Hi all - Would love some advice here. I purchased my first Ferrari and received it last week. The car was purchased from a Ferrari dealership out of my state and I wasn't able to go in-person to view the car (I know, I should have. Lesson learned). Long story short - before purchasing the car, I collected some info from FChat about common issues and asked the dealer about them numerous times (dash peeling on leather, paint bubbling on rear vents, etc) and was assured none of these were present on the car. I was also told because the car is CPO'd, it goes through an intensive Ferrari inspection to make sure the car is pristine unless otherwise noted. I received the car last week and checked the dash and the dash is peeling + there is a small chunk of leather missing. Dealership is not wanting to take responsibility for this. Is there any legal ground for this? My local Ferrari dealer is quoting $5k - $10k with labor being the most expensive portion. I understand this is a common issue, but find it hard to accept that this is the way they'd ship a car to a customer who spent $200k + on a vehicle and asked about this particular issue several times. I was also told the car will go through service before being delivered and it was not. I love the car, but this is frustrating. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
First, I am sorry you are having to deal with this. Are you able to share a photo a little father back? I understand that taking the photo close up, shows the detail of the leather condition. While the CPO program is intensive, it does not involve interior leather condition in any way. Used cars are sole as-is, I assume you signed for it ( as-is ) , so you own it. Not a great situation to be in and certainly leaves a poor taste for the deal. By your own admittance, you did not have a PPI performed nor did you go inspect the car yourself, so you also have some responsibility. The fact that you asked the salesperson directly if the dash leather was peeling, then were told no, would be a discussion to have with a sales manager. Reach out to the sales manager, provide documentation of conversation where you were told the dash was not peeling, and present your reasonable solution. Maybe be willing to cover labor if they cover the leather repair itself or vise versa. Good luck with your conversation, Steve
The car is at Ferrari right now so unfortunately I can't take any additional photos. Perhaps, there is some responsibility on my end for not going to view the car in person. I just assumed buying from a Ferrari dealer would take out majority of the risk and they'd make things right considering I specifically asked about this issue multiple times. Their response was this must have happened on the delivery truck, yet there's 2 areas of chunks of leather missing as if somebody cut it out with a blade. Lesson learned without a doubt. I wonder if there is any legal ground here if absolutely needed?
Ferrari labor is to remove and install. Leather work is done by an outside contractor. Charges for this and quality vary greatly. Some do not use Ferrari materials.
Yes, correct. Harry in BH is doing the leather work and there's been many positive reviews about him on various threads so I feel good about it. Ferrari labor is the bulk of cost here ($5k). I'm more concerned if the dealer is going to end up covering the cost, so we'll see. Fingers crossed.
leather is cosmetic issue but the paint bubbling around rear vents is corrosion issue and would be covered up to 10 years i believe. dealerships are independent entities and used car salesmen are the same be it Ford or Ferrari... but they still have to stay in the good graces of Ferrari North America. i would provide proof of your inquiries to the sales manager at the dealer first then if denied any compensation i would inform them that you intend to take it to FNA and complain since it was a recent CPO purchase. if you have no proof of them denying any leather issues then sorry i think you will have to eat this one. 5k isn't so bad it's only 2% of the purchase price think of it as a learning tax.
You're sol. Most car transactions include terms that any representations of the sales person are not part of the agreement unless in writing in the agreement. I don't think leather is part of the CPO process and frankly it goes without saying you should have inspected the car first. I bought an F12 sight unseen but I had a ton of pictures and a fellow Fchatter went and checked it out for me and verified the condition. My had leather issues but I factored that in to what I was willing to pay. Due diligence is key here. Consider yourself lucky this lesson didn't cost you more.
