How does McLaren want the car washed?
By hand, top down, with two mitts. The vehicle care section of the 750S owner’s handbook sets out a routine any coated car benefits from:
- Pre-rinse with a hose held at a shallow angle, “avoiding direct spray on engine cover vents.”
- Wash with warm water and car shampoo, ideally with a lambswool mitt rather than a sponge.
- Use one mitt for the roof, luggage lid and everything above the wheel arch line, and a separate mitt for the areas below it.
- Don’t let the shampoo dry on the paint, and dry the car with a chamois or drying towel.
The same page says to polish the paint “occasionally” and follow up with “a protective wax”, and it rules out cutting compounds and harsh abrasive polishes. A coating slots into that routine rather than replacing it. It takes over the protective role the handbook gives to wax, and road grime releases from it with less rubbing, so the two-mitt wash goes faster. For the routine once the car is coated, see washing a ceramic-coated car.
Which coating package suits a McLaren?
The one that matches the paint’s condition and how far past the paint you want the coating to reach. All three are graphene-ceramic; what changes is the number of layers, the correction underneath and the surfaces included.
| Package | On a McLaren |
|---|---|
| Essential | One coat, on the paint alone |
| Performance | Two coats across paint, wheel faces and glass, after a two-stage correction |
| Signature | Four coats after full correction, reaching film, entire wheels, glass and trim |
The shop’s own description of Signature names new exotics and fully filmed cars as what it’s for. There’s no published price for any of them; the paint thickness is measured first, and the quote follows what the gauge and the lights show.
What does McLaren say about wheels?
Keep polish off the satin ones. The handbook allows polish on non-satin wheels to help keep them clean, but warns: “Never apply polish to satin finish wheels, this will result in localized glossy patches on the surface of the wheel.” It also says acid-based wheel cleaners “can damage the wheel rim finish leading to corrosion”, and that brakes should be fully dry before the car is put away.
That matters because McLaren’s wheels vary. The 750S runs forged wheels, 19 inches at the front and 20 at the rear, in eleven designs, and the GTS uses 20-inch fronts and 21-inch rears. Wheel faces are in Performance and entire wheels in Signature; say which finish yours has, satin or gloss, so it’s prepared without polish where polish would harm it. Wheel coating explains what’s covered.
What paint is under the coating on a McLaren?
Often something specific to that car. McLaren lists over 30 shades, solid and metallic, for the Artura coupe and over 40 for the Artura Spider, and MSO says its paint specialists have created over 500 bespoke colours. McLaren’s model pages also show MSO gradient and two-tone schemes.
The coating bonds to the clear coat and doesn’t change any of those colours. Correction does remove a little clear coat, which is why a paint gauge reading comes before any polishing, and that reading sets how deep the correction goes. Bring the paint name or MSO reference, and the full detail on prep is on paint correction.
Where does PPF fit with a McLaren coating?
Underneath it. If you want chip protection, the film goes on first. Signature then coats paint and film in one pass, so the filmed nose and the bare panels behind it get the same slick finish. The McLaren PPF page covers the film side, and coating over PPF explains the order.
How do you book a McLaren coating in Langley?
Send the model, year, paint name, wheel finish and any film already fitted or planned. Shop time is one to three days. Once home, give it a full day before it sees rain or a hose.
A coating protects the paint, not the underside. McLaren’s handbook warns that road salt collects underneath in winter and can cause corrosion, and asks owners to hose the underbody regularly, wheel arches included, through the winter months. That’s worth keeping up on BC roads, coated or not. Prices come through the coating quote form; the phone line, 604 534 6433, also takes texts.