Every day tips for living with a 599

[cake eater]

My aunt came to visit and saw the car. She asked me if I had a new car.

Nope same one.

So why do you have a Peugeot?



Auntie, that badge is a donkey not a lion.

Any way, her two boys got to drive and they both drove respectfully whilst still enjoying a few acceleration runs.

However a visit to a friend for her son's 16 th birthday left my nerves in tatters.

Birthday boy drove, private road and all that. He was cautious and very appreciative.

His brother, 19 years old also got to drive. He's a good driver but typically 19 and way over estimates his skill levels. At least he listened when I asked him to slow down.

His comment after was 'the caterham is faster' (he got to drive my caterham last summer).
I told him that 600 bhp in a near 2 ton car is just different and you have to be more respectful of the car. The caterham is very forgiving but this car in these conditions is a different story.

I'm a 100% sure he knows better

[cake eater]

Anyway, had to leave Scotland for London. Took the scenic route.



Stopped off for lunch at Lake Windermere


Had a lot of fun.
To the person driving the light blue A3, that was a lot of fun.


To the guy in the M3 touring, thanks for the side by side roll on runs. Wow that new M3 is fast. Flat in 2nd and 3rd and I was only just keeping up.

I'm starting to gel with the 599 again, relearning how to dive the 599 after 4 months away.

Brakes are a lot better but that final half travel still doesn't feel good. And they smell bad when they get hot. Maybe still needs some more bedding in?

[cake eater]

cake eater said:

My aunt came to visit and saw the car. She asked me if I had a new car.

Nope same one.

So why do you have a Peugeot?



Auntie, that badge is a donkey not a lion.

Road weary and very skinny lion

[G-wiz]

Your auntie thought your 599 was a Peugeot?

[cake eater]

G-wiz said:

Your auntie thought your 599 was a Peugeot?

she did!





both pininfarina designs so very similar

but she does not like cars or driving and has been known to try to jump from moving cars she gets so scared. So she is forgiven.

[SL550M]

Your aunt is not alone, Cake. My best mate had a Peugeot 406 coupe at the same time as I had my 550 Maranello. He said they looked the same. And then uttered the never-to-be-forgotten line, “if you closed your eyes while you were driving them you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference”. Honest to goodness, what do you say to that? We’re still best mates, though.

[cake eater]

SL550M said:

Your aunt is not alone, Cake. My best mate had a Peugeot 406 coupe at the same time as I had my 550 Maranello. He said they looked the same. And then uttered the never-to-be-forgotten line, “if you closed your eyes while you were driving them you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference”. Honest to goodness, what do you say to that? We’re still best mates, though.

Hi SL550M

That's just too funny.
You can't do anything but agree

[cake eater]

Trip home is almost at an end.

3 warning lights on the dash and one Electrical system failure message on start up.

Windscreen washer fluid low - easy fix
Parking sensor failure - MDL are painting the replacement sensor.
And a bulb failure - also easy fix


A quick check of the lights and it turns out to be a DRL


Well I thought the bulb was an easy fix. There's even a spare in the tool kit. But you access the build through the front wheel arch!. Maybe not such an easy fix.

Credit to
https://www.scuding.com/Shop/en/ilual-drl-headligh...
Unfortunately they didn't make the LED DRLs any more.

Which lead to a headlight upgrade search. And came up with this.
https://www.morimotohid.com/morimoto-2-stroke-2str...

YouTube review here
https://youtu.be/p6qSkLsMmTw?si=5NHEmKSySCpFxfqA

Who knows, might just stick with OEM as I'm concerned about any voltage irregularities causing others problems

Edited by cake eater on Sunday 4th February 23:19

[cake eater]

There's also a chip in the windscreen from Norway that's slowing becoming a crack.


A new windscreen from Ferrari is 2000 GBP. The thermal absorbing version is 2700 GBP.

Problem is that insurance will only cover a maximum of 1000.

[cake eater]

I'm also having a problem with the side mirrors not turning down when reverse is selected.

