reliability, reapir costs, warranty and real experience
Discussion
I have long wanted a McLaren but been put off at each car change by all the advice about the need for a warranty. My last 4 toy cars have been Lotus, F Type and two Ferraris - none with warranty and with no nasty experiences that made me wish that I had one. In fact in a long motoring life I can think of few experiences, mostly last millenium, when anything of any seriousness went wrong with a car.
So is the McLaren "get a warranty" advice based on fear of the unknown or is it real life advice because the cars do regularly have expensive breakdowns. And is it the nature of the breakdowns or is it the case that McLaren reapir charges and parts are silly expensive.?
Anybody care to give details of the failure and repair costs of their car and over what period of time? Have the repairs actually cost more than the cumulative cost of the warranty?
So is the McLaren "get a warranty" advice based on fear of the unknown or is it real life advice because the cars do regularly have expensive breakdowns. And is it the nature of the breakdowns or is it the case that McLaren reapir charges and parts are silly expensive.?
Anybody care to give details of the failure and repair costs of their car and over what period of time? Have the repairs actually cost more than the cumulative cost of the warranty?
davek_964 said:
I'm pretty sure you posted once before that the reason you sold your first Ferrari was because of the known issues with that model, and your worry that yours might suffer it?.
You have a good memory. That worry ( exhaust manifolds) was one reason why I got rid of the 430, but I never had a problem with the car and the Ferrari warranty that I didnt have wouldnt have covered the repair anyway. And it turned out the worry wasnt justified which is excatly what I am asking here. Is the McLaren worry justified?davek_964 said:
At least I have no idea what the costs have been to fix problems - they get fixed, warranty pays and I have no idea how much.
Having said that, I am 95% sure I will not renew my warranty when it expires in August.
Here your memory turns bad! I am sure you can remember any serious issues and have some idea of what they cost.Having said that, I am 95% sure I will not renew my warranty when it expires in August.
The Surveyor said:
Just buy one then, or don't....
Yet again, I think you're massively overthinking a purchase which should bring you joy. If you want a McLaren but can't afford the potential big costs associated with a serious failure spend the £2k - £4k per year on a warranty. If you can't afford to run a McLaren under warranty you're going to really struggle if you're one of the unlucky few who has a serious failure, and running a car with that sort of risk is not going to bring you much joy is it! There are many owners who have had no issues with their cars, but there are equally some who have had failures, nobody can predict or advise whether you'll be lucky or not
Clearly since the last time you asked the same question you have bought an F Type Jag, and looking at you're profile its not bringing you much joy is it. The money you will lose selling that unloved Jag would have covered a years warranty on the McLaren you say you really wanted.... life's short my friend
The Jag was the middle car in a Ferrari sandwich, So I went 430, F type and now 360. I chose the latter because I wanted a manual car and one that was less electronic than the alternative which would have been a 458 . The Jag was an excellent fun car, unfairly looked down on by many petrolheads and would still be with me but for one painful issue. The seats.Yet again, I think you're massively overthinking a purchase which should bring you joy. If you want a McLaren but can't afford the potential big costs associated with a serious failure spend the £2k - £4k per year on a warranty. If you can't afford to run a McLaren under warranty you're going to really struggle if you're one of the unlucky few who has a serious failure, and running a car with that sort of risk is not going to bring you much joy is it! There are many owners who have had no issues with their cars, but there are equally some who have had failures, nobody can predict or advise whether you'll be lucky or not
Clearly since the last time you asked the same question you have bought an F Type Jag, and looking at you're profile its not bringing you much joy is it. The money you will lose selling that unloved Jag would have covered a years warranty on the McLaren you say you really wanted.... life's short my friend
I started this thread because I couldnt understand the "you must get a guarantee" attitude to McLaren when I dont ever see that sort of response on the Ferrari forums. I find it difficult to imagine that Ferrari are more reliable or cheaper to repair. But there must be a reason and I was thinking that after the time gap since I first asked the question, many more McLaren drivers might be around to answer.
Gunso said:
My car was 3 years old last week.
I renewed the McLaren Warranty because I think I will probably get my moneys worth out of it.
Why do you think that? is it based on experience? Or is it just that getting a warranty is what everyone ( or almost) does when they buy a second hand McLaren.I renewed the McLaren Warranty because I think I will probably get my moneys worth out of it.
Maybe its me but I dont expect a fairly new car to give any problems. Thats been my experience, at least since the late 90s when build quality really improved and cars stopped rotting. I have only once ever broken down in that period when a plug vibrated out of a socket on my lotus and repair was no more than pushing it back in and securing with a zip tie.
Edited by bordseye on Sunday 4th July 13:28
ForumLurker said:
I shall post until the detractors turn up having a go.
I never had a 'power' warranty on my Ferraris as there were just far too many items that were deemed as not covered, so I self warranted.
The McLaren extended warranty is pretty comprehensive and gives peace of mind, especially on super series with the trick suspension.
I think the longer you have your McLaren, the decision on warranty or self warrant becomes apparent.
The comment on Ferrari "Power" warranties is quite right - I was amazed to read that the exhaust manifolds on the 430 werent covered. Nor apparently are engine oil leaks on the turbo engine. But I guess that one difference is the large number of independant Ferrari shops which tend to keep the official dealers more honest.I never had a 'power' warranty on my Ferraris as there were just far too many items that were deemed as not covered, so I self warranted.
