Ferrari 612 handbrake fail - who will pay out?
Poll: Ferrari 612 handbrake fail - who will pay out?
Total Members Polled: 86
Discussion
Friend bought a used Ferrari 612 Auto from an official dealer and he noticed from day 1 that the handbrake didnt seem to hold the car on a slight incline and notified Ferrari. They told him to take the car to his nearest dealer as they are over 400 miles away and they would take a look at it. He had no time for the 100mile roundtrip so continued to use the car in the meantime racking up approx 300miles. Two weeks ago he calls me and says that the car has rolled down the drive into neigbours wall - needs a new bumper. Dealer doesnt want to know as he should have taken it back straight away though i personally think they should have picked it up on low-loader.
Insurance says it sounds likes Ferarri fault so wont be paying.
Friend complains directly to Ferrari and they are now investigating it..........very slowly by email correspondance and occasional call(Note that car is still sitting on friends drive as he wont drive it as its too dangerous).They did send a chap from Aviva insurance to look at the car and tell my friend that it needed a new bumper - great,thanks but why not send a bloody technician over????.
Car is going to "different" Ferrari dealer next week for an investigation so the Poll question is. Who will pay out?
Note that Ferrari claim to do various checks on all of there used cars making people think that they should feel comfortable in paying over the odds for there cars as you have some peace of mind. Car also had second key missing which was alarming as someone could arrive and drive the car away as Ferrari have no clue were it is.
Also interesting and worth mentioning is that the Sat Nav had previous owners addresses and destinations including a trip to Monaco stored on memory. Should dealers be removing this type of info from peoples Sat Nav systems as it could fall into wrong hands????
I am aware of no-nameing/shaming policy on Pistonheads.
Insurance says it sounds likes Ferarri fault so wont be paying.
Friend complains directly to Ferrari and they are now investigating it..........very slowly by email correspondance and occasional call(Note that car is still sitting on friends drive as he wont drive it as its too dangerous).They did send a chap from Aviva insurance to look at the car and tell my friend that it needed a new bumper - great,thanks but why not send a bloody technician over????.
Car is going to "different" Ferrari dealer next week for an investigation so the Poll question is. Who will pay out?
Note that Ferrari claim to do various checks on all of there used cars making people think that they should feel comfortable in paying over the odds for there cars as you have some peace of mind. Car also had second key missing which was alarming as someone could arrive and drive the car away as Ferrari have no clue were it is.
Also interesting and worth mentioning is that the Sat Nav had previous owners addresses and destinations including a trip to Monaco stored on memory. Should dealers be removing this type of info from peoples Sat Nav systems as it could fall into wrong hands????
I am aware of no-nameing/shaming policy on Pistonheads.
Your friend is in the wrong IMO, knew there was a problem so should have taken it back to be fixed or used a brick under the wheels if he couldn't get it back to the dealer and he needed to use it. If he just says it was his mistake and claims on his insurance they will pay out but I don't see it being the dealer's issue.
Your friend was told to take it to a dealer ASAP, the distance to the dealer isn't Ferrari's problem and is something your friend was aware of when buying the car.
There is also an argument that your friend should have parked the vehicle in such a way that should the handbrake fail completely, it would not roll down his driveway . . . . A block of wood or a brick under the front wheels etc would have sufficed.
There is also an argument that your friend should have parked the vehicle in such a way that should the handbrake fail completely, it would not roll down his driveway . . . . A block of wood or a brick under the front wheels etc would have sufficed.
Crusoe said:
Your friend is in the wrong IMO, knew there was a problem so should have taken it back to be fixed or used a brick under the wheels if he couldn't get it back to the dealer and he needed to use it. If he just says it was his mistake and claims on his insurance they will pay out but I don't see it being the dealer's issue.
He has told the insurance what happened and they have said its a fault with the Ferrari and they wont pay out. If he said that he drove into the wall then they would pay out. Just shows that honesty is not always the best policy.I tend to agree with you and had a go at him as i noticed it when i took it out on drive and mentioned it being dodgy. Auto's usually hold on a hill or incline when stopping at traffic lights for example but this thing would roll back so you were "tooing and froing" on the accelerator trying to keep the car still.
