Got 430 spider today. Have a few problems to resolve. Need your help.

Hi gang. Got car today, and other than trucker scratching a wheel, it looked as expected cosmetically. But after checking everything, found the following issues. I'm quite disappointed at FNE, since they just serviced the car (changed all fluids) 15 miles ago, and charged the battery.

1. Main issue: found a ton of acid at the bottom of the battery. Don't know why the hell FNE didn't say anything. Doesn't look like it just happened. Vacuumed all that nasty white stuff, and ended up with solid rust, which I tried to clean. It also ate the carpet, but fortunately, right before it'd be noticeable. Took pic after that step. Battery is an Interstate, and the vent line end doesn't fit properly, so electrolyte dripped to the bottom of the battery (pic below). My guess is battery was tilted during installation. Will pull battery out after I get the state inspection tomorrow, and buy a new one. Will also find a way to seal the vent line, and install a remove battery charger that I can pull next to the wipers. The question: Is there anything critical under the battery? Hope acid didn't go below the bolts... or further back. Darn. Corrective action suggestions welcome.

2. Coolant tank is EMPTY. Looks like it's blue due to a little bit at the very bottom, so will probably buy Honda coolant (long life), as it's the only blue I've seen. No Ferrari dealers anywhere close. Suggestions welcome.

3. Oil dipstick barely has oil at the tip with engine off and oil cool. I know it has to be checked idling with engine hot, but didn't want to start engine again if it's that low. Common sense dictates level will be even lower with engine idling but am not sure. Can somebody check their oil with the engine cold and see where it reads? That way I can have an idea how low it is. My guess is it'll be a bit lower, like in-between min and max, which is about 1-1/2-qts, according to the manual, meaning mine is over 2 quarts low, apparently. The thing is I've never seen SHell Helix oil locally, let alone 5/40. Any suitable substitute? Mobil1 maybe?

4. Power steering fluid is below min too. I have all manuals and no one states either capacities nor fluid types. What does this thing need? Pentosin CHF S11? Thanks. At least the damn brake fluid was full . That's why I don't trust dealers with my cars. Apparently Ferrari ones are no different :-(.

Few other questions manuals were no help:

- My car has the 'bluetooth' option, and has the buttons on the console, but 'infotainment' manual only mentions a telephone function which needs a SIM card, not bluetooth. Plus when I hit the button, it says 'not available', just like with the navigation button. The options list says 'bluetooth'. Does anybody with BT can tell me how it works, if at all? Thx.

- My car also has the CD changer in front, but can't eject the magazine. Manual says to push the 'eject button', and there's none. Those changers should eject the magazine when opening the cover completely, but after hearing the trays cycle, it goes silent, rather than ejecting the magazine. Any ideas??? By the way, put an MP3 CD on the headunit and didn't play, but at least it played a regular CD. Didn't know there was different MP3s; will have to do some research. Oh well.

- Is there a way to open the 'hood' (front trunk) manually? I ask because with the battery switch disconnected, if the thing is accidentally closed, how the heck do you open it?

- Is it normal for the hydraulic roof pump to keep running when the roof is fully open? In all my previous convertibles you were supposed to keep pushing the button until the system stopped, as it was still closing things after it was apparently done (roof already down). This takes like a second after movement stops. I kept pushing it for about 2 seconds, and let it go. Haven't closed it yet, but now that I know it won't stop, do you stop right after the lid closes? By the way, disconnected the battery switch with the roof down. Shouldn't have any issues, correct? Also noticed one of the latches got a bit hung to the headliner. Will stop the mechanism when closing it tomorrow and lube those parts.

I think that's it for now. Have a lot of work to do, since car looks nice, but not nearly to my anal standards . Part of the fun though. Thanks a million in advance.
JC
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Thanks a lot man; that's all I wanted to know. Wasn't going to add any unless I was absolutely sure it was that low; that's why I asked . And will search again for the BT instructions with the info you provided, but seems strange it's going to work when manual doesn't mention anything. Hope you're right .

And yes, manual release for the 'trunk' is under the dash; many thanks. It's hard as hell with very little play, but will try it when battery is good for piece of mind. Release for the gas cap is in the engine compartment, and release for the glove box is a red string, at the right hinge, below the glove box; it should be hanging down. If not, look for it with your fingers; must be lodged in there.

