Living with a McLaren 650s Spider as an (almost) daily
Discussion
Car has continued to behave itself, apart from one glitch. Drove to Sainsbury's last weekend - when I got back in the car, the usual comfort entry message came up. I noticed an exclamation mark next to it, and thought : never noticed before that it shows an exclamation mark with that message.....
Of course, it doesn't! Once the seat was back in position, fuel flap latch error came up. Fuel filler still opened and closed fine - left the car locked for an hour when I got home and it's not happened since.
Couldn't resist the sunshine this morning and took the car out for a short run. When I got the geometry done at the start of the month, I was impressed with the difference but still unsure whether it was worth taking a day off for. Driving the car since - especially this morning - has convinced me it was. It no longer wants to run wide and even on cold roads, it's transformed the car. This morning hinted at just how good is going to be in summer.
There is something very odd about McLaren paint - or at least, the volcano orange paint on my car. For one thing, I seem to be picking up stone chips far more than any other car I've owned, and they all seem to be on the bonnet. But worse, in addition to the one I found about a month ago, today I noticed 3 new ones fairly close together. The problem is, all four of them result in a dark circle of paint around the chip, about 3mm in diameter. It's very odd and I've never had a car do this before:
Fortunately, tomorrow the car is being collected to be taken to the paint shop courtesy of McLaren. I'm unsure quite how much of the car will be painted, but I know at least the entire front end will be, so no more stone chips. I will spend March increasing the distance to the cars in front of me, since I'm clearly too close too often. But these chips have also convinced me that I will get PPF fitted once the paint has had a few weeks to cure.
I met the next Lewis Hamilton this morning when I stopped at Curry's. Guy asked if he could take pictures of the car with his kid next to it, so I let him sit in it while the wife took photos. Apparently, he's 7 and goes to petrol go karting when finances allow!
I'm not looking forward to most of March without the car - especially since I intend to limit use of the car in April until I have the PPF done. On the plus side, I've managed to keep the mileage down in February, and am about to hit 4k miles since my purchase (so a shade over 11k on the clock). March will be pretty much no miles and April should also be low - which leaves me more than enough miles between the start of May and the end of August.
Which is just as well, because I have quite a few car events booked!
Will update again - with some photos - once I have a nice new paint job.
Of course, it doesn't! Once the seat was back in position, fuel flap latch error came up. Fuel filler still opened and closed fine - left the car locked for an hour when I got home and it's not happened since.
Couldn't resist the sunshine this morning and took the car out for a short run. When I got the geometry done at the start of the month, I was impressed with the difference but still unsure whether it was worth taking a day off for. Driving the car since - especially this morning - has convinced me it was. It no longer wants to run wide and even on cold roads, it's transformed the car. This morning hinted at just how good is going to be in summer.
There is something very odd about McLaren paint - or at least, the volcano orange paint on my car. For one thing, I seem to be picking up stone chips far more than any other car I've owned, and they all seem to be on the bonnet. But worse, in addition to the one I found about a month ago, today I noticed 3 new ones fairly close together. The problem is, all four of them result in a dark circle of paint around the chip, about 3mm in diameter. It's very odd and I've never had a car do this before:
Fortunately, tomorrow the car is being collected to be taken to the paint shop courtesy of McLaren. I'm unsure quite how much of the car will be painted, but I know at least the entire front end will be, so no more stone chips. I will spend March increasing the distance to the cars in front of me, since I'm clearly too close too often. But these chips have also convinced me that I will get PPF fitted once the paint has had a few weeks to cure.
I met the next Lewis Hamilton this morning when I stopped at Curry's. Guy asked if he could take pictures of the car with his kid next to it, so I let him sit in it while the wife took photos. Apparently, he's 7 and goes to petrol go karting when finances allow!
I'm not looking forward to most of March without the car - especially since I intend to limit use of the car in April until I have the PPF done. On the plus side, I've managed to keep the mileage down in February, and am about to hit 4k miles since my purchase (so a shade over 11k on the clock). March will be pretty much no miles and April should also be low - which leaves me more than enough miles between the start of May and the end of August.
Which is just as well, because I have quite a few car events booked!
Will update again - with some photos - once I have a nice new paint job.
Minor update - even though I don't currently have the car.
It was collected by the bodyshop (M&A) on Mon 2nd March. Unfortunately, a few days later they told me that they could not match the volcano paint - they have 7 different shades (to cope with fading) but using their colour cards they could not get a match they were happy with. They had therefore concluded that they would need to paint the entire car, and had started removing panels.
Since McLaren were footing the bill I asked whether they'd informed them - I was told that was in hand, but that M&A were confident it would be covered since there really wasn't any other solution if they wanted a happy customer.
Confirmation today that McLaren will pay for the entire car to be repainted. Absolutely astounding customer service and far more than I expected.
I try to be as objective as possible on this thread - and I guess it's clear that I've been a lot happier with the car from December to start of March since it had finally begun to be 99% problem free.
I'm not sure I guarantee the same objectivity when I get the car back (currently estimated 3rd April) - I'm feeling a bit like a McLaren fanboy right now
It was collected by the bodyshop (M&A) on Mon 2nd March. Unfortunately, a few days later they told me that they could not match the volcano paint - they have 7 different shades (to cope with fading) but using their colour cards they could not get a match they were happy with. They had therefore concluded that they would need to paint the entire car, and had started removing panels.
