FF

[Doodle]

If you're lucky, they're on coax connectors and can just slot straight onto the new HU.

 

[Red C220]

So 24 hours into ownership the FF sprang an oil leak which got progressively worse over the next 48hrs.

I'd elected to collect on Saturday rather than wait for it to be serviced this week, then get it in the service myself (the service was part of the sale of the car). So I'd done a few hundred miles over the weekend and it clearly was enough just to cause something that was about to fail, to fail.

I phoned the Ferrari dealer where it was going to be serviced and once I'd told them the area of the leak they told me not to drive it and get it recovered.

It has about 15 days left of New Power warranty - so Ferrari assistance got it recovered.

A hairline crack had appeared in the oil cooler and it was dripping oil out under pressure as the crack was getting larger daily.

So a new oil cooler is on it's way from Italy and the car will be serviced and back on the road with the new cooler in about a week hopefully.

The car was supplied by GVE, who were responsive and receptive to the problem. A failed fog light has also been discovered which GVE are covering.

So whilst it's a nuisance, it's better it happened now rather than another week or two down the line.

It also made my decision up about extending the warranty which I'll do. I realise it's not as comprehensive as the original factory warranty, but I want something that covers catastrophic gearbox/component failure so I'm not sweating as and when I see oil again, which is an inevitability on a car of this nature.

I had this car inspected by Ferrari at the end of July, plus GVE did their own checks and nothing showed up. So this is a problem that must have been right on the cusp of failure and my driving it a few hundered miles was enough for it to finally fail.

I think I'll just sleep better with a warranty on this car.

This is all part of the joy of silly car ownership.

 

[HB]

What an absolutely stunning car. My neighbor had one and traded it a couple of years ago for a GTC4 Lusso. I love this type of Ferrari. Hope you and the Mrs enjoy!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

What an absolutely stunning car. My neighbor had one and traded it a couple of years ago for a GTC4 Lusso. I love this type of Ferrari. Hope you and the Mrs enjoy!

Me too, V12 four seat GT does it for me.

 

[Red C220]

What an absolutely stunning car. My neighbor had one and traded it a couple of years ago for a GTC4 Lusso. I love this type of Ferrari. Hope you and the Mrs enjoy!

Me too, V12 four seat GT does it for me.

I can tell you now, after not much more than 250 miles and some teething problems that I'm just going to pay whatever it costs to run this car.

It is not like anything I have ever driven before, an E63s or an RS6 may even be a bit quicker off the mark, more comfortable or more practical to live with or could even be considered "better" all round cars.

Let me tell you though, when you press that red start button and the engine fires up like a 90's formula 1 car and you pull away and the shift lights on the steering wheel light up as the engine note starts to scream, there is nothing that you would want be driving more than this. Every moment driving this car is an event. The tragic fuel consumption simply doesn't seem to matter.

Bar the Lusso, there is nothing on the road like the FF and probably never will be. I genuinely feel lucky I'm able to experience this.

If you have the means and have ever toyed with the idea getting one, do it. You will not regret it. Or an F12 - which is actually more unhinged version of this.

Make sure it has a warranty though!

 

[Doodle]

Something the Italians do well, endowing cars with a sense of occasion no matter how great or lowly.

It's why I keep looking at Quattroportes...

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I can tell you now, after not much more than 250 miles and some teething problems that I'm just going to pay whatever it costs to run this car.

It is not like anything I have ever driven before, an E63s or an RS6 may even be a bit quicker off the mark, more comfortable or more practical to live with or could even be considered "better" all round cars.

Let me tell you though, when you press that red start button and the engine fires up like a 90's formula 1 car and you pull away and the shift lights on the steering wheel light up as the engine note starts to scream, there is nothing that you would want be driving more than this. Every moment driving this car is an event. The tragic fuel consumption simply doesn't seem to matter.

Bar the Lusso, there is nothing on the road like the FF and probably never will be. I genuinely feel lucky I'm able to experience this.

If you have the means and have ever toyed with the idea getting one, do it. You will not regret it. Or an F12 - which is actually more unhinged version of this.

Make sure it has a warranty though!

Definitely a very special car. Enjoy!

 

[m2287]

Congrats, they are stunning, I’m a hugeeee fan of these!

 

[HB]

I can tell you now, after not much more than 250 miles and some teething problems that I'm just going to pay whatever it costs to run this car.

It is not like anything I have ever driven before, an E63s or an RS6 may even be a bit quicker off the mark, more comfortable or more practical to live with or could even be considered "better" all round cars.

