2011 12C retro upgrade clarification needed

[foxsasha]

Ive been offered an Oct 2011 12C but cant find the definitive guide as to what FOC upgrades were offered to the 2011 cars. Can anyone shed any light please, I want to see what has been done to the car already and what could still be done to improve it further.

Ive found mentions of:

Active aero software
Update to the IRIS software
25bhp upgrade
Transmission software
Revised exhaust sound software
Bluetooth and nav software
Modified radio antenna

Was all of that applicable to the 2011 vehicles?

I see that McLaren offered a "IRIS Upgrade with Satellite Navigation & Meridian Surround Sound System" optional upgrade at £4250. The car Im looking at has sat nav, does that mean it has the IRIS upgrade and if so what did the upgrade actually consist of?

Whats the difference between these two systems, is one the IRIS 2 and the other (without logos on the top two buttons) the original IRIS?

Thankyou in advance

Edited by foxsasha on Monday 3rd October 20:11

[SELON]

foxsasha said:

Ive been offered an Oct 2011 12C but cant find the definitive guide as to what FOC upgrades were offered to the 2011 cars. Can anyone shed any light please, I want to see what has been done to the car already and what could still be done to improve it further.

Ive found mentions of:

Active aero software
Update to the IRIS software
25bhp upgrade
Transmission software
Revised exhaust sound software
Bluetooth and nav software
Modified radio antenna

Was all of that applicable to the 2011 vehicles?

I see that McLaren offered a "IRIS Upgrade with Satellite Navigation & Meridian Surround Sound System" optional upgrade at £4250. The car Im looking at has sat nav, does that mean it has the IRIS upgrade and if so what did the upgrade actually consist of?

Whats the difference between these two systems, is one the IRIS 2 and the other (without logos on the top two buttons) the original IRIS?

Thankyou in advance

Edited by foxsasha on Monday 3rd October 20:11

Top pic is Iris 2 - just works so much better than 1. Never had issues with mine. The SatNav is v good, can set many waypoints for example. Has a browser, can connect to your mobile hotspot, can play YouTube also. Above all more stable than Iris 1. For example my passenger happily had a hands free international phone call whilst driving at well into 3 figures on the autobahn with great clarity.

Iris 1 with SatNav upgrade is a software fix whilst Iris 2 is new hardware. Sounds like the one you have been offered is Oris 1. People I know who have Iris 1 are happy with it when it's doing one function.

Ask if the car has Platform 14 updates - they are the latest. Most cars will have that or Platform 13 by now. These just get done during the servicing at a main dealer.

The changes you list are the big ones from a few years back. The most recent have been relatively minor improvements but not sure exactly what they are. Infotainment definitely.

Hope that helps.

[anissut]

SELON said:

Top pic is Iris 2 - just works so much better than 1. Never had issues with mine. The SatNav is v good, can set many waypoints for example. Has a browser, can connect to your mobile hotspot, can play YouTube also. Above all more stable than Iris 1. For example my passenger happily had a hands free international phone call whilst driving at well into 3 figures on the autobahn with great clarity.

Iris 1 with SatNav upgrade is a software fix whilst Iris 2 is new hardware. Sounds like the one you have been offered is Oris 1. People I know who have Iris 1 are happy with it when it's doing one function.

Ask if the car has Platform 14 updates - they are the latest. Most cars will have that or Platform 13 by now. These just get done during the servicing at a main dealer.

The changes you list are the big ones from a few years back. The most recent have been relatively minor improvements but not sure exactly what they are. Infotainment definitely.

Hope that helps.

What are the differences between Platform 14 and 13 upgrades? Bought my 12C from Glasgow earlier this year and have no idea what platform upgrades my car has. Car was serviced before I took delivery.

[foxsasha]

So the car should have had the power and transmission upgrades? I can't find any mention of them in the various Platform upgrades.

Found these details

Platform 12:

The most noticeable changes of this software are;
o New procedure for Oil level acquisition.
o Odometer back-up to improve robustness.
o Chinese language is now supported in the instrument cluster menu.
o Improved Suspension Displacement Sensor Calibration Sequence.
o New PCCU Sequence Airbrake Contamination Cleaning.
o DTC added for Real Time Clock.
o Improved Engine cover and Luggage compartment Latch drive logic.

