Every road-going McLaren since 2011 is twin-turbocharged, and McLaren services turbos only as complete assemblies at prices that make grown collectors wince. Boost Lab, Inc. rebuilds the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries hardware across the whole line: the M838T's TD04HL-family twins under 49389-06000 and 49389-06010 on the 12C through 675LT and Sports Series, the P1's TD05-based units, and the M840T's twin-scroll, titanium-aluminide-turbine twins on the 720S, 765LT, GT and Senna. Rebuilt as matched pairs, balanced, documented. Nationwide ship-in service.
Three engine generations, one turbo supplier, and hardware that is far more serviceable than the dealer parts counter suggests.
The Ricardo-built 3.8L M838T, with lineage tracing to the TWR-developed Nissan VRH IndyCar architecture, runs two MHI TD04HL-family turbos with McLaren-specific housings, tagged in the 49389-06000 and 49389-06010 series with designations like TD04HL-20TK32S-7.0. The cartridge architecture is proven TD04HL, which means bearing, seal and thrust support is deep. The 12C and 650S share the cast log manifold; the 650S added reworked heads.
The 540C, 570S, 570GT, 600LT, 620R and 675LT continue the TD04HL twin formula with application-specific calibrations, and the 675LT and 570S share exhaust manifolds distinct from the 12C/650S log design. Same rebuild process, same matched-pair discipline, and tag photos settle exactly which specification you have.
The 903 hp hybrid flagship steps up to larger MHI TD05-family units with P1-specific flanges and tube-style manifold interfaces. With 375 cars built, these turbos get our full documentation treatment: photographed stages, preserved original hardware, factory-spec balancing.
The 4.0L M840T moved to twin-scroll turbos with low-inertia titanium-aluminide turbine wheels and electronically controlled wastegates, still MHI-based, still rebuildable. The Senna's M840TR and the 765LT push the same hardware harder, and the GT carries its own exhaust manifold design. TiAl turbine wheels demand careful handling and correct balancing equipment, which is exactly what a proper bench provides.
The hybrid Artura's 3.0L M630 mounts its twin turbos inside the 120-degree vee, a hot-vee layout that concentrates heat exactly where the turbos live. Early cores are only now reaching rebuild age; the failure patterns will look familiar to anyone who services hot-vee German V8s.
McLaren sells turbos as complete assemblies through dealers at supercar prices, with no factory rebuild path. Underneath the McLaren-specific housings sits proven MHI architecture with full parts support. Rebuilding your original pair costs a fraction of two dealer assemblies, preserves the original castings, and on limited-production cars, keeps the car numbers-correct.
Every McLaren buries its twins in a mid-engine bay that soaks heat ferociously after shutdown, and the M840T's hot side runs hotter still. Pulling into the garage after a spirited drive and shutting straight down bakes the oil in both center sections; do it for years and the bearings pay. Sixty seconds of idle before shutdown is the cheapest insurance a McLaren owner can buy, and when the turbos do come off, both get rebuilt together: the labor to reach them is the expensive part, and the twins have lived identical lives.
Verified MHI numbers and McLaren-era designations. McLaren service numbers are VIN-specific through dealer channels: the turbo tag governs. Search by any number.
| Turbo PN | Model | OEM PN | Application | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49389-06000 | MHI TD04HL (McLaren spec) | McLaren dealer channel by VIN | 2011-2018 MP4-12C, 650S era M838T | McLaren-specific housings on TD04HL cartridge |
| 49389-06010 | MHI TD04HL (McLaren spec) | McLaren dealer channel by VIN | 2011-2014 MP4-12C M838T | Sister unit in the 49389 series |
| TD04HL-20TK32S-7.0 | MHI designation | n/a | M838T family | The McLaren-specific TD04HL spec code |
| Tag-specific | MHI TD04HL family | McLaren dealer channel by VIN | 540C, 570S, 570GT, 600LT, 620R, 675LT | 675LT/570S share manifolds; calibrations differ |
| Tag-specific | MHI TD05 family (P1 spec) | McLaren dealer channel by VIN | 2013-2015 P1 | P1-specific flanges; 375 cars; documented rebuilds |
| Tag-specific | MHI twin-scroll, TiAl turbine | McLaren dealer channel by VIN | 720S, 765LT, GT, Senna (M840T / M840TR) | Electronically controlled wastegates; GT manifold differs |
| Tag-specific | Hot-vee twin units | McLaren dealer channel by VIN | Artura M630 3.0 V6 hybrid | Twins mounted inside the 120-degree vee |
| Tag-specific | Upgraded hybrids on OEM frame | n/a (aftermarket) | Tuned M838T / M840T cars | Billet-wheel and ball-bearing conversions; rebuilt as pairs |
Supercar packaging plus real-world ownership habits: the patterns off the bench.
The defining McLaren failure. Hot shutdowns bake oil in both center sections, and the carbon grinds the bearings on the next start. It is worst on track-driven cars shut down straight off a session. We clean CHRA passages to bare metal and pressure-test the water jackets on every rebuild; the idle-down habit protects the fresh pair.
12Cs and 650Ss are now old enough to have real miles, and their TD04HLs arrive with classic journal wear: shaft play, faint whine, oil consumption blamed on the engine. The proven cartridge architecture rebuilds routinely, and caught early the McLaren-specific housings and wheels survive.
Most McLarens sit far more than they drive, and seals harden during storage. Startup smoke that clears on a low-mileage car points at seals, not a dying engine, and the core underneath is usually excellent.
The M840T's electronically controlled wastegates add an actuator failure mode the M838T never had: faults and boost deviations that get blamed on the cartridges. We evaluate actuators and mechanisms honestly; sometimes the fix is far smaller than a turbo pair.
A failing twin sheds oil and debris into shared charge plumbing, and its partner ingests the evidence. Given what McLaren labor costs, replacing one side and leaving a compromised survivor is false economy. We assess and rebuild the pair and report the second unit's true condition.
The 720S drag-racing scene pushes stock frames far past factory intent, and overspeed shows as compressor bore stretch, blade damage and thrust wear. Rebuildable, with uprated thrust parts and an honest conversation about the stock frame's ceiling for your power goal.
Completely. Under the McLaren-specific housings sits proven Mitsubishi Heavy Industries architecture, TD04HL on the M838T cars, TD05-based on the P1, twin-scroll MHI units on the M840T, with deep parts support. A rebuild replaces the wear components and preserves your original castings, which matters on limited-production cars.
The pair, always recommended. The twins have lived identical lives in the same heat-soaked bay, and the labor to access them dwarfs the rebuild cost difference. We report honestly if the second unit genuinely only needed seals.
Yes. TiAl wheels are lighter and more fragile than Inconel and demand careful handling and precise balancing, which is standard bench discipline here. Damaged TiAl wheels are replaceable within the MHI ecosystem.
Not necessarily. The M840T's electronic wastegate actuators fail independently of the cartridges, and actuator or mechanism service is a much smaller job than a turbo pair. Ship the units in and we will diagnose which it actually is.
Yes, full concours treatment: photographs at every stage, original hardware preserved and returned, factory-spec balancing, and a written record for the car's history file.
Start at repair.theboostlab.com, note the model and VIN, label left and right, drain oil and coolant passages, cap all openings, and double-box with solid foam. Ship to Boost Lab, Inc., 37833 Pineapple Ave, Unit A, Dade City, FL 33523.