2011 California Roof mechanism exploded... | FerrariChat

2011 California Roof mechanism exploded...

Discussion in 'California/Portofino/Roma' started by Doohan, Jul 31, 2020.

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  1. Doohan

    Doohan Rookie

    Jul 24, 2020
    11
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Ema
    Long story short. The plastic rails over the aluminum channel guides failed on both side. The left one was more impacted, the debris stopped the hydraulic actuator and kaboom everything exploded covering the whole interior with hydraulic oil and plastic and metal debris... Is this normal?? Are these guides supposed to fail after a certain time? I'm planning to remove the upper metal roof to expose more damage.


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  2. SLViper1

    SLViper1 Formula Junior
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2014
    742
    Nashville/Destin
    Full Name:
    Steve
    I have only read of a few sensor failures and one cracked windshield till this.
    That is just awful.
     
  3. Doohan

    Doohan Rookie

    Jul 24, 2020
    11
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Ema
  4. vjd3

    vjd3 F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2005
    2,565
    Massachusetts
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    Vic
    Wow, that's disturbing to see! So sorry. Please keep us posted on the repairs and cost ... and if there is anything to visually check on the car (cracks, etc.). Is the car under warranty? Did the top start to go down normally and then abruptly fail or was there any warning sign? Sounds like those parts should have been metal and curious if Ferrari or Webasto ever updated them over time. So many cars use the Webasto tops that you would think something similar would have occurred in a BMW, Mercedes, etc.
     
    Florida Joe likes this.
  5. Doohan

    Doohan Rookie

    Jul 24, 2020
    11
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Ema
    So that's the "good" side as seen from the top. If you look from below pushing the headliner down and see some fine cracks on the grey plastic you should be worried. Car is no more under warranty.
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  6. anunakki

    anunakki Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 8, 2005
    72,508
    Las Vegas Nevada
    Full Name:
    Jerry
    Thats awful. Never seen anything like that. Id be tempted to turn it into a barchetta
     
    Doohan likes this.
  7. TifosiConch

    TifosiConch Karting

    Jan 15, 2020
    213
    Full Name:
    Paul Maurer
    Any chance insurance could cover it?
     
  8. montegoblue

    montegoblue Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2009
    531
    East TN
    Keep the extended warranty going kids , you never can be too sure with the “excellent” Ferrari craftsmanship. Have had my car for close to a year and have put 12k miles ... fantastic daily driver however each time I put the top down, makes me a little nervous; top is very heavy, weirdly complicated mechanism IMO. I know it is a Webasto product, but if you add a bit of Ferrari dust into it and make it complex to top it off, it becomes a recipe for disaster. Top mechanism is basically the only reason why I plan on renewing extended warranty after it expires in 2021. Sorry about your convertible top failure, best of luck and please share progress with the group.
     
  9. Doohan

    Doohan Rookie

    Jul 24, 2020
    11
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Ema
    I totally agree with you. After the incident I reviewed several other California’s and they all presented the same fine cracks on the grey plastic. I’m now confident that is only a matter of time for them to fail. And with the roof being retracted in 14 seconds when they fail they do it royally!
     
  10. vjd3

    vjd3 F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2005
    2,565
    Massachusetts
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    Vic
    Jeez. What year cars were you looking at?

    I would be especially concerned if I had one of those SmartTop modules that closes or opens the top with one touch of the button ... if you are doing it yourself obviously you are going to stop holding it down once all hell breaks loose with the roof, which would at least interrupt the carnage, but the module might continue the process and make it even worse.

    It reminds me of the terrible Porsche convertible top mechanism on the 993 which would routinely get out of alignment and eventually bend and break the top frame. I converted mine to manual, which was simple with a fabric top, just lift it up and let the latch motors close it. It takes a lot of torque to raise or lower even a fabric top, can only imagine the kind of forces required on a metal roof. And I am also surprised that other cars with Webasto tops do not have this issue, unless it was Ferrari's engineering to put a plastic guide piece there instead of a metal one.
     
  11. Il Co-Pilota

    Il Co-Pilota F1 Veteran

    May 29, 2019
    6,023
    Hopefully some place nice.
    Full Name:
    A.B
    Cali roof issues have been quite common, but exploding? No, that's not normal.
     
  12. charliegaetze

    charliegaetze Rookie

    Jan 2, 2021
    7
    Tucson, AZ
    Full Name:
    Charles W Gaetze
    I'll be curious as to the cost of your repair. My top failed to go down and torqued itself in May, the car is still at the dealership and the repair estimate is $25K. Good Luck parts are hard to come by.
     
