E-Diff | FerrariChat

E-Diff

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by Melvok, Apr 10, 2017.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. Melvok

    Melvok F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 25, 2008
    14,101
    Amersfoort, The Netherlands, Europe.
    Full Name:
    Mel
    My friend received his 2010 458 (10K/Mls only) last week and was very happy after driving 8 years in his 430 Modena.

    Suddenly, this Sunday, the car did not respond to any gearchanges anymore.

    Towed away, now for analysis at the oem F dealer. Mentionned something about (most probably) an e-dff not working.

    Who can help me to understand what is meant ?
     
  2. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jul 19, 2008
    37,984
    Clarksville, Tennessee
    Full Name:
    Terry H Phillips
    Mel- Both the F430 and the 458 have an electronic differential (E-Diff) that sometimes gives problems. The systems are powered by a hydraulic pump, but the most frequent cause of problems, at least in the F430, seems to be the E-Diff solenoid. No way to turn off the E-Diff, CST Off just puts it into a different mode.
     
  3. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    Both my 458 coupe and 458 spider had transmission and e-diff problems. I hope you have extended warranty!
     
  4. Melvok

    Melvok F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 25, 2008
    14,101
    Amersfoort, The Netherlands, Europe.
    Full Name:
    Mel
    Thanx Terry ! Clear.

    I hope to get some answers on members here who had this problem with their 458. How long did repair take etc ...

    It's not my car; my friend has extended warranty ... yes :D
     
  5. AlfistaPortoghese

    AlfistaPortoghese Moderator
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 18, 2014
    3,778
    Europe, but not by much.
    Full Name:
    Nuno
    Hope you won't get many answers, Mel! :D (thus being proof enough that the 458 is sturdy).

    If you do get a lot of answers... I'll start to get nervous!

    Joking aside: with so much technology fitted into these cars (not just current range Ferraris), getting a bad sensor or something of the sort may just come down to sheer luck.

    Kind regards,

    Nuno.
     
  6. SDSferrari

    SDSferrari Karting

    Apr 2, 2014
    85
    Southern California
    I have a 2010 458 that I purchased in December 2015. After 6 months of ownership I began receiving the E-Diff warning. There were no symptoms of any problems, the car shifted and drove fine. I took it to the dealer, and they found a sensor in the gearbox failed, and that the gearbox needed to be replaced. Luckily, the car was CPO and came with a 1 year Power Warranty, as I was told the cost to replace gearbox was approximately $21,000. The repair took 30 days. Problems with the gearbox is common with the 2010 - 2011 458s.
     
  7. Labman

    Labman F1 Rookie

    Jun 25, 2010
    3,774
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Steve
    Common? I heard just the opposite. Also I read somewhere that if this sensor fails their is a fix for it without replacing the whole gearbox. Can anyone confirm this?
     
  8. Melvok

    Melvok F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 25, 2008
    14,101
    Amersfoort, The Netherlands, Europe.
    Full Name:
    Mel
    Yes that is what is written: the 3 printboards can be exchanged by the larger oem F dealers.

    Costs go down to K€ 7 ... :D
     
  9. xfrgtr

    xfrgtr Karting

    Jul 20, 2011
    97
    #9 xfrgtr, Apr 11, 2017
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2017
    This is not common,you got screwed by your car dealership,you only needed an ecu update.
     
  10. SDSferrari

    SDSferrari Karting

    Apr 2, 2014
    85
    Southern California
    I'm not sure how I got screwed, I received a new gearbox at no charge to me.
     
  11. AlfistaPortoghese

    AlfistaPortoghese Moderator
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 18, 2014
    3,778
    Europe, but not by much.
    Full Name:
    Nuno
    As far as I know:

    Gearbox/E-Diff is pretty solid, sturdy and reliable on 458s. Not bulletproof/failproof, as nothing in life is, let alone a mechanical/electric component. There's not an increased/abnormally high failure rate on the 458's gearbox/e-diff.

    Early batches of Californias did present higher and usual/expect gearbox problems, appropriately dealt with by Getrag.

    At first, a gearbox problem meant the replacement of the entire unit.

    With time, Getrag and Ferrari collaborated to fix sensors, etc without making it mandatory to replace it with a new unit.

    The 458 uses the same Getrag gearbox than the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. It's the same gearbox physically, albeit in a different state of tune. How many cronic, higher than average gearbox failures have you heard regarding any of Mercedes-Benz's supercars?

    One 458 has a gearbox problem and it's suddenly news, mediatic and cronic issue.

    Kind regards,

    Nuno.
     
  12. Viperjoe

    Viperjoe F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Well said!
     
  13. Ngcanada

    Ngcanada Formula Junior

    May 16, 2016
    622
    Ottawa Canada
    I have something to add....

