Is an FF reliable enough to be a DD?

My sense is that a string like this gets all the stories of problems but the owners who have had none are afraid to say so. They don't want to jinx it.

 

I hope you manage to resolve your issues. I can see why you asked the question in this thread. Very frustrating, I'm sure. As you've already stated, I think you have a problem car. I only average 7-8K miles per year, but Ivy FF is a DD. Other than the odd idiot light in my previous FF, which disappeared with a restart, and the annual services, the only item I ever had to replace was the driver's side windscreen wiper! Good luck!

 

Pile on

Our 2013 had 7K miles on it and ran flawlessly. Only normal services and campaigns, though the windshield was accidentally broken in the shop (different story). Car was perfect.

I have to believe we had a few glitches - i.e. a simple reboot fixed them. The seatbelt arms can get confused if you get in/out without buckling, etc. Not problems as much as perhaps quirks.

In fear of jinxing myself, there you go. We recently traded it in and are expecting a 2015 FF within a month. Hoping for a similarly awesome car. Why trade? Got a great offer, wanted to have under warranty, FFS offering an insanely good lease program, so for a few extra bucks we rotated up, plus got a few things we didn't get the first time (eg. Carplay, different color, wheels, etc).

The FF is an amazing car. Like most/all modern cars, it is a software-driven electrical car....there are more wires, relays, switches and ECUs than Apollo 11. When you have an electrical gremlin, in can be maddening for owner and dealer alike.

There is an FF a friend (Ferrari dealer master tech) just had to replace the entire wiring harness on. Essentially, the entire car came apart to do it. Astonishing amount of cables. Something as simple as a pinched wire or intermittent ground in assembly can cause problems. Low voltage/bad batteries seem to create the most problems, but other things can happen.

Good news, this car is fixed, is perfect and with the tech working on it, is probably better now than when brand new.

This is not Ferrari-specific - I've had BMW's and GMC's that have had similar issues. However, the higher-tech of a Ferrari (which is less than a BMW), plus the lower volumes, also means less tribal knowledge and therefore might make chasing a gremlin down a bit harder and take longer.

 

True that. All modern high end cars can be beset with maddening electronics problems, and it is then a matter of how the dealer and their supporting infrastructure deal with it.
While I have not had issues with my FF, let me recount briefly my experience with my previous car: a heavily breathed on BMW X5M. It spent 7 weeks in the dealer's shop trying to chase down a fault in the keyless entry/start system (yes they do have problems). The fault was serious enough to convince me that someday the car might not start at all. I was on the verge of asking BMW of NA to buy the car back when I took it to another dealer. That dealer solved the problem in one morning; it was an under the dash wire-to-steering column short, not a controller or sensor problem at all.

Morals:
-- All cars get these glitches. It is random.
-- The dealer becomes the key player in phantom glitches
-- Sometimes a cold eyes look pays dividends

 

Wow the FF ironically seems like the least reliable ferrari even though it was meant to be a daily cruiser.... If some of u guys are fed up with the reliability I'm vouching for MB. Our last 4 MBs had absolutely zero issues. Just service oil change/etc once a year. And we would put roughly 12-15k miles per year. This is a CLS500 40k miles, S550 55k miles, S550 4 matic 25k miles, and the most recent and my fav GL350 diesel so far 12k miles. I have a 7 seater if need be that rides and feels like a S class and averages 25mpg. But, and it's a big but. The excitement will not be there, it's just not possible with the daily MBs. But I question.... Do we need everyday cruisers to be balls out loud and crazy rides? IMO I would prefer a great luxury ride for daily use and the Italian for the fun drives.

The stories some of u wrote I'd sell the car asap. That's just absurd a $300k car spending a month out of 3 at the shop. Plus the silly minor problems. It's 2015 the 360 seems more reliable and she's 15 years old. Maybe MB needs to partner with Ferrari.....

 

Huh??

 

I have had several several AMG cars all of which were great but the S63 and SL 63 were both the shop quite a bit. My wife has a MY15 GL63 Designo. Amazing SUV BTW. All cars have their issues my friend. There is no Mercedes product that can touch the soul, purpose, and class that the FF can and does. My FF has been bullet proof. Grocery getting, family trips to the coast, track days, DD to work, rain, snow it can do it all. I compare it to my Bentley GT in comfort mode, on the phone, cruising on the freeway. With the push of a few buttons, and turn of a dial she becomes an absolute animal.

I understand some guys have had bad luck but that is the way it is with every manufacturer. It is how your local dealer handles it. I assure you mine would put me in a new one if I had continuous issues.

 

+1. I'm on my second FF and no issues. MB can't compare. All cars have their issues. I had an ML 55 AMG that spent more time in the shop than in my garage. Drove me nuts. Got rid of it after a year. The FF is an amazing DD. It IS a great luxury ride for daily use and as $$$=SPEED says, a turn of the dial and she becomes an absolute animal. That's the whole point, you can have your cake and eat it!

