First ferrari: F12. Need some info.

Got my first Ferrari, F12. I heard the F12 v12 for the fist time 2 weeks ago and I knew I had to have one haha.

I plan to go over the car with a very fine comb. It looked like at least one person had been in the engine bay judging by the appearance of the harness shells and clips. I would enjoy making all that new again.

I'm very into DIY. Is there any good source for F12 DIY? I'm coming from a bmw forum.. we have the dealer level software cracked so I can just download them for free on the forums such as this one. There isn't much of that here from what I can tell. Suppose I want to take off the front bumper, change battery, switch out the springs, do oil change, change belts, figure out what the required services are at certain mileage, reflash DME, change out exhaust, change primary cat, etc., what's the best source of information ?

Thanks all in advance!!
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Ferrari guys are not really DIYers.

 

congrats on the new ride!

 

I get that. If one really wanted, where could I get ISTA/shop manual equivalent to f12?

btw, I daily drive supercharged 2006 m5!

 

I'm not entirely sure what 'DME' is but everything else you listed is simply "remove and replace". Not sure what all you need for instructions on how to replace an exhaust.

 

it doesn't look that simple. i think subframe needs to be lowered to change out the first portion of the exhaust... it would be nice if there's an instruction... if there's a blind bolt or hydraulic line I can't see with the subframe on, and I find out about it when i'm lowering the subframe, i may end up damaging it... I also don't want to be holding up the weight of subframe while trying to undo bolts with the other hand.

DME (ECU) is the computer unit that controls the car, which i'm sure there are plenty on this car... being able to code DME will allow you to control engine parameters in case you put an exhaust on, want to delete o2 sensor, or may need to clear adaptations from the previous owner for example. normally it's done via OBD port, but need a software to control it. I just can't find anything for Ferrari. I know it's doable... gintani offers their custom tune for F12. That's only achievable if you can code the DME.

 

why didn't you just say ECU? using BMW terms around here is just silly.

 

Congratulations and welcome aboard.

Looks like Vivid Racing and Fabspeed offer ECU products - I personally would start with them.

 

lol fair point. I always thought European tuners referred to theirs as DME, and Japanese tuners referred to theirs as ECU. hehe anyway

 

Predict you may be on the wrong forum. 'Cracking' the dealer diagnostics software is not a cool thing to do (violates fed DMCA with strict remedies). An F12 has no need for a bootleg ECU re-flash IMO. Understand the desire for DIY for many things. Knowledgeable and talented owners should be able to do much of the service themselves. However, unlike a BMW this is not a car to learn on and then dump back on the public.

 

Congrats on your new F12! By the forum name, are you a fellow Korean?
However, I'm also DIY kinda guy and I have most answers you may ask. Just PM me.

 

well i appreciate the reply. I DIY mainly because there is nobody that will care more about the car more than the owner, including the dealership. If you knew how they treat the car when they're wrenching, I dont' think you would take it to a shop or a dealership either. I'm not talking about the outside paint; I'm talking about the components that makes the car what it is. Good techs usually become careless with volume. Bad techs hopefully will never get the volume. Everyone thinks their respective shop is great.

anyway, I will disagree with what you said above. F12 is still a car. it runs on the same principles, has similar systems as its counterparts on the road. I'm certain it has proprietary control modules; I just won't touch those. As for "cracking" the DME software, it allows me to see what the engine parameters are. My goal is just to clear adaptations from the previous owner, check AFR to ensure it's on target with the new exhaust. I generally found more expensive cars easier to work on due to better organizations, better electrical connectors, etc. As for "dumping" it back on the public, I can try to understand your sentiment, but it's bit condescending to assume anyone other than your shop will mess it up and unscrupulously sell it to another person. I've worked on cars longer than my main profession and have a full shop in my garage including a lift.

 

Sounds like you know what you're doing! Out of interest, is it a specialist programming language to edit the ECU? How do you actually read and edit the code? I'm not a tech person at all, so just curious. Maybe I can learn; plug my 812 GTS into my iPad and get 1000 hp ;-)

 

You mentioned cracking the 'dealer level software' which to me means the diagnostic tool versus the ECMs so not sure what you are referring to now. Both are proprietary and protected under federal law from bypassing digital protections. Look up the DMCA and note the remedies. Not attempting to change your mind just giving info. As for dumping, most perspective F12 owners are very picky and would pass on a car with extreme mods which would include re-flashing the ECMs and deleting converters, etc. so folks post that they re-flash back to stock and swap back the parts after they've had their fun with none the wiser.

As far as DIY, it is just a car so keep good records, use OEM parts and for a lot of the routine stuff it would save money and you can baby your car. However, the tech that has been servicing my F12 has won the top award in competitions a couple times and is extensively trained. No one could do it better including myself and it requires the dealership diagnostic tool for most work to be done. These cars are expensive especially if you paid sticker for it. Good luck and enjoy.

 

yea unfortunately, I was always just an end-user for such programs. not sure what they use as the base programming language to communicate with the car computer. Once the program is available, the usage is relatively straight forward imo. i don't know about 1000hp though without going FI

 

because that's what you would do? what makes you think people will revert back to stock just to pretend their car has been stock when they want to sell it? do you make living tricking people into buying something they don't want? the car i bought isn't stock. it already has full exhaust which is too loud. it has a tune from what i was told. i need to make it milder since i'm moving to area with 91octane. this was all divulged to me at the time of the sale. not everyone is out there trying to trick others.

when the time comes, if some guy wants to complain about what i have done to my own car, he can kindly take a hike.

 

No because for years on this site people post just that. Some buy two (2) ECUs and swap them back before re-sale. Do a search.

 

you may not want to project the action of the few to every new person that logs in here. hey solid state, this convo is going no where. i'm here to get my questions answered. i plan on contributing to the forum in a meaningful fashion. this isn't what i had in mind. pm me if you want to continue whatever this is.

 

I can send you the F12 shop manual on CD...need an email or a way to get your (regular) mailing address...

 

thank you. actually I just received a copy from another member. Been reading it in lieu of my normal reading material

i'm looking to do normal maintenance to start.. oils, fluids, spark plugs (which requires manifold to come off, so gaskets), check clutch, etc. I ran across scuderiacarparts.com. is there a better website you guys use to buy parts from?

any feedback on Launch x431 would be appreciated too if anyone has experience.

 

Thank you for your contribution. Spark plugs are not normal maintenance. Again, good luck.

 

I too am in need of the F12 shop manual.
If you can send:
Mark Flint
251 Lakefront Blvd.
Buffalo, NY 14202-4316
or if PDFs
[email protected]

if not, do you know where I can get one (not from Ferrari).

THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!

 

Buy one on eBay or a reputable site that you can down load the shop manual.
They’re out there manly UK sites. You tube should be a good starting point. I’m sure there’s some videos out there.

 

I'm emailing it to you right now. It's 136 MB so it'll be a google drive link.

 

Thank you very much !!!
Sorry for the delay in my response