Keeping a Mclaren outside?

[coolchris]

Just wondering if any of you on here keep your Mclaren's outside all year round ?.Currently have a car in the garage that I am keeping hold of and being fiberglass and had built I'd prefer keeping that in the single garage I have.Are exterior car covers ok or to be avoided ? because of build up of moisture etc ?.BTW car in question would be a 12c.

Thanks Chris

[Sarnie]

It will be fine, lots of people keep them outside, they are still just cars.

You might want to think about how/if you can keep it on charge, if it's not a daily........

[davek_964]

My first 650 lived outside for 3 years.

Current one has been outside for 2 years - minus one night last year when it did go in the garage for a special occasion.

[coolchris]

That's good to know I could just hook up a c tek from my garage have seen some decent all weather breathable outdoor covers so would just go that route.

[davek_964]

I'm not a fan of covers - too much risk of scratching.

Mine have been cover free

[Fatherdougal]

Mine lived outside no problem. I did have a problem when the door switch got wet with the window dropping (known issue) but if that's been replaced to the newer versions that are more waterproofed should be no problem.

As davek says - it's just a car - if it can't survive pretty standard British weather then we are in trouble.

BTW I asked a similar question when I was looking to get my first McLaren and got some really snooty answers from people who acted like it was fragile and made of pixie dust - Davek on this thread reassured me if I remember right and I've had 18 months of great McLaren driving and parking outside - thanks Dave!

[coolchris]

It is reassuring to know that they can be kept outside all year round with no issues.

[4.7AMV8]

davek_964 said:

I'm not a fan of covers - too much risk of scratching.

Mine have been cover free

Agree. I have a Aston Martin V8V, had it for 11 years now. Spent most of its time outside but has cover on it. Last year i was not driving it as much so cover was on and 2 of the straps could have been on tighter and i have laquer damage, from the underside of the cover rubbing on the metal, which will be soon repaired. You need a good quality cover and make sure the straps are tight with no movement.

[rainmaker2]

Get ppf maybe if concerned?

[Bispal]

My 12C lived outside for 3 years.

50% of the time I used a very cheap 'maypole' cover to keep leaves and bird poo off the car and also prying eyes. I prefer cheap covers to expensive ones as they are light and do not scratch as dirt does not seem to get trapped in them and wind blows through. I bulldog clip the cheap covers to the tyre valves. Also we have a fox issue in my area and they like to dump on the roofs of cars. So outside is fine but I use a light cover to protect from leaves and animal poop.

[Pioneer]

570S Spider kept outside for 4 years, no issues. In fact, was one of the reasons I bought it. Was one of the few more fun cars at the time that didn't have to be garaged as an insurance requirement.

[cutting42]

Another outdoor here, 650 under a cover. Was going to put into storage this winter but didn't in the end, waiting for salt free roads and I'll be out again.

[murphyaj]

I also keep my 650S outside and it's fine, it's a modern car not a sandwich; it can get wet.

One word of caution though. In winter if there is a thick frost you might find the windows won't drop when you try to open the door, thus leaving you stuck outside until you can defrost them sufficiently to drop. DO NOT FORCE THE DOOR IF THE WINDOWS DON'T DROP. I'm not generally fan of covers for the reasons mentioned above, but if you are driving somewhere on a winters morning and there is a frost forecast it might be worth sticking one on the night before. Or have a hairdryer and an extension lead handy.

[coolchris]

Thanks for all the helpful advice guys nice to know these cars don't need to be wrapped up in a dehumidified garage.Just a quick question I know the very early cars 2011 were reported to have some electrical glitches should one ideally be looking at 2012 cars onwards ?.And also as these cars had 592bhp would one expect these cars of this year to have had the 616bhp upgrade ? Would that be something that would be documented in the service history? as it could at the time only be done at the main dealer.

Thanks Chris

[davek_964]

coolchris said:

Thanks for all the helpful advice guys nice to know these cars don't need to be wrapped up in a dehumidified garage.Just a quick question I know the very early cars 2011 were reported to have some electrical glitches should one ideally be looking at 2012 cars onwards ?.And also as these cars had 592bhp would one expect these cars of this year to have had the 616bhp upgrade ? Would that be something that would be documented in the service history? as it could at the time only be done at the main dealer.

Thanks Chris

I'm not sure electrical glitches is really an early model thing. I'd say that both of my 650s (2014, then 2016) have occasional glitches - it's something you tend to ignore after a while.
Not sure about the upgrade, although I would be surprised if there were many that are still on the original power.

