Hi again everyone - before I continue - thank you once again to everyone that offered me advice with my 360 Spider roof question. Back to my latest query - Yesterday, my clutch gave up - it's a long story but I felt from the time I bought the car that the clutch didn't "feel quite right" and advised the dealer accordingly. I bought the car in Feb 2009 from a UK main dealer, it's a 2003 360 Spider, 14,000 miles, superb condition, a fairly basic spec. car (very few extras) but standard and unmolested. When I took delivery I found the battery was flat, the "Tracker" didn't work and the clutch felt "spongy". I checked everything that I could and advised the dealer in May 2009 by letter. I explained that whilst it didn't seem to be slipping, the clutch pedal was lacking in "power and feel". They said they would check it when it came in for an annual service in June/July. In addition to this - I also advised them of a "whine" (high frequency squeal) in the gearbox that I could hear quite loudly when cruising on a light throttle (gas) setting at approx. 55mph in 6th gear. I had driven the car approx. 800 months since I took delivery. Anyway, my car went in to the dealer in August (later than expected) and they kept it 5 months! I had very little feedback from the dealer during this time and they said they couldn't find anything major wrong with the gearbox - When I got the car back in January 2010 there was only a couple of weeks of the 12 month Ferrari warranty left - When it arrived back I noticed that the alarm LED to the right of the steering wheel (mine is right hand drive car) was permanently illuminated. Unfortunately, when my car came home I was very ill with heart problems and couldn't test drive the car - in fact it was three months before I could drive as I'd had a serious virus that affected my heart. So to now - I have driven 250 miles since the car was delivered back after 5 months in the dealership - the alarm has not worked since I got it back (which I think might be the internal battery in the sealed alarm box being disconnected from the charging system) , the clutch pedal has now gone from spongy to flat on the floor, I can still hear the whine in the gearbox and the car cannot be driven - despite 5 months in the dealership! My question guys and gals is this - Bearing in mind that almost half of my warranty was used up while the car was being repaired (maybe) and bearing in mind that I advised the dealer in writing (that they acknowledge) about the clutch feeling "wrong" only three months after I took delivery does anyone think I have any grounds to ask the dealer for some help? As a footnote, I did have my car "dealer serviced" during the last twelve months but could not test the car because the dealer kept it 5 months for the gearbox fault - The car has been driven a total of only 1000 miles (approx.) since I bought it. Can anyone offer an opinion or some good advice? - At the moment the dealer is not returning my calls - Thank you - Paul
I would present in person with documentation of all that has happened. Offer to let them take care of problems and you will be happy. If not, I would inform them you plan to seek legal action. Have your attorney's name and number with you before you go so they know you are serious.
the fact is the warrant is up. how long it took to fix it or whether you've driven it much or not has little bearing. contact to see what they say. i doubt they will fork out money to fix your car. ferrari wont pay for expired warranty work. if u have a choice and will be paying, i'd go somewhere else. they couldnt fix it first time so what makes you think it'll be fixed this time?
I suggest a stern letter to Maranello advising them of your dissatifaction with their appointed dealer representative. That might get a reaction that could be quite positive. It sure works with Japanese manufacturers.
Hi all, thanks for the above feedback so far... One thing I perhaps should have added to my post is that I do of course appreciate that Ferrari won't extend the warranty for no reason - but I was thinking that because they didn't fix my car the first time (that was the 5 months stay in their workshop) and because I notified the dealer that I thought the clutch felt "wrong" after only three months of ownership (and a couple of hundred miles driving) - then I thought I might have a valid argument - does anyone else have any experience of this type of situation? - Thanks - Paul
I'm not making excuses for your treatment but are you sure the clutch & alarm are covered by any warranty ? Beyond that if you get no sense from the Dealer Principal then perhaps you should try Ferrari @ Slough
Hello Paul, Was the guarantee given to you the Ferrari Power guarantee paid for by yourself, or one offered by the dealer? My experience with the Power Guarantee is one of a hard battle all the way. How do you know the tracker didn't work? Just curious ! The tracker is a subscription affair, and does not pass on to the new owner automatically. You have to sign up.......and pay. I imagine the dealer took advantage of the fact of your health situation, and simply let time go by, which always works in their favour, vis-á-vis claims on warranty. Your car sitting for five months in a workshop requires some answers. Sadly I feel your only real course of action is to have your solicitor make your demands for you. Would he perhaps make a phone call initially and let them know you mean business? It's going to be a battle all the way, because the dealer won't take the fall, and they will, in turn, have a battle with Ferrari. The alarm light is a common occurence and probably stemmed from your car lying up for so long, and the car battery going flat, which in turn let the alarm cells go flat, and now they won't revitalise. The clutch pedal going to the floor, means either air in that hydraulic circuit, or more likely the rubbers in the clutch master cylinder have given up the ghost.
