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McLaren MP4-12C a LEMON

8K views 32 replies 17 participants last post by  FatFrank 
#1 · (Edited)
Jalopnik article titled 'Is the McLaren MP4-12C a lemon' McLemon?:eek: say it ain't so! pretty harsh news heading. any recent owners in this forum experience similar problems cited by the article?:confused: TIA for reply
 
#2 ·
I once said I love McDonald's n I also like Burger King, but certainly not McLemon.

Well they already did very well fighting against all UK presses against the Ferrari 458
N did very well on tests in C&D. Ring times are superb n Off the roof.

However, re: deliveries, overpromising, can't comment. I bailed n jumped off long time ago for fear of events like Jalo posted. Not a problem as long as they deal with it, I hope but certainly not for me. My 458 is coming.
 
#3 ·
Jalopnik is often the equivalent of those trash rags that line the registers at the supermarket. Their style of 'journalism' is generally poor IMO.

As for the cars - it is a new car from a new manufacturer and bound to have some early issues. You're also dealing with a new dealer network and new channels of communication. I am sure McLaren are trying their very best but anyone who expected a flawless launch of their first car had some flawed thinking.

>8^)
ER
 
#4 ·
Here's an real-life parable to I'd like to analogize...

Jeremy Clarkson, of TopGear fame, said the Ford GT was his dream-car of a lifetime & that it'd be his literal last sports-car acquistion, blah-bla-bah... till he then had to suddenly return it to the dealer/manufacturer as the anti-theft system (a non-Ford proprietary add'on) was incessantly problematic & he couldn't tolerate nor live w/ it. WTF-BBQ? Eggactly! The Ford GT has proven to be one of the most reliable, liveable, high-performance exotic high-performance sports-cars around w/ near 100% residuals from its original MSRP.

This Jalopnik dealio is sensationalism at its bests. . .

FWIW, the original post w/ its incomplete content (no link, no quoted content) & amended thread title, isn't helping the cause as such adds to the original Jalopnik malarkey.
 
#8 ·
All the cars have exactly the same problem (big deal) 23feb 26,000 service, radio coming on,THE CAR IS NOT FINISHED!!!,re IRIS...our choice take the car now and have fun or wait 3 months for the iris,as least we have a choice ,first adopter syndrome.Some people dont like it ,but i suspect they are the ones who will filp for the next new car to come out.
Ok the door sensor was a problem,and was fixed over the weekend(almost).
Ive said this before,do you want to be in at the start and take a little pain,no car is perfect first time out.my fiend had a new 997 turbo when they first came out,blew 2 engines in 600miles,they gave him his money back!!! 40 years of development!!!
we know all the problems at the moment,the only issue is if there are engine transmission and suspension failures,i assume thats what the million miles of testing was for
 
#9 ·
Some don't like to be the first to own a new model because they want to avoid some of the initial problems that the early owners will face. It would be naive not to expect some problems from early production cars. In car terms, a lemon is one that continues to have a problem that cannot be fixed. To brand McLaren as a lemon is extremely harsh and sensational journalism. I still look forward to receiving my McLaren in Jan.
 
#16 ·
You ain't lying- I can piss straight vinegar if the mood strikes. :p

But look, I had half a mind to let it go. Then I got to thinking - there's hundreds of employees at McLaren Automotive busting their arses every day to get these cars sorted for us. And doing a pretty damn swell job, by the reactions of the owners on this site.

So, if you are going to come on here and postulate this and that, you better not live in a glass house yourself, as the saying goes. And with regards to quality control history, a 458 owner doesn't even live in a glass house - it's a house made of very thin sheets of ice, i.e. very bad things happen when the temperature rises. Capiche?

Besides, we've already dealt with this inevitability. Linking to myself is as cheddar as it gets, but it's the responses to the original post that are pertinent here: http://www.mclarenlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227

OK I'm done.
 
#11 ·
This is really interesting the journo as we say in the UK is a P-ll no I cannot finish the phrase on an open forum:rolleyes:
Fact is very few of us are fortunate enough to own one yet! These cars are true amazing the best ,no the very best super car available ( ok I cannot afford a Veyron) !

Are there issues - yes all electronic software stuff that can and will be rectified in a short while and the attention I have received from both dealer and manufacturer as a result has been mindblowingly good:eek:

I believe some of these issues could have been a voided by getting owners to test these cars not jounos for example my dear wife pointed out today en route to a family gathering that there was no internal mirror to do her lippy:confused: Just goes to show she says women have not been involved in the testing program -OMG:D

A light heated post but a Lemon no way !!could only be the I'll informed sensational opinion of someone who has not driven this epic car or experienced Mclaren customer response:cool:
 
#13 ·
Andy, Guess the bigger handbag and mirror would be in the car..........but a vanity mirror would weigh less than the increase in handbag size......no silly, girls need big handbags for all the .......girly thingies.
 