The McLaren extended warranty is pretty comprehensive and gives peace of mind, especially on super series with the trick suspension.
I think the longer you have your McLaren, the decision on warranty or self warrant becomes apparent.
Kid B said:
Here in Australia we have a statutory warranty scheme where a car has to be fit for purpose based on attributes such as price, marketing, claims made by the manufacturer, and attributes individual to the car (mileage, age etc).
If I had a 4-5 year old McLaren I would not be taking out a warranty. I wouldn't warrant anything till at least, say, 7 years in. If all the other manufacturers like Toyota, Honda etc can warrant drivetrain and engine to 5-7 years then McLaren ought to too, and I'd be happy to rock up to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a half-day hearing on the matter if McLaren tried to stuff me around. I figure if the alternative is paying $5k a year for a warranty, the cost of a VCAT issuing fee ($200) and legal representation (free as I am counsel) is much less.
I think the whole 'extended warranty' thing that these high-end manufacturers try to stuff us around with is ridiculous. A day in Court costs nothing - well it costs something like $200 in issuing fees. The hearing would be over in a couple of hours. And I reckon McLaren Australia would be rushing to compromise rather than run the case.
Just means that for Oz the warranty cost is built in to the original price. Arguably that should be the case anyway. But its unrealistic to expect the same level of reliability from a small volume maker like McLaren as from Honda.If I had a 4-5 year old McLaren I would not be taking out a warranty. I wouldn't warrant anything till at least, say, 7 years in. If all the other manufacturers like Toyota, Honda etc can warrant drivetrain and engine to 5-7 years then McLaren ought to too, and I'd be happy to rock up to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a half-day hearing on the matter if McLaren tried to stuff me around. I figure if the alternative is paying $5k a year for a warranty, the cost of a VCAT issuing fee ($200) and legal representation (free as I am counsel) is much less.
I think the whole 'extended warranty' thing that these high-end manufacturers try to stuff us around with is ridiculous. A day in Court costs nothing - well it costs something like $200 in issuing fees. The hearing would be over in a couple of hours. And I reckon McLaren Australia would be rushing to compromise rather than run the case.
Edited by Kid B on Monday 5th July 09:02
davek_964 said:
It's always said that (in my ownership) and I agree that the limit is 12k. But I do have something from the warranty company somewhere which states the figures I mentioned.
"Warranty company" ? I thought that the McLaren warranty was by McLaren and not some insurance productYour second sentence suggests that everything we buy is a bas deal, which is of course nonsense. But leaving that aside, I agree with you that the purpose should be peace of mind rather than buying a policy because otherwise you would be "wiped out". Thats why I am uncomfortable with the modern approach of buying exotic cars on credit.
I was simply curious as to why this issue was so strong on McLaren and not much mentioned on say Ferrari. Could it be because the buyers of McLaren are younger people buying on credit and for whome a 35k gearbox bill would be a disaster? Or is it that McLaren are unreliable by comparison and expensive to repair by comparison? The logic of your second sentence suggests that repair bills for a McLaren must average multiple thousands a year. Really?
I was simply curious as to why this issue was so strong on McLaren and not much mentioned on say Ferrari. Could it be because the buyers of McLaren are younger people buying on credit and for whome a 35k gearbox bill would be a disaster? Or is it that McLaren are unreliable by comparison and expensive to repair by comparison? The logic of your second sentence suggests that repair bills for a McLaren must average multiple thousands a year. Really?
davek_964 said:
I suspect the answer to this is actually quite complicated. Ferrari owners do seem very protective of the brand, and - for whatever reason - are far less vocal about problems.
But even more so - people who have never owned a McLaren seem very vocal about how unreliable they are (especially on here) - why, is something of a mystery. But that doesn't seem to happen with other marques.
I wonder if this is part of our tendency to knock things British. Rover cars for example were always way better than anything from FIAT or Renault but that doesnt stop people damning them. Same with modern JLR vehicles. Same with "British" motorbikes even though they arent actually British. We like to moan and knock.But even more so - people who have never owned a McLaren seem very vocal about how unreliable they are (especially on here) - why, is something of a mystery. But that doesn't seem to happen with other marques.
SSO said:
We have owned 9 McLarens over the last decade and four currently. Never had a major issue with a single one. I don't buy the extended warranty. I have posted the fully maintenance history & costs along with the reliability history for all of them.
Just had a read of your blog. Thanks for the information, but I am not sure that the warranty views of a man who can afford 4 McLarens have much relevance to a poor retired peasant like me! 
A replace gearbox wouldnt wipe me out but it sure would make for a bad day.You are a good writer by the way. Nice to read a well crafted report like yours.
Another interesting read. The message that I take from it is that repairs outside services have been relatively few and at not unreasonable costs. Likely much the same as Ferrari once the Ferrari 7 years free has run out.
Reliability has obviously been good.
To put the reliability / costs into context, it would be interesting to know roughly how many McLaren miles a year that you do.
Reliability has obviously been good.
To put the reliability / costs into context, it would be interesting to know roughly how many McLaren miles a year that you do.
For some reason we seem always to knock British made cars and bikes and see foreign as better and exotic. For example the F type Jag which I had between two Ferraris. It was a brilliant drivers car, lots of fun and with sensible purchase and running costs. After a string of BMW and KTM bikes I now have a Triumph which is definitely better build quality , again cheaper but somehow is not seen by the market as an equivalent brand.
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