[Bispal]

coolchris said:

Thanks for all the helpful advice guys nice to know these cars don't need to be wrapped up in a dehumidified garage.Just a quick question I know the very early cars 2011 were reported to have some electrical glitches should one ideally be looking at 2012 cars onwards ?.And also as these cars had 592bhp would one expect these cars of this year to have had the 616bhp upgrade ? Would that be something that would be documented in the service history? as it could at the time only be done at the main dealer.

Thanks Chris

Mine was a very early car, chassis No.80. In 3 years and 14k miles it didn't have any electrical gremlins. just the usual corrosion and a strange creak which was eventually traced to the wheel hubs (one off, don't know anyone else who had it). Otherwise it was kept outside and used. Almost all new cars seems to have multitudes of issues. I think a 15 year old McLaren would probably spend less time inside a dealers workshop than a new BMW or Audi. My 675LT has had zero issues in 5 years / 16k miles. Buy a good one, get an inspection and use V engineering to look after it and you will be getting one of the finest cars ever made for a 'relative' bargain, and its British!

[coolchris]

Thanks for all the helpful info Bispal.So I have decided after looking at a recent 12c it is the way I want to go.I am not really too concerned with mileage(my noble is on 132k lol.I would rather a car that has been used regularly and not been laid up for long periods.Does not necessarily have to have main dealer history for servicing I would use V engineering .I Spoke to Paul there and he couldn't have been more helpful.Ideally I would like a coupe with carbon pack and a sports exhaust the one I viewed was in Fire Black and black wouldn't be my ideal choice but in the flesh looked stunning.Any must have options one should ideally be looking for?.

Thanks Chris

[Bispal]

coolchris said:

Thanks for all the helpful info Bispal.So I have decided after looking at a recent 12c it is the way I want to go.I am not really too concerned with mileage(my noble is on 132k lol.I would rather a car that has been used regularly and not been laid up for long periods.Does not necessarily have to have main dealer history for servicing I would use V engineering .I Spoke to Paul there and he couldn't have been more helpful.Ideally I would like a coupe with carbon pack and a sports exhaust the one I viewed was in Fire Black and black wouldn't be my ideal choice but in the flesh looked stunning.Any must have options one should ideally be looking for?.

Thanks Chris

Paul at V is the Oracle. Get him to inspect a car you are interested in and if he says its OK, it will be OK.

In terms of spec its very personal and there are pros and cons, especially with carbon fibre. Of course it looks great, externally, internally and in the engine bay. Mine had lots and when I hit the kerb on my drive with my splitter and found out a new one was £4k + vat I kind of went off CF. I like the internal CF with contrast stitching and the alcantara seats. Also with the coupe you can see the engine bay so CF there is nice. However its all at a price and can all be bought second hand. I like the super light weight forged wheels. For me I would just want those and CF interior.

I could never tell much difference between sports & normal exhaust so that shouldn't be a deal breaker. Mine was standard and I was still black flagged on track, was 104.5db static and cant remember drive by but was an early bath.


Black with silver super light weight forged wheels would look amazing. The one below is super spec for black, sadly its in the USA.

Good luck with the search, you will really enjoy it, I should imagine very different to the Noble BUT similar philosophy? 12C has bags of luggage space and will do 36mpg on a tour too. MPS4S is best upgrade over P Zero's and recommended.

[coolchris]

Thanks for all the very helpful knowledgeable advice Bispal that black 12c does look the perfect spec.I wouldn't be too fussed about too much exterior carbon bling bit I do think the interior looks so much better for the carbon.At least from your experience I know now that a sports exhaust isn't a must.Any cars I look at I will note what rubber they are on.The Noble is still fun and even after 18 years still is a sense of occasion but I would love something that was a step up in performance but comfy easy to drive and something that could be used on a regular basis the 12c fits that criteria perfectly.I will be looking for a black (ideally red caliperscarbon interior pack not fussed too much on mileage as long as good history is present I know I have to be patient but I know something will crop u.I will be looking at the bottom end of the market around 60k or a little over for the right car.

[Babw]

Be aware of knock sensor issues if you're going to leave it outside without a cover. The sensors live in the V of the engine and moisture there can cause them to be faulty. I keep mines inside but it sad outside a body shop waiting for some work and the knock sensors needed replacing due to water pooling around the sensors.