Hi all, After waiting for nearly a year, my 458 have just arrived at my local dealer. It was very exciting to lay my eyes on my first brand new Ferrari done to my personal specs. However, I found it perplexing that some options had been changed. 1) Ordered sport seats with red horse emblem on the headrest. I got the sport seats but not the red ferrari emblem. 2) Ordered partial red carpet for the interior. This didn't come. 3) Didn't order sport exhaust (black tip). This is included. 4) Didn't order CF front winglets. This is included. I told the dealer and it was confirmed that these changes were made without their knowledge too. The sales guy told me that Ferrari sometimes change options if there are some special reasons. He also offered me to retrofit the carpets to red color but I declined. The change was made without any charge to me too and truth be told, I kind of like how the whole car turned out. My question: Is this options change common or not? What if the perceived value of the options changed are lower than what we ordered? Should we or could we complain? Thanks guys. Hendra
It could be worse: A German off. dealer told me back in 2000 that a client had ordered a new 360 Modena in black/tan. When the car arrived, it was red/black! The client didn't want the red/black one and then had to wait a looooong time again for a new car to be built like he ordered it.
first congratsulions on your new ride please post pics. now i need to say yes of course you should complain you had a contract for them to build your car to spec and it was not delivered that way. if you got roast beef instead of the turkey you ordered on a $5 sandwich you would tell the waitress even if you liked the the beef. FNA needs to know this things so they can figure out were things went wrong and fix it. " The sales guy told me that Ferrari sometimes change options if there are some special reasons." this is BS. if it were a regular car like a corvette then yes. but you custom ordered a car from a company that one big selling point is that you can have your way. they should offer you something for the mistake.
CF front winglets are pretty cool and I'd deffo let them give (?) you the carpets! how much was the option of the Ferrari headrest emblem?
I've heard about changes being made unilaterally and it was explained to me that it was done by the factory because it made sense aesthetically. I'm not sure that I believe that however since we've all seen photos of Fcars that are far from aesthetic if not downright ugly. You could complain but if you like the way that the 458 turned out then IMHO, why bother. I personally really do like the stitched cavalino on the headrest and you might ask the dealer if their leather person can add them to the seats. Just a thought.
Hi guys, Thanks for the replies. I will go to the dealer tomorrow and try to figure things out with them. I kind of agree that since one of Ferrari's USP is that we can customize our order to our taste, it should be followed by Ferrari no matter how aesthetically tasteless we specced it. Thanks again. Hendra
The emblem looks like it would wear pretty badly over time and its not all that well done IMHO. I like the changes that were made. I would take and go.
The other changes I think I could live with, but this one would irritate me and I wouldn't take anything less than a full replacement of the seats. Honestly, the stitched cavalinos make a huge difference to me. Certainly a dumb thing to say given the collective intensity of the car, but the fact is that you went out of your way and probably agonized over some of these decisions ... the car should be delivered to your exact specification and they should be willing to make good on whatever was wrong, period. Replacing the seats in their entirety is easy enough for the dealer to do ... having someone attempt to stitch the cavalinos after the fact is not likely and, more importantly, not what you paid for.
+3. I have stitched Cavalinos and love them. 3,600 miles and they still look fantastic. I would bet that the leather person your dealer uses cando the contrast stiching.
Hi, So I went to pick up the car last Saturday. I went there at about 10.15 am with my wife. The showroom was still closed but the workshop was opened. I saw my car near the entrance and it made my day there and then. Strangely, since the showroom was still closed, I couldn't find the new sales manager that replaced the old one. So a finance guy that usually dealt with me regarding payments actually met me and showed me around the car. He was the one who explained to me some of he switches, warranty, free 7 years service, docs, etc. He was kind enough to spend about 15 minutes with me. The whole thing was a bit anti climax. I was disappointed with the car pick up experience. I spent nearly one year waiting for it to arrive and I felt that the handover could be more exciting. I am not expecting baloons or fireworks but at least something. I didn't even get the Ferrari seat and steering covers with the 458. My previous 575 and 599 got it (bought those used). Since the sales guy wasn't there, I couldn't discuss with him about the changed options too. In my country, the 458 costs USD 825K with taxes. Its supposed to be a dream or premium lifestyle experience. So I think that I am OK to expect more than the treament I got. When I bought my Merc SLS, they even gave me a model SLS. And the SLS costs much less here. A friend of mine just got the dealership for McLaren cars. I am ordering one. Probably the Spider version. I told him about the Ferrari experience and recommended him not to do the same. I hope that Ferrari can up its game in he future and show more love to its customers here. If not, I am afraid the mystique will fade for some people. Or perhaps its because this is my first new Ferrari and so not a special cusomer yet? Hendra
You should have had a much better delivery experience. I picked up my 12 coupe and was there for almost 3 hours with the Eddie of FoBH. He went over every aspect of the car and showed me how things worked. It was quite a big deal. You should get an exact model of your car (original specs?) in 1-2 months from the time you took delivery. The model and a letter from Ferrari should come in the mail. I still think that you should ask the service dept. if they have a leather person that can stitch the cavalinos for you.
Hendra, 1. Congratulations on your car. The sour experience you had with the delivery is unfortunate. I had a similar experience once after buying an Aston Martin. I was handed the keys by the dealership accountant. The sales rep. was away somewhere. I complained and got an apology from the dealer but honestly, the joy of the new car made me forget the whole fiasco. So I think you definitely have that to look forward to with your 458. Your going to love it.. 2. You should talk to the management about all the issues. I would still insist they rectify the options you don't like or that were missed. In the end, you should be 100% satisfied. 3. My car (2013) didn't come with seat or steering covers. Maybe they don't come with 458's? 4. Looking forward to the pics Enjoy