Let me tell you though, when you press that red start button and the engine fires up like a 90's formula 1 car and you pull away and the shift lights on the steering wheel light up as the engine note starts to scream, there is nothing that you would want be driving more than this. Every moment driving this car is an event. The tragic fuel consumption simply doesn't seem to matter.

Bar the Lusso, there is nothing on the road like the FF and probably never will be. I genuinely feel lucky I'm able to experience this.

If you have the means and have ever toyed with the idea getting one, do it. You will not regret it. Or an F12 - which is actually more unhinged version of this.

Make sure it has a warranty though!

I love your language describing the feeling of owning the car. This is what it’s all about.
I’ve driven the Lusso a few times and it’s like you say, totally intoxicating.
Better get some deals done !!!

 

[C43AMG]

Congratulations. I remember all the conversations we had re the FF. I am so glad you finally bit the bullit and are enjoying the drive as much as you thought you. Great news and enjoy, how is Emma enjoying the drive ?

 

[Red C220]

Congratulations. I remember all the conversations we had re the FF. I am so glad you finally bit the bullit and are enjoying the drive as much as you thought you. Great news and enjoy, how is Emma enjoying the drive ?

Thank you, it has been a long time coming.

Unfortunately Emma is not in good shape and now requires 24 hour live in care. The medical world is not entirely sure what's wrong with her other than "MS" but she now displays all the symptoms of early onset Dementia or Alzheimers. I've now become a trigger as she can no longer sort long term memories from reality. So we live separate lives until I'm able to undo everything financially in a controlled manner and find her an appropriate property in which to live.

As sad as it is, life has moved on and the person I once knew is simply no longer there any more. She has a good group of carers that we employ rather than leaving it to Social Services, so she's well cared for and wants for nothing. It's very taxing for them though. She really is a full time job.

 

[C43AMG]

Thank you, it has been a long time coming.

Unfortunately Emma is not in good shape and now requires 24 hour live in care. The medical world is not entirely sure what's wrong with her other than "MS" but she now displays all the symptoms of early onset Dementia or Alzheimers. I've now become a trigger as she can no longer sort long term memories from reality. So we live separate lives until I'm able to undo everything financially in a controlled manner and find her an appropriate property in which to live.

As sad as it is, life has moved on and the person I once knew is simply no longer there any more. She has a good group of carers that we employ rather than leaving it to Social Services, so she's well cared for and wants for nothing. It's very taxing for them though. She really is a full time job.

I am so sorry to hear Emma is not well, a very lovely lady. Keep the faith.

 

[Red C220]

A little over 1000 miles on the FF so far. What’s it like using a V12 Ferrari as a daily driver?

The answer is surprisingly normal. Bar the initial hiccup with the oil cooler nothing else has yet failed or fallen off, touch wood!

It’s actually taken me the best part of those 1000 miles to get comfortable with the car. It was intimidating driving it at first. Once you get your head around the fact it’s just a car, albeit an unusual one, then it all starts to get a lot more comfortable.

The controls are somewhat alien to start with. I actually had to ask a couple of owners for driving tips and what modes to use when whilst driving in traffic or on the open road. There is a lot of difference between the modes available. In manual and sport this car goes like nothing I’ve ever driven and it handles in a way that is simply shouldn’t for something this big. It is effectively the same size as an E class estate. Probably a bit wider.

The gearbox can be a bit clunky at low speeds, that’s the trade off for it being able to cope with the power and shift speeds when you’re using the full power of the engine. It will however potter around in Auto quite happily.

It’s not the nicest experience when sat at the Dartford tunnel for 45 minutes in a traffic jam. The engine produces an enormous amount of heat and it’s damn noisy. I don’t mean the lovely V12 noise. I mean tyre roar, exhaust drone at 1200-1500 rpm. You really know you’re driving something different that wasn’t designed to sit in stop-start traffic.

Much of these things were addressed with the Lusso upgrade. That car became quieter, softer and altogether a bit more comfortable. To some owners it was a revelation, to others it kind of lost some of the “Ferrariness” by being softened. I think I’d like something in between and to that end I’m going to start soundproofing the FF just to reduce the drone on long motorway cruises. It’s obvious when you lift the carpet in the boot that there is zero sound deadening. I guess it’s a weight thing. So I’ve had some Dynamat delivered and we’re going to start deadening a few panels to see what difference it makes.

