California T. Transmission issues -- POLL

My dealer reports tranny failure is infrequent. Repair kits have only been available a few years, as opposed to full tranny replacements early on for those occasional cases, it seems the market is responding to providing support for aging vehicles which will encounter increasing repair needs as they age. There were changes to tranny with the Cali T over the Cali models, and there are so few known failures that understanding how much age or driving style contributes is not known to me.

Cars a decade old typically have increasing service costs, whereas new cars typically have depreciation and higher registration and insurance costs. Financial planning for which model works best depends on the individual. Looking at expected depreciation, registration, and insurance costs versus possible repair bill can help when comparing keeping an older car versus newer. And one can model the expected average cost (not an individual experience) for Ferrari by looking at warranty cost and taking away a profit and implementing cost of the warranty program. One could expect that average warranty costs to Ferrari would be something like two thirds of the warranty price or less.

Uncertainties abound in any of these ways of thinking, but information gathered and used carefully can help.

 

The California is looking slightly dated now especially the interior
I was looking at them but decided the portofino was the way to go newer and more modern and a great GT car
If you keep it under warranty then it would be covered it’s a tough choice but you’ve had it 3 years move it on and get something else

 

I can only speak to my own experience -- a seal failure in my 2015 at 31k miles in a car that never once threw an error or had any issues shifting except for springing a leak -- but after seeing my gearbox opened up and seeing the metal from the bearings in there (on a car that I have driven quite reasonably for the last 5 years and 21k miles of its life, zero launches, no track use, no crazy or aggressive street driving or snapping off redline shifts, etc.), I have to believe that Micah (the Hollywood Mechanic) is right about these cars, eventually, something is going to give. Mercedes didn't extend the warranty on these gearboxes to 8 years for nothing. It's also not clear that the newer 8 speed gearbox is any more resistant to wear other than being that much newer. The cost was about $16k to completely replace all seals, bearings and sensors.

On the other hand, if you drive an F1 transmission (or manual transmission) you know that there is eventually a clutch replacement in the offing.

In terms of warranty, my car came with two free years of the New Power warranty from Ferrari in 2019, and I never needed the warranty, not even once. The next four years I opted not to re-up (saving about $5-6k annually) so I suppose I came out slightly ahead when the seal did let go.

It's just hard to say whether it's luck, mileage, age, how the car is driven, or all three. But mine certainly was used regularly and I racked up a lot of miles (for a Ferrari). Micah recommends changing the fluids in the gearbox regularly and having the oil tested for metal particles, which is probably a decent bellwether on the wear in there. My mechanic believes metal in the gearbox probably compromised the seal, although oil will do that, as well. Ferrari says that a drop of oil at the weephole on the back of the gearbox is okay, but I'm not so sure. It only leaks when it's running and under pressure if that main seal is starting to let go. His video on the 7 speed DCT is very informative. He did not repair mine, but I did get the parts from him.