Roma battery worries | FerrariChat

Roma battery worries

Discussion in 'California/Portofino/Roma' started by senseiturtle, Mar 7, 2024.

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  1. senseiturtle

    senseiturtle Rookie

    Mar 4, 2024
    25
    Spartanburg, SC
    #1 senseiturtle, Mar 7, 2024
    Hello FerrariChat!

    Next week, I will become the latest owner of a used 2021 Roma. This will be my first supercar, and as such, first Ferrari. I signed up here, and quickly became aware of the battery issues plaguing most modern Ferraris. While forums aren't necessarily a representative sample of the whole ownership experience, I am seeking some reassurance and possibly answers surrounding the battery issues. It will unfortunately be out of warranty, but I will reserve some cash in the case there are issues.

    1) Carfax states the battery was changed 3 months ago. That's reassuring. I am hoping I can keep it topped off with some combination of the OEM Ferrari charger, a JMR unit, and a BatteryMINDer. I get a sense the OEM ferrari tender isn't the greatest of units.

    2) The Roma manual plainly states that batteries should only be changed by the dealer. Has anyone successfully changed the battery themselves? I imagine it has to do with maintaining voltage to the ECU and electronics during the process. If you changed it yourself, did you use a memory saver or some other external 12v supply for a constant current? Did it work?

    3) Anyone ever jumped their car? Again, it specifically states in the manual to not do so, but I did see a post or two buried on this site where someone was able to jump start it successfully.

    I noticed there was one thread where there was debate over language in a portofino manual about changing the battery... whereas, in some locales it provided instructions and later/US books it simply states "go to the dealer." I'm unsure if a battery change in a Roma is actually a delicate process, or if Ferrari is just trying to boost their service departments.

    Thanks
     
  2. PhoneClip

    PhoneClip Karting

    Oct 19, 2021
    107
    #2 PhoneClip, Mar 7, 2024
    I've never had to jump the car myself, but here is a video showing the location of the battery:



    And here is a video of a tow truck driver jumping a Roma:

     
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  3. sfcarguy

    sfcarguy Karting
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    Mar 9, 2018
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    Michael
    #3 sfcarguy, Mar 8, 2024
    Congrats on your purchase!

    A couple things for you to keep in mind:

    1) You're correct that the charger that Ferrari provides is subpar. It's a generic Chinese design manufactured for Fix-a-Flat with a Ferrari logo slapped on it. I don't intend to disparage my competition, but the JMR charger is another Chinese private labeled unit. It's nothing special. My recommendation would be to purchase either a CTEK MXS 5.0 or a Deltran Battery Tender Plus. You will need an adapter to use any of these chargers.

    2) I've never seen a modern car owners manual detail any service procedures. It's a major liability risk for the manufacturer. However, replacing the battery on front engined Ferrari's is a certified no fun job. It's wedged under the windshield cowl and is very heavy. I would only recommend replacing it yourself if you're comfortable a) removing the windshield cowl, and b) maneuvering a very heavy battery. There's no need for any 12v memory saver or IBS reset tools.

    3) Jumping a Ferrari is same procedure as any other car, but Ferrari electronics are extremely sensitive and a screw up will cost you thousands. Again, only attempt to jump the car if you're very comfortable with the procedure and the risk of electronic carnage.

    In the interest of full disclosure, I sell magnetic adapters for CTEK, SAE, and NOCO chargers. You can find the ad in the classifieds section.

    https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/ferrari-to-ctek-battery-charger-adapter.685779/
     
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  4. senseiturtle

    senseiturtle Rookie

    Mar 4, 2024
    25
    Spartanburg, SC
    #4 senseiturtle, Mar 8, 2024
    Excellent responses so far. Thank you!

    Im hoping that the concerns never materialize, but trying to be prepared if it does.

    I imagine that jumping the car, or swapping the battery, will likely send error codes due to low voltages in the various units. In that scenario, then I'm hoping that it could be cleared by simply charging the battery and power cycling the car... or with a standard OBDII reader. If not, I'll have to limp or tow it to a shop to do the resets.
     
  5. sfcarguy

    sfcarguy Karting
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    #5 sfcarguy, Mar 8, 2024
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2024
    You will have errors if you jump the car but if you replace the battery and do the proper reset procedure with the key and windows you won’t have any errors

    A standard OBD2 tool is practically useless on a Ferrari. You need a real diagnostic computer.
     
  6. timjen88

    timjen88 Karting

    Aug 20, 2015
    241
    Colorado/Palm Springs
    #6 timjen88, Mar 8, 2024
    I've owned my '21 for a little over a year and always use the OEM Ferrari tender and haven't had any issues at all and it's the original battery. It just got back from servicing and dealer said batter was good.
     
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  7. sfcarguy

    sfcarguy Karting
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    #7 sfcarguy, Mar 8, 2024
    It’s not that the charger will let the car go flat, but many owners have reported short battery replacement intervals (<4 yrs). The techs I’ve talked to all agree that the pattern correlates directly to when Ferrari switched over from providing CTEK chargers.
     
