DIY'd 12C accumulators today
Discussion
Did the 4 suspension accumulators on my 12C today, on the driveway, so to speak. Car is quite new to me but was definitely riding firm, with no discernible difference between Normal,Sport and Track...
..had no doubt they were shot
Bought 4 MLR 40.140 accumulators direct from MLR in Canada, total £864 including fast UPS shipment and no additional duties due
Took me 3.5 hours, not rushing things. It's a very uncomplicated job, and most time is spent removing trim, wheel arch liners, battery etc
I honestly believe the units removed are the original ones. The car has good history, with main agents and the best thought of independents. Nevertheless, owners of this car in recent years have not had the benefit of how good a 12C is
The car is transformed,with a suppleness just not present before
A good afternoon's work..
..had no doubt they were shot
Bought 4 MLR 40.140 accumulators direct from MLR in Canada, total £864 including fast UPS shipment and no additional duties due
Took me 3.5 hours, not rushing things. It's a very uncomplicated job, and most time is spent removing trim, wheel arch liners, battery etc
I honestly believe the units removed are the original ones. The car has good history, with main agents and the best thought of independents. Nevertheless, owners of this car in recent years have not had the benefit of how good a 12C is
The car is transformed,with a suppleness just not present before
A good afternoon's work..
Edited by meridian on Saturday 25th April 17:47
Edited by meridian on Sunday 26th April 07:35
Good effort. It is always satisfying to do that type of job and the bonus is you save a lot of money. You also did well not having to pay any additional customs duties. I imported some headlights from the US in December 2025 and some gearbox potentiometers from Germany last month. In both cases I ended up paying double the amount of customs duty that was due. I have been reimbursed for the additional £400 that it cost for the headlights, but have almost written off the money for the gearbox potentiometers because it is impossible to contact Royal Mail about it via email, post or telephone.
BAMoFo said:
Good effort. It is always satisfying to do that type of job and the bonus is you save a lot of money. You also did well not having to pay any additional customs duties. I imported some headlights from the US in December 2025 and some gearbox potentiometers from Germany last month. In both cases I ended up paying double the amount of customs duty that was due. I have been reimbursed for the additional £400 that it cost for the headlights, but have almost written off the money for the gearbox potentiometers because it is impossible to contact Royal Mail about it via email, post or telephone.
Yes, I was expecting some import duty, but resultantly the items cleared customs and were delivered immediately. Might have got lucky ! Sorry for your import experience. As you say, satisfying to do some of this stuff yourself. Don't get me wrong, the car has just had a belt and braces major service completed by a specialist, so i will only complete some of the jobs myself...650S said:
Well done, the 12C is a superb car for many reasons, and the accumulators are a key part of that.
Precisely this. The Super Series cars' suspension is very much a great part of what makes them Super Series. With failed accumulators the system just cannot work as intended. It's a shame to have such an incredible car, that's ultimately not driving as it should. Very pleased to have completed this...Gassing Station | McLaren | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff