FF PTU Design Flaw.

nice how much was the PTU done through them?
yes the DCT sensor is its way out.

 

8800 for the ptu rebuild

 

thats awesome. not peanuts but way better than $40K!

 

Yeah that's unfortunate. I feel like I have a whine too, do you hear it at high speeds too? I thought it may just be my tires. How did you come to the conclusion it was bearing whine from the gearbox?

9k all in for the PTU with shipping is not bad considering what others have spent. Is he putting in new gears for the rear box. Why is it so much more? 18k?

 

18k for the DCT sounds excessive. I know US pricing is higher but Ferrari in Europe will repair a DCT for about €8k.

 

Are there any independent shops in Florida that can handle DCT/Sensor issues.

 

No new gears but he replaces all the sensors, solenoids (if needed), bearings and seals and gaskets

its basically replacing everything that is a wear item essentially and an entire rebuild, I would imagine there are many more hours involved than a PTU rebuild

its not just a speed sensor replacement, as he explains you'll need to have other parts of the transmission rebuilt eventually anyway if the car is 10 years old so may as well do it all at once while its out. sucks but whatever I'll pay a guy to do the job right. a new dct transmission from getrag is 40k btw and that's before your ferrari mechanic installs it lol

 

Thanks for the explanation. As you say, that’s more involved than a speed sensor replacement and I’d agree that it’s best to replace all the wear items once the gearbox has been dropped.

 

FF/Lusso homage

 

I sent a very short text message to Hollywood Mechanic asking for info on DCT repair in South Florida that he has any
affiliation with, I know from friends on the coast he’s a very busy guy,
He replied with an in-depth 12 line helpful text, I know he doesn’t need the work just a wonderful helpful true car guy.

 

Would you be willing to share his reply? I've just purchased a Lusso, and I'm not too far from South Florida, and just looking for options should issues arise. Thanks!

 

PM me your number

 

I was planning a trip to LA recently and reached out to Hollywood Mechanic to see if a precautionary visit was in order. Scott Knapp was VERY responsive and helpful. But my dealer told me not to do ANYTHING to my PTU since it is still covered by the power train warranty, and if I did ANYTHING to it, it would possibly jeopardize the warranty, so I am going to wait until my warranty can’t be extended, then work with Hollywood to do preventative work. I have a 2017 Lusso bought in May 2017 with about 20k on it, and have put another 18k miles on it since then, with no issues, yet….

Scott recommended I get the oil tested to see if any issues,
https://www.amsoil.com/p/oil-analyzers-test-kit-ups-pre-paid-oaiuppkit/

I intend to do that.

Just adding my information here.

Scott

 

Was there anything specific you're looking for in the oil analysis? Has anybody had this done yet?

 

Not sure, but I understand when PTU seals fail, the fluid infects the oil. I think that is the first sign, short of examining leaks and hoses, etc., of an issue. I am getting this done next week, and will report back, and intend to do this every quarter or so to check.

 

That is my understanding as well. I will be looking forward to your report back!

(Don't forget us. )

 

I just purchased one of the AMSOIL kits. Pardon the lame question, but can anyone provide a very brief description of how/where to obtain the PTU fluid for sample? I'm a bit mechanically inclined (rebuilt many BMW e30 engines), however, I just took delivery of the car a few weeks ago, and I haven't explored under the hood and there seems to be very little DIY online. Thanks in advance!

 

They need a sample of your oil and just about 3 ounces

 

Are most of you guys having a shop get that sample then? Or using a a turkey baster/siphon system to extract that volume? Can't really get 3oz from the dipstick. Or are you waiting for the PTU service date and having the dealer sample it?

 

I tried to have a competent friend do it using dipstick, but you need to suck it out using something like below. I want to have the sample done before dealer so I can come with some information to inform them in case they need to take additional steps. Seems that if your oil composition tells a story, and is monitored, you can figure out if you have a problem as soon as possible, or perhaps too later once it shows particles in your oil. In any event, for $30, seems like it’s worth doing. My dealer told me not to touch my PTU while under warranty otherwise I could possibly void my warranty. I am almost looking forward to my warranty expiring at 55k, which should come in a about 1 year or so at the rate I drive; i have 38k on the car, with 18k put in last 9 months alone since I got it.
I’m hoping that perhaps the oil shows something and my dealer replaces my PTU at my next service if it needs replacing. Although my dealer said there is no assurance that the new, replaced one won’t give out again soon enough. Seems that places like Hollywood and the English outfits have a longer term fix, but if you fix it preventatively, then you void your warranty if you have one, so it’s a real catch 22. I don’t drive my car very hard mostly, but do drive a lot.

My guess is that since the PTU has 2 gears for the rear’s 4 gears, it is doing twice as much work, and likely to go out sooner, together with not perfect seals that likely should be replaced by these outfits. My AD mechanic said the only real way to avoid it is to “get to gear 5 quickly and stay out of gears 1 through 4.” I think he was serious. Crazy.

I am simply budgeting about $10k for a rebuild/fix or whatever if not under warranty, and not touching it until then, other than oil analysis and asking the dealer to check carefully every time it is in for service and inspection.

Will be inspected in April for warranty extension for another year so buying time.
Good news is that it is a 2017 with 38K miles on it, daily driven with due care, and no problems whatsoever as far as I know. I will report back once I get the oil sample.

Just got my wheels blacked out, and love it, together with the stripes and other decals. Do you like?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083QDRHCV/ref=pe_386300_442618370_TE_dp_i1
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You asked for feedback. I’m generally not a fan of black wheels, but if they make you happy then that’s what matters.
I would consider black center caps, CF shields, and black calipers otherwise the yellow contributes to visual overload.

 

Thanks, I'll look into that extractor.

It would seem to me that the PTU issue isn't so much related to the PTU clutches being engaged (up to 4th gear), but rather the miles or age on the transmission itself. With the amount of torque produced, if you're in auto, you're pretty much in 6th or 7th gear at any speed above ~25-30mph - my car spends 90% of the time in 7th gear.

With regard to the warranty, from an economic standpoint, it seems like unless you can get the PTU and/or the DCT replaced under warranty, you're never going to come out ahead... but Ferrari wouldn't be offering this if they weren't typically coming out ahead haha.

My 2017 has 17k mi on it and just received its annual service. My plan is to daily drive it and just deal with the PTU and DCT as they need it since there are readily available solutions now for a fraction of what Ferrari would charge at the dealer.

 

I agree with you generally speaking, although the warranty replaced my steering column as a result of hitting a pothole which would’ve cost me $12,000 if I didn’t have the warranty. So there are other things it can cover. Please note that I am not 100% sure it was a result of the pothole as, I found out about it several months later but believe that is the case.

 

PTU was noted to still engaged at 5th gear when all 4 wheels were off the ground, according to an earlier post.

For FF IIRC while in comfort mode, shift into 6th gear can be as low as 35mph, 7th gear at 47mph.

 

The PTU is not doing twice the work of the main gearbox. It only sends torque to the front if it feels it's needed. That's under rather hard acceleration, either in straight lines or corners, or under very slippery conditions such as snow. But 90% of the time the front wheels are actually not getting any torque, even in 1-4 gears.