My new 488, dead on hwy

That had to be a scary experience being stuck there in the middle of the left lane on a busy multi-lane highway. You are lucky this didn't cause a serious accident. I'm glad to hear that you (and the other motorists on the road) are okay.

I would not worry about the reliability of the car in the future once it has been fixed by FOS. They will fix this problem and it will not happen again. Just make sure that you get a good explanation of what caused the issue and make sure that they have fixed it properly. Then go drive the car and forget about this incident...soon this will be a distant memory and you will be enjoying and trusting the car. All of the smiles behind the wheel will quickly make you forget the breakdown.

 

I thought it moved at a higher speed, with this comment I was questioning his speed

 

Let's provide him at least mental support!

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If you lose the engine, you lose the hydraulic steering since it is powered by the belt.

So that isn't mysterious at all.

 

You are lucky to be alive.

People in my town LA get killed all the time. It won't make the news.

On the 101 freeway there isn't a soft shoulder, and if your car dies you run a good chance of being hit. A few years back, I heard about a guy who owned a California who died on the 101. A few weeks later I was stuck on the 101 in bumper to bumper traffic. I passed by some Cali trim pieces that were still on the edge of the number 1 lane right next to the concrete divider. It was pretty spooky. Esp since I owned that car for a few years too.

Anyway, the lemon law begins with the first occurrence of a problem which is serious. (Note your mileage) Your problem already meets that criterion. If the dealer can't fix it after three attempts then you can get the car lemoned out.

(Perhaps Alternator, wiring harness, or master ECU?)

Unless you ran out of gas, the dealer needs to identify the problem fix it and then test drive it for 50 miles

 

The car is still steerable though; the wheel just gets heavier. The same thing happens to the brakes after 2-3 applications but you can still stop, albeit in a greater distance.

 

I feel for you living so far away from a dealership

 

I would say this in unacceptable. Maybe people here who deal with FOS can voice their displeasure. Dealers do pay attention to their best customers.

If this car is in some highway patrol impound lot it should not be their. The dealer should have sent it to an FCA dealership until it was picked up. One phone call and it's done.

Given the window is stuck down they would have to be fools to leave it their a week. Or maybe they are...

Let me tell you a story of my Mini Cooper-- the only new car I had that stranded me-- when the gearbox locked up at LAX at 2 in the morning.

I call their 800 emergency service. A person there contacted a tow truck to get it. It took 2 hours but a flatbed truck picked up the car with instructions to bring it to the dealer, about 15 miles away.

The dealer lot was not open until 7 so he dropped it off at an impound lot and contracted the dealer. At 8 in the morning the dealer called me, explained the situation, and that he expected the car around 10 am. When it arrived he texted me and said his mechanic was already looking at it. I got it back the next day with an explanation of what happened.

Now, this is a lowly $30k mini. The FOS has some explaining to do

 

You are unnecessarily putting fuel on the fire and mixing up things with your example and his current predicament.

Something goes wrong then you call roadside assistance. Ferrari roadside assistance would have agreements with various towing companies around the country at negotiated rates to bring the car to the nearest ferrari dealer. This part failed as the local flatbed service probably wasn't willing to tow the car at the price that ferrari roadside assistance was willing to pay.

The dealer is now trying to go beyond what their responsibility is. They are probably trying to find someone that is willing to do the tow with what ferrari roadside assistance is willing to pay.

Due to issues happening with transport most ferrari dealers do not have their own in house transport.

This isn't a failure of Ferrari of Seattle. What would have happened if he bought the car private party or from a different dealer?

A personal example of mine is with a Scud. Out of warranty and it broke down in NAPA in the middle of nowhere on a long deserted street and we were sitting on the ground in 100+ degree heat. I called AAA for a tow. They call back after a couple of hours and tell me that there is no flat bed service until two days later and that I would have to wait. I got it done through a different tow company but this was mainly an issue with the local towing companies not willing to move the car for what AAA or in OP's case Ferrari roadside assistance is willing to pay.

Your great service wasn't from the dealer but rather from Mini roadside assistance.

 

You are being quite kind .....::I would bkasT that dealer. Get myself an attorney and call them out in every social media possible

 

Give them a chance to make it right. But I agree, if they don't fix the issue, they should be taken to task.

 

So its now day 5 and nothing happened? I would be asking for my money back asap..then they can do what the want with it.looks like they could't care less as they nickel n dime to get a cheap transport.

If you keep it then what happens next time you have a problem with it?

 

I'm really sorry that you had this negative experience with your first Ferrari. Once they sort things out you'll get your confidence back!

BTW, my guess is a loose ground. I don't know how many grounds a 488GTB has, but as I recall my Stradales had something like 13 grounds. If you've ever experienced a loose ground on modern cars, it's unbelievable what can happen.

In my experience, mechanics don't think about loose ground wire(s). When you see the mechanic pulling his hair out trying to figure out why all this happened, mention loose ground wire. If it turns out you're right, then you're a genius. If you're wrong, hey, what do they expect? You're not a mechanic

Good luck. I bet it will turn out to be something simple.

 

What you should have done is have the car towed back to your house where it can be garaged. Wouldn't this have been better? You at least have the peace of mind and can work out something for the flat bed to arrive.

 

I wasn't pointing any blame at your in any way .




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If it's been 5 days, I take back what I said earlier. I'd be unleashing holy hell on the dealership. Not cool at all. Time to escalate.

 

I have an 18 year history with FOS as have many here in the Seattle area and their service is one reason I bought my 458 Spider from them. What you are experiencing is so out of the ordinary, I can't relate to it. What is surprising is that Eric Brickley or one of his service advisors hasn't been on the phone to you constantly explaining what's going on and what their issues are.

If I was FOS, I would NOT trust anybody to move the car I didn't have experience with.

There are just a few long haul vans that are qualified to carry exotics and one may not be in the area. Spokane is almost 300 miles from Seattle and 750 miles from Steve Harris in Salt Lake.

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/ferrari-discussion-not-model-specific/432553-beware-ferrari-maserati-vancouver.html

I guess you are already aware of this one (FOV)?

You do need to get on top of this pronto... before a can of worms start to breed.I would be heading down to take a very close look at my car asap.

 

How can I be putting fuel on the fire by stating the obvious?

If anyone thinks letting a customer's new $300k car sit in some unknown impound lot with the window open for 5 days is acceptable, please raise your hand.

This I gotta see.

All the dealer had to do is move it to any FCA dealer. He didn't even bother to do that.

A good way to treat a customer? Just a hunch but I'm guessing "no".

 

It's a little late to be worrying about a tow truck when the highway patrol got it out of the road. I don't think they were too worried.