Discussion
WCZ said:
I don't think they're far off stabilizing, I think £60k is the bottom personally for 12c's - there comes a point where the performance and image is so solid that they hold - like GTR's @ £35k for ex.
I’m not so sure. I’m tempted. But the problem is the poor reputation McLaren have around build quality. And forking out £3-4K for an annual warranty suddenly makes the “cheap” McLaren actually quite an expensive proposition to run.It strikes me that what McLaren really need is a much stronger independent dealer network to bring the costs of maintainence down (I’ll be the first to admit that I wouldn’t have a clue how to do my own work on one, so it would need to go to a professional).
This is the key to making the cars more appealing to those who are not multimillionaires (and therefore supporting the longer term residuals, thereby making the brand more appealing to prospective new car purchasers...) or who run new cars on finance and which are under warranty.
Its not up to McLaren to set up indies though, but I have been told they have been actively discouraging them by not supplying the technical support information required by law...very short sighted clearly.
The good news however is that there are some more indies being set up in the near future.
Its not up to McLaren to set up indies though, but I have been told they have been actively discouraging them by not supplying the technical support information required by law...very short sighted clearly.
The good news however is that there are some more indies being set up in the near future.
CTE said:
Its not up to McLaren to set up indies though, but I have been told they have been actively discouraging them by not supplying the technical support information required by law...very short sighted clearly.
This is the issue. Why discourage the creation of an independent channel which ultimately will benefit you as a manufacturer by encouraging confidence in new and used buyers?I’m still contemplating a Sports series but it would be so much easier for me if I could also consider older used cars with the confidence that I can get it looked after by a good indi.
To someone who has a closer relationship, more detailed knowledge of McLaren. Has the question been asked... why are they making it so difficult for Indies to set up shop and provide a service?
Mclaren can still have control by way of Indies engineers receiving in house training, accreditation.
The whole operation could be approved to give confidence that they have experience, knowledge and are closely aligned with the HQ.
Mclaren can still have control by way of Indies engineers receiving in house training, accreditation.
The whole operation could be approved to give confidence that they have experience, knowledge and are closely aligned with the HQ.
HighwayStar said:
To someone who has a closer relationship, more detailed knowledge of McLaren. Has the question been asked... why are they making it so difficult for Indies to set up shop and provide a service?
Mclaren can still have control by way of Indies engineers receiving in house training, accreditation.
The whole operation could be approved to give confidence that they have experience, knowledge and are closely aligned with the HQ.
Surely the answer there would be a fairly arrogant "because WE are McLaren and ONLY we are good enough to work on OUR cars."Mclaren can still have control by way of Indies engineers receiving in house training, accreditation.
The whole operation could be approved to give confidence that they have experience, knowledge and are closely aligned with the HQ.
They would probably also run the risk of pissing off their existing dealers if they allowed independents with much lower overheads, and therefore costs, to setup shop and rob them of the valuable warranty and servicing work that is evidently extremely high margin.
jayemm89 said:
HighwayStar said:
To someone who has a closer relationship, more detailed knowledge of McLaren. Has the question been asked... why are they making it so difficult for Indies to set up shop and provide a service?
Mclaren can still have control by way of Indies engineers receiving in house training, accreditation.
The whole operation could be approved to give confidence that they have experience, knowledge and are closely aligned with the HQ.
Surely the answer there would be a fairly arrogant "because WE are McLaren and ONLY we are good enough to work on OUR cars."Mclaren can still have control by way of Indies engineers receiving in house training, accreditation.
The whole operation could be approved to give confidence that they have experience, knowledge and are closely aligned with the HQ.
They would probably also run the risk of pissing off their existing dealers if they allowed independents with much lower overheads, and therefore costs, to setup shop and rob them of the valuable warranty and servicing work that is evidently extremely high margin.
I'm not going to get into whether McLaren are being arrogant or not... Unless someone can confirm that McLaren have said we do not want independents messing with our cars. Ever.
Certainly some folks have the means but as the number of older, used McLarens out there gets larger and larger, making them affordable to own on smaller budgets should be seen as a high priority.
