F430 Hell.....WTF do I do now!!!!!!

OK, I have an 06' F430 F1 Coupe. I bought it 12/31/06.....It had 56 miles on it when I took delivery. Since then it has spent almost a month in the shop colectively. It ended up in the shop for 7 days only 4 days after I took delivery. The F1 was slipping out of gear. The issue came back even worse a couple months later and spent 2 weeks in the shop to repair. The exhaust started rattling soon after that which was another trip to the shop. Last week my headers broke which was another few days to repair. The kicker is that they couldnt release the car because it was sputtering at low speeds. I find out after another 2 days of diagnostics that I have a broken cylinder!!!! The shop manager (a great guy by the way) called me and said "It's not good"....I took a deep breath and prepared for what I hoped wouldn't be such bad news. The bottom line is that he said I probably wont get the car back for 3 weeks.
I lost it!!! I called the dealer and told them Im done dealing with this. Im not sure what to do at this point. The dealer says they will figure it out and take care of me. But Im not sure what that means? Im going over there tomorrow to have a face to face with the manager. I really like the dealership and I have had a relationship with them for a few years, but I cant take this anymore. The car is constantly in the shop and Im over it. I told them to take the car back and get me another one ASAP. Unfortunately, they dont have a Coupe and I wonder if they will do anything without me retaining a lawyer. I dont want to go down that road, but I have to do something. I am calling Ferrari of North America first thing in the morning to get the ball rolling. UGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I friggin LOVE my car, is it a lost cause, is it a Lemon????? What would you do?
Very Frustrated F430 Owner.

 

Man that really sucks!!

Really sorry to hear this.

Try your hardest for a replacement car !!
Why should you have to put up with all that s**t for your money!

Sometimes we just have to step on some toes,, be firm!!

I would not want that car after all that trouble.. would never feel safe about it.
I would always be waiting for something to go wrong with it.

Good luck!!

 

i would look up, on line, the lemon law for california and see if you qualify. if you do, i would tell the dealership that you want a new car. that is what i did in nj. until they understood that i knew about the lemon law, they did nothing to satisfy me. when the manufacturer realized that i knew that my car was covered by the lemon law, only then did they speak seriously with me. within a few days, thay agreed to take my vehicle back and get me a replacement. if your car is covered by the law, and the dealership has the kind of relationship with you that you say they have, then you should be fine. if your car isn't covered, then you are at their mercy, unless you want to hire an attorney and waste time and money in court. if i were you, i would get it fixed under warranty. i would then take advantage of the hot market, and i would sell it.

 

You need to consult an expert. There's a guy on here, RifleDriver AKA Brian Crall in No. CA that seems to know how to handle FNA.(although he hasn't logged on since 5/22) He does repairs and has handled all kinds of legal stuff against FNA. Ask yourself what your goals are and then express that to the dealer and see what they'll do for you. There just aren't enough cars around so I'm sure they'll just try to push the fix it route on you. If that's not acceptable than you'll have to get tough. Good luck.

 

if your car isn't covered, then you are at their mercy, unless you want to hire an attorney and waste time and money in court. if i were you, i would get it fixed under warranty. i would then take advantage of the hot market, and i would sell it.[/QUOTE]

+1

 

I think the CA lemon law is three trips to fix the same problem - not sure this qualifies based on your description. Although it's close.

Also, sounds like the dealer isn't denying anything - they're going to put the time/resources into this car to put it right. While it's frustrating as hell, I'm sure, it's not like they're slamming the door in your face. You seem like you're in a rage over this, and while it sucks - because it's not like you bought a Camry where there are 20 more sitting on the lot - I'd let them burn up the phones with FNA getting this car put right. Are they being confrontational? Or is it just you?

The car is clearly under warranty, and F430s are still selling readily, so I think docjackson has a point. In fact, it will be better than new when you get it back. If you really are "over" the car, sell it back to the dealer, or on the open market. I'm guessing it has maybe a couple of hundred miles on it.

It's good to vent. But I don't think you'll solve anything by calling FNA before the dealer has had a chance to fix the car.

 

The car has 6700 Miles on it, not a couple hundred. It's my daily driver. I'm not in a rage, but getting close. No one is being confrontational here. When I say Im over it what I mean is, Im over having my dream car constantly in the shop. I just read the Calif Lemon Law online. I definitely have a good case. I want to make it clear that the dealership and service dept are wonderful people, but business is business. The service guys are almost as frustrated as I am. The question is wether the dealer will do the right thing. I certainly want to maintain a good relationship with them and I will always own a Ferrari, so I want a good relationship with Ferrari of North America as well. Im not being unreasonable at all. The car isn't in my garage as I type and according to the service manager, it wont be for several weeks. By the time I get the car back it would have spent 6-8 weeks in the shop out of 6 or 7 months of ownership.
That just isn't cool for any car not to mention a car that is worth over 200K.
What do you think the dealer should do?

 

You are covered by lemon law --- tell them to take the car back... Every manufacturer produces less than perfect products on occassion. Truly sorry it happened to you. Best

 

It's what I think YOU should do.

Retain a lemon law attorney.

The short of it is that if your car is "out of service" for 30 or more calendar
days during the first 18 months or 18,000 miles - you are in lemon law
territory.

