2012 Cali 30 electrical/battery issues

Time for a new battery.

 

Why isn't it always on the charger when not being driven?

 

How old is the battery? If more than three years old, it should be replaced. Modern Ferrari's use a lot of juice, even when parked. Did you purchase the car from the dealer? Our California 30 was just in for annual service, and at three years old, they told us the battery was "adequate", but we had them replace the battery anyway. Also, check tire age. If over four years old, you should get new tires too.

 

I know it sounds like a pain to plug the car in daily, but that is what I do after every ride. Even with a new battery, it is important to keep it on the charger as much as possible. By "main dealer" do you mean a Ferrari dealer? Is it a CPO car, or did you have a PPI (pre purchase inspection) done on the car? I really hope you enjoy owning the California, but if you are new to Ferrari read all you can about it on FerrariChat. You'll learn a lot from others' experiences and hopefully will save yourself some grief. Welcome to the Cali club!

 

Alex- I never plug my 575M in and she gets driven 2-5 times a week. Not sure plugging one in does much good if she is regularly driven. At least it has caused no problems with mine for 13 years. Have a nice CTEK in a Schedoni case that is just taking up space in the trunk. If I were not going to drive her for a month or more, probably would plug her in, but has not happened in the last 10 years.

 

Terry, I drive my car two to three times a week, so I don't take chances. The roof takes a lot of power to open and close, and I don't want to get in a situation where it gets stuck half way!

 

Only operate the roof with the engine running it will never be a problem.

 

Hope you're getting your problems sorted out, Rob!

 

If you just bought the car, I would throw a new battery in it.
This eliminates the wide range of issues a weak battery can cause. And you know 100% the battery is not the problem.
For a few hundred bucks this is worth the money all day long. Once this is a known good you can diagnose further.

That aside I found these user experiences related to your issue:
Post #9, 18 and Post #18 https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/electrical-system-failure-parking-sensors.602350/

"
Re the "electrical system failure" message that appeared during cold startup of my 599, I'd noticed it had only appeared when the engine start button on the steering wheel had been pushed prematurely or before the system had completed its initial "electronic check list" (including a 'health' check for status of front/rear sensors). The premature engine start probably interrupted the system check and that's why a failure message appeared.
After the system has completed its initial check, it will beep three times. Wait for the three beeps before pushing the red button to start your engine and will only start with the gear in "Neutral" position. Then wait for the TFT screen to display "Check OK" before putting the tranny in gear to move, especially during cold startups. This system review and start procedure for modern Ferraris also ensures that oil pressure has built up through the filter, lubricated vital engine parts and warmed up the oil sufficiently while the electronic system fully completes its check of 'health' sensors.
"
"OK, I've now verified that the error message "electrical system failure parking system" showed up simply because I pressed the starter button just a split second before the check system beeped three times. Regardless, a few seconds later the system returned a "Check OK" message."

 

A load test on the battery will tell you if it is good or not. You can buy one for under $100, or just go to a local autoparts store and they can connect up a tester for free. You just need to remove the door so they can access the battery. I just bought my own load tester and test all my cars annually.