Picking Up My First Ferrari This Week, Anything to look out for ? | FerrariChat

Picking Up My First Ferrari This Week, Anything to look out for ?

Discussion in 'California/Portofino/Roma' started by Bryan Simpson, Oct 1, 2019.

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  1. Bryan Simpson

    Bryan Simpson Rookie

    Oct 1, 2019
    10
    Scotland
    Full Name:
    Nero348GTS
    So finally found myself in a position to buy my first Ferrari something I have dreamed of for many years.

    I am picking up a 2014 California 30 with 6500 miles & Speciale Handling package later this week.

    Any advice/ things to look out for before completing the purchase ?

    Car has full Ferrari history and comes with 2 year Ferrari approved warranty as standard in UK when buying from Ferrari dealer.

    Thanks in advance
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  2. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
    Full Name:
    Michael
    Check the age of your tires. If they are the original ones then they are expired - period All modern road tires are considered ready for replacement after 4 years. Rubber oxidizes and degrades regardless of mileage. Manufacture date is on sidewall. I have used both Pirelli and Michelin and prefer the former because they were more communicative, work better at high speeds. The latter warms up faster and works well but feels kind of vague when driven very hard.

    Always plug in the battery tender/charger when car is not driven or you will just be rolling the dice on spurious system errors but make sure the charger that comes with your car is the correct model because they can be the incorrect model if your car has HELE (stop-start) which I believe was a requirement in the EU when your car was built. Correct tender has the snowflake (winter) mode needed for AGM batteries.

    Otherwise you appear to be covered assuming service record is complete and clean. However be aware no wear and tear item is ever covered by any warranty so don’t assume you are not responsible if you find worn carbon ceramic brakes, worn tires, dead battery...etc, after purchase. That’s why one should always do PPI even with service records and a warranty.

    The Cali30 is the last NA everyday useable, “relatively inexpensive”, easy to upgrade V8 Ferrari. It takes very well to upgrades. Enjoy!
     
  3. Fireman1291

    Fireman1291 Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2017
    628
    Tampa, FL
    Full Name:
    Adam
    Literally nailed it. My tires were aged out, hard as a rock and the Ferrari dealer got away with it (I missed it in the excitement). And just this week I found I have to replace my battery because I thought driving it twice a week and not charging it was sufficient. LOL
     
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  4. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
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    Michael
    #4 4th_gear, Oct 2, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2019
    Yeah, cars sold with expired tires are quite common after their original owners swapped cars for a newer model. Well at least I imagine you got to pick the tires you prefer. ;) As for the dead battery, quite often they can be reconditioned if they are still pretty new and not damaged. The dealer's EXP-899 battery tester is the only means to determine whether a (connected) battery is worth keeping and will test the charging circuit as well.
     
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  5. Fireman1291

    Fireman1291 Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2017
    628
    Tampa, FL
    Full Name:
    Adam
    Already ordered the new Interstate battery replacement. I have the Ferrari charger but I'd like the CTEK version since everyone here raves about it. Do you know which model number we need?
     
  6. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
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    Michael
    I have the MUS 4.3 (now superseded by MUS 5.0) and the 7002. My 7002 is permanently mounted in my garage while the MUS 4.3 travels with the car and its design like the 5.0 is newer than the 7002 but the latter can deliver a faster charge.

    The Ferrari chargers may or may not be adequate because sometimes the one you get with your car may be incorrect or inadequate because of a mixup at the dealer or it’s not the one that originally came with the car.
     
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  7. Fireman1291

    Fireman1291 Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2017
    628
    Tampa, FL
    Full Name:
    Adam
    I'm even more confused HAHAHA. Which one should I buy and does it come with the Ferrari adaptor installed so it's plug in play. LOL
     
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  8. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
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    Michael
    LOL. First of all, the CTEK charger/tenders all use the special adapter that should also be on your current Ferrari branded charger/tender. I believe it is actually an industry specification and not proprietary to Ferrari. You can read more about it on other FChat threads like this one. You essentially plug the detachable “dongle” or “pigtail” adapter cable from your existing tender into your new CTEK charger. If you need an extra adapter cable eBay and amazon have them.

    As for which CTEK charger to get for your car, CTEK constantly change and add to their lineup so it’s best to look up their homepage and do some reading. For me the charger that I permanently install in my garage does not have to be small, just offer performance. The 7002 fits that description but is on the big side. When your car has to go and spend days away from your garage you want something smaller because you are not trying to recondition or revive a weakened battery. You are just maintaining it so really any AGM capable charger will do. When my car spends days or weeks for service or upgrades at a dealer or tuner they won’t have an extra charger that’s guaranteed to be right for the car so I always have my smaller charger with my car when it’s away. I also include a CTEK extension cable in case the power outlet isn’t that close by.

    Hope this helps. ;)
     
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  9. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 13, 2014
    25,865
    DFW, Texas
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    Tom C
    Another vote for the 7002.
    I bought mine off Amazon. Dealer had an extra Cali dongle, so they let me have it gratis.
    T
     
  10. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
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    Michael
    Just want to add, the MUS 4.3 can also recondition sulphated batteries just like the 7002. The main difference in performance appears to be different peak amperage, which only occurs during the bulk charging phase, and that only happens if your battery has been deeply discharged, as when the car has not been driven much on longer drives or not maintained on a battery tender for too long.
     