Since McLaren were footing the bill I asked whether they'd informed them - I was told that was in hand, but that M&A were confident it would be covered since there really wasn't any other solution if they wanted a happy customer.
Confirmation today that McLaren will pay for the entire car to be repainted. Absolutely astounding customer service and far more than I expected.
I try to be as objective as possible on this thread - and I guess it's clear that I've been a lot happier with the car from December to start of March since it had finally begun to be 99% problem free.
I'm not sure I guarantee the same objectivity when I get the car back (currently estimated 3rd April) - I'm feeling a bit like a McLaren fanboy right now
davek_964 said:
IMI A said:
What an amazing result. I had this done at my cost not long ago on my old banger and its like getting a new car back
You know those situations where you think "This is too good to be true" - and if it seems like that then......It kind of feels like that!
That is a very impressive solution, but I can't help but feel that it is an impressive solution to a problem which ought never to have existed in the first place.
I understand that the reason for the impressiveness of the solution is precisely that the problem ought never to have existed, but surely it would have been better all round for the problem actually never to have existed.
I understand that the reason for the impressiveness of the solution is precisely that the problem ought never to have existed, but surely it would have been better all round for the problem actually never to have existed.
Apologies for thread hijack with a german imposter but I'm so happy with the results with mine. Embarrassing the amount of admiring glances a 13 year old banger gets so I keep her looking used 
One word of advice I would not PPF for 6 months unless it goes through the exact process at factory. Paint release gasses even after its hardened and dry. I waited 3 months but wasn't using car anyway. And then from this to this in days
Maybe an idea to get her up to VMAX to check her top speed is working before the respray as the stone chips there go through PPF! VMAX 21 March 20
One word of advice I would not PPF for 6 months unless it goes through the exact process at factory. Paint release gasses even after its hardened and dry. I waited 3 months but wasn't using car anyway. And then from this to this in days
Maybe an idea to get her up to VMAX to check her top speed is working before the respray as the stone chips there go through PPF! VMAX 21 March 20
Crazy4557 said:
Get me one too!
Amazing response by McLaren but then what else could they do? A friend has just had a few panels replaced and painted on a Volcano Orange 570S and they matched the colour without problems, maybe the earlier cars are a particular challenge.
A different McLaren bodyshop told me that the paint formulation had changed for volcano colours, and the later formulation was far less prone to fade.Amazing response by McLaren but then what else could they do? A friend has just had a few panels replaced and painted on a Volcano Orange 570S and they matched the colour without problems, maybe the earlier cars are a particular challenge.
IMI A said:
Apologies for thread hijack with a german imposter but I'm so happy with the results with mine. Embarrassing the amount of admiring glances a 13 year old banger gets so I keep her looking used
One word of advice I would not PPF for 6 months unless it goes through the exact process at factory. Paint release gasses even after its hardened and dry. I waited 3 months but wasn't using car anyway.
I do like 997 turbos - remind me of the older 911 turbos. Remember reading your threads on the Porsche forum when I had my 996 turbo.One word of advice I would not PPF for 6 months unless it goes through the exact process at factory. Paint release gasses even after its hardened and dry. I waited 3 months but wasn't using car anyway.
6 months? By then I think I'll have too many chips! From the research I did online, ~30 days seemed to be the max most people recommended? I'm still not 100% sure I want PPF, although I feel I really do need it at the front. Maybe I should start driving backwards everywhere.....
Great service from McLaren and I bet you can't wait to get it back. Will be like having a new car and just in time for summer too, what a great result and fantastic they're looking after you.
No doubt someone will be along soon to find fault with that and bash McLaren for some reason, but what more can they do for you?!
I can't wait for this weather to improve and the sun to come out, picked up my new car start of Feb and I think it has rained every weekend since...
No doubt someone will be along soon to find fault with that and bash McLaren for some reason, but what more can they do for you?!
I can't wait for this weather to improve and the sun to come out, picked up my new car start of Feb and I think it has rained every weekend since...
911Thrasher said:
devil's advocate: could it be that Mac read this and follows your posts...and from there on make sure they behave/act accordingly regarding your issues?
I guess anything is possible, although I have no reason to believe that's the case.But just in case :
My 650 is crap. It's hard to say a good word about it in fact - I used to have an old Ford Fiesta and that was better in every way. I think I'd be happy if McLaren would swap it for a 675LT or 720 Spider though.
Its a pain. If you're not OCD better not to PPF. I got bit of reaction on the front PU which is PPFd as are front wings bonnet roof. Very expensive for what it is at 1700 for half a car and 3500 on our other one. Having said that it works but a pain on fresh paint. i think I should have waited longer but thankfully so far non of the metal bits have reacted and even on front PU you need to be every close to see it. Almost looks like sunk paint the best way to describe. Does not matter on 100k mile Porsche I can always respray front PU worst case but on a Mcl this would be 
I think the finish of paint is better than PPF. Problem is - although I'm not 100% OCD, I had some nasty chips on my bonnet before the respray (pictures a few posts back) which I picked up myself in the last few months.
And having discovered that painting Volcano colours is harder than working out the meaning of life, it makes me very nervous - so PPF on the front is tempting. But I might see how I get on without it if I start leaving half a mile to the car in front.....
And having discovered that painting Volcano colours is harder than working out the meaning of life, it makes me very nervous - so PPF on the front is tempting. But I might see how I get on without it if I start leaving half a mile to the car in front.....
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