    The 458 uses the same Getrag gearbox than the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. It's the same gearbox physically, albeit in a different state of tune. How many cronic, higher than average gearbox failures have you heard regarding any of Mercedes-Benz's supercars?
    quoted by Nuno

    I have a 2011 SLS and one year into ownership, the gearbox was giving me problems, wasnt allowing me to drive without going into some safety mode. Anyway, they tried all sorts of software updates and after two weeks at the MB dealer, they had AMG headquarters in Germany give the ok to change and replace with a new Getrag transmission, obviously the car was under warranty thank god. So, needless to say, when the OEM warranty expired I purchased an extended warranty just for this reason as the bill to MB was $26k.....anyway, hope my 2015 458 doesnt face the similar faith!
     
  14. Labman

    Labman F1 Rookie

    Jun 25, 2010
    3,774
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Steve


    You didn't get screwed. You had the warranty. It's just easier for them to give you a whole knew gearbox rather than attempt to fix it. Now if you didn't have the warranty and they replaced it, that's a whole other ball of wax.
    Plus I believe the Fcar dealers make money when they replace parts even under warranty don't they?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  15. baguns

    baguns Karting

    Sep 19, 2012
    246
    Yorba Linda, CA
    Was there any particular year(s) which this e-diff was more problematic in the 458?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  16. Melvok

    Melvok F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 25, 2008
    14,101
    Amersfoort, The Netherlands, Europe.
    Full Name:
    Mel
    #16 Melvok, Apr 13, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The 2010 and 2011 are worldwide reported of having had lots of these failures, as also the first Cali's.

    In this case, they opened the RHS and looked into the diff.

    After calling the factory, they were asked to take out the complete gb and ship it to Italy.

    The same gb (?) will be returned in two weeks is etimated. All under guarantee.

    We hope all updates will be implemented, how can we see that ?
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  17. AlfistaPortoghese

    AlfistaPortoghese Moderator
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 18, 2014
    3,778
    Europe, but not by much.
    Full Name:
    Nuno
    Thank you for sharing, Mel.

    It has been indeed very publicly said that early Californias and 458s have been more prone to gearbox failures.

    I think we need to dig deeper and, at least, ask these questions among others:

    - The California was launched in 2008. The so-called problems are reported to have lasted until early 458s (2011). I have a hard time believing Ferrari has persisted on using a unit prone to failure and kept it in production for over 3 (three!) years.

    - I believe there's a slight misconception, the same with the 7 year program that came with every 458 from 2012 onwards: most advertise that it's a 7 year warranty thing, when in truth it's a 7 year included maintenance program.

    I believe the greatest change came not from an increased reliability of 2012-onwards Californias and 458s. The biggest change came on how Ferrari dealt with gearbox failures (which, again, it's important to stress: 99,9% of the cases - and 100% to my knowledge - came from faulty sensors - NOT a complete and catastrophic gearbox failure as attention seekers like to advertise on and offline). Before, Ferrari sent the unit back to Getrag for replacement. From 2012 onwards, the faulty sensor is replaceable and Ferrari technicians were given training to deal with this, a replacement no longer being mandatory. A gearbox is a gearbox, and as with each and every electronic device that relies solely/heavily on sensors, it can fail and there's a luck factor involved: the 2010-2011 458s AREN'T a ticking time bomb, and post 2012 458s AREN't bulletproof (nothing in this life is). Gearbox and its sensors' failures can have multiple reasons: manufacture problem, installation problem, owner's use, environment, etc: it's not a "lightswitch" issue, on or off. Pre 2012 disaster looming, Post 2012 failure proof.

    As always, I believe the truth lies somewhere in between if we debate the issue with reliable information and with a critical and open mind.

    Kind regards,

    Nuno.
     
  18. Melvok

    Melvok F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 25, 2008
    14,101
    Amersfoort, The Netherlands, Europe.
    Full Name:
    Mel
    The oem F dealer reported that the gb has now arrived at Maranello Factory. No more info ....

    What will they do .... update complete gb or only repair the problem ?

    So in this case with the 2010 gb (only 13.000 kms) it was NOT one of the 3 sensorboards but a C&P failure was mentionned unofficially ...

    I wonder what they will state ... Will keep you informed.
     
  19. AlfistaPortoghese

    AlfistaPortoghese Moderator
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 18, 2014
    3,778
    Europe, but not by much.
    Full Name:
    Nuno
    Thank you, Mel. We'll be following this thread closely, as I'm sure it may come in handy to everyone of us.

    Kind regards,

    Nuno.
     
  20. Melvok

    Melvok F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 25, 2008
    14,101
    Amersfoort, The Netherlands, Europe.
    Full Name:
    Mel
    Firtts report to you was April 10.

    Exactly today (May 10) a message from Maranello was received that the refurbished gb is ready and will be shipped back to The Netherlands (NL) this week.

    So all in all it takes 6 weeks at least for such a gb failure repair, depending where you are. We are within Europe :D
     
  21. AlfistaPortoghese

    AlfistaPortoghese Moderator
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 18, 2014
    3,778
    Europe, but not by much.
    Full Name:
    Nuno
    I think we're lucky. 6 weeks for a gearbox repair of that nature isn't too bad. Timing was great too. Had the failure occured in August... we all know how the Ferrari factory is like in August.

    Kind regards,

    Nuno.
     

Share This Page