The ongoing saga of an 06 430

That, my dear man, is complete horsepucky.

They need to contact FNA and get some special coding file to turn off the TPMS warning in the Cluster. Only FNA can provide the file.

If Ferrari cannot fix the TPMS saga in my F430, they WILL be disabling it.

 

I have 19 inch rims on my 575M with TPMS sensors during summer and 18 inch rims without TPMS sensors during winter (no winter tires available for 19 inch rims). My tech (official Ferrari dealer) just switches the TMPS on and off in one minute so I don’t have any TMPS messages on the dash when the 18 inch rims are on. So I guess this must be possible with a 430 as well.

Markus

 

I believe that all 2006 and newer cars are required to have TPMS. I'm lucky and have a 2005 F430 that does not have them, but on two other (newer) cars I have to deal with the warning light all winter when my winter wheels/tires are on the cars.

Also note that the fix-a-flat (I'm told) can gunk-up the TPMS sensors to the point where they need to be replaced.

 

Wiki states TPMS is required after Sept 1 2007 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire-pressure_monitoring_system

I agree TPMS is rubbish. My buddies M3 constantly has TPMS warnings, so frequently in fact that when he lost pressure in a tire he drove on it because the "cry wolf!" warning was ignored. It left us stranded in a severe Tstorm about 50 miles from anywhere on a Friday night, clearly designated for drinking, waiting on a flatbed.

I also agree that the repair charges for the TPMS are borderline criminal because the tires were being changed anyway, so they are right there.

I am glad my 2006 does NOT have TPMS, and it was one of my selection criteria.
1. No Ceramic Brakes (expensive maintenance, not needed for street use)
2. No Daytona seats. To each their own.
3. No 6 Sp. I want the ability to have my computer minions shift for me sometimes.
4. No aftermarket rims, the stock rims are perfect for me, and after having 10x people not want to buy my last F because it did not have the factory rims, lesson learned.
5. No TPMS. Just one more thing to fail, or to falsely rely on.
6. No stories. (carfax or otherwise), I will be doing the crashing myself.
7. No Carbon kit. I think the black dash and st-wheel needs the aluminum accents.
8. No aftermarket exhaust. I want the ability to bring it back to stock for resale, etc.
9. No high-pressure or sleazy salesmanship. An official FDealer was "perfect!" (Ferrari of Palm Beach)
10. No settling for a color, year, etc. I have worked too hard to settle now...

 

Great thread.

 

The "crying wolf" issue is a real problem. My (new) DD had a rash of TMPS fault warnings (turned out as near as I can figure the dealer failed to set the pressures right at delivery), so was having to check out whether it was falsely reporting or not each time. Fortunately, the system finally reset itself and has been trouble-free since (knock on wood).

As for your list, I agree on 1, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10 (#10 within reason; I'm not likely to wait years and years for that "perfect car" to show up, when it may not exist given the number of options and color permutations). As for #2, I'm ok with them though I think the standard seats are more comfortable, so I'd go with either (and I guess this violates #10). #3, I love the involvement a full manual brings but to each his own. I acknowledge this may seriously limit my car choices after the 430. #5, I actually would like tire pressure monitoring if it was inexpensive and reliable. There is none on 360s. Rims are expensive to replace and if you get timely monitoring, you might be able to get to the side of the road before ruining the wheel. The key word is "if" inexpensive and reliable. For TPMS generally I blame the Firestone saga! #8 is ok so long as I have the stock exhaust in my basement and can swap it back (I do). The sound of my Tubi is worth the inconvenience of storing the OEMs.

Finally, +1 on overcharging for the TPMS repair, essentially double-charging for the same tire R&R labor. Somebody just looked at the rate manual and prepared the invoice without thinking, or they were in fact done 2x, in which case why wasn't the work scheduled more logically to save the double labor?

 

Just one more comment. TPMS is great, even without runflats (which are crap IMO)... if it works reliably. This is especially true with ultra-low-profile/expensive tires. By the time you notice a flat without TPMS, the sidewalls will probably be damaged beyond repair. Plus you can damage your expensive wheels if you hit anything larger than a cockroach with only a handful of PSIs of pressure. TPMS comes on at 30 psi, before any damage can occur. It happened to me on an M3, plugged the tire, and continue on my way. Got the TPMS again, and tire was losing pressure. Replugged it again (Stop'n Go kit, by the way), and that patch brought me home 300+ miles later. Without TPMS, I'd have been worried as hell if tire was losing air or not. And I MUCH prefer to be driving on the stock patched tire than a freaking donut that can blow up if driven above 55 mph in hot weather.

Bottom line is a sensor set installed while changing tires should have cost the OP $200+, not nearly 2 grand. Good day gang.

 

Disco,

If it were me (and my $1450) I would go back to the dealer and ask them to refund what they over-charged you for the TPMS repair. If it was simply installing new sensors there is no way the parts should be $800+ and take 4 hours (!!!) of labor when they were changing the tires anyways...WTF...even half of that is way too high...

 

The Beru sensors ARE the OEM sensors - Ferrari doesn't make their own!

Just like the (recent) FERRARI battery chargers, with their insane markups, are just CTEK chargers with INSANE markup and a red sticker on the top saying "Ferrari".

The (800mA) charger that came w/ my F430, is a CTEK US 800 with a different sticker on top.

http://smartercharger.com/battery-chargers/#us800

 

Not really enough information for a prognosis, but there have been a few "no starts" recently.

-Were there any OBDII fault codes?

-Was it in neutral? (car must be in "N" to start and the brake pedal needs to be depressed to for the F1 to auto switch to "N")
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=315843&highlight=start

-Brake vacuum check valve (comment by Rifledriver ??)

-You might try "rebooting" the car and following the re-learn procedure (just search for it)

Good luck and most importantly post the fix once its resolved.

 

I can't believe you are having this many issues with your car. Makes me want to reconsider buying a 430. Hope they figure it out.
Keep us posted. Thanks!

 

Maybe the problem can be as simple as a bad ignition contact with the key. I had this issue a couple of times when I was cycling the key with "some hesitation" between position OFF, I and II and it gave an E-Diff/Suspension alarm. I learned to cycle the key much faster without any hesitation and never had this problem again. The shop never found any errors stored in the ECU's despite the E-Diff and suspension alarms.

 

great pick up...is that an arsenal "gunners" poster?...if so we cant be friends

 

As much as I love Ferraris, I cannot believe all the issues you are having with a modern day car. Even though the dealer ripped you off on your last service, raising the price to almost rediculous the unknowing would have paid that and thought nothing of it. How many people do you know that have fairly new cars have had to spend this much money in such a short period of time? Not to mention having to be towed.
I can usderstand why people get scared off from buying these beautiful cars.
Unreliable is an understatement.
I just had a TPMS sensor replaced on my (high end) car and it was $129.00 installed
Mike