#17 ·
6th element. You know and I know there are people who want a Mac and understand what early adoption is about but we judge McLaren will be there, with us as owners, dealing with the issues. McLaren will not let us down.

You only have to visit Ron's World and meet the Crew, top to bottom, and you then realise that the customer is part of the Team. They will deliver and we will have fun.

They will not get everything right but I would not bet against them.

Get my car, asap and good luck to Ferrari and their customers, hope they are happy clappy also.....
 
#19 ·
Your post is very reminiscent of a conversation I had with Simon Andrew after my test drive last week. We were talking about many of the past events and I was telling him about some of the heated topics that have surfaced here on this forum. He was genuinely interested to know why I was such a staunch defender of a car (and company) that I hadn't even driven yet.

I told him that it wasn't a blind faith, but until proven otherwise I was willing to trust that McLaren would deliver because I believe in the core values that they are extolling as an organization. As you say, I wouldn't bet against them. In fact, we are betting with them and you are right, that is the fun of it. Truthfully, as customers, we should be thankful for the seemingly endless queue of detractors that want McLaren to falter; they each have their own ulterior motives, but the end result is that it probably makes the folks at McLaren Automotive feel like perpetual underdogs. And by all accounts, it appears that they thrive on it.

p.s. Yes, good wishes to all Ferrari customers. There is always a spot in my garage reserved for a brand new car from Maranello. But until some things change in a very significant manner at that company, that spot will be occupied by machinery from other marques.
 
#18 ·
And another thing. Starting a new company with new employees, building facilities, new product, new technology on a green field is............barmy.......but this is McLaren!
 
#23 ·
I have absolute faith in the guys building, engineering and doing the follow up in the field on this car. I wanted to join McLaren because i knew what the brand stands for.
I have worked for company's that make millions of cars, and those that make a few hundred, and i can tell you personally i have never felt more involved than when i was training at the MTC.
They wanted our suggestions and input on anything and everything, what did we like, what didn't we like etc etc, they took in everything we said, and had real answers as to why they could, couldn't or would change something.

They are fully aware of the challenge they have taken on and have done an incredible job in a very short space of time, one visit to MPC would convince anyone no matter how loyal they are to any other brand.


For a journalist to call the car a lemon when there is less than (i think 200) on the road is a stretch of anyones imagination, maybe in his last career he wrote stories for Disney;)
 
#24 ·
I bought an MP4-12C in September 2012 and it was, indeed, a lemon. Following legal action I reached an out of court settlement with McLaren (or, to be precise, with the retailer because in the UK any action is against the retailer)

The car was very unreliable - for a 24 hour period it was totally immobilised in Southern Spain. Subsequently, it dropped all of its gearbox oil on the floor. Plus endless minor electrical problems

At the same time I had an R8-V10 which is a delight. I still have an R8-V10 (in white) but need two supercars for complex reasons.

BUT, the MP4-12C was a delight to drive and I miss it. So much so that I am tempted to give McLaren another chance ... maybe build quality has improved in the last two years?

[As for "did the British make computers?". The answer is not only did we make them we invented them (Alan Turing at Bletchley Park and Manchester University). The Leo 1 was the worlds first commercial computer. I know that because when I joined English Electric decades ago it was still there and the Leo 11 was still actually in use... see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEO_(computer)
]
 
#25 ·
If it helps with your decision, I have had my 2012 for almost year now and it has had a few things replaced but those same parts coincidentally were replaced on my Mercedes as well.

All small mind you except the headlight fogging up. Mechanically the car is as sound as I could ask for. I actually look forward to driving it all of the time, its real pleasure to drive.

Hope this finds you in good spirits upon making your decision to purchase another McLaren.
 
#26 ·
Not sure where the comment about British making computers comes from, but I'm guessing every single one of us own a phone with an ARM processor. ARM = "acorn risc machine". Acorn and ARM are both based in the UK. Lots of very solid engineering work out of Bristol and Cambridge. Eben Upton and the Raspberry Pi... Done out of Cambridge.


That being said sorry about your experience. I can tell you personally I'm just about to hit 10k miles on my '13 spider and have had zero issues.
 
#27 ·
Was it Turing, or was it actually Babbage?s Logic Engine that was the first computer. Either way it was British! FWIW, my 12c has been fundamentally sound, but riddled with niggles that have no business in a $274,000 automobile. Fabulous car to drive, infuriating car to own.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Ahhh the Brits. Always taking credit for everything around the world, referring to US/Canada/Austalia/India as "the colonies". They truly are "Masters of the Universe" or is it a "legend in their own mind":rolleyes:

Too bad when the Queen rides with her motorcade, she is riding an Indian Co. owned Jaguar/Land Rover with motorcycle police riding Japanese bikes and US developed military support.:D

P.S. - Above comments are just tongue in cheek boys. Relax.
 
#31 ·
Ritesh, my first RangeRover came from the pre-sale period and had all kinds of issues. My current one is an Indian version and has been perfection. Thank you Mr Tata!
 
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