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Detailed Discussion of Service Due Indicator

7K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Ingenere 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm starting this thread to see of others can add to what I've been learning about McLaren's service interval timer.

I have some experience with dealership service technicians. Like everything else in life, some are really good and some really bad. When it comes to things like annual services, I normally like to get together with a trusted mechanic and work with them to do the service. Luckily, McLaren's service documentation is superb and the four year annual service on my 12C took a little less than a day. The last to do item on the extensive check list is to check the car's electrical system for stored faults and reset the service interval timer. I arranged a subscription to McLaren's diagnostic software and proceed to do just that.

McLaren is known for being precise and doing the exact task at hand. The online software is no exception. It is incredibly easy to download, install and run. It is equally easy to navigate to the correct car, module and routine. Regretfully, McLaren was forced to provide this access by the EPA and, in response, they have provided the very bare minimum necessary to meet the EPA mandate. You may re-flash vehicle modules with the latest firmware or you may re-marry a new module to the car. That is it. I've been unable to find any of the other functions routinely mentioned in the service documentation and am currently working with McLaren to see if I can subscribe to a more robust version of their MDS.

As mentioned above, the software is very well organized. It literally takes five minutes to connect the diagnostics plug (to the OBDii port above driver's left leg), open the software, choose make/model/year, choose the module of interest and reset the service interval timer. I would think checking all modules for faults would take another ten minutes at most. Given I did not have access to these functions, I contacted my local dealer to arrange a service visit or a half hour get together with a service tech and the MDS. Those conversations are ongoing and, being an optimist, I hope they go well.

I've read at least one post were an owner thought other errors (license plate light bulb out) and MIL lights were being triggered by a past due service interval timer. Has anyone experienced this?

Always looking for different ways to solve a problem, I considered options in dealing with the service interval mechanism. I tried several different methods to see of there was a manual (via the stalks) method to reset the timer. No luck. However, the service interval timer is calculated every time the car "boots" using the last stored service date and the current date. The car has a real time clock function on at least one of the micro controllers (a 32 KHz clock that runs all the time to keep track of real time) which is used to provide the car's user clock but also appears to be used as the time/date source for calculating the service due interval. I simply went into the dash module's date element and rest the month from December to September (an arbitrary change). Viola, I now had months before my service was due. I've not tried other dates just yet and will continue to work with both McLaren and my local dealer to "do it the right way" but it appears as though I could wait until my current service due date passes then reset the year minus one and gain a full nag free year of operation. Next year, put it back yet another year. It does not appear as though the IRIS GPS time is passed to the real time clock used by the service interval timer so this approach could very well work until such time as McLaren does an update that patches this back door.

On a different note, I've worked with a lot of OEMs and their related diagnostic offerings. Massachusetts has a right to repair law which compels manufacturers to allow independent repair shops equal access to tools available to dealers to prevent predatory monopolistic practices. Florida is following in their footsteps. Other manufacturers like MB, Mazda, Ferrari, BMW and the like have poorly designed online systems and even poorer documentation but the software tools they provide via subscription are normally robust versions of the dealer diagnostic tools. McLaren has chosen to provide the bare minimum to comply with only the EPA mandate. As more and more of these cars come off warranty, should owners not be supported in their efforts to service the cars outside the McLaren franchised dealer network? Is this not in McLaren's best interests as well as that of their customers?
 
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#2 ·
I would love to be able to read the McLaren-specific fault codes. Would help immensely in diagnosing an ongoing issue that we have been unable to reproduce other than long WOT pulls at full boost. This basically requires a track environment to make it happen. I can clear the fault with a standard OBDII scanner using "clear all codes", but there are no OBDII codes present or CEL. Just the McLaren codes as indicated by the "Engine System Fault...Contact McLaren Service" message.

I am curious as to how much this setup cost you? (PM if you prefer). And fingers-crossed that you can get those functions unlocked.

PS: I am planning to be at Sebring for the NASA event on 1/7-8. Hoping the fault does not return until near the end of the second day. :)
 
#3 ·
To be clear, McLaren's standard offering on the McLaren Tech Info portal only supports module re-flash and marry. It does not support diagnostics.

If, and that is a huge if, I am successful in working with McLaren to get access to a fuller MDS capability I will post my findings (provided McLaren allows).
 
#4 ·
....Massachusetts has a right to repair law which compels manufacturers to allow independent repair shops equal access to tools available to dealers to prevent predatory monopolistic practices. ?
Interesting, Lola. So as McLaren sells vehicles in Massachusetts, shouldn't all the items and tools required for independent servicing and repair be available there?
 
#7 ·
Carbon,

I used the stalk to change the user date (follows setting user date format dd/mm/yy or mm/dd/yy). I can get the exact sequence if you do not find it.

Valentin,
I received a note from Woking that my dealer will support me. It looks like I have a longer term solution but thank you very much for the ODO counter information.

In the end, states are starting to adopt Massachusetts' right to repair laws in one form or another. This, and residual values for out of warranty vehicles, should compel Mc to support 3rd party service. The good thing is that, once inclined to do so, Mc will likely do an excellent job in supporting us given the quality of the documentation available today.



I did notice that my sign on was for "US" or "EU" and that my credentials would not allow me to sign on using "EU". Does anyone have experience with the "EU" version of the Mc diag software? Does is include anything more than re-flash and re-marry? I suspect the distinction is only for firmware update file choice but then that could just as easily be done via the ViN.
 
#9 ·
Update:

Currently many independent shops have access to dealer level diagnostic tools and we finally have the full capability equal to the dealer to reset engine codes or airbag faults, reset service intervals, diagnose electrical systems, re-flash the latest software updates, re-marry ECU modules, etc, etc. 😉

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Kevin
Supercar Garage
Kennesaw GA
 
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