  8. GTFan

    GTFan Karting
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    Dec 10, 2020
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    #8 GTFan, Mar 10, 2024
    I had a 21 for a year and now have a 23 that is about 9 months old. My dealer told me if I wasn’t driving it even for a couple days to just get in the habit of plugging it in. No problems so far.

    Also, my wife and I have taken both through the mountains on 5 day car rallys they performed very nicely and were comfortable. I personally love the look of the car too. Congrats on your car and may it serve you well!
     
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  9. senseiturtle

    senseiturtle Rookie

    Mar 4, 2024
    25
    Spartanburg, SC
    #9 senseiturtle, Mar 10, 2024
    This is exactly the plan. Thank you!
    I already have the ingrained habit of plugging in my Z06 (the trade in). I just don't want to find myself stranded if I'm on a rally (or brief trip) and can't plug in for one or two nights tops.
     
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  10. cavallinorampante85

    cavallinorampante85 Rookie

    Mar 19, 2019
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    #10 cavallinorampante85, Mar 10, 2024
    I just received my 24 Roma so cannot say much. I plug the car in everyday, it’s so easy to do that since the plug attaches right in the rear with a magnet (3-5 sec max) that i dont see why someone wouldn’t plug the car everyday. I hope that will be good enough to avoid any issues!
     
  11. RoyalPink

    RoyalPink Formula 3
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    #11 RoyalPink, Mar 10, 2024
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  12. cavallinorampante85

    cavallinorampante85 Rookie

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    #12 cavallinorampante85, Mar 11, 2024
    Is the Ferrari tender really that bad? Would you recommend changing it?
     
  13. nickg612

    nickg612 Rookie

    Aug 20, 2006
    29
    #13 nickg612, Mar 11, 2024
    Interestingly the Roma Spider came with a Ferrari branded CTEK CS One - seems MUCH better than the recent previous non CTEK ferrari tenders - - which I dumped for CTEK MXS 5 (or MXS 10 in case of my Lusso). Good upgrade I think
     
  14. gregwang

    gregwang Rookie

    Oct 23, 2021
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    Milpitas, California (Northern California)
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    Greg Wang
    #14 gregwang, Mar 11, 2024
    The new Ferrari battery tender/trickle charger that I bought when I bought my Ferrari 3 years ago is made by Ctek. Thank God!

    And I found out the hard way that if you want to avoid any battery or electronic related issues that you plug in the battery tender percent of the time, whenever your Ferrari is parked!️ Image Unavailable, Please Login


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
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  15. gregwang

    gregwang Rookie

    Oct 23, 2021
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    Milpitas, California (Northern California)
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    #15 gregwang, Mar 11, 2024
    https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part/262804/ferrari/70002821/battery-charger-kit-usa.html


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
  16. Carbon Bits

    Carbon Bits Karting

    Oct 26, 2021
    63
    Ohio, USA
    #16 Carbon Bits, Mar 12, 2024
    I’ve been wondering who makes the current factory-supplied charger or otherwise find more about what it does in its various states (light colors). Can you help here? I left mine sealed and have been using a CTEK MXS 5.0 since day 1, as you and others suggest, but my (morbid?) curiosity continues. Thanks!
     
  17. masguy40

    masguy40 Karting

    Oct 21, 2020
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    Kerry Lemos
    #17 masguy40, Mar 20, 2024
    Frankly, if you follow the dicpline of putting thcahrger on every time after driving. Every time. Then the supplied charger is quite sufficient.
     
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  18. senseiturtle

    senseiturtle Rookie

    Mar 4, 2024
    25
    Spartanburg, SC
    #18 senseiturtle, Mar 20, 2024
    Day 5 of ownership. I've put in about 150 miles of pure joy. I just charge it at night, and zero issues so far. The real test will be a multi-day rally next year, but just going one night without a charge shouldn't be a big deal.

    I think I was just freaking out about spending serious money on a car. It's been nothing but amazing. Confidence is building.
     
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  19. senseiturtle

    senseiturtle Rookie

    Mar 4, 2024
    25
    Spartanburg, SC
    #19 senseiturtle, Mar 24, 2024
    Day 8
    Went to a meet. Had a great time. It was an hour drive there and back, and it feels like the car was made for EXACTLY THIS.
    Also finally took a look at the battery, and it looks like a brand-new Interstate was installed with its last service 4 months ago. Should be worry-free for a while, especially if I keep it on the charger.

    Thanks for the kind words and support. I hope this thread serves as some reassurance for those looking to take the plunge but have similar concerns. Hope to see you guys out on the road.
     
  20. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
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    Jun 3, 2011
    9,174
    virginia usa
    #20 LARRYH, Mar 27, 2024
    Just keep it plugged into the ferrari tender when not driving more than overnite and it will be fine .. I pretty much do this for every ferrari I have owned and rarely had a problem,, also for what its worth i have changed batteries my self on a few of them…
    And if anything comes up
    Wrong it is probably the battery
     
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