And I think McLaren have gone so far as to say they don't want anyone else fiddling with their cars. I've had a few private conversations with people about it but some of the key points are mentioned here in other threads. Long story short, if you want to buy the tech to speak to a McLaren's computer, they won't sell it to you unless you're a main dealer. And as you rightly point out, there apparently are not enough of those because they're selling too many cars and a lot of them it appears are having issues. The tragedy there being backlogs at dealers mean issues which might be very minor are becoming "serious" because nobody wants to dump a quarter of a million pounds on their car and wait a month.
The flipside of it, having had experience of P and F car main dealers, as well as BMW etc etc... is that money isn't always what it is about. My local OPC couldn't even fit a badge correctly, and when it comes to older stuff (eg. air cooled Porsches) I wouldn't trust a junior tech to have the first clue about them.
And I think McLaren have gone so far as to say they don't want anyone else fiddling with their cars. I've had a few private conversations with people about it but some of the key points are mentioned here in other threads. Long story short, if you want to buy the tech to speak to a McLaren's computer, they won't sell it to you unless you're a main dealer. And as you rightly point out, there apparently are not enough of those because they're selling too many cars and a lot of them it appears are having issues. The tragedy there being backlogs at dealers mean issues which might be very minor are becoming "serious" because nobody wants to dump a quarter of a million pounds on their car and wait a month.
The flipside of it, having had experience of P and F car main dealers, as well as BMW etc etc... is that money isn't always what it is about. My local OPC couldn't even fit a badge correctly, and when it comes to older stuff (eg. air cooled Porsches) I wouldn't trust a junior tech to have the first clue about them.
jamieo said:
The thing is, get over the hand wringing and just buy one.
They’re mighty impressive cars. Mines given me a lot more pleasure than I expected.
But plenty other options if not your cup of tea.
What he said. They're a bargain at the moment. A 300k car for a smidgen over a 100k? If I didn't already have one then I'd be buying. Best car I've ever had... And I've had manyThey’re mighty impressive cars. Mines given me a lot more pleasure than I expected.
But plenty other options if not your cup of tea.
Just off topic slightly. I know there’s no RL at the moment........do you get a ban for life on PH or is it for a certain length of time ?
650s looks an absolute bargain ..... but McLaren are not doing themselves any favours at the moment, being so mean with technical information to other Independents.
650s looks an absolute bargain ..... but McLaren are not doing themselves any favours at the moment, being so mean with technical information to other Independents.
I think the whole independent network issue is more of a UK topic than in (some) other countries. My Ferrari has to go to a main dealer in Germany for everything as - at least as far as I can tell - there are not many independents around and their per hour prices do not seem significantly cheaper from what I have seen. The car has a warranty, which again is not much cheaper than McLaren I think (about 4k euros per year from memory).
of course if the cars have issues, that is a whole other topic as I would not want to have to visit the dealer constantly to get remedial work done - as I don't own one, I can't judge how much of a problem that could be
of course if the cars have issues, that is a whole other topic as I would not want to have to visit the dealer constantly to get remedial work done - as I don't own one, I can't judge how much of a problem that could be
AndyTR said:
j3gme said:
Just off topic slightly. I know there’s no RL at the moment........do you get a ban for life on PH or is it for a certain length of time ?
I obviously missed this...sorry for continuing to go off topic but what did RL get banned for? It's a slow work day...garyhun said:
AndyTR said:
j3gme said:
Just off topic slightly. I know there’s no RL at the moment........do you get a ban for life on PH or is it for a certain length of time ?
I obviously missed this...sorry for continuing to go off topic but what did RL get banned for? It's a slow work day...
MDL111 said:
I think the whole independent network issue is more of a UK topic than in (some) other countries. My Ferrari has to go to a main dealer in Germany for everything as - at least as far as I can tell - there are not many independents around and their per hour prices do not seem significantly cheaper from what I have seen. The car has a warranty, which again is not much cheaper than McLaren I think (about 4k euros per year from memory).
of course if the cars have issues, that is a whole other topic as I would not want to have to visit the dealer constantly to get remedial work done - as I don't own one, I can't judge how much of a problem that could be
Ok I will bite why does your Ferrari have to go to a main dealer in Germany for everything ?of course if the cars have issues, that is a whole other topic as I would not want to have to visit the dealer constantly to get remedial work done - as I don't own one, I can't judge how much of a problem that could be
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