Hi - thanks for "talking to me" - I have been told by a lawyer friend of a friend that the clutch must be covered from a mechanism point of view - the wear parts (plate, thrust bearings etc) will not be included in the warranty but a manual gearbox car cannot be sold in the UK without an operational clutch (according to my lawyer contact) as it would not be fit for purpose - You are right about the alarm - the Ferrari warranty does not include the alarm but my lawyer contact has suggested that a main dealer would know that leaving the sealed alarm unit disconnected from a charging circuit for 4 or 5 months would be careless and therefore they could have taken a bit more care about the car that represents my entire life savings! - thanks - Paul
Hi Donie - thank you for taking the time to "chat" with me - The warranty is the dealer's own as far as I can tell - there has been no mention of Ferrari Power. I know the Tracker didn't work because when I collected my car I phoned the service provider from outside the Dealership and they did a system check on the unit in my car - it didn't register and after three months the Tracker people finally decided to send a Technician - at first he thought the problem was related to the alarm on the car but eventually he fitted a new unit. It worked briefly but is now u/s again due to the failure of the alarm to which it is slaved (according to another Technician). I am a little sad at the thought that the dealer might not have pushed things along as they should have - perhaps because i was too ill to chase them and I think it is relevant that during a recent conversation with the Service Manager I was told that in reality - despite the car being away 4 - 5 months - and agreeing there was an abnormal loud noise from my gearbox - the Main Dealer actually told me that they found no faults and replaced no parts. Thanks Donie for the stuff about the alarm and the clutch - I have a little knowledge but it is always good to have some feedback from other people that have more experience with the cars. Have you ever had the alarm or clutch problem? - is it a job for special tools and expertise or could an average mechanic with some good quality (but regular) tools have a go? I have read that it's possible to split the sealed alarm unit and replace the battery and I've also re-built clutch and master cylinders on other cars in the past..I know I should perhaps be thinking more about getting stuff done by a proper dealer or specialist but I am really finding my car expenditure a stress at the moment - I have had to spend so much money on doctors and treatment and I am also a full time single parent to two boys - all a bit of a strain at the moment! All the best - Paul
Paul- On the alarm, an SD3 will tell you what is causing the problem. I believe you are better off just changing the alarm unit rather than fiddling with an external battery. Clutches and brakes are usually excluded from warranties as regular wear items, for obvious reasons. Are you sure the clutch was covered? Sounds like your car got a sun tan from the dealer. Put it in a parking lot and hope the problems go away. Taz Terry Phillips
Paul, If you don't have a red Ferrari Power Warranty book then you don't have the Ferrari warranty, which incidentally would have cost a few hundred, but worth it? Does your bill of sale from the dealer (is it a Ferrari dealer?) specifically mention the 12 month warranty which they say they were giving you? I had the alarm problem on a previous F360 but I succeeded in getting in changed under warranty. It's a Bosch sealed siren unit (which is quite expensive) which is maintained by the car battery, and of course. once your battery went down through lying up, the nickel cadmium cells in the siren went flat, and those type cells are notorius for failing to recover once they're drained for any length of time. The siren is located on the forward side of the passenger footwell wall (assuming your car in RHD) and can be accessed through the panel/backwall of the trunk(boot) after pull off the carpet. If you do a search on the subject you will find it well documented in text and photos on the forum, with a nifty plan for replacing the cadmium cells with a flying lead by which to attach a PP9 rechargeable. On the clutch pedal subject, you can check if it's the master cylinder by starting the car and after giving the pedal a few quick pumps (not all the way to the floor) see if you can select 1st or 2nd gear. If it goes into gear after a few quick successive pumps, but not when you simply press down without pumping, then it's likely the rubbers in the master cyclinder have deteriorated. You should firstly take a look in the drivers-side footwell for any sign of leakage, possibly behind the carpet. On the subject of the gearbox whine, that particular problem would be horrendously expensive, and with reference to my earlier question regarding any specific mention of warranty on the bill of sale, if it's there then I would make my first port of call a visit to the dealer, and lay it on fairly thickly about the easy way and the hard (Legal) way to resolve the difficulties. I'm travelling over the next few days, but I'll still be logging in, so keep me posted on progress with the dealer, and don't soft pedal, I believe my assumption is right about taking advantage of your situation and letting time run out. PM me your phone number and I'll call you in a couple of days when I'm back in Europe.