See California Civil Code 1793.22

Jim

 

DoDo happens. My car and a lot of cars rattle due to the exhausts welds breaking. I think the routing of the exhaust must cause a problem. Tubi had trouble with them breaking welds and had a hard time with this problem. It does seem like a lot of stuff. Give the dealer a chance to fix and get the warranty extended for the down time. If it still is a problem, let it go. I would try to sell it through the dealer and keep the relationship. I had problems with my first 360 and ended up selling it quickly. The second one had no problems.

 

I had a similar situation with a 360 coupe. The car had less than 200 miles. The car was in the shop 8 weeks for repairs. Make a long story short...my dealer bought the car back, including taxes, and ordered me a 360 spider. It was a win-win for both of us. I got rid of a lemon and the dealer eventually fixed the car and flipped it for a nice profit. My advice is to sell it back to the dealer and have them order you another car. Even if it means waiting 6-9 months.

 

The dealer taking the car back is most optimal. If that doesn't happen, I have heard of a service escalation which resulted in Ferrari factory technicians flying over from Italy to address issues that were too complex or rare for local dealership folks to be familiar with. FWIW.

 

If the dealer buys it back won't they only pay MSRP? If that's the case, you are better off having the car fixed and then selling it yourself and making some money on it.

 

Ferrari has been adamant on making new car buyers sign a contract with conditons that if they decide to sell the car during the first year then it must be back to the original dealer at or below MSRP.

I have been forming an opinion against the F1 transmission and this only exacerbates my fears.

If you have a lemon and can get a trade, I'd recommend this black F430 coupe:
http://www.ferrariofseattle.com/inventory/details.aspx?ID=54
I've ridden in it and am very impressed.

 

I've been down the "Lemon Law" road myself and all I can say is you're probably not going to get what you want (full of loop holes and pain for you).

Best bet is to work something out with the dealer, start out friendly and play hardball if you have to. Reputation is scared to these high end dealers!!!!

Good luck

 

Sounds frustrating. Sorry this is happening to you. If the car has problems the service department can only address them as they arise. And as far as the Lemon Law they don't have much to do with it once it goes to arbitration.

I've dealt with these quite a bit. In fact, the dealer would rather have Ferrari take care of it under LL. That's a factory issue more than anything.

All the best.

 

I'm sorry, but that is absolutely obsurd.

 

Welcome to the world of Ferrari.(ewww this is gonna start some fire..I know.)

 

1st option is always resolve the issue with your dealer. if they are not cooperative, i would make sure they knew that you are aware of you legal recourses. if they are still not cooperative, i would contact the BBB and file for an abitration hearing. i was able to get audi to buy back my s4 after 4 years and 50,000 miles. but that took me 6 hearings at the bbb.

 

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and in no way authorized to give any legal advice whatsoever, but this is what I was able to gather from the website of the Attorney General for the State of California:

CA "law requires that if the manufacturer or its representative in this state, such as an authorized dealer, is unable to service or repair a new motor vehicle to meet the terms of an express written warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts, the manufacturer is required promptly to replace the vehicle or return the purchase price to the lessee or buyer."

Reasonable number of repair attempts:

"During the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, the "Lemon Law" presumes that a manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts to repair the vehicle if EITHER:

A) The same problem has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its agents and the buyer has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the problem as provided in the warranty or owner's manual. OR

B) The vehicle is out of service because of the repair of any number of problems by the manufacturer or its agents for a cumulative total of more than 30 days since delivery of the vehicle."

"You may be required to directly notify the manufacturer of the problem(s). It is a good idea to send your written notice to the manufacturer at the address shown in the warranty or owner's manual by certified mail, return receipt requested so that you have proof that your letter was received. Keep a copy of all correspondence."

Source: http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/general/lemon.php


...Sounds like you may have a case. Good luck.

 

Which dealer....which service center?

 

Very, very sorry to hear your story. Good luck resolving the issues.

 

Don't try to do the lemon law thing yourself. I have had two lemons in my life and the first I handled without an atty and it was a nightmare. The second time I got an atty and it was over in two weeks vs the 4 months it took me to do it myself. They won't take you seriously if you don't have an atty.

 

I've met a girl here in LA, who has a lawyer who has represented her TWICE. Both times she was given a new car! One was a Merc, and I don't know the make of the second. If you need, I would be glad to contact her for the name and number again. I actually spoke to the lawyer once, when Rick Black was putting me through LIVING HELL On a F430 deal in which he had my $ for well over a year. Very interesting story.

IF YOU CAN BELIEVE THIS: My first F430 was damaged at port in NJ (funny, but FNA had no record of it). My second F430 (a Spyder this time), was sold out from under me (they claimed I had said I changed my mind and didn't want it. Yea, right). After I finally pulled out all stops, caught the GM of the dealer offering me the car back if I would come up with AN ADDITIONAL $70K), and got FNA involved, I had a car spec'ed and received within a couple of months. Funny thing happened. FNA called me 2 weeks later to let me know that that GM had been "let go".

 

Sorry to hear about your problems. I picked up my F430 in Dec 2006 also and it has been perfect. I am not trying to rub it in only confirm your problems are with that car not the design.

I suspect you just need to have it looked at under warranty and give them a chance. if you need to you can contact the regional technical manager. they can sometimes help. i would do this document everthing and if needed ask them to refund your money and take the car back. i would do this without an attorney but with legal advice. If that is exhausted then off to court you go. I suspect Ferrari does not want customer problems in the newspaper. it hurts sales.

I think they will try to make you happy as long as you are reasonable and it sounds like you are!

Good luck

lee