Opening the rear hatch with engine running in gear, another tip

I drop my daughter off at school most every day, pulling to a stop in front of the school and she gets out then gets her stuff out of the rear of the FF. If the FF remains in gear and I push the hatch button the hatch pops loose but does not automatically open. HOWEVER, if I push the hatch button TWICE in quick succession the hatch will open automatically.

I learned this one because I was frustrated over the thing not opening ... mashing it over & over and magically it opened!

Love the FF!

Rick

 

Thanks again. I bet that is not in the manual!

I assume that if you go to neutral, the hatch will go up automatically with a single push of the button.

 

I will try neutral, it may need park ... It appears that there is a lot of stuff engineered into the car that never makes the manual.

Rick

 

How are the exhaust fumes?

 

The sweet smell of a running Ferrari! And the sound of the idling V12 is even better with the hatch open

Rick

 

Right now the only opportunity to hear a current V12 in the raw while seated comfortably inside is in an FF with the hatch up.

 

You could make a CD of the exhaust and play it with the hatch down.

 

Or just pipe it in like BMW

 

it would be even better if they 'engineered' a button on the outside of the hatch so you could open it like every other car on the planet!

but thanks for the tip

my gas cap is always getting stuck and so i've hammered on that button before but never on the rear hatch button

 

Hammered???

Were you sober when you did this?

 

uh, yeah i drive sober. i hammered, he mashed whats the difference?

 

Our gas cap lid got stuck when we first got the car. I had to have someone push on the cap while I pushed the button to get it to open (almost started hammering it once in frustration, but refrained, figuring I was just going to do more damage and make a scene).

Took it in to the shop and they did a small adjustment to the alignment and placement of the solenoid that releases the cap and now it has worked fine since. Was a simple fix.

 

For some reason the rear hatch suddenly opens only half way. It still closes when pressing the button at the hatch or opens via remote control but only half way. Any idea what happens or do I need to schedule an appointment with the workshop? Many thanks

 

I have not had that happen. I just checked mine and it does not work like a Mercedes I had that you could 'teach' how high to open the trunk.

I'd take it to the dealer, or actually CALL the dealer and see if it is a known problem.

Rick

 

Is there a setting the determines the amount of hatch opening. Most upscale SUVs with motorized hatches have one so that the hatch doesn't hit a low ceiling. Worth a check.

 

I recall reading in the manual that this is a feature to prevent damage to the lid in a low clearance situation. Have had it happen a couple times in mine, usually when I inadvertantly interefered with the lid with my arm as it was rising.

 

I always assumed mine did this to avoid damage in low clearance situations. Tap the button once to open it half way and once settled, tap it again to open it fully.

 

Thank you for the advice. Checked the manual but no hint on this (at least in the German manual).
But it mentioned the system needs to "reboot/self-learn" after a low battery (which I had). This should work with manual opening rear hatch and close with remote key and then button should work again. Will try.

 

Exactly the same on the remote key as the interior button. Press it once and it will open half way. Once settled, press it again and it will open all the way.

 

The folks at Boardwalk Ferrari in Dallas showed me that you could program the rear hatch door to stop at any position you desire. With the lid closed and standing at the back of the car, push the rear hatch open button on the key, stopping the lid wherever you wanted it to open from then on. Then hold down the 'rectangular close button' on the underside of the now partially open hatch until the 'hazard lights' flash. It is now programmed to open to the same position next time. You may change it anytime you like by repositioning the rear hatch lid (more open or closed) and pushing/holding the button on the underside of the hatch until the hazard lights flash. I assume this would work for the UK/Euro cars as well as the US FF's. Hope it works for you.

Leo Newland

 

Good work Leo! Something new for us all!

Rick

 

I thought there would be a setting somehow.... thanks.

 

You're welcome Rick - it seems there is a treasure trove of goodies in the FF, some documented, some hidden, and some no doubt for us to discover as we live with this extraordinarily versatile Ferrari.
Leo

 

Thank you Leo for the great tip !

 

Great tip Leo!

I'll try it out on mine to see if it works on UK cars......