  11. Il Co-Pilota

    Il Co-Pilota F1 Veteran

    May 29, 2019
    6,023
    Hopefully some place nice.
    Full Name:
    A.B
    If the tyres are the originals or Pirellis, get them changed to the current Porto MPS4S tyres. A world of difference.

    Other than that and the battery, nothing really comes to mind.
     
  12. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,142
    virginia usa
    biggest thing I can say is watch the other guy and pot holes ...Pot holes seem to find nice cars
     
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  13. CaliT UK

    CaliT UK Rookie

    May 12, 2019
    17
    England
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    KaraokeK
    Wow - did not know this - as they say you can learn somthing new evry day.
    In Abu Dhabi
    In a public service announcement, Abu Dhabi Police reminded motorists that they will be penalised with a Dh500 fine, four black points and have their vehicle impounded for one week if caught using unfit tyres. The validity of a car tyre is five years from its date of manufacturing irrespective of use, according to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai.
    Bought my first Ferrari an early 2015 CaliT in May this year, 9,000miles. Given that I will probably keep the car, say 4 years and do +/- 1550 miles P.A. I had already been thinking that I might as well change the tyres now - giving me the most benefit from a new set. Having seen the info in this post and Googled "driving with expired tyres" I'm off to the tyre shop.
     
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  14. Il Co-Pilota

    Il Co-Pilota F1 Veteran

    May 29, 2019
    6,023
    Hopefully some place nice.
    Full Name:
    A.B
    A tyre is normally not expired after two years. They usually last 5-7 years and that is also what manufactures say. That being said, a tyre in storage will slowly start to deteriorate after two years. On a car that just sit, the tyres are often not in good condition after two years as the tyre often start to crack in this situation. Especially Pirelli are known for this.
     
  15. CaliT UK

    CaliT UK Rookie

    May 12, 2019
    17
    England
    Full Name:
    KaraokeK
    Since I wrote my post I have looked at my tyres. They are late 2014 tyres - this tallies with manufacturing timeline of my car.

    Just to say, when you have completed your purchase, there is something you need to look out for everyday - that's the great big smile and grin that you will have on your face.
     
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  16. Il Co-Pilota

    Il Co-Pilota F1 Veteran

    May 29, 2019
    6,023
    Hopefully some place nice.
    Full Name:
    A.B
    Do ypu have Michelins or Pirellis on your car?
     
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  17. CaliT UK

    CaliT UK Rookie

    May 12, 2019
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    England
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    KaraokeK
    Pirellis - but I think I'll change to Michelins.
     
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  18. Il Co-Pilota

    Il Co-Pilota F1 Veteran

    May 29, 2019
    6,023
    Hopefully some place nice.
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    A.B
    You should. It will be a massive difference. Go with the Porto spec MPS4S tyres.
     
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  19. Piper

    Piper Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 6, 2010
    24,851
    Northern Virginia
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    Bob
    I've never given a crap about expired tires :eek: :rolleyes:
     
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  20. achaddy

    achaddy Karting

    Jun 13, 2005
    78
    Oxford, UK
    Full Name:
    Andy Chadwick
    Congratulations on the new purchase. I have looked around that car as its was in my local dealership.
    While I may be in for a Cali next year I didn't look too close at that one as I wasn't buying at the time and the colour for me was not right. Other than that it looked very nice. 30 edition with handling pack is a good buy IMO. Although I am swaying to a Cali T but also want the handling pack.
    Hope your buying experience with that dealer is good as that will be where I buy next maybe. I will never buy from a Ferrari main dealer in Yorkshire any more even if they had the best car in the world at the lowest price.
    Notice your location is Scotland so have you bought blind or did you travel down to view or have local PPI?
     
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  21. Bryan Simpson

    Bryan Simpson Rookie

    Oct 1, 2019
    10
    Scotland
    Full Name:
    Nero348GTS
    Thanks for the reply, loving the car so far I flew down and viewed the car and collected in person very positive experience dealing with Ross at Dick Lovett Swindon.

    I also looked at the Cali T as in my head it made sense to go for the newer car but kept swaying back to the California I just feel more attracted to the design not totally in love with the T and also the noise of the NA engine over turbo was big one for me.

    Would definitely recommend this dealer car was described extremely well over the phone and wasn’t given any nasty surprises on arrival, car exactly as described. Also the Cali 30 with handling pack has kept a smile on my face every day since collection since would also highly recommend the car if your looking at them.

    I drove a Calfornia T at Ferrari world on Abu Dhabi and there is definitely a noticeable difference in engine noise compared with non turbo, however I do feel some improvements interior wise on the T are there over the California.
     
  22. Bryan Simpson

    Bryan Simpson Rookie

    Oct 1, 2019
    10
    Scotland
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    Nero348GTS
    Haha the grin has been there every day for sure!
     
  23. Bryan Simpson

    Bryan Simpson Rookie

    Oct 1, 2019
    10
    Scotland
    Full Name:
    Nero348GTS
    Im looking to change the 4 tyres looking for some more info regarding the Porto tyres did you find a big difference changing to these?
     
  24. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 13, 2014
    25,865
    DFW, Texas
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    Tom C
    I did upon going from Pirellis to Michelins. Ditto on my 911 upon replacing Potenzas with Michelin. To be fair, they were replacing old rubber in both cases...T
     
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  25. Face76

    Face76 F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 21, 2006
    11,600
    The Other Oz
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    M Wilborn
    Great car! Great color combo.
     
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