Joined
·
214 Posts
Hi All,
I've been analyzing McLarenLife posts in pursuit of my next fun car, and collected some observations about reliability I thought the community may enjoy. As a prospective buyer, I always hope these sort of threads exist, but often end up doing the work and posting them myself! [Edit: I bought a 570S and don't regret it one bit. Best vehicle I've ever owned!]
Purpose
Table last updated: 10/18/2020
Take this list for what it's worth-- 50hrs+ research based on issues reported by owners.
If you're a 570S owner and have experienced issues other than these, please reply so the community can continue to document for future prospective owners.
Cheers
I've been analyzing McLarenLife posts in pursuit of my next fun car, and collected some observations about reliability I thought the community may enjoy. As a prospective buyer, I always hope these sort of threads exist, but often end up doing the work and posting them myself! [Edit: I bought a 570S and don't regret it one bit. Best vehicle I've ever owned!]
Purpose
- Aggregate reliability-related reports from 570S owners since the vehicle's launch
- Post to the forum to aide prospective buyers in their decision making process
- Aide those weighing decision to buy a factory warranty (ESC), or an aftermarket warranty.
- Online forums such as McLaren Life, Youtube documentation, are a reasonably reliable source of owner experiences
- Posters are accurately reporting the issue & solution at hand
- Online forums have a slim % of 570S owners, but are a decent proxy for overall experiences
- 40hrs+ surveying Online Forums, Youtube documentation
- Little mechanic/dealer input
- Contrary to popular belief, the 570S receives few complaints.
- Reliability issues are largely related to electrical gremlins, and mechanically the cars appear to be solid.
- The 570S seems much more reliable than the 12C/650S, and that is becoming more clear now that a decent qty of 570S's have accumulated 20k+ miles.
- Most owners report solid reliability, punctuated only by "ghost in the machine" idiosyncrasies cleared by a stopping the car, letting it sit, then restarting.
- Theoretically, the majority of issues listed below arose during the initial warranty period, and future owners are buying well-sorted cars.
- Compared to the reliability of other marques being cross-shopped in this category (Ferrari 458/488, Huracan, GT3RS, R8 V10), Mclaren is middle of the pack, with a relatively high number of inconvenient issues but far less large mechanical issues.
Table last updated: 10/18/2020
Rarity | Issue | Cause & fix |
Common | Not starting | Depress brake pedal harder. In rare cases, the brake pedal switch needed to be replaced. |
Common | Key not recognized | Key should be placed closer to Start/Stop button |
Common | Misc dash errors/codes | Mostly "ghost of the machine". Stop/Restart the vehicle, or disconnect battery for 1hr. Sometimes idling for 5min clears codes. |
Fairly common | Windows roll down after door close | Weather stripping may be protruding, causing window to drop for safety measures. Re-seat the weather stripping. |
Fairly common | Miscellaneous door latch | If the car is spec'd with "soft close" doors, the latch mechanism from Tesla likely failed |
Fairly common | Comfort entry not working | Battery reset, sometimes a reflash |
Fairly common | Battery dying quickly, causing issues | Key is left too close when vehicle not in use. Constant communication drains the battery. |
Fairly common | Headlight condensation | Occurs after rain driving or deep cleaning. Let sit and it disappears. |
Fairly common | Windshield stress cracks | Happens early, and the dealer needs to use a more flexible sealant. May be accelerated by poor design of frame around windshield. About $2300 to replace |
Somewhat common | IRIS (interface) errors | Majority are remedied with reset (done yourself). Software updates have fixed many issues. Requires dealer to update. |
Somewhat common | Coolant tank leaks | Cracked coolant tanks, or loose/bad clamps on hose near tank. Cause is the tank's proximity to air/water intercoolers and exhaust cause expansion and decrease hose longevity. Could be amplified by aftermarket exhausts with lesser heat protection. |
Somewhat common | Locked out of car | Variety of causes: bad latch, poor signal, low car battery |
Somewhat common | Small panels falling off | Double-sided tape and adhesive failures. Simple reattach. |
Somewhat common | Oil-related error/s due to oil filler cap not fully tightened | Oil filler cap not fully tightened |
Somewhat common | Panel misalignments from factory | Build quality. Doors can be adjusted, but likely at cost of fitment elsewhere |
Not common | Light rattle from the engine bay | Heatshield clamp bolts loosened, possible tab on catalytic converter mount snapped |
Not common | Fender liner becoming detached | Reattach |
Not common | Part of front bumper flying off at speed | Incorrect re-installation of part. E.g. the professional applying paint protection film (PPF) |
Not common | A/C blowing hot air | Unconfirmed. Stop/restart vehicle. |
Not common | Rear parking brake error | Unclear fix -- may be reset by stop/restart |
Not common | Paint bubbling | Corrosion on Aluminum - must repaint the panel. 5 year corrosion warranty from McLaren. Most popular on 2016's |
Not common | Rear diffuser separating | Failure of adhesive. Clean surface then dab silicone adhesive behind fins |
Very rare | Transmission oil leak | Failure of basic o-ring, small but annoying job |
Very rare | Oil leak by variable cam timing harness | Due to leaky o-rings on the filter's plastic housing. Replace o-ring's likely fine, whole housing as precaution. |
Take this list for what it's worth-- 50hrs+ research based on issues reported by owners.
If you're a 570S owner and have experienced issues other than these, please reply so the community can continue to document for future prospective owners.
Cheers