When Dreams Come True: The First Ferrari (599)

Hi,

We had rear parking sensors installed today.

Apparently installing factory parking sensors can be quite complicated (especially in the front) and VERY expensive (I don't have specific figures though).

As a result we had aftermarket rear sensors installed for around 1K Euros.

They work VERY well and I don't have any complaints so far...or perhaps only one. As you know, when you put the car in reverse there's a constant beeping sound. Now there's the the car's beeping sound PLUS the parking sensors' beeping sound. So when we get the car serviced we'll have to ask them to have car's warning beep deactivated.

Other than that I'm very happy. I only wish that front sensors could also be installed (but they can't apparently) as the 599's nose is very long and who knows where it ends...but I'm sure that with some more practice one eventually gets used to it.

I also drive our ML63 AMG on a regular basis and I have absolutely no problems with its large size (it's 195cm wide)...and I feel quite comfortable going close to other obstacles. The 599 is only 1cm wider apparently (therefore 196cm) but it feels like it's half a meter wider I'm always scared s**tless in tight maneuvers. Oh well...I guess I'll get used to it with time and patience

P.S. We're going to Maranello for our first road trip Sunday. I'm very excited

 

The head technician at our local Ferrari dealership said that factory sensors were a lost cause basically.

For what it's worth, our aftermarket installation looks better than the factory one. It obviously depends on who does the job...

I'll snap a couple of pics of the rear bumper later if you want.

 

Thank you Ishan

I managed to download the instruction manual in English from the owner's site. I remember that a few people were in interested in the 599's manual. I'd be happy to post it here but the file is too large (even when zipped). Does anyone know where I could upload it?

 

Thanks guys

We had the wheels balanced and the geometry checked today. I'll post a couple of pics later.

Thank you Anders How are you?

This is a public forum that anyone can access and I prefer to maintain a certain degree of privacy...rightly or wrongly. I did, however, give the NNO the info he wanted privately.

 

I'm in Maranello

We got here Sunday morning and I'm having the time of my life. I have been here several times before but having your Fcar really takes the experience to another level. The 599 has been truly exceptional and it's really privilege to drive such a magnificent car.

We went to see the Ferrari museum for the nth time, we went driving around the area, we registered at the Ferrari Club of Modena, we took an appointment to have X-OST mufflers installed tomorrow directly at the X-OST Factory, we ate at Montana (we met Rosella) and then met with the Zanasis (father and son). They were extremely nice and Marco took us for a tour around the Zanasi bodyshop's different buildings...it was truly a memorable experience! Needless to say that I was fortunate enough to see some amazing cars these days.

After having the mufflers installed tomorrow we're heading to Milan.

Plcs & impressions will follow once I'm home at MC.

 

Just got back to Monaco after 1500miles (2500km) of pure fun.

I'll try to upload the manual there later.

The trip was wonderful and everything went well. The 599 is an amazing machine.

We had X-OST mufflers installed and had went back to have the stock mufflers re-installed one hour later. It sounded very good for a few mins but as this car will be driven a lot and for long periods (about 20K miles per year between me and my father) we felt that the sound and resonance levels in the cabin were excessive for our tastes. The guys at exhaust were very nice and very professional though. They offered to make us a custom muffler for our needs. We'll definitely think about it...but, given this recent experience, I have come to believe that the stock mufflers are perfect for our needs at the moment (especially with the valves open).

I'll post plenty of pics in another thread later.

 

Ok...I think I managed to upload the owner's manual--> http://rapidshare.com/files/256185265/599_ENG.zip.html

 

I've been a bit lazy lately...I'll get the pics/impressions posted tomorrow.

Here are a couple pics:
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