California t rear mirror broken | FerrariChat

California t rear mirror broken

Discussion in 'California(Portofino)/Roma(Amalfi)' started by Egon, Jul 28, 2025 at 1:53 PM.

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  1. Egon

    Egon Rookie
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    I was trying to remove the sticky paint on the rear mirror and it just fell. I soon realized it was kept in its place just by a couple of plastic parts which were supposed to "snap" when reattaching it. One of these small parts is broken, and, as a result, there is no way to attach the mirror again. Please, tell me I'm wrong and there is an hocus pocus to fix it, that I am just not noticing. Otherwise... I have to tell you: Ferrari is just a lot of crap around a nice engine.
     
  2. dera

    dera Formula Junior

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    That's a 100% factual statement.

    The workshop manual confirms your suspicion.
    "Refit the internal rear view mirror (A) on the respective mounting, pressing manually until the mirror snaps audibly into place." It's just the plastic clips holding it in place.

    New mirror is like $3k. Used ones available a lot cheaper. Just see if you have homelink or not.
     
  3. Egon

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    Wow... this is literally crazy. Everything, I mean. The ridicule plastic holding and the tag price. I always had the feeling that most of the magic of Ferraris was its expensiveness, now that I own it, I see this is sad truth.
     
  4. jackinpsp

    jackinpsp Rookie

    Feb 19, 2025
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    Jack Melvin
    They aren't cheap to fix. A new handle for my California glovebox that stress cracked and popped off cost $300 for the part alone. But, the part was still available from Ferrari. I'm okay with the cost. It's generally not cheap to keep an aging car on the road. The more exclusive the brand, the higher the cost. I'm okay with that. I drive it every day and it make the experience worth the cost.
     
  5. Egon

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    You are right, but I was not talking about how expensive it is to keep an old car in perfect condition: I was saying that Ferrari does not make quality cars. They use cheap plastic, poorly engineered parts, and couplings etc. In Italy, we make fun of Fiat, but believe me: I never had a Fiat, not even the cheapest one, with a broken mirror. Back in the 90s, the Fiat Punto I used to drive was not reliable, but its interiors aged better than those of Ferraris, and nothing broke just because you pushed it.
     
  6. dera

    dera Formula Junior

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    Back in the 80's and early 90's Fiat Unos were cars that barely made it out of the dealership without having some broken parts.

    Just look at Ferrari and sticky switches. Same problem from mid-90s until almost today. They all "fail" (as in, turn sticky), yet they haven't done a thing about it in 30 years.
     
  7. Egon

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    Exactly! The Fiat Punto was a quantum leap compared with the Uno, just like Alfa 147 compared with the 145. And I kept my 147 for 7 years: the worst issues I experienced were: 1) A/C leak, 2) the immobilizer once in 7 years went crazy: I had to restart the engine, and everything was back to normal. Not bad for a car paid 23k Euros, compared with a 260k $ Ferrari California T, which has a key so poor that it makes the Display key from BMW look like sci-fi.
     
  8. spaghetti_jet

    spaghetti_jet Formula Junior

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    The California T came out more than 10 years ago. What do you expect, a design that updates itself at night while you sleep?

    I have had a lot of cars, and I really mean a lot, including some of the cars you mention and a few Ferraris and Porsche and Audi and BMW. Ferrari is a hand assembled, hand trimmed product, their vehicles are not actually that bad. I have a 355 since nearly 30 years and it’s been very solid, I have a Cali T since 5 years and all I do is put petrol in it, no issues whatsoever. Next year I will switch it to a Roma Spider with no hesitation whatsoever.

    Maybe you would be better off with an A3 RS? Sounds more like the car for you. I had an A6 RS Avant, and that really was bomb proof.
     
  9. dera

    dera Formula Junior

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    The interior quality wasn't acceptable 10 years ago any more or less than it is today.
     
  10. Egon

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    Look Spaghetti, my thought is just what I said: I think that Ferrari's reputation is the result of the high-price policy more than actual quality. It is more a status symbol than an actual masterpiece. You should compare it with other extra luxury brands, such as Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini. Have you ever driven a 2010 Rolls Royce? I did. A car with an MSRP not really far from my California, even if bigger, with a bigger and more powerful engine, and a lot more stuff, in large part hand-made. You cannot see stretched leather, cupholders, cheap like crap, that lose their chrome paint, mirrors falling in your hands just because you push them, or sticky buttons. And I am not even talking about reliability: only about quality. Why doesn't Ferrari attach leather with staples, if they know the glue is going to fade away over time? Why have they kept using soft-touch paint for decades, if they knew it would become sticky over the years? Look at the Cali T: if you compare it with California, you can see that it is somehow even cheaper: just look at the plastic part at the base of the windshield. It is not only painted with sticky soft-touch paint, but it is also poorly assembled, and, as a result, over the years, it won't stay in place. And you can see that the mindset is faulty: just look at the owner's manual, which says there is a manual-open latch for the fuel filler lid. In my car, there is not, and the same place described and shown in pictures is even in a different position. I don't know if the picture was taken from a Cali (not T), or a prototype, or what, but it's crazy. What about the roof signs on the plastic cover? Have you ever noticed that the roof closure, over time, leaves a noticeable sign on the plastic cover? And guess what? It's normal: the workshop manual even instructs how to reapply the paint protection to that part. In 2009, I owned a BMW 3 series with a retractable hard top. And guess what? No signs. Not even after 5 years. Its tag price was 42k Euros, which is not even a fourth of the Cali T's tag price.