I am just suprised that it left Ferrari in this condition.
Customer: "I bought this pint of milk with yesterdays expiry date, im sure its about to turn can i return it"
Tesco: "sure, take it back to your local store and we'll replace it",
Customer is to busy to return it, the milk turns sour, 2 days later "Excuse me Tesco, my milk has gone off I want a new one!"
If his time is so valuable, he will just cough up, I would be very suprised if anyone pays out for that!
Tesco: "sure, take it back to your local store and we'll replace it",
Customer is to busy to return it, the milk turns sour, 2 days later "Excuse me Tesco, my milk has gone off I want a new one!"
If his time is so valuable, he will just cough up, I would be very suprised if anyone pays out for that!
Wanta996Gotta said:
AndrewW-G said:
A block of wood or a brick under the front wheels etc would have sufficed.
This cracks me up when we are talking about a £100k that just went through Ferrari's stenious checks by their fully trained technicians.
ker in park / 6th gear, turning the wheels so they DONT point down the driveway and plonking something under the wheels to prevent it moving, because the owner didn’t have the time to get it fixed, is side splitting!Firstly - who in their right mind parks a car on a slope when they know the handbrake is iffy (and doesn't chock the wheels)?
The dealer/Ferrari have got a very good argument not to pay as they asked the guy to bring it in and he didn't. The insurance might have a good argument not to pay as he wasn't driving the car at the time of the incident and he used a car with a known fault (he should check the wording of his policy carefully)
I voted for your friend, not least because he's been a bit of a plonker.
The dealer/Ferrari have got a very good argument not to pay as they asked the guy to bring it in and he didn't. The insurance might have a good argument not to pay as he wasn't driving the car at the time of the incident and he used a car with a known fault (he should check the wording of his policy carefully)
I voted for your friend, not least because he's been a bit of a plonker.
Wanta996Gotta said:
I tend to agree with you and had a go at him as i noticed it when i took it out on drive and mentioned it being dodgy. Auto's usually hold on a hill or incline when stopping at traffic lights for example but this thing would roll back so you were "tooing and froing" on the accelerator trying to keep the car still..
Ferraris electro hydraulic controlled gearboxes aren’t normal automatics with a torque converter etc, in the simplest of terms, it’s a normal gearbox, with the clutch and gear lever operated by a system of switches and hydraulic controls.The owner’s manual advises that you keep your foot on the brake to prevent the car rolling backwards and to prevent the clutch burning out prematurely as your keeping it stationary using the throttle is simple slipping the clutch . . . . . . . . And if your friend is upset about the cost of a bumper repair and respray, he’s going to be apoplectic at the cost of swapping the clutch and flywheel out

Wanta996Gotta said:
E30M3SE said:
Your calling this car an Auto, surely you mean automated manual.
F1,F1A, Semi-auto,"automated manual", who really cares as we all have an idea of what i meant by auto..........surely?.What i do know is that its not the manual.
who really cares? - not your "friend" obviously
Wanta996Gotta said:
E30M3SE said:
Your calling this car an Auto, surely you mean automated manual.
F1,F1A, Semi-auto,"automated manual", who really cares as we all have an idea of what i meant by auto..........surely?.What i do know is that its not the manual.
wanta996gotta said:
Auto's usually hold on a hill or incline when stopping at traffic lights for example but this thing would roll back so you were "tooing and froing" on the accelerator trying to keep the car still.
AndrewW-G said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
AndrewW-G said:
A block of wood or a brick under the front wheels etc would have sufficed.
This cracks me up when we are talking about a £100k that just went through Ferrari's stenious checks by their fully trained technicians.
ker in park / 6th gear, turning the wheels so they DONT point down the driveway and plonking something under the wheels to prevent it moving, because the owner didn’t have the time to get it fixed, is side splitting!Ferrari Approved is a pre-owned certification programme designed to guarantee maximum security and peace of mind to owners purchasing Ferraris registered within the last 9 years
The programme encompasses a comprehensive series of controls and warranties issued by Maranello itself, including:
- A detailed technical inspection by Ferrari technicians
E30M3SE said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
E30M3SE said:
Your calling this car an Auto, surely you mean automated manual.
