McLaren MOT

[djacobs89]

Hi All - how do you get your cars MOTd? Do you take to specialists, or will most garages do it fine?

[Fatherdougal]

Is it not in sync with your servicing date? Mine goes to McLaren dealer for MOT at same time as service, as can't imagine taking it to an 'everyday' garage. But I might be being precious!

[Pouhon]

Fatherdougal said:

Is it not in sync with your servicing date? Mine goes to McLaren dealer for MOT at same time as service, as can't imagine taking it to an 'everyday' garage. But I might be being precious!

You realise your dealer just has one of the lower level mechanics drive your car across town (unsupervised which may or may not involve some ragging from cold) to whatever garage with an MOT licence they have an arrangement with. Who then treats it like any other car, and drives it back to your dealer. You're getting even less quality control than if you picked out your own 'everyday garage' and built up a relationship with the team.

[Fatherdougal]

Pouhon said:

You realise your dealer just has one of the lower level mechanics drive your car across town (unsupervised which may or may not involve some ragging from cold) to whatever garage with an MOT licence they have an arrangement with. Who then treats it like any other car, and drives it back to your dealer. You're getting even less quality control than if you picked out your own 'everyday garage' and built up a relationship with the team.

Yes, yes I do. However any damage to the car and I think I have more comeback from a McLaren dealer, as my contract is with them.

[r o n n i e]

Pouhon said:

You realise your dealer just has one of the lower level mechanics drive your car across town (unsupervised which may or may not involve some ragging from cold) to whatever garage with an MOT licence they have an arrangement with. Who then treats it like any other car, and drives it back to your dealer. You're getting even less quality control than if you picked out your own 'everyday garage' and built up a relationship with the team.

This is only the case for dealerships which do not have on site MOT capabilities.

[Fast Eddie]

Pouhon said:

Fatherdougal said:

Is it not in sync with your servicing date? Mine goes to McLaren dealer for MOT at same time as service, as can't imagine taking it to an 'everyday' garage. But I might be being precious!

You realise your dealer just has one of the lower level mechanics drive your car across town (unsupervised which may or may not involve some ragging from cold) to whatever garage with an MOT licence they have an arrangement with. Who then treats it like any other car, and drives it back to your dealer. You're getting even less quality control than if you picked out your own 'everyday garage' and built up a relationship with the team.

Yeah, what he said OR find a good indie service garage (specialist of course) that has an MOT certification and build a rapport with them.
I don't know where you're based but I'm in Surrey and that's what I have done over the years.

[ajm_ph]

I get mine done at service time, but not because of a lack of faith in MOT stations, I know for a fact that my car gets taken to a regular MOT testing place that happens to be nearby. But they typically get the MOT done first, that way if anything gets flagged it's already with the McLaren garage who can get it sorted and retest it with minimal hassle on my part.

I really wouldn't have any issue with getting my car MOT'd anywhere reasonably reputable. They will probably take a great deal more care with it than the cars they normally see. Would you want to be the mechanic who has to explain to the boss he cracked the carbon fibre lip on a McLaren?

[cutting42]

I used a local indie recommended by my regional MOC group chat. They were great, car before me was a 430 and they measured the ground clearance first which gave me confidence.

This year it is being done as part of the service at Thorney and they have a local garage they use.

[supersport]

Pouhon said:

Fatherdougal said:

Is it not in sync with your servicing date? Mine goes to McLaren dealer for MOT at same time as service, as can't imagine taking it to an 'everyday' garage. But I might be being precious!

You realise your dealer just has one of the lower level mechanics drive your car across town (unsupervised which may or may not involve some ragging from cold) to whatever garage with an MOT licence they have an arrangement with. Who then treats it like any other car, and drives it back to your dealer. You're getting even less quality control than if you picked out your own 'everyday garage' and built up a relationship with the team.

This is why I found my own MOT place that I take it too and trust.

My Ferrari indie does their own MOT so that goes there, the only reason the Mac doesn’t is because I’ve been using this guy for years and I enjoy a good chat with them.

[drcarrera]

Pouhon said:

Fatherdougal said:

Is it not in sync with your servicing date? Mine goes to McLaren dealer for MOT at same time as service, as can't imagine taking it to an 'everyday' garage. But I might be being precious!

You realise your dealer just has one of the lower level mechanics drive your car across town (unsupervised which may or may not involve some ragging from cold) to whatever garage with an MOT licence they have an arrangement with. Who then treats it like any other car, and drives it back to your dealer. You're getting even less quality control than if you picked out your own 'everyday garage' and built up a relationship with the team.

But if it's a garage they use for all their MOTs they will at least be used to handling McLarens. Take it to a local garage and it may be the only one they've ever tested!
I get mine done at the same time as the service at my Indy specialist. They probably take several Macs a week to whoever they use so I'm confident they'll look after it and know any Mac foibles.

It's always good to get the mot in sync with the servicing, even if you have to get the former done sooner than necessary, once.

[ex-devonpaul]

drcarrera said:

It's always good to get the mot in sync with the servicing, even if you have to get the former done sooner than necessary, once.

I always aim for exactly the opposite - always good to get a car looked at twice a year

[Pouhon]

drcarrera said:

But if it's a garage they use for all their MOTs they will at least be used to handling McLarens. Take it to a local garage and it may be the only one they've ever tested!
I get mine done at the same time as the service at my Indy specialist. They probably take several Macs a week to whoever they use so I'm confident they'll look after it and know any Mac foibles.

.

This is true. It's usually the porsche dealership if near enough by. It's the being driven by the lowest qualified young workshop tech to +/- from that location that would also bother me. So in the past I've just taken it to prosche myself.