550 misc problems

2 days into the ownership of my '2001 550, I have noticed a couple of things which worry me a bit, would be great to know if it is "normal" or what other owners experienced - thanks ...

Driver window makes a 'clack' noise when inserting itself in the seal. Whenever I close the door and the window raises back to the fully closed position, there is obviously some kind a noise coming from the rear of the upper edge of the window.

Still on the driver window, driving under mild rain resulted into the inner suede fabric (area near the windshield) to become moist and a couple of drops formed.

When manoeuvering around in 1st and turning the wheels to the max, there is a kind of klonk noise, as if the car was being pulled or pushed sideways by one of the two wheels not "going" where the other does. Noticeable on wet tarmac. I understand that the geometry may make that normal, considering the width of the car & tires, but it's still a bit alarming.

All of the above, of course, not noticed during PPI and test drive ...

Advice and comments appreciated. Already notified the dealer and I have a 1y official warranty, but knowing what i am hunting for would help.

 

Thanks, guys, for all your comments, helps to put things in perspective.

Shelbee, the window "clack" is systematic, but it is arguably cold around here (around 5-8degC) so this may make the seal more rigid. I'll try the WD40 trick. Dealer commented that it happens sometimes on Maranellos, my other dealer that it might be a defective seal.
Will wash the car today to see if the waterproofness issue remains, if there is a hint of a drop of water, I'll have the seal changed.

Regarding the "klonk" (clacks and klonks, funny way to summarize a Maranello ownership experience ), it is definitively there when parking and steering to the max (frequent with the pathetic steering radius of the 550). Both dealers I spoke to, the one who sold me the 550 and the one who maintains my car, say that it's normal due to the tire width, geometry and weight on the front.
I can actually feel that there is some kind of resistance to free roll when steering to the max, at walking speed, the car will almost stop if I steer to park and the surface is grippy.

Bobafett - I have not noticed variations in power assistance, steering feeling is pretty consistant. Let us know what you find out. Did not notice anything in speed bumps though, the klonk is only a parking thing on mine.

Btw, I did 18.3 liters/100km (sorry that's the way we compute here) on my first gas of tank, with rather mellow driving (wet weather), this thing is as thirsty as I remembered ...
Gas is easily twice more expensive than in California here, about 1$/Liter at current exchange rate.

 

While i am at these small things that make us love & hate these cars, with the current cold weather (high 30's F), everytime I get in my car in the evening, the first seconds the AC is on cover the windows with myst, takes 5 minutes to go away.
Seems as if there is moist air accumulating in the AC system, and as soon as the engine starts, it blows this humidity against the windshield and side windows, immediate condensation, and then it takes the engine to warm up to clear that up.

I noticed two area (a square inch each) in the lower middle of the windshield , near the center nozzles, where condensation forms while the car is stopped in the cold.

Anyone had humidity accumulation problems in the AC system (OK, the guys living in Arizona and New Mexico can pass that one ) ?

 

Thanks, strange to encounter that in a 03/2001 car ...
Are you sure that this would get the car klonking when maneuvering ? It's just fine on smooth surfaces, but when it gets grippy, it feels awfully awkward. Could it be that geometry is wrong ? The tires are wearing evenly and the pressure is spot on.

Doody, thanks for the suggestion. I also tried today to keep the fan off for a few miles when leaving, then full-on, helps to prevent the car looking like a turkish bath, but not perfect. I'll try your trick.

Just experienced something else today, combination of hard acceleration & bumpy road (compressions) made the rear bottoming out, sounds as if one of the rear tires was touching something inside the wings. Really weird, never heard this before on a 550. Was not in sports mode, not sure if it helps. Have not inspected the tires yet to determine if there is any evidence of the origin.

Still stunned I managed to miss that much during PPI/test drive.

 

Was literally freezing today, 0 to 1degC today. Temperature can easily get down to -10degC around here, and I am at low altitude & by Lake Geneva.
I never take the F-cars out when it's too cold, tires are too slipery even if roads are dry, not sure the italians are as rigorous as the germans to design for high temperature gradients. Have seen lots of pics of Porsche's testing in Scandinavia, but Ferrari, never ...

 

I am getting to wonder if the answer to my klonks does not reside in the low outside temp. The PZeros feel hard as wood when cold, I can even tell the difference in straight line for the first kms, after that the ride gets more supple. My klonks don't seem to occur when I park the car when arriving, but manoeuvering when leaving is pathetic. Could be a stick-slip phenomenon, the thread being so stiff that sticks to the tarmac then brutally looses to the friction, etc ...
Just don't like those PZeros, wonder if Bridge's would do the same.

My new pet (so-to-say) topic is the rear wheel(s) interfering with something when encountering a big compression under acceleration. Heard twice a noise which clearly indicates interference between tire and something. Not seen obvious signs from the outside, but it could be on the inner walls or portion of the thread. Sounds familiar to anyone ?

 

Good guess, if the damping is gas-based, then the shocks should be softer in cold temp. If the damping is oil-based, then it should be the opposite (higher viscosity under cold temp). Still, my perception is that the tire is touching something internal while it should not through the full suspension travel curve. A thorough inspection should help, but the temp does not make me keen on crawling under the car with a light torch to figure out, even in the garage (i know, i am a wimp).

 

Same here, low speed, full lock, cold tires, klonk.

Have not had a chance to investigate the tire/suspension interference thing yet, the rather slippery/cold conditions don't make me too keen to start squeezing all the torque out of that V12 in sports mode

I admit I have to do some more homework on the matter (and maybe take a drive down south to see how the car behaves at higher temps).