Has anyone had to replace the battery in their Scud / 16M? From what I understand the battery is a Optima Red not available in US except through authorized FERRARI Dealers. Any information would be most appreciated. Thank you.
Optima Red Top 34R. Replace it every 3 years regardless. http://www.amazon.com/Optima-8003-151-FFP-RedTop-Starting-Battery/dp/B006QH550Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407076743&sr=8-1&keywords=Optima+red+top+34r
AGM batteries typically work or they don't. Unlike a conventional battery, they don't get weak or give you much notice of a failure. They are fine one day and then don't work the next. Being stranded in your Ferrari with a dead battery is an expensive ordeal. Jump starting is not recommended with a dead AGM and you could fry your electronics in the car, even if done correctly. So that means a flatbed tow, then purchase and install a new battery anyways. I have heard of a few batteries lasting 4-5 years, but that is not the norm unless you keep a battery maintainer on the car whenever it is parked for more than a couple of days. It's just one of those routine maintenance interval things. Some people replace the AGM with a conventional lead acid battery because they are a bit cheaper and give warning when at end of life cycle. But you will have to create a vent tube to exit the acid fumes and possible acid overflow outside the car. Just not worth the hassle in my opinion.
Is the exact OEM battery that comes in the car new from FERRARI S.p.A. ? Thank you for your timely reply
I think all Scuds were delivered in NA with an Optima red top. There were some AGM with Ferrari logo on the side and close to $400. I could be wrong on this, but.....save yourself some time and headache and just put in a 34R. With Amazon Prime, you can have one delivered for less than $150. If you have any DIY skills, install yourself in less than 20 minutes. Search the forums for install procedure, including master power disconnect switch and correct order for removing and reinstalling the negative and positive terminals.
teachdocs living up to his handle And I can only echo the importance of changing out the battery once every 3 years.
I would much prefer a Braille or Odyssey AGM battery to the Optimas, which have had quality control problems. Use one of those, and the three year change is probably overkill. Sears has an Odyssey branded as a Diehard Platinum for much less money, but it is not a 34R with terminals reversed like Ferraris use. Some owners have fitted them to 360s and F430s and the cables reached fine, however.
Has anyone on here tried one of those lightweight batteries with their scud... Is so what brand, does it hold a charge for long , and what's the difference in weight?
Braille will be quite a bit more expensive. Don't know about the Odyssey but it can't be a lot cheaper as the Optima is only $150 shipped. The inconvenience of the switches battery terminals would be a deal breaker for me. I have had good luck with Optimas and am unaware of quality control issues. Would be interested in reading about that if you have a source. The lightweight batteries have enough CCA to start the car but not enough reserve to typically power the hungry electronics of these cars. Definitely not worth the hassle for the 10 pound weight savings. Much easier to drive past the DQ's on the way to Walgreens for an ExLax. 😳 I use a lightweight battery in my Challenge car. Bit frequently needs a boost start and needs to be kept on the battery charger all the time or it may not start the car.
Sorry but i have to disagree. On my F430 battery was 9 years old and I never replace it. Always worked fine and never ever died. On my scud battery is 6 years old and perfect as well.
I second this, a well maintained battery will go much longer than 3 years. If you don't maintain it, then yes, it will go bad in 3-5 years.
How do you define "maintain"? my tech said it's best to change it out once every 3 years and i trust him, not because the battery will definitely go bad at that point, it's just a guarantee that I will never have to ever worry about a sudden dead battery in mid-drive.
Odyssey makes a 34R, which, obviously, has the terminals in the correct orientation, reversed. Only the Sears model does not come with reversed terminals. Yup, they cost more than an Optima, and you get what you pay for. Ferrari had all kinds of warranty problems with the North America Optimas and gave up on that idea in a hurry. Optima made good batteries until Johnson Controls bought them and moved production to Mexico. Lots of horror stories now. Many Ferrari dealers now install Braille batteries and the Odysseys are just as good.
Keep it plugged into a float charger/maintainer when in your garage. That will keep it charged up, but not overcharged, and prevent it from going dead when sitting for a while between drives. Will also extend the service life of the battery significantly.
Odyssey is definitely the top choice now. Quality and reliability. They have an established reputation. There is no need to change every three years but if it adds to someone's enjoyment of their hobby then by all means do it. Maybe they can find another place for the three year old battery so that it's not wasted.
If the cables will reach with a standard 34 terminal positions, get the Sears Platinum...which is a private label Odyssey. I used one in my 355 for 5+ years and was still going strong when I sold it recently. Rated at 880CCA! Optima Red Tops seem to have bad batches every so often...sometimes they work great, other times I hear people complaining of replacing multiples, before they give up and move to something else. I had one in a 308 and it worked great, no issues at all. But I have never heard of quality issues with Odyssey or Sears Platinum.
The Odyssey seems like a good alternative to the Optima, but it is $100 more and weighs 50 pounds as compared to the Optima 38.9 pounds. Also sounds like the mounting tray or hold down apparatus needs to be modified. I stick by my recommendation to change the battery every 3 years. Sure, some last much longer than that. To me, it's just not worth having a disabled vehicle at an event where you paid $3500 entry fee and $2000 to get you there and back, only to be disabled by saving $150 over 3 years ($50 a year) for a 6 year old battery instead of a fresh one at 3 years.
$3500 to attend an event is not that unusual. By the time you have a registration fee for yourself, your spouse, hotel, travel, and meals......it is pretty easy to have $3500 to attend a weekend event out of town. If your car is down, those expenses are still incurred but you can't drive your car at the event. Then there is the cost of transporting your vehicle to the event. Depending in how far you are going, that could easily be several thousand dollars. I can recall an event at TargaSixtySix at PBIR with a failed battery. The result was missing two of the three days of driving, getting a rental car and driving all over PB trying to find a battery that would fit, ultimately to not find a battery and then paying overnight shipping charges on a 50 pound item. The lost track and event time with incidental charges far exceeds any cost savings you may realize by waiting til a battery fails. Another friend had a weak battery on his F430 and had multiple CEL's and electrical problems. He spent quite a bit of money at the repair shop looking for,problems that were simply battery related. Eventually, the car wouldn't start while out at a local restaurant one night. He jump started the car only to realize he fried both ECU's in the car. That was an $$$$$ mistake. Most people change the belt with an engine out on a 355 every 2 years. Will a belt last 6-8 years? Probably. Do you want to risk a complete engine replacement if it fails? Probably not. If the battery fails in my Ford truck, I simply jump start it and drive to Autozone and have them put in a new battery in the parking lot. You simply cannot do that with your Ferrari.
Nobody changes the cambelts on an F355 every two years. The purists might do three years, the Ferrari recommendation, but most do five years.
My mistake. You are correct in the 3 year interval. Point is, Ferraris need some preventative maintenance to avoid expensive repairs down the road, just like any other auto. Skimping on a $150 battery by waiting til it fails versus proactively replacing every 3 years or so seems reasonable with these cars.
Was having a lot of battery charging issues with my 2009 scud (would literally drain overnight randomly). Originally thought it was the tender or worse a short. 2 tenders later I replaced the Optima 34R RedTop myself. Cost me $190 USD on Amazon including shipping. Never had a battery issue since.