All 'long life' coolants lack silicates, and all manufacturers use that now, especially on all-aluminum engines, like Honda, BMW, etc. Will double check to make sure. By the way, the ideal coolant should also lack phosphates, borates, and nitrites, but nobody specifies that anymore. At any rate, those 3 agents would probably only make a difference well north of 50K miles, which will never be the case in my of my cars.

And I wasn't knocking down FNE as they did a great job on the cosmetic stuff, but just to point out to potential buyers to things: It's better to be present . And when you get the car, CHECK EVERYTHING when you get it. That way if anything is not right, like in my case, it's just an inconvenience. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect a tech to check an aftermarket battery installation, but a drain line OVER THE BATTERY should have triggered his curiosity, as it'd never drain out. Will let them know for future PPIs. And potential buyers should also have them check that connection even with stock batteries, as it can happen during transit.

Only previous issue left to answer is type of power steering fluid. Has anybody topped it off?

Hey, forgot to ask 2 more things:

- Has anybody removed the center console ash tray? Mine has the 12V outlet inside (telephone buttons on right side), and only opens about 1/3 of the way. Probably a penny fell inside, as it feels solidly locked. Tried pulling it with moderate force but didn't budge. Rather ask than break soomething.

- Those with personal experience with touch-up paints for both Rosso Corsa and stock wheels please state your source. Want to make sure they're a good match. Thx.

 

Top left of changer when you're looking at it from the front of the car? The magazine door compartment opens rearward (towards the front of the car), and all I see inside is the suspension system. It had 2 white squares at the edge of the changer that looked like buttons, but it's just a bracket. Tried pressing them but only push the whole thing down. Those super thin units usually have the eject mechanism activated when door is fully open, so maybe something is wrong.

Anyway, looked and touched EVERYWHERE, and no eject button. Can you check your model? Mine says: Becker Silverton 6-cd changer 7860 Thx. Maybe yours is different. And does it read MP3s? Well, not even my head unit reads my MP3 discs, so never mind. Appreciate your help man. If can't get it to spit out, will leave it alone. Maybe that's why seller never said it had a changer. Hmmm. Have a great day.

 

Thanks a million for all the help gang.

Found the eject button.. FINALLY!!! He he. Thanks. And everything works, so cool. Changer took a while 'loading', but finally finished. And why don't my MP3 CDs play on the head unit? They're finished 700MB CD-Rs and highest resolution MP3s. Any idea why?

Checked oil and it's a quart low, not two, so no worries; have time to find suitable oil and top it off. Likewise, power steering fluid is 1/3 above min, so also have time to find correct fluid. By the way, manual calls for Shell Donax TX for the 'hydraulic steering system', and Shell Retinax CS00 for the 'steering box'. What the hell is the latter?

Flunked the inspection test because of 'readiness' codes, but stopped by a friend's house (Aston Vantage) with a reader and zero codes, so the proper starting procedure after disconnecting power to the car takes care of that issue. Stupid dealer said to drive the car 100 miles for the codes to be ready, but that's ridiculous. Stef's suggestion of 3 trips makes more sense, and already did that, so will stop by tomorrow again. If not, my buddy knows another place where they don't even drive the car, which this dealer wants to do to check the brakes. I'm going to tell them that I drive, and if not, go to the other place.

And finished reading all manuals, and there was mention of 'bluetooth, but manual said to read the manual of a Scaglietti. What the hell? Will search here, but that was weird.

Also need instructions how to remove the ash-tray, if anybody knows. Thanks again for all your help. Man, this car is a freaking blast to drive. I wasn't too convinced it was going to be worth it, to be honest, but it is. The most amazing part is the steering, which is the best I've sampled by far. Clutch has the perfect feel and effort as well, and throttle is exactly what I'm used to, so I'm driving this thing like a pro already . What is a disappointment is the Bridgestone tires; they skid at the least provocation, and supposed to be super grippy. I've always thought Bridgestones were crap, and these tires are not making me change my mind one bit. Will probably try the F1 runflats, even though handling will suffer a bit; it's a compromise I'm very willing to make. Plus they'll last much longer; don't need a max summer tire here. Thanks gang. In a few weeks I'll almost be an expert on this car, so will pay it forward. Still need to remove the battery, neutralize the acid, and assess and correct the damage. Just want my plates first. Take care.