FWIW, what you are seeing is the leather shrinking, and the " chunk " of missing leather is actually just the fingers of leather curling up and around the dash pad itself. I attached a couple photos below, showing what the edges of the leather actually look like when removed from the dash pad itself. My money is that they cover the repair, just give them the room to make it happen. Regarding legal, yeah sure, you can sue for anything, but it wont be quick, it wont be without its own headaches, is it worth it? Because unless you pay for the repairs in advance, nothing will be done until after the court case is settled one way or the other.... Oh, and please be sure to post back here how it plays out good or bad. S Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mine is showing shrinkage in the same area. It hasn't shown an opening or edge but you can see the level or amount of the shrinkage by line and difference in leather. texture....like in the picture. I frequently use Swiss vax leather conditioner on it. I hope it softens it up. Image Unavailable, Please Login
My idiot hand is in the air for having done the same dumb thing… Some of us have to learn our lessons the hard ways… says my divorce lawyer… Kevi
Leather is, of course, a natural product and all leather will eventually do it. If you are going to pull your dash apart then do yourself a favor and have them pull off all the plastic parts and send them off for resurfacing. Maybe work removal and re-installation as part of any leather work. Make friends with your dealerships. They are usually good people and appreciate your business. Don't let this issue have a lasting impact on the automotive bliss awaiting in your garage.
Worry less about cosmetics and be thankful to have a mechanically solid car. ALL Ferraris leather dashes will eventually do this … just a matter of time. Have owned several Porsches… never had had any issues w/ dashboard. Part of the “marque”. Don’t let it ruin your new car bliss, F12 is an amazing car.
I tend to give dealers the benefit of the doubt. First I have never bought a car that I could not go see. However I rarely go to look at the cars I buy new or used. I have been on the bad side of maybe one or two cars but I just pay to get it fixed and at the end of the day the car is better and I forget about it. For info I just got my longtime owned California dash recovered by my dealer also did a color change on the dash (ie it from black to cuoio .. so it cost a little more but my cost was 13k and it took around 3 months.. mainly cause the place had a hard time getting the leather... but it looks fantastic... At the same time I took my 2015 911 which I bought new. To my local dealer . I took to the service department and asked if they could get the Porsche dash which was leather and was bubbling up etc.. recovered under warranty .. and they did cover the whole deal. It then took a couple of weeks to get it scheduled cause they had to order the panels . then one or two days to get the work done.. at no cost..
Sorry, don't think I understand this one. First example is a Ferrari dealer doing the work that you paid them for, over 3 months. Fantastic, but this is how this should work? Second is an anecdote about a Porsche dealer. This is a fantastic example of a great dealer, but is pretty far away from what a lot of us have experienced with Ferrari dealerships. The OP's example is not, in my experience, uncommon. Anyway, @Ramznaj1 -- this sucks man, sorry to see this. As others have alluded to, the CPO for this is basically toilet paper. I hope that the dealer steps up here, but it's not shocking to me if they don't. Hope this doesn't tarnish your new ownership, F12 is an incredible car.
Disappointing situation. I would respectfully counter several others who suggested that the fault lies mostly with the OP. I have successfully purchased many cars site unseen (most recently a 992 GT3 Touring and 992 GT3 RS). I don’t have time in the schedule to fly out 3,000 miles to inspect a car. I had the dealers send me detailed videos and then I had them make clear, plainly worded assurances with respect to condition by email. At $200,000 and above, it’s reasonable to expect honest representation by the dealer (especially being a new car franchise dealer). With respect to where you go from here, I would reach out to GM directly. Stay professional and resist the urge to make threats. Present your case. The dealer will likely wish to preserve their online review history. Indeed, the sum of money involved is inconsequential to their online reputation. Recently, I purchased a new piece of exercise equipment for my home gym. I thought I was ordering it in black and it arrived in silver. I looked up my original invoice, and sure enough I missed where it clearly indicated silver. I reached out to my contact, explained that I had intended to order it in black and would like to know the restocking fee to order a replacement. He quickly emailed back and said that he ordered a replacement unit and that there would be no charge. If Hammer Strength can take care of the customer on a $5,000 piece of equipment, a Ferrari dealer should be able to take care of a customer on a $200,000+ car.