Brochure regarding Platform 13 upgrades:

http://www.mclarenebrochure.com/2014/12CTechUpdate...

Platform 14 is reported to have:

"1 - more features on NAV including a XM option. But when you click on it, it saw "No Tuner" found. Maybe McLaren is now going to install satellite tuner????
2 - Radio is much louder and sounds better
3 - Bluetooth better
4 - temp control screens on doors brighter.
5 - more app feature"

From here:

http://www.mclarenlife.com/forums/mclaren-mp4-12c/...

[SELON]

Power upgrades - pass. I just know it was done a few years back. McLife is a good source of info as you have found
If the car has full Mc service in the past year then you should be confident it's got at least P13. P14 I think is 2016.
Maybe give Mclaren a call and inquire as to the platform history of the car. Maybe your dealer will do that for you.

[foxsasha]

It's a private sale so I can't just phone the dealer. The details are coming through from the owner but in the mean time I'm gathering as much knowledge as possible with regards to the specs and upgrades so I have some clue about what I buying into Been hankering for a 12C for a while now, would fit in well with my plans for 2017.

[TISPKJ]

Basically as the others have said I wouldn't worry about the various upgrades too much as unless the car has not been to a service Center for a few years it gets them automatically when they plug it in, and if its not been serviced then you are in trouble.
As mike says iris 2 was the major change for the communication and sat nav system and is nice to have, I only have iris 1 and it works fine.
Ask what warranty the car currently has, current thinking is the car must have the factory extended warranty, if no warranty it can be put on the car but its a 3.5k a year cost to consider.

[SELON]

The current owner should be able to get the details for you.
Alastair Bols has a few for sale should yours not got through. He's well regarded by the guys who've got Mcs already and is a fount of a lot of knowledge about the cars. Once you've got it, join us on Facebook. There's an active group on there with a load of knowledge about the cars, history and people. Nice guys also with quite a few meets and drives.
In the meantime McLife is your friend.

Good luck with the purchase!

[foxsasha]

No warranty left on the car but the seller says McLaren will put a year on it for £3.5k, as you say. I need to know what happens when that year extension runs out, can it be renewed when it's nearly 6 years old? My understanding is that a year extension is £3.5k, two years is £6k? If I buy now then the car will have little use before winter closes in and the car gets put away until next spring. I wonder if I could start the warranty next year ready for the new season rather than paying for cover on a car that's laid up. Questions questions. I will speak to a dealer tomorrow.

Edited to update. McLaren won't put a warranty on the car.

Edited by foxsasha on Friday 7th October 22:07

[SELON]

If you have a gap between the current warranty expiring and starting a new one, Mc will charge you a few hundred to check the car over before selling you a new one.

I picked mine up in January and found it useable all through the winter. Depends on how you view these things, but not much salt on the roads around me anyway.

[foxsasha]

Ok, thanks. Being Yorkshire based we see a bit of salt Dec through to April. The car will only be used as a fair weather toy, for club events, track days and for longer Euro jaunts so it will stay nice and snug if it's damp and miserable outside.

SELON said:

The current owner should be able to get the details for you.
Alastair Bols has a few for sale should yours not got through. He's well regarded by the guys who've got Mcs already and is a fount of a lot of knowledge about the cars. Once you've got it, join us on Facebook. There's an active group on there with a load of knowledge about the cars, history and people. Nice guys also with quite a few meets and drives.
In the meantime McLife is your friend.

Good luck with the purchase!

Sorry, missed your post. I shall have a look at Alistairs offerings. My very next question was to see if there was an active owners group!

Edited by foxsasha on Monday 3rd October 22:45

[SELON]

foxsasha said:

No warranty left on the car but the seller says McLaren will put a year on it for £3.5k, as you say. I need to know what happens when that year extension runs out, can it be renewed when it's nearly 6 years old? My understanding is that a year extension is £3.5k, two years is £6k? If I buy now then the car will have little use before winter closes in and the car gets put away until next spring. I wonder if I could start the warranty next year ready for the new season rather than paying for cover on a car that's laid up. Questions questions. I will speak to a dealer tomorrow.

If warranty is key for you, Would advise getting Mc to confirm they will extend for your car before you buy or better still get it on the car before you buy. There's a small (£50 or £90 I think) transfer fee. Caveat Emptor and all that.

