Yeah, it's a major pain in the ass. Mine is going for the pre tomorrow, my dealer charges $800. It's not just the cost either, it's the inconvenience. I'm due for a service, so the post will be done at the same time but I doubt I'll be able to negotiate any sort of deal.

Having said that, there are some upsides. The first one I had found worn control arm bushings and a leaking rear main seal, both of which were fixed under the warranty.

I suspect this will be the last year, or next to last year, that I keep the warranty, and the track inspection requirement is the major reason I'm likely to drop it.

 

If you're buying a car specifically for the track, you'll need deep pockets if it's a McLaren. Tires, brake pads, warranty inspections, insurance, it's not a cheap proposition. If you're planning to do that many, you might also want to look at more cost effective brake options, especially if you're driving high speed circuits.

 

Thanks - that's what I thought...major pain for the inspections and expensive to track. I also read about the very high costs for stock brakes so would likely swap with an aftermarket option. Would this may be a problem with the mclaren warranty even for unrelated components? (eg "your control arms failed because you used aftermarket brakes..")

 

Yes, if you change brake components, it will likely invalidate any parts of the warranty related to brakes (which probably isn't much, so I wouldn't necessarily worry about it). The problem, of course, is that if you own a McLaren, why the fuck would you want to drive anything else, especially on track?? 😂 The group I track with don't seem to understand why I have zero interest in driving a MX5 or BRZ on track..... One option with the brakes, depending on which model you buy, is to use the GM rotors and swap the hats over, but I don't think you can do that with the 600 or 720. 720 will be more expensive to maintain than a Sport series car, a 570S isn't a bad track option if cost is a consideration.

 

What if you just drive it on the tracks and bring it for service when the time comes? I think the pre and post track inspection will flag your car that it’s been to the track?

 

Steel brakes are better for the track in many ways and the 12c came with steel brakes as standard. If you are going for a track car then ignore the warranty

If you go for a dedicated track car, forget warranty, you can buy a 570s gt4 car for the same money or less than a 720s roadcar, and that gt4 car will be so much faster and is built to eat the track... just no road driving

 

A couple of points:

You do not require an inspection by a McLaren dealership as any reputable garage can inspect against McLarens track day checklist. I have them as pdf’s but don’t seem to be able to post them here.

McLaren can not enforce who does the inspection so long as it is done correctly. In UK usually £150 -£250 for both pre and post.

2nd point is brakes which do not as reported on this site many times, like hard use.

Personally I do not like the Steel options as adds extra rotating weight, for me the Surface Transform CCB is better especially if aligned with Endless Pads, also extra set of track wheels and tyres is a good long term investment

 

The independent inspection is fine in theory, but if they decline a warranty claim you then have to resort to legal action.

Interestingly, McLaren themselves use CCBs on their track demo cars. The critical thing seems to be to not let them overheat and break down the silicon carbide surface. They don't even bother to do cool down laps unless the brakes are smoking.

 

-I looked at the 570GT4 (there's a nice one on BaT at the moment) but want to be able to drive to the track.

-Have others had their car inspected by an independent dealer (great idea Rocket!) but had issues with Mclaren warranty?

 

so if they do an inspection (dealer) and car checks out, and something breaks on on the track.. Mclaren will cover it?

 

Yes.

 

if I recall, McLaren only covers track days during the original warranty and does not cover them under extended warranty, unless it is an official McLaren event. Such, if you plan on tracking the car at non-official, non McLaren events, just your normal track day, and you’re on an extended warranty, you will have no warranty coverage if anything goes wrong. that’s my memory of the status, unless something has changed more recently.

 

I don't believe this is the case.

 

My just purchased extended warranty isn’t warrantech. It’s McLaren extended warranty according to the dealer

 

Yeah, I think they went self insured. Hard to tell though, did they give you any paperwork?

 

What are the chances the engine or tranny will fail at a track event? McLaren won't cover the body/structure in a crash on the track. Am I missing something?

 

My guess is probably much higher than at any other time I'm driving. Both the issues I had were probably track related I suspect.

 

So you want to track your McLaren?

This forum has been really helpful to me both before I bought my car and while I’ve gotten to know it. I thought I’d write up a post that summarizes a number of the different topics that have cropped up over the years. If you’re in a hurry, here’s a TLDR: Make friends with your local...

www.mclarenlife.com

 

It would be helpful to the poster if people responding established some track credibility; how many track days have you done ina mclaren , how many times you have done a track inspection with the dealer , do you self tech , how do you sign a tech inspection sheet with organizers (if you don’t know what to look for ), have you used a third party , what warranty related item was denied , if any

.
I’ve said it before but Ive had 100 (ball park ) track days in mclarens over the last 8 years.

 

It would be helpful to the poster if people responding established some track credibility; how many track days have you done ina mclaren , how many times you have done a track inspection with the dealer , do you self tech , how do you sign a tech inspection sheet with organizers (if you don’t know what to look for ), have you used a third party , what warranty related item was denied , if any

.
I’ve said it before but Ive had 100 (ball park ) track days in mclarens over the last 8 years.

what is the verdict? I was about to tag you.