  13. Doohan

    Doohan Rookie

    Jul 24, 2020
    11
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Ema
    My repair bill was around $20K using used parts, with new parts the bill would have been around $40K.
     
  14. charliegaetze

    charliegaetze Rookie

    Jan 2, 2021
    7
    Tucson, AZ
    Full Name:
    Charles W Gaetze
    Are you happy with the repair? Using new parts gives me a 2 year warranty on the top. But what evil lurks below the surface.
     
  15. Doohan

    Doohan Rookie

    Jul 24, 2020
    11
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Ema
    Well... after the drama I checked all the California I could put my eyes on and, no mater the age, they were all in the same state. On top of that, I've never seen Ferrari acknowledge any warranty after 6 months usage on any parts...
     
  16. vjd3

    vjd3 F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2005
    2,565
    Massachusetts
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    Vic
    I am trying to see this part on my California T but there's no way to push the headliner aside and stopping the roof halfway can't see anything that looks like it. Can you be more specific as to how you can view it on a car with the roof intact?
     
    Andrew Pour likes this.
  17. Pro Bono

    Pro Bono Rookie

    Aug 30, 2020
    37
    Yet another horror story about Californias. Every time I get near pushing the buy button I read something like this and decide against it - until the next time! ;-)
     
  18. NeroDaytona2020

    Feb 13, 2021
    33
    Full Name:
    Szy
    Hi Doohan,

    Hope everything is sorted by now. May I know how much did you spend to repair your roof? My Cali roof that one plastic parts fell off a month ago. Ever since the parts cracked, the roof does not open as smooth as it used to be, and huge crack sound everytime when I close it... But the roof still functions (for now). Heard lots of people saying repairing roof is expensive.
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  19. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,352
    Indian Wells, California
    Full Name:
    Jon
    Sorry to hear about this - I like the California T, but these are complex cars. I'm not that surprised, Hopefully there's a strengthened replacement part in the future.
     
  20. doodja

    doodja Rookie

    Oct 10, 2021
    24
    Full Name:
    Jeff Dood
    Yeah, I too am (was?) contemplating a Cali T purchase in the next 6 months. I'm sure there are threads galore to dig into, but would you care to list the other horror story problems you've heard about specific to the T?
     
  21. SLViper1

    SLViper1 Formula Junior
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2014
    742
    Nashville/Destin
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    Steve
    Good luck finding horror stories galore on the Cali T, you won't. While this particular roof failure was ugly and expensive, its not typical. My personal experience is its an awesome machine, coupe or convertible in 14 seconds! Ferrari performance free maintenance and now worth $45K more than I paid 24 months ago.
    Enjoy the search, the horror (for you) is they may keep appreciating!
     
  22. doodja

    doodja Rookie

    Oct 10, 2021
    24
    Full Name:
    Jeff Dood
    Oh no......that's exactly what I didn't want to hear ;) Well, ok - yeah I did. Back to shopping for a T! .....Yeah, there is just something about this car - I can't stop fixating on owning one. Rented one for a day with my son this past summer. Have test driven a couple since. It's down to either the Cali T, or an AMG GTC Roadster. Love both. Nervous about small or large repairs on a Ferrari. Versus for about the same money getting a 3-4 year newer GTC, likely with a warranty. And possibly better made?
     
  23. Florida Joe

    Florida Joe Karting

    Jul 28, 2005
    248
    South Florida
    I don't have my Ferrari yet, its on order but all cars including MB are expensive on repairs especially as the technology goes up. I just spent $3,400 on my Mercedes since the freaking trunk wouldn't open. 2 new computer modules and 3 weeks to diagnose. AARGH
     
  24. Tony91505

    Tony91505 Formula Junior

    Apr 13, 2005
    416
    So cal
    Full Name:
    Tony
    Mercedes repairs are over priced. On my e63s there were a multitude of services that the car required and although I bought the prepaid service, the particular items were not covered. Alignment was 500, brakes were 5500 and additional amg services. At the end, regardless of warranty etc, a Ferrari is a far more special car both in terms of feel and driving sensation regardless of performance stats. Also, an amg merc usually drops like a rock in value when bought new. I was lucky to get rid of mine due to the hot used car market, but that is unlikely to repeat. Merc vs Ferrari is no contest, Fcar every time.
     
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  25. vjd3

    vjd3 F1 Rookie
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    Jun 3, 2005
    2,565
    Massachusetts
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    Vic
    I have 25k miles (on a 2015 T I bought with 10k miles) and in 22 months, not a hiccup so far. I drive it everywhere year-round if it's not raining or snowing, use the roof several times a day and I think that is the key to owning a reliable Ferrari. Only thing that's gone wrong is the window switches are loose but even they will work indefinitely if you baby them a little bit.

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