720S - what to look for?
Discussion
I was persuaded into the local McLaren dealership (first time) a couple of weeks ago and I will confess to being rather taken by the 720S.
There seem to be some decent discounts available from new but also used stock with very low mileage which seem appealing. Not driven one yet (local dealer doesn't have a demonstrator but will allow a test drive of a used one if we're close to a deal) but think it would complement with the other cars I have.
If I can find a spec that I like then buying used isn't an issue for me as I tend to put miles on whatever I own but I am keen to understand if there are any issues with earlier cars that would make a later vehicle preferable or that should have been fixed as part of warranty work.
Any thoughts/comments or things to look out for would be really appreciated!
There seem to be some decent discounts available from new but also used stock with very low mileage which seem appealing. Not driven one yet (local dealer doesn't have a demonstrator but will allow a test drive of a used one if we're close to a deal) but think it would complement with the other cars I have.
If I can find a spec that I like then buying used isn't an issue for me as I tend to put miles on whatever I own but I am keen to understand if there are any issues with earlier cars that would make a later vehicle preferable or that should have been fixed as part of warranty work.
Any thoughts/comments or things to look out for would be really appreciated!
Rumours are recent software updates fix a lot, if not all, previously mentioned electronic gremlins so that's mandatory.
Poor quality body panel paint has been mentioned on other McLarens but unsure if it applies to the 720s. Dealers will sort it under warranty however reports of it taking a long time so best get anything resolved before purchase.
FSH obviously and unless your pockets are deep or the car's already has one, a McLaren warranty might be a good option.
Dealer should also send you a good 4/5 minute video as an inspection.
Poor quality body panel paint has been mentioned on other McLarens but unsure if it applies to the 720s. Dealers will sort it under warranty however reports of it taking a long time so best get anything resolved before purchase.
FSH obviously and unless your pockets are deep or the car's already has one, a McLaren warranty might be a good option.
Dealer should also send you a good 4/5 minute video as an inspection.
PompeyReece said:
Poor quality body panel paint has been mentioned on other McLarens but unsure if it applies to the 720s. Dealers will sort it under warranty however reports of it taking a long time so best get anything resolved before purchase.
I think that only applies to the 540 / 570s - I've never seen it mentioned on 12C / 650 / 720. Bodywork is completely different which I guess explains it.My MY 2019 720s has corrosion and is therefore needing replacement door skins, but I think it's less common with the 720. I've also had a bunch of minor niggles with mine, nothing too serious, but it has kept it off the road for the past 2 months whilst things are be rectified.... slowly.
Before purchase:
- Have the dealership provide a video inspection report covering tyres, brakes, gaiters, hoses etc - all the stuff you can't properly see from above. Have them drop the undertrays and inspect the engine from below for oil and water leaks. I know of quite a few that have suffered leaks but are not immediately apparent because of being hidden behind the undertrays. My 720 had a slight water leak, which wasn't apparent until the technicians were doing some unrelated work. McLaren use cheap hose clips (as do many others). It has been known for undertrays to be missing and/or bolts sheared off that hold undertrays on. The Dealership may resist doing the video due to 'time', but if you are serious about buying, I would insist. Ask them to measure and video tyre tread depth as well as brake pad thickness.
- Aluminium corrosion exists on the earlier 720S's. Check edges of doors and panel joints. Anywhere where there is an edge. It does not resemble rust. It looks like bubbles beneath the paintwork. Don’t let this put you off buying. It is a known production fault and McLaren are working their way through panel replacements. McLaren has a ten-year paint warranty. Google “McLaren Corrosion” for pics
- Creaks / Rattles. IMO the interior is a masterpiece in minimalistic driver focussed ergonomics, particularly when the display is folded down into track mode – no distractions – it is a fantastic place to be. I know of several 720S’s that have some annoying creaks and rattles, mainly coming from loose wires behind the door cards. If you are handy, it would be a DIY job, or the dealer can sort it. Take it for an extended test drive and tune into unusual sounds coming from within the cabin. I had several rattles which the dealership sorted.
- OIL LEVEL – OIL LEVEL – OIL LEVEL. The 720S does not have an automated oil level monitoring / warning system – It is a manual check (not a dipstick). Take the car for a test drive and get the oil temperature up to 90 degrees. When parked up, get the dealership to do an oil level check with you present – it takes 120 seconds and can be done whilst sitting in the car. I know of several 720S owners (and other McOwners), who have driven their cars with very low oil levels because they wrongly assumed there would be some sort of warning system. Take a photo of the result for future reference. If it is "Too Low", I would have concern about how long it has been driven in that condition and what damage could have been caused.
- Software. Insist that software is brought up to the latest levels. Most electronic McGremlins have been ironed out.
- Grin Factor. Make an appointment to see the dentist for a descale and polish. Your teeth will be on display 24/7.
Don’t forget to join the McLaren Owners Club UK. The above info is from personal experience of driving my 720S over 11K miles but also gleaned from the experience of other club members. Lots of ownership experience – Lots of social events – Lots of new friends - Lots of fun.
- Have the dealership provide a video inspection report covering tyres, brakes, gaiters, hoses etc - all the stuff you can't properly see from above. Have them drop the undertrays and inspect the engine from below for oil and water leaks. I know of quite a few that have suffered leaks but are not immediately apparent because of being hidden behind the undertrays. My 720 had a slight water leak, which wasn't apparent until the technicians were doing some unrelated work. McLaren use cheap hose clips (as do many others). It has been known for undertrays to be missing and/or bolts sheared off that hold undertrays on. The Dealership may resist doing the video due to 'time', but if you are serious about buying, I would insist. Ask them to measure and video tyre tread depth as well as brake pad thickness.