 

Thanks to everyone for their perspective; very helpful. Based on this information, I don't think I am ready to track a 720s. It is an amazing car but I simply don't have the time or patience to comply with all the Mclaren rules to keep the car under warranty. If I did 8 track events a year that means 16 inspections per season! (or at least 10 if I can combine some of the post track inspection with the "next" pre track inspection which is still excessive). I could take the risk of going without a warranty but wouldn't be able to stomach a major failure (eg need a new transmission or whatever). I may look for something else to track and then get a 720s for the street but that's a more complicated plan...Thanks!

 

When I owned a 650s, my local Mclaren dealer had a deal with me where I had to bring it in once every 1-2 months while tracking. It is inconvenient even with the dealer 15 mins away. It did help cover the throttle body inlet hoses when those blew off, but not a battery control board when it fried. Got fed up with the hassle and repair bills (even with a warranty) and swapped to a 570sGT4, which is it's own hassle of acquiring a truck, trailer, and all the relevant tools. However it's had no issues that can be attributed to track or hard driving.

 

I still do not understand how a dealer would know if the car was at the track when a failure occurred. If it was something, you could not drive home I assume you would pay to have it towed home.

 

Well for a start you'd need to change the tyres. Then you'd have to pull off all the rubber from the wheels and in the intakes.

 

I have also down umpteen track days both in the UK and Europe,
Originally with a 12c, then 570s, 600LT and 720S.

The wear on any car is usually seen in the tyres and brakes but these are consumables. Plenty of options for both.

In my opinion the 600LT does allow you to push on a little harder, mainly because it is lighter where it matters, and feels a bit livelier

This had the effect of generally wearing pads and tyres at at a rate higher than my 720S. The 720S without a spring upgrade is soft in the corners and although the aero is superior to a 600LT you don’t necessarily feel like pushing it harder even though it handles incredibly well on track.

If you track hard then you have to expect some expense although this can be mitigated by sorting out the brakes/pads and wheels/tyres from the outset.

Mentioned before but a good track set up does not make for a good road car, so always a compromise

 

Here's my two cents.

I've tracked and autocrossed my 570S around 15 days in two years. I track my Cayman about as much.

While under Mac warranty, I did pre/post inspections for the Pure McLaren weekend at COTA, since I knew that they would know that I was tracking it at that event. Somehow the dealer comped me on it, so there was no charge. The other track days were not McLaren events, so I figured they wouldn't even know I was there, so I had my independent mechanic do some inspections, but didn't strictly adhere to McLaren's requirements.

I had one failure happen at the track: the heat in the engine bay melted a plastic fastener for a hose. McLaren covered it. This happened a second time, plus the Cats were melting. McLaren covered it.

Now I'm out of warranty, but do the usual due diligence for tracking a car at my independent.

So I wouldn't worry about pre/post inspections for every event, unless it's a McLaren sponsored event and you're still under warranty. After warranty, just do what you think is necessary and just expect to pay for any failures, like with any car, including Porsches.

 

After warranty, just do what you think is necessary and just expect to pay for any failures, like with any car, including Porsches.

That's fair....Maybe I just need to get a $100k car to avoid the concerns on paying for repairs...

 

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Have McLaren relaxed their pre/post inspection requirements for track days? I thought I read something on the forum somewhere but I can't find it now!

 

No. Not in the US at least.

 

If you are going to track any street car you should have it inspected. The stress put on the car is a significant multiple of the stress on the stress on the street. I’d hate to have a failure at the end of the straight or in a high speed corner.
A McLaren is so fast you are really taking a risk.

 

I didn't think anyone is disputing this, but a good track inspection is maybe $400, but the dealers are now charging about a grand for the warranty track inspection.

 

Beside the cost the other challenge is the distance of the closest McLaren dealer to you.

 

I’ve no issue having the car checked regularly but having it done before and after EVERY track day is not just a financial pain but a waste my time driving back and forth to the dealer.

And have you seen what they actually “inspect”? It’s a basic fluid check, brake pad check and tyre depth check.

 

I agree, it's ridiculous, but here they do a pretty comprehensive check, at least my tech does.

 

Someone post the actual track inspection that was performed on their car . People need to substantiate what they are saying . The biggest cost of a track inspection (where nothing is found that needs fixing ) is a brake flush.

too many generalities discussed by people who have little to no experience on this topic .

this is not a new topic . It’s been the same since the beginning of mclaren road cars . A lot of mclarens get tracked regularly by their owners.

ones experience will differ if they bought from servicing dealer , bought brand new , PITA client , $$$ value to the particular dealership doing the work , frequency of tracking , etc .

once again ; I have 100+ track days in my own mclarens …too many people full of shit and talking out of their arse on this topic on these forums constantly and chiming in with little context and little experience to none .

 

So what do your pre/post track inspections consist of? Instead of just complaining, SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE!

 

And yeah, I am sure the maintenance schedule is different between a Senna and a 570, another reason I asked for his input.

 

I doubt it's different for brake fluid.

 

I don’t want to get into the specifics…but the relationship you have with your dealer (sales person/gm/owner/tech staff) has a very large impact on how things are treated and how often certain things are required. Also…dealer sponsored track days often have some more ‘flexibility’ in them as well…

It never hurts to have a healthy relationship with your dealer…and even beyond/above your dealer at times. Helps from allocations to service times, to inspections to sourcing parts and to general good will. McLaren also like people that like the brand and are willing to share those positive experiences with others. It all matters…