F1,F1A, Semi-auto,"automated manual", who really cares as we all have an idea of what i meant by auto..........surely?.What i do know is that its not the manual.
wanta996gotta said:
Auto's usually hold on a hill or incline when stopping at traffic lights for example but this thing would roll back so you were "tooing and froing" on the accelerator trying to keep the car still.
Wanta996Gotta said:
E30M3SE said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
E30M3SE said:
Your calling this car an Auto, surely you mean automated manual.
F1,F1A, Semi-auto,"automated manual", who really cares as we all have an idea of what i meant by auto..........surely?.What i do know is that its not the manual.
wanta996gotta said:
Auto's usually hold on a hill or incline when stopping at traffic lights for example but this thing would roll back so you were "tooing and froing" on the accelerator trying to keep the car still.
marky1 said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
E30M3SE said:
Wanta996Gotta said:
E30M3SE said:
Your calling this car an Auto, surely you mean automated manual.
F1,F1A, Semi-auto,"automated manual", who really cares as we all have an idea of what i meant by auto..........surely?.What i do know is that its not the manual.
wanta996gotta said:
Auto's usually hold on a hill or incline when stopping at traffic lights for example but this thing would roll back so you were "tooing and froing" on the accelerator trying to keep the car still.
Edited by Wanta996Gotta on Friday 22 October 12:57
Maybe your friend wants to read the owner manual to see if the car has a 'Gradient assist feature', as similar gearboxed BMW's have which allow car to be held on gradient without foot or handbrake.
I do not own one of these cars so cannot give a definative answer, but common sense would tell me to use left foot on the brake to hold the car and accelerate using right foot as I released the brake in order to make a clean get away.
I do not own one of these cars so cannot give a definative answer, but common sense would tell me to use left foot on the brake to hold the car and accelerate using right foot as I released the brake in order to make a clean get away.
E30M3SE said:
Maybe your friend wants to read the owner manual to see if the car has a 'Gradient assist feature', as similar gearboxed BMW's have which allow car to be held on gradient without foot or handbrake.
I do not own one of these cars so cannot give a definative answer, but common sense would tell me to use left foot on the brake to hold the car and accelerate using right foot as I released the brake in order to make a clean get away.
+1I do not own one of these cars so cannot give a definative answer, but common sense would tell me to use left foot on the brake to hold the car and accelerate using right foot as I released the brake in order to make a clean get away.
1. use the handbrake or if its broken and needs to go to the dealer urgently.....
2. use hill hold/gradient assist feature
3. use left foot brake
4. ignore above and burn out the clutch
Wanta996Gotta said:
Ferrari are not to pleased with the dealer either may i add hence why they have taken this over. Wither thats due to spare key missing or old owners details being left in Sat Nav i do not know. The car should have never left the dealership in this condition.
Ferrari Approved is a pre-owned certification programme designed to guarantee maximum security and peace of mind to owners purchasing Ferraris registered within the last 9 years
The programme encompasses a comprehensive series of controls and warranties issued by Maranello itself, including:
- A detailed technical inspection by Ferrari technicians
We’ve all had or heard tales of cars being driven away from dealerships with all sorts of problems that have been missed, just as we’ve all had or heard tales of part of a car failing unexpectedly shortly after it was delivered. It’s something that happens with all the other manufacturers and not just Ferrari .Ferrari Approved is a pre-owned certification programme designed to guarantee maximum security and peace of mind to owners purchasing Ferraris registered within the last 9 years
The programme encompasses a comprehensive series of controls and warranties issued by Maranello itself, including:
- A detailed technical inspection by Ferrari technicians
Many years ago I took my Ruf to my local OPC to have the airbag warning light turned off, whilst it was there and I wasn’t, they put it through a free inspection, nothing noted, next day my front number plate fell off, is it there (sic) fault?
There is also an argument that would say that as your “friend” was unaware that you need to press the brake pedal to stop the car moving in traffic, the car may have been subject to all sorts of abuse in the time between picking it up and it rolling down his driveway
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