- Aluminium corrosion exists on the earlier 720S's. Check edges of doors and panel joints. Anywhere where there is an edge. It does not resemble rust. It looks like bubbles beneath the paintwork. Don’t let this put you off buying. It is a known production fault and McLaren are working their way through panel replacements. McLaren has a ten-year paint warranty. Google “McLaren Corrosion” for pics
- Creaks / Rattles. IMO the interior is a masterpiece in minimalistic driver focussed ergonomics, particularly when the display is folded down into track mode – no distractions – it is a fantastic place to be. I know of several 720S’s that have some annoying creaks and rattles, mainly coming from loose wires behind the door cards. If you are handy, it would be a DIY job, or the dealer can sort it. Take it for an extended test drive and tune into unusual sounds coming from within the cabin. I had several rattles which the dealership sorted.
- OIL LEVEL – OIL LEVEL – OIL LEVEL. The 720S does not have an automated oil level monitoring / warning system – It is a manual check (not a dipstick). Take the car for a test drive and get the oil temperature up to 90 degrees. When parked up, get the dealership to do an oil level check with you present – it takes 120 seconds and can be done whilst sitting in the car. I know of several 720S owners (and other McOwners), who have driven their cars with very low oil levels because they wrongly assumed there would be some sort of warning system. Take a photo of the result for future reference. If it is "Too Low", I would have concern about how long it has been driven in that condition and what damage could have been caused.
- Software. Insist that software is brought up to the latest levels. Most electronic McGremlins have been ironed out.
- Grin Factor. Make an appointment to see the dentist for a descale and polish. Your teeth will be on display 24/7.
Don’t forget to join the McLaren Owners Club UK. The above info is from personal experience of driving my 720S over 11K miles but also gleaned from the experience of other club members. Lots of ownership experience – Lots of social events – Lots of new friends - Lots of fun.
DMC2 said:
The depreciation!
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the "D Word" in my list of things to look out for. But if those looking to buy a McLaren 720S, or just about any other supercar for that matter, will probably not give a rats arse about depreciation. You buy these cars as a lifestyle choice. Make sure the car is fit for your intended purpose.
Doing 2500 mile trip the 19 plate 720S though Europe next week. After very helpful discussion with McL Master Technician we agreed it was impractical to load each day’s route into the McLaren sat nav so will be using the Garmin instead; fortunately, the power lead tucks nicely into the back of the instrument binnacle. Poor show by McLaren though and combined with other less than practical functions makes you wonder whether the car is intended for use in the real world.
Doing 2500 mile trip the 19 plate 720S though Europe next week. After very helpful discussion with McL Master Technician we agreed it was impractical to load each day’s route into the McLaren sat nav so will be using the Garmin instead; fortunately, the power lead tucks nicely into the back of the instrument binnacle. Poor show by McLaren though and combined with other less than practical functions makes you wonder whether the car is intended for use in the real world.
are you for real about this non-existent oil level warning? how can you have a car like this not warn if the oil level is low? why would they omit that? taking an extreme case, if there was no oil left in the engine at all, the only warning would be oil pressure not giving a reading?
PS2018 said:
are you for real about this non-existent oil level warning? how can you have a car like this not warn if the oil level is low? why would they omit that? taking an extreme case, if there was no oil left in the engine at all, the only warning would be oil pressure not giving a reading?
Unless you know otherwise, I am for real. It is a dry sump engine. There is a procedure to go through when stationary. You may find that this isn't just isolated to McLaren. I do agree that is rather odd but I guess that for technical reasons it's not possible? As far as I am aware, there isn't an oil pressure reading either.Maybe someone with knowledge of the engines can chime in?
Here is a piece by Thorney Motorsport to regularly check the oil > https://www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/mclaren-engine...
Below is the procedure for checking oil levels for the 720S, taken from the Owner’s Manual.
lowndes said:
other less than practical functions makes you wonder whether the car is intended for use in the real world.
Hmmm.What other functions are less than practical?
If your scale of priorities puts the programmability of the sat nav so high I would question wether the car is right for you rather than the car be right for its intended use. If the new GT has the same sat nav your criticism would be easier to accept.
lowndes said:
Make sure the car is fit for your intended purpose.
Doing 2500 mile trip the 19 plate 720S though Europe next week. After very helpful discussion with McL Master Technician we agreed it was impractical to load each day’s route into the McLaren sat nav so will be using the Garmin instead; fortunately, the power lead tucks nicely into the back of the instrument binnacle. Poor show by McLaren though and combined with other less than practical functions makes you wonder whether the car is intended for use in the real world.
The Satnav is pretty poor.Doing 2500 mile trip the 19 plate 720S though Europe next week. After very helpful discussion with McL Master Technician we agreed it was impractical to load each day’s route into the McLaren sat nav so will be using the Garmin instead; fortunately, the power lead tucks nicely into the back of the instrument binnacle. Poor show by McLaren though and combined with other less than practical functions makes you wonder whether the car is intended for use in the real world.
Thanks Mac720s, interesting reading. A lot of stages to get a reading, seems unnecessarily complex. Out of interest is the difference between a low oil reading and a good- or even high oil reading quite a small difference?
Just a bit scary when you reference friends/owners who have been unwittingly driving their cars on low oil.
dry sump engines don’t mean the car wouldn’t/couldn’t have an oil pressure display surely?
Your car looks great by the way! Nice spec.
Just a bit scary when you reference friends/owners who have been unwittingly driving their cars on low oil.
dry sump engines don’t mean the car wouldn’t/couldn’t have an oil pressure display surely?
Your car looks great by the way! Nice spec.
Edited by PS2018 on Friday 27th September 20:14
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