more useful. Secondly the PPI reported that both front suspension arms were making a creaking noise and needed replacing, however when the selling owner sent it back to the same dealership for that to be done under warranty immediately after, they said they were fine (couldn't reproduce the issue) and didn't need doing. Third, the car had an advisory on its last MoT for slight play in the right rear wheel; the PPI raised no concerns so I assumed it had been remedied. First MoT under my ownership six weeks later, guess what the single advisory was for? Yup. Finally the car as-sold had the right rear toe way out - it was 1.5 degrees out, when it should be 1.5 degrees or so in. Yeah it's just alignment, but it was so bad it was (a) visibly wrong to Steve at V Eng and (b) frankly dangerous.

Anyway, if you do decide to have it PPI'd at a main dealer hopefully it'll be one whose name doesn't start with an item of headgear, and they'll do a better job for you. But that's why I recommend V!

IMO the main 'problem' with the 540C was often they were being put up for almost equal money as a 570S while having a less generous load of options, making them hard to recommend. This car has a nice spec and is £15k less than the cheapest 2019-on 570S, at which point being indeed basically the same car, it looks a really good buy.

Anyway, hope everything goes smoothly, let us know if anything comes up on the PPI.

Thanks this is eye-opening, I'd have taken it to V but timings didn't work out as they're going to be away till the end of the month but Paul was quite helpful and insightful over the phone so I'll definitely take it over to them at some point.

My local dealer is New Forest and they've been great so far with all my dealings so hopefully their great service continues. It's a shame your PPI wasn't as thorough but at least you got them to sort out some work under warranty so you got some value back for your money. I'll definitely post any findings from the PPI just so I can give back some insights to help other people searching as I've certainly learnt a lot from here

The other thing that helped today is that the salespeople at Sytner Nottingham are proper petrolheads, my main point of contact has had an interesting selection of mid-engined V8 Ferraris and was very knowledgeable about the car and supercars in general so it puts you at ease!