Greeting all, I, too, am looking for a 612. Don't want to divert the nearby current thread from "Concretecomet", but here is the near mirror image question for you. I started out shopping an 'entry' 2005, but decided on base 2007 or early '08 for their electronic features and further developments. But then we saw a very interesting '09 OTO which, with a few miles and some (minor) concerns was priced higher, but not out-of-reach. I do plan on driving the car 3-4k miles per year. We'll be doing a true, trusted PPI, but I don't really expect there to be any significant issues. However ... I now suspect that the electrochromatic roof does not work. My question for you is simply: Does it matter? to the OTO market? A non-working roof won't effect my own enjoyment of the car, so I'd likely not spend the +$20k I've read here that the fix could cost. But, that roof isn't only an impressive gadget though, it's a highly touted, key feature of the OTOs. For those here who have OTOs, do your roofs work properly? Is it a significant part of the value of it's specialness? I think I know my own answer, though it's hard to 'price'. Hoping you'll offer your own answers. Thanks !
no it doesnt matter. ive owned mine since 2009 and only time i ever used the roof was to show people, no one cares. OTOs are incredible value and absolutely amazing cars you can easily enjoy on a daily basis. totally love mine. it's an event whenever i get to drive it.
I live in Hong Kong where it gets very hot and the photochromatic roof helps to keep the heat gain down and the A/C more efficient, but as a driver you never really notice or appreciate the glass roof, its more for the back seat passengers (my kids easily are impressed). Whether it goes significantly to value I don't know, but speaking to main dealer in HK when I bought mine there were not that many faults in 612 OTO roofs unlike Superamerica roof which did have issues. So when comparing OTOs, one with a faulty roof probably would be the exception rather than the norm.
To the OP, be sure to give the OTO roof a little time to change opacity when you go from one setting to another on the rotary control. The change is not instantaneous. I have been following 612s for some years now and owned a 612 OTO and 612 Sessanta. Neither had/have any issues with the opacity control not working, nor am I aware of any systemic issues with the OTO roof as the 575 Superamerica had. As others have said, the variable opacity is bit of a gimmick. The glass roof in the OTO and Sessanta completely changes the experience for back seat passengers, but is of little consequence to the driver or front seat passenger.
My 2010 OTO roof does what is intended. The difference between light and dark isn't all that great. I almost never think about the feature, except when I show the car and someone wants to know details. Even then, I just show them the knob and say what it does. I agree with Cobraowner that the roof takes a minute or more to change from one setting to another, so the changing process is imperceptible to an observer, so you can't really demonstrate it to onlookers. The owners manual says that the default setting is dark, so that when the car is parked, the roof automatically goes dark. This is good for the purpose of protecting the beautiful leather interior. If your target car has an inoperative roof, make sure that it has defaulted to dark. As for repairs, replacing the roof is really expensive, but there could be other sources of roof issues, like the computer that controls it, or a wiring issue. Wiring issues aren't very expensive in the grand scheme of things. Not every failure requires a new roof.
I was wondering about what caused the failed, as one OTO I’m looking at to buy has a problem, and the owner said sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t and he was upfront telling me the estimate was $25k to replace the roof. However my thought is if it works sometimes, then the glass is good or it would never work, and that it was more of an issue in the controlling of it. Also his stats clear when the car is parked..
Thank you all. Will hope that the issue is not the glass. BobK, good point on default/stuck status. For you - How dark is the dark setting? This one looked to me to be a very standard blue-ish tint like any other car’s ‘sunroof’ where you’d slide a shade if too hot/bright. It wasn’t side-windows clear, but wasn’t night-sky dark. Mike S, all the best for your search too.
My roof has never had a problem but to be honest there doesn't seem to be a great difference in the settings and the time it takes to change it is certain a subtle difference. I tend to keep it on dark as I live in sunny CA so want to keep the heat down as much as possible so I seldom change the setting. If it didn't work at all it would not effect my enjoyment of the car. You might use the non function of the roof as a bargaining point but really inconsequential to most owners I would guess.
I would second all the posts in response to your question. As to "does it matter", only if you intend to enter the car for professional judging such as FCA's Coppa Bella Machina. In that case it would have to work or you are out. The roof on my 2008 OTO works just fine, although it is almost always on the dark setting.
The, roof on my OTO works as it is supposed to. I live in Alabama and keep it dark during tHe day but use light at night and in the winter. I consider it to be a significant feature.
The best way to describe it is that in the default dark mode, looking through the roof is like wearing a pair of sunglasses. I wanted to take a picture showing the roof vs the window glass, but my iPhone camera compensates for less light so I didn't get a realistic photo.
I'd like to see an FCA judge argue that the roof isn't working. It changes so slowly that it's very hard to tell until some time passes, and I doubt they would notice in time. But maybe someone has had their car judged and they did look?
I have entered my 612 in 2 Coppa Bella Machinas (2017 and 2019) and both times the roof was checked. It does seem like a long time to turn from darkest to lightest, but it probably is no more than a minute. On my car you can really tell a difference. And it did work and I was awarded the prize both times. BTW, that was the last time I used the dial. I guess I should check if it is still working.
Nice review. Enjoyed seeing it. It has some wrong information though: engine, transmission speeds, etc. 612 is getting prettier and prettier.
Hi all - ‘trforcefed’, thank you for loading that Colleen S review. Had not seen it before, and think it’s nice (as does the dear wife!). Thanks to all for the thoughts on importance and operation of the 612 OTO roof. So, an update for you … I had F1 (Eric) in Naples FL do a PPI, and I was very pleased with his thoroughness, and discussion. His experience led to finding that a previous owner, prob concerned to ‘save’ the roof … had unplugged it! from its controller. All seems good with it. After that I was happy to buy the car from Black Horse. It’s an ‘09 OTO in Avus, with Cuoio/Iroko leathers, and carbon trim. Very rich looking! Great to work w Darren. (I found some old 2015 UTube and F-chat about the very car, at its last prior sale.) Unloaded in Chicago yesterday and the ten miles for gas (took the ‘scenic’ route) was a blast! Will address tires and a few to-do’s here asap - Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ?, CTek 7002 ? charger. Am thrilled to be a part of this world. Thanks again to all of you for the support and therapy you’ve provided. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Beautiful car! Mine is below and I understand there is one in Tupelo, MS Image Unavailable, Please Login
612s are so elegant. Getting better year by year. And white color fits the shape well. Interesting to notice a subtle difference between the two units. David's car has the lower rocker panel and rear bumper lower portion painted white. Congratulations to both. Your cars look stunning.
Mine is a very early OTO, no. 160338. Built in April of 2008 and airfreighted to California. cuio and carbon interior with HGT2.
Congrats Larry and welcome to the club. I strongly recommend you go for the CTEK MXS 10.0. If you go for the CTEK MXS 5.0 which is what many do, you will likely find it isn’t “man enough” for the job. I have the Michelin Pilot Super Sports (K1) on my HGTS but it’s wearing 599 Challenge rims rather than the 612 rims and availability of the original MPSSs has been discussed elsewhere on F-Chat ad nauseum and is not easy. Enjoy emptying that tank of gas!
Larry- She looks great and the OTOs are very rare Ferraris. Owners of Dinos and Daytonas used to disconnect the speedometers to prevent wear on those, too.
