Remote Roof & Glass Controller
Ok, yes, this was like 90% a vanity thing. I won't deny that!
I also feel like this was a little bit of a missed opportunity by McLaren to either up-sell, or just include by default. I note that they have now adopted a similar system on the 765LT (and others?) which suggests they did realise it was needed.
What is it?
This small box is basically an interface into the internal network on the car, and gives you the ability to control several roof and glass-related features via the keyfob. It also has access to the roof and rear-glass buttons, enabling you to trigger features via them as well. It can raise or lower the roof, and also the rear and door glass. All independently of ignition status and whether the vehicle is occupied or locked up.
The main 2 features for me, were that that I can raise/drop the roof remotely, and that i can use a single-press on the console button instead of sitting there holding it while it finishes operating.
It's very handy on a hot day to drop the roof while you are still indoors, or as you approach the car, and jump in without the roof being there. It's also remarkably satisfying to just park up, jump out and walk away while the roof (and all the glass) close up behind you. Rather like the movies as the hero walks away from the cinematic explosion behind them without looking at it....
Installation
The process for this is 99% trim removal and 1% connecting some plugs. It does also have a USB interface that you can either leave a cable exposed for, or just program it indoors and then set-and-forget with it in the car forever more. I opted to run a little cable out to the fuse/relay box and leave it in there, so that when it comes to servicing and warranty work, I can disable the box and nobody needs to get excited about the fact it even exists.
For reference, the one I purchased was listed as for a 570S but obviously the wiring and electronics are mostly identical so i took a punt it would be fine, it was. Since I got mine a couple of years ago, I've just gone back on to grab a link for it to write this, and noticed it now also lists the 600LT
The part in mine: SmartTOP Roof Controller (I'm not affiliated with them or anything).
To get it in place, you have pull a few panels and clips out, and then dutifully graze as many knuckles as you can, whilst trying to get the connector plugs removed and re-inserted into the new (supplied) mini harness.
The boxes you need to get access to are in the middle of the car, up against the rear glass section. So you have to remove the panel above the rear of the seats (pull, hard, breaking as few of the clips as possible) and then pop the rear carpeted panel away at the top, including both speaker covers.
Once in there, you can choose a nice place to stick the unit itself, and then deploy the intercepting harness into a couple of the existing connectors that go into the "Convertible Roof Control Module" that lives in the middle of that void.
Using it!
There are a few features that can be enabled/disabled via the software it comes with (using the USB connector on it). These include things like:
There is no separate remote (which I much prefer) - everything is achieved using the keyfob buttons. It takes a little bit of getting used to (i went through a period of doing the timings wrong when pushing the buttons, and just dropping the glass and not the entire roof. But you get there quite quickly and it's 100% worth the effort IMHO.
The fact you can just 'flick' the roof button up and then get out is also waaaaay more handy than you realise. Especially as it also does all the glass up when it's finished. Leaving the car secured for you, it's just such a quality-of-life improvement!...