I can’t live with the stereo, that’s going to be changed and I’m just figuring out how far I want to go with that as I’m not an audiophile. It’s more about function than sound quality for me. Plus with so much drivetrain noise it seems a bit daft spending thousands on real quality speakers that get drowned out by a V12 on just partial throttle. So Android Auto, DAB and a more user friendly interface are what’s required. So we’ll change the head unit, see how that works and take it from there.

Fuel consumption is simply tragic, it is what it is and it’s simply the cost of ownership. The fuel tank is 92 litres though so it at least gives some sort of sensible range on longer trips (300+ miles). I’m getting high teens on long runs, pottering around it’s 8-12mpg. I’m visiting a lot of petrol stations.

People generally seem to like the car, non car people have no idea what it is until it starts, then they have a double take. Car people find it cool as you just don’t see many of them. The subtle colour combination helps in this respect. It does make people jump when you start it though, particularly in petrol stations. Startup is very loud and I understand completely why that was toned down in the Lusso, it’s anti social early in the morning.

All the controls on the steering wheel was something I was a little nervous about getting used to. The fact is, it’s a revelation and feels so intuitive I simply don’t understand why more manufacturers haven’t adopted it. Everything is at your fingertips and very easy to operate. It took no more than 500 miles to get comfortable with this setup (once I’d read the manual to figure out how to operate the rear wiper!)

The fact it’s 8 years old and has the odd blemish and mark makes it easier to live with, I’m not sweating about every kerb, parking spot or going to the supermarket.

A normal annual service is around £900-£1000.

Every four years it needs a big one (which it’s just had) that comes in at £2,500

I’ve just bought a Ferrari Power15 warranty for 12 months to cover major component failure - £3,960. After the oil cooler failure (£2500 – covered under warranty) it made sense for at least the first 12 months of ownership to get a warranty, particularly as the has done so few miles in the last 5 years. I figured if something big is going to break it’s going to go relatively quickly as I start using it).

Brakes are a very big ticket item, mine were 37% worn at 21,000 miles when I bought the car, so I have plenty of life left yet. Discs are £2,500 each + vat and the pads are circa £700+ vat per set. So realistically it’s £4,000 a corner when they need doing. That’s actually come down in the last 5 years by the tune of about 50% so it’s no longer ruinous, it’s just very expensive. If you track the car, which I won’t be doing, you can kill these brakes in very short order.

All in all, no regrets so far. I’m kind of enjoying tinkering, upgrading and improving bits of it too which is something I simply never did with new cars.

It’s not actually as scary (financially) as you fear as long as you’re sensible and buy a good one that you get inspected and will still take a Ferrari warranty.

 

[Skd884]

Carbon brakes -

Surface Transforms - The Home of Carbon Ceramic Brakes

Surface Transforms is a manufacturer of next-generation carbon-ceramic brake discs for automotive and aircraft applications.

www.surfacetransforms.com

 

[Red C220]

Carbon brakes -

Surface Transforms - The Home of Carbon Ceramic Brakes

Surface Transforms is a manufacturer of next-generation carbon-ceramic brake discs for automotive and aircraft applications.

www.surfacetransforms.com

Same price/slightly more expensive than the Ferrari Brembo items. But better technology.

I've already had a chat with them, coincidentally they have previously been a customer of mine having bought some specialist diamond drill bits to experiment drilling their discs.

 

[Charliecloud]

Now I see that a pooch will fit in the boot, I can't see what's holding me back other than the fuel consumption and £4k a corner for brakes

Seriously, that's a lovely car and being used as intended, well done. Pooch looks lovely too

 

[Doodle]

I would wager that someone like Reynard could make you a set of 2 piece discs for a lot less than that. The pads will almost certainly be shared with something else not subject to Ricambi Ferrari tax.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

A little over 1000 miles on the FF so far. What’s it like using a V12 Ferrari as a daily driver?

The answer is surprisingly normal. Bar the initial hiccup with the oil cooler nothing else has yet failed or fallen off, touch wood!

It’s actually taken me the best part of those 1000 miles to get comfortable with the car. It was intimidating driving it at first. Once you get your head around the fact it’s just a car, albeit an unusual one, then it all starts to get a lot more comfortable.

The controls are somewhat alien to start with. I actually had to ask a couple of owners for driving tips and what modes to use when whilst driving in traffic or on the open road. There is a lot of difference between the modes available. In manual and sport this car goes like nothing I’ve ever driven and it handles in a way that is simply shouldn’t for something this big. It is effectively the same size as an E class estate. Probably a bit wider.

The gearbox can be a bit clunky at low speeds, that’s the trade off for it being able to cope with the power and shift speeds when you’re using the full power of the engine. It will however potter around in Auto quite happily.