    Do I think American cars are of better quality? I think a 650 hp Camaro's MSRP was less than half of the Cali's. However, it puts out more power, more technology, including a keyless entry that even a 2005 Nissa Micra used to have, while, you should wait until the Portofino to get it from Ferrari, heads up display, infotainment system definitely better, a better sound system, and you can also have it with manual transmission (btw: why the does the most renewed sport car in the world does not even offer the manual transmission?). Just look at the Camaro's Nurburgring lap time, and compare it with Ferraris (not the Cali, which is not even listed).

    Bottom line: if it is not about the status-symbol, crazy high tag-prices, and exotic charm, what does really lead you to the conclusion that a Ferrari is better than a BMW, a Chevrolet, or even a Giulia (which is half the price)? My opinion is that Ferrari is overpriced to keep it exclusive. The last models are just crazy overpriced, even if I wouldn't ever drive a videogame like those, where everything is in a display, and even the start "button" is touch. At least, the Cali still keeps part of the old-fashioned appeal of the brand. Now, you enter a Ferrari and it really feels like being in an Audi. What really makes a 1000hp Corvette less valuable than a Cali T, even if their tag price is the same (not to mention that with some options, which won't anyway make it even remotely close to the Corvette's tech, it will cost you at least 20% more)?
     
  11. spaghetti_jet

    spaghetti_jet Formula Junior

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    #11 spaghetti_jet, Jul 30, 2025 at 8:22 AM
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2025 at 8:34 AM
    TL;DR
     
  12. spaghetti_jet

    spaghetti_jet Formula Junior

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    I don’t think you’ll find too many people that agree with your opinion. A handful perhaps, but not many.
     
  13. Egon

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    Very respectful. Sorry, I thought you were interested in other people's thoughts. My fault.
     
  14. Egon

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    BMW's interior quality was even better 10 years ago. Cars quality increased until the early 20s; now it is decreasing. Just some excellent exceptions, like RR, Bentley, and a little more.
     
  15. spaghetti_jet

    spaghetti_jet Formula Junior

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    I am truly interested in your thoughts, I just don’t have the time to read a long stream of consciousness. I am sorry if that offends, but that’s how it is. To be honest, you set the (wrong) tone with your very first word. I was never going to spend my time going past that. If you want respect, you need to give it.
     
  16. Egon

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    Well, you should keep in consideration that everybody has different interpretations of respect. I don't think I disrespected you, but if you show me how and why, I will be glad to apologize. On the other hand, your tone and words, replying to my thoughts, showed condescension: I just don't like to put my ego before, so I limited my answer to my thoughts. If you feel bad because of that, you should ask yourself why. Anyway, feeling the need to state you were not reading my answer was a deliberate provocation that was not needed. Even your first statement was condescending: "What do you expect, a design that updates itself at night while you sleep?". So, please, if you are not interested in sharing opinions, but feel the need to judge others, feel free to avoid me.
     
  17. Egon

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    And, btw, just to stay on topic: apparently some people feel comfortable with a 250k $ car with a 3k $ mirror kept in place by a single, small, stupid, and cheap plastic clip. This was my concern and the reason I was asking for information, since it seems too crazy to be true.
     
  18. spaghetti_jet

    spaghetti_jet Formula Junior

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    you sound like a guy that spent all his money to buy a car and now has no cash left to be able to afford to run it. If you can’t afford to pay, you can’t afford to play.

    If you want to be cheap, there are second hand mirrors available for a few hundred if you can be bothered to look.

    Othwrwise, sell up & buy something cheaper to run instead of moaning.
     
  19. spaghetti_jet

    spaghetti_jet Formula Junior

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    You’ve come to the wrong place if you want sympathy. First world problems, pal.
     
  20. Egon

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    I think you are a very frustrated person, that, apparently needs to feel better than others because of money. I don't even feel the need to show you are saying BS about me, since I am clearly a more confident person than you. A baby who feels bad just because another owner of his car's brand has complaints against that brand does not need to write, but to read and learn. Best wishes, my 12 yo friend.
     
  21. spaghetti_jet

    spaghetti_jet Formula Junior

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    #21 spaghetti_jet, Jul 30, 2025 at 9:53 AM
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2025 at 10:01 AM
    yep, I think I nailed it. I’ve been a member on here for over 20 years. I’ve seen people like you come and go. If your first post was asking for help, people would have rallied round. Instead you launch into how crap everything is on the car, just moaning off.

    As I said, you’re in the wrong place for sympathy, but if you ask for help, there is no better forum on the whole internet than this one.
     
  22. dera

    dera Formula Junior

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    The people I know who are truly wealthy absolutely care when a poorly designed poor quality part fails before its useful life, and it costs 3k to fix.

    Its generally the weekend millionaires who play richie rich online who brag about not caring.
     
    FrancisK likes this.
  23. spaghetti_jet

    spaghetti_jet Formula Junior

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    so we’ve gone from you claiming it is a fact that everything about the car is poor quality in post #2 (which is patently untrue) to me supposedly bragging about being rich! Nice try at deflecting o_Oo_O

    Nobody is forcing you to own a Ferrari so when you put yourself in a hole, as you have done, then it is generally better to stop digging.

    honestly, if this is how you talk to people in real life then I doubt you have any friends.
     
  24. Egon

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    Thank you for your support! Not to mention that the real issue here is not the part price (of which I was not even aware when I started this thread), but the fact that nobody should tolerate something like that as normal, not even in a 10k car. Or should one just be happy to bring the car to the dealer anytime he touches something the wrong way?
     
  25. dera

    dera Formula Junior

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    If you can't even read, it'd be better if you didn't try to post. It's not working well for you. Have a good life.
     

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