Wonder if this is related to the parking sensor or something else?

[cake eater]

Brake pedal feel and stopping power is excellent for the first third of the travel.

Push past that and the pedal is strange. Car stops but it almost feels like there's air or pad glaze. Pedal just doesn't get harder for the bottom half and the braking force doesn't seem to increase and no ABS activation.

New CCM and Pagid pads must be bedded in by now.

So MDL will install new braided lines and bleed the brakes again
https://auto.helperformance.com/hel-braided-brake-...

We'll test them properly at an FOC Pista day

[ANOpax]

cake eater said:

Apparently a Ferrari is acceptable in Lidl

We take ours to the Lidl where it is, indeed, acceptable. As a bonus, our branch has an underground car park so leaving the supermarket is always an aural treat.

[cake eater]

ANOpax said:

cake eater said:

Apparently a Ferrari is acceptable in Lidl

We take ours to the Lidl where it is, indeed, acceptable. As a bonus, our branch has an underground car park so leaving the supermarket is always an aural treat.

There's a school close to my mum's so always some kids hanging around who gesture for some noise.

I obviously oblige, much to the chagrin of any adult.

My childish reply is "he told me to do it"

[cake eater]

A little more on lights.

Did you know that the 599 was the first Ferrari to adopt LED lights?

Was news to me.
https://www.ferrari.com/magazine/fr-NE/articles/li...



Interesting article here
https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/blog/are-led-hea...

Definitely needs some more research

[willy wombat]

When I had a 599 I always thought that the headlights were the weakest part of the car. I did look around for possible upgrades but didn’t find anything. However that was quite a few years ago so maybe things have changed now.

[cake eater]

Random post


There was water bubbling below for a kind of crackling like a real wood fire and whisps of water vapour against the red light looked like real flames.

Caution not hot made me smile

[ANOpax]

At the risk of getting the wrong end of the stick myself, I believe, Cake, that you might be barking up the wrong tree…

There’s the distinction between the LED DRLs and the main/dipped beam bulb which is halogen.

I’ve replaced our FF and F12 main beam halogen bulbs with Osram nightbreakers and they make a measurable difference.

The LED DRLs are not user serviceable on the Cali, FF or F12 and I doubt that they would be on the 599. DRL failure on the Cali is common and we suffered a DRL failure on the F12 which required a new headlamp unit.

So if your DRL has failed, you’ll need a new unit.
If your main beam halogen has failed, upgrade the pair to Osram nightbreakers. They also have the advantage of being a better colour match to the LEDs in the DRLs.

Before (OEM bulb)



After (Osram nightbreaker)



Colour match (Osram nightbreaker)

[cake eater]

Friend gave me this as a late Christmas present


Very cool present

[ANOpax]

Looking at the ScudING link for their LED DRL upgrade on the 599, I wonder if this is similar to their upgrade for the F430 where the source light for the DRL is actually incandescent. Which then begs the question of where the 599 LEDs are…. In the indicator lights, perhaps?

[cake eater]

ANOpax said:

At the risk of getting the wrong end of the stick myself, I believe, Cake, that you might be barking up the wrong tree…

There’s the distinction between the LED DRLs and the main/dipped beam bulb which is halogen.

I’ve replaced our FF and F12 main beam halogen bulbs with Osram nightbreakers and they make a measurable difference.

The LED DRLs are not user serviceable on the Cali, FF or F12 and I doubt that they would be on the 599. DRL failure on the Cali is common and we suffered a DRL failure on the F12 which required a new headlamp unit.

So if your DRL has failed, you’ll need a new unit.
If your main beam halogen has failed, upgrade the pair to Osram nightbreakers. They also have the advantage of being a better colour match to the LEDs in the DRLs.

Before (OEM bulb)



After (Osram nightbreaker)



Colour match (Osram nightbreaker)

Hi ANOpax,

Thank you.

I hope it's just the bulb gone.

A single second hand unit is 2.5k on eBay. Might as well get a new one as it's 2.7k on eurospares