It’s not the nicest experience when sat at the Dartford tunnel for 45 minutes in a traffic jam. The engine produces an enormous amount of heat and it’s damn noisy. I don’t mean the lovely V12 noise. I mean tyre roar, exhaust drone at 1200-1500 rpm. You really know you’re driving something different that wasn’t designed to sit in stop-start traffic.

Much of these things were addressed with the Lusso upgrade. That car became quieter, softer and altogether a bit more comfortable. To some owners it was a revelation, to others it kind of lost some of the “Ferrariness” by being softened. I think I’d like something in between and to that end I’m going to start soundproofing the FF just to reduce the drone on long motorway cruises. It’s obvious when you lift the carpet in the boot that there is zero sound deadening. I guess it’s a weight thing. So I’ve had some Dynamat delivered and we’re going to start deadening a few panels to see what difference it makes.

I can’t live with the stereo, that’s going to be changed and I’m just figuring out how far I want to go with that as I’m not an audiophile. It’s more about function than sound quality for me. Plus with so much drivetrain noise it seems a bit daft spending thousands on real quality speakers that get drowned out by a V12 on just partial throttle. So Android Auto, DAB and a more user friendly interface are what’s required. So we’ll change the head unit, see how that works and take it from there.

Fuel consumption is simply tragic, it is what it is and it’s simply the cost of ownership. The fuel tank is 92 litres though so it at least gives some sort of sensible range on longer trips (300+ miles). I’m getting high teens on long runs, pottering around it’s 8-12mpg. I’m visiting a lot of petrol stations.

People generally seem to like the car, non car people have no idea what it is until it starts, then they have a double take. Car people find it cool as you just don’t see many of them. The subtle colour combination helps in this respect. It does make people jump when you start it though, particularly in petrol stations. Startup is very loud and I understand completely why that was toned down in the Lusso, it’s anti social early in the morning.

All the controls on the steering wheel was something I was a little nervous about getting used to. The fact is, it’s a revelation and feels so intuitive I simply don’t understand why more manufacturers haven’t adopted it. Everything is at your fingertips and very easy to operate. It took no more than 500 miles to get comfortable with this setup (once I’d read the manual to figure out how to operate the rear wiper!)

The fact it’s 8 years old and has the odd blemish and mark makes it easier to live with, I’m not sweating about every kerb, parking spot or going to the supermarket.

A normal annual service is around £900-£1000.

Every four years it needs a big one (which it’s just had) that comes in at £2,500

I’ve just bought a Ferrari Power15 warranty for 12 months to cover major component failure - £3,960. After the oil cooler failure (£2500 – covered under warranty) it made sense for at least the first 12 months of ownership to get a warranty, particularly as the has done so few miles in the last 5 years. I figured if something big is going to break it’s going to go relatively quickly as I start using it).

Brakes are a very big ticket item, mine were 37% worn at 21,000 miles when I bought the car, so I have plenty of life left yet. Discs are £2,500 each + vat and the pads are circa £700+ vat per set. So realistically it’s £4,000 a corner when they need doing. That’s actually come down in the last 5 years by the tune of about 50% so it’s no longer ruinous, it’s just very expensive. If you track the car, which I won’t be doing, you can kill these brakes in very short order.

All in all, no regrets so far. I’m kind of enjoying tinkering, upgrading and improving bits of it too which is something I simply never did with new cars.

It’s not actually as scary (financially) as you fear as long as you’re sensible and buy a good one that you get inspected and will still take a Ferrari warranty.

View attachment 131705

Interesting write up. Regarding the drone, have you checked the exhaust for signs of tinkering?

 

[Red C220]

Interesting write up. Regarding the drone, have you checked the exhaust for signs of tinkering?

We're going through that process at the moment, first thing to check is of the valve actuators have been tinkered with, that's all well and good but the underneath of the car is entirely covered in undertrays so we need to get the back one off and the rear diffuser.

We can hear the valves working though so I'm wondering if it's something like an X pipe. Ultimately we're going to have to get it on a ramp and have a good look.

A lot of owners do exhausts on these cars so I wouldn't be surprised to find somthing has been altered.

 

[Red C220]

I would wager that someone like Reynard could make you a set of 2 piece discs for a lot less than that. The pads will almost certainly be shared with something else not subject to Ricambi Ferrari tax.

When the time comes, I'll do some digging. Brembo kind of have a bit of monopoly on Ceramic brakes, but it's slowly being eroded.

A bit of competition is always healthy.