[SELON]

foxsasha said:

Ok, thanks. Being Yorkshire based we see a bit of salt Dec through to April. The car will only be used as a fair weather toy, for club events, track days and for longer Euro jaunts so it will stay nice and snug if it's damp and miserable outside.

SELON said:

The current owner should be able to get the details for you.
Alastair Bols has a few for sale should yours not got through. He's well regarded by the guys who've got Mcs already and is a fount of a lot of knowledge about the cars. Once you've got it, join us on Facebook. There's an active group on there with a load of knowledge about the cars, history and people. Nice guys also with quite a few meets and drives.
In the meantime McLife is your friend.

Good luck with the purchase!

Sorry, missed your post. I shall have a look at Alistairs offerings. My very next question was to see if there was an active owners group!

Edited by foxsasha on Monday 3rd October 22:45

Very active group. From racers to new owners to buyers of the first 12Cs. All sorts.

[foxsasha]

SELON said:

If warranty is key for you, Would advise getting Mc to confirm they will extend for your car before you buy or better still get it on the car before you buy. There's a small (£50 or £90 I think) transfer fee. Caveat Emptor and all that.

The plan is indeed to make sure a warranty is available before purchase. Hopefully it can be instigated next year but it's no big deal if it's put in place via the current owner as part of the service the cars about to have. I wouldn't be comfortable without a warranty for at least the first twelve months as I don't know the car and wouldn't have dealer support to fall back on should I have an issue.

SELON said:

Very active group. From racers to new owners to buyers of the first 12Cs. All sorts.

That's good to hear. Are there many owners in the group that use their car on track?

[SELON]

foxsasha said:

SELON said:

If warranty is key for you, Would advise getting Mc to confirm they will extend for your car before you buy or better still get it on the car before you buy. There's a small (£50 or £90 I think) transfer fee. Caveat Emptor and all that.

The plan is indeed to make sure a warranty is available before purchase. Hopefully it can be instigated next year but it's no big deal if it's put in place via the current owner as part of the service the cars about to have. I wouldn't be comfortable without a warranty for at least the first twelve months as I don't know the car and wouldn't have dealer support to fall back on should I have an issue.

SELON said:

Very active group. From racers to new owners to buyers of the first 12Cs. All sorts.

That's good to hear. Are there many owners in the group that use their car on track?

Track? Plenty. And they make use of the pre and post track Mc checks as well.

[foxsasha]

Thinking it through its illogical to start the warranty from next year as the car might have an underlying fault that's not spotted until the pre warranty inspection so I'll have it done by the current owner as McLaren presumably won't issue the warranty if they find any faults with the vehicle.

SELON said:

Track? Plenty. And they make use of the pre and post track Mc checks as well.

Any idea of the cost of the checks?

[Sarnie]

Pre-warranty check is more like £700.

Plus also anything that needs updating or replacing to bring it up to warranty standards.......£3.5k quickly becomes a lot more potentially.

[foxsasha]

Mmmmm, OK, food for thought. Thanks.

[SELON]

foxsasha said:

Thinking it through its illogical to start the warranty from next year as the car might have an underlying fault that's not spotted until the pre warranty inspection so I'll have it done by the current owner as McLaren presumably won't issue the warranty if they find any faults with the vehicle.

SELON said:

Track? Plenty. And they make use of the pre and post track Mc checks as well.

Any idea of the cost of the checks?

I think that's £200. it's to maintain the validity of the Mc warranty.

[TISPKJ]

SELON said:

foxsasha said:

Thinking it through its illogical to start the warranty from next year as the car might have an underlying fault that's not spotted until the pre warranty inspection so I'll have it done by the current owner as McLaren presumably won't issue the warranty if they find any faults with the vehicle.

SELON said:

Track? Plenty. And they make use of the pre and post track Mc checks as well.

Any idea of the cost of the checks?

I think that's £200. it's to maintain the validity of the Mc warranty.

If you do the Pure McLaren days whilst expensive they do include the pre and post checks as part of the day.

Regarding the warranty, get the current owner to sort and negotiate the cost etc, don't forget you would more than likely have an inspection on any car of this kind pre purchase anyway, so again a negotiating point.