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

[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

[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

[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?

[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

[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!

[PinkHouse]

T350 Al said:

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.

I think i recall seeing your posts in the other thread and that colour suits the car quite nicely! I genuinely can't think any McLaren cars can truly qualify as poverty spec as they're nowhere near as stingy with the standard spec as Porsche. For example I assume no cars come with plastic dashboards, missing climate control or cruise control!

[PinkHouse]

Got this home and it drives like a dream, I can now see why some say the 720s is a bit pointless as there was no point I thought I'd need more power! Only thing slightly lacking is the exhaust note so I'll be test driving a car with the MSO Titanium exhaust to see if I can justify the cost to fit it.

It's headed to NF for an inspection and to sort out the hinges on Monday and fingers crossed it comes up clear.

[PinkHouse]

justin220 said:

Brilliant!

Keen to hear what you think about a louder exhaust. I've always wondered if it's worth the cost and hassle to upgrade aswell. I think I'd be more tempted to go aftermarket, Larini or such like

samoht said:

Looks really good. And yeah, there's definitely something delicious about the way these cars go down the road, even at normal speeds.

So far, I think 500+hp is (wonderfully) excessive on almost any UK road. The Autobahn was the only place where I could imagine being able to make use of even more power, albeit I've not been on track yet.

I hope the inspection confirms the car's good aside from the hinges, and you can settle into enjoying ownership.

V Eng were complimentary about Larini exhausts, fwiw. Personally I wouldn't want to step up from the 'sports' exhaust I have (GT sports, so S standard) due to where I live and not wanting to disturb neighbours. However my suspicion would be that some kind of upgrade from what you have will increase your enjoyment.

Thanks fingers crossed and I got a great deal (I think) anyway as I got £3k off the asking, so that's also a barometer for values if anyone else is in the market.

I'll definitely report back once I've sampled it in person, plus Grange are running an offer for the MSO exhaust at £3.8k fitted which seems like great VFM compared to the aftermarket options, unless there are much cheaper good options? There's also the advantage of keeping things OEM so it adds value on resale.

I'm still enjoying the car as is and I'm not sure I'll justify the cost as I've also just passed my motorbike licence so I've got to weigh it up vs a new bike!

[PinkHouse]

irdan87 said:

Beautiful car mate congrats. I’m looking at similar next spring.

Can I ask, you’ve booked an inspection after purchase - have you discussed this with sytner and what if any problems are found?

Cheers

It's definitely a risk and would be much better inspecting it beforehand. It was serviced less than 3 months ago with no extras at Manchester so I was a bit more comfortable. I also picked it up with the agreement that anything that comes up would be sorted. I'll see how this goes on Monday and in the very worst case scenario I'm still within the Sytner 14 day window for return

[PinkHouse]

irdan87 said:

PinkHouse said:

irdan87 said:

Beautiful car mate congrats. I’m looking at similar next spring.

Can I ask, you’ve booked an inspection after purchase - have you discussed this with sytner and what if any problems are found?

Cheers

It's definitely a risk and would be much better inspecting it beforehand. It was serviced less than 3 months ago with no extras at Manchester so I was a bit more comfortable. I also picked it up with the agreement that anything that comes up would be sorted. I'll see how this goes on Monday and in the very worst case scenario I'm still within the Sytner 14 day window for return

Yeah fair enough nate I imagine it can be tricky arranging a PPI before purchase.

I’m looking at a 540 or 570 next spring I’m just trying to learn a bit about the differences as it’ll be my first Mac but I’m swaying to the 540c

Perhaps similar to yours this is one that stands out to me

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304126...

That's really well specced actually with the interior carbon, alcantara, forged wheels and sports exhaust, the full PPF is also a bonus. Pricing wise they've had it up for a few months and mine was 5k cheaper and a year newer for reference so you can definitely work them down. Finally that dealership is one where you MUST get a PPI before purchase

[PinkHouse]

samoht said:

PinkHouse said:

I'll see how this goes on Monday and in the very worst case scenario I'm still within the Sytner 14 day window for return

Dare we ask, were you happy with the inspection report? (Feel free to ignore if not convenient to share right now)

Thankfully nothing major was found and the hinges are being replaced by McLaren under warranty. The goodwill policy changed around 3 months ago and they are now replacing these hinges due to the design fault, so anyone that needs this to be repaired should contact their local main dealer.

Luckily there was nothing major, but some minor amber points found in the healthcheck report (worn front bushes, misting shocks, leaking oil pump washer), so the dealer has offered an additional settlement to cover my costs to rectify these issues. So it was definitely the right call to get the inspection done. So I'll be taking the car to V Engineering on Friday for a more thorough investigation of the bits identified and to complete any repairs required, so I'll share the full details once I've got the car checked by V and received the settlement from the dealer.