 

I completely agree on MBs having no soul. Ferrari will be the better driving experience every single time even at lower speeds. I know MBs had problems in the early to mid 2000's but after 08 or so the cars have been incredibly reliable. What I meant to say was that for a car that was designed to be a daily driver it seems to fall a lil short. I think the FF is sexy and the engine that's in it is a master piece. Guess I was super lucky with my MBs. But u guys are right every brand will have issues and a forum like this people always post issues so it makes the cars seem problematic. I'm sure there's a bunch of owners driving around without issues

 

I submitted my order to be first on the list for the new facelifted FF.

I believe it will be my perfect DD, I was considering a 991.2 Turbo S but i needed a real 4 seater and the demo FF made things easy to decide.

Mbn

 

When is the dealer estimating this will happen? My dealer was saying new car would be launched in about 1.5 years or so

 

my dealer said next year, and I asked the manager to inform me once it's confirmed so I can pay the deposit.

I wish I can get the FF now but since I knew about the facelift and more power I couldn't stop thinking.

My dealer offred me one nice specd FF with a good discount and offred to trade it back once the new FF arrives, but I'm not used to this as I bond to the car and it becomes a chapter in my memories so it priceless and unreplacabel, and as always my memories aren't for sale.

Funny maybe but that's me.

anyway i guess maybe they will know in September, Just my own speculations.

2016 not so far away and I'm sure it's worth the wait.

Mbn

 

hey guys, some feedback. i drive my FF everyday, and in the winter. It was great until 20k kms, but after that, it's in the shop all the time. it's been there for about 4 weeks in 2015 alone.

it's a great car in theory. But where i live (canada) getting parts from Italy takes a while.

It's a great car, but i am looking to get a 911 Turbo S or G63.

 

"Huh?" is correct! I wouldn't have a MB if it were the last car on earth. I've had two S550's and a CL550. MB leasing screwed me. The cars had intermittent stuff that was never fixed. The dealer service was crap crap crap. With 46,000+ miles on my first FF and 5,000 now on my second, I'll stick with the FF. Winter, summer, snow, sun, the car is a ball every day.

 

What did you change between your first FF and the second? Colour? Or is it practically the same as the prior one but with options now included as standard?

If I was to get another FF, it would be almost identical to my first, but with an updated stereo, LED steering wheel and glass roof. Would keep the same colour and everything else.

 

Can you offer some specifics? what issues are you having?

We just picked up our 2nd FF....getting detailed, should be driving it by end of week. First one had 7K miles as a family car - would not say DD as it wasn't, but could have been. FAR fewer issues (quality and reliability) than our GMC Denali or BMW X5M.

I will say that if/when you have problems (stuff happens), the dealer and the tech working on the car are a critical variable. If you have the only FF within 1,000 miles and your tech doesn't know the car, a small glitch can become a drama. These are after all "limited volume". Having said that, our GMC spent a few weeks in the shop waiting for parts....from Mexico.

 

Absolutely, easily, and no issue as a DD....comes down to how "uptight" you are about the "frills" of a DD; dents, scrapes, dings, finger prints, etc..etc....I use mine every single day without any other than usual (expected) issues (door clip broke, brake pad change (18'000KM). Of course she gets washed every Saturday a.m (by me!)

 

My first post ... with apologies if there is a place I should be looking for answers.

I am considering a 2012 FF, now out of warranty with 13,000 miles. It's been solid up until now, price is under 200.

Am I looking at more issues over 15,000 miles or 20,000 miles .... or ... a good car stays a good car ... or ... who knows, good luck !


I have a super reliable CLS550 but it's boring. Live in LA, drive maybe 5000 miles a year.

Thank you !

 

12-15k miles a year in a Mercedes? Nothing to write about.

I have done more than that in 5 months with my FF and was out of town for one of those. It has 22.000km on the clock as of today.

I had a few minor problems but nothing major. Its spent more time in the shop for a complete hood, fender, bumper paint due to rock chips and a new windshield from a different occasion than for the other minor issues.

The biggest problem I have had is that the LED backlighting on the tach went out. That was fixed while I was on vacation. The radio and passenger display went dark for a few days. A battery reset took care of that. Those two things would not make me want to drive a MB daily thats for sure...

 

Spot-on!!!

i drive mine every day and look forward to buying the "face-lift" model when it is released

 

My opinion only. I love both Porsches and Ferraris so please no flames.

when real work is necessary, buy Porsche. When it has to run, reliably, quickly, and efficiently there really is nothing like it. They stand alone in that department.

when real thrills are necessary, buy Ferrari.

 

Really just sounds like a bad car. That happens with any maker. Sorry to hear it.

Was it a 2012 by chance?

Can anyone confirm or deny that 2012 had bugs and the newer cars are improved?

 

This is a shot in the dark and not meant to be offensive in any way.

Be careful about hitting the gas and the brake at the same time. Especially when accelerating from stop. If the system sees this it may stall, even if only briefly. Left foot braking can especially trigger this.

SV


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Very curious about this as well as I'm looking at 2012 FFs now that they're moving into a pricing range I find palatable.

That said, as indicated elsewhere in this thread, you can always get a bad car. My G55 AMG was one of the worst vehicles in terms of reliability I ever owned. 5 different stints at two different dealerships over one stubborn problem and a host of other visits for other problems. Many will tell stories of BMW problems yet I've owned 5 different models that never had an issue. Don't get me started on Land Rover....