Thoughts on this 2010 California
Discussion
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
I asked about what work they had to do to prepare the car for sale and they sent me the tech report that included invoices for gasket related items. I queried this and was told:
‘There was slight oil leak from the cam cover gasket variable value timing solenoid gasket. We have replaced all the parts to bank 2 and there is no longer any leak‘.
I understand most of those words but I have no idea what they mean in that first sentence. Would this put you off buying the car or is it nothing to worry about?
I asked about what work they had to do to prepare the car for sale and they sent me the tech report that included invoices for gasket related items. I queried this and was told:
‘There was slight oil leak from the cam cover gasket variable value timing solenoid gasket. We have replaced all the parts to bank 2 and there is no longer any leak‘.
I understand most of those words but I have no idea what they mean in that first sentence. Would this put you off buying the car or is it nothing to worry about?
The Surveyor said:
JCT Bentley in Newcastle is just about to open a Ferrari franchise from part of the same building, ask them if this will fall into the 'Approved Used' scheme and get the extra warranty.
Leaking gaskets is often just a downside of the low mileage, the other is cracked and aged tyres so don't just check the tread depth, check the age. Nice looking car though
They told me about their upcoming acquisition of the Ferrari franchise but suggested this car was most likely to sell before Ferrari franchise opens and even if it didn’t the price may have to be changed to align with approved used Ferrari pricing. Leaking gaskets is often just a downside of the low mileage, the other is cracked and aged tyres so don't just check the tread depth, check the age. Nice looking car though
Two lightly cracked tyres were also flagged on the tech report but these are not going to be changed as they meet the JCT minimum standards and are not an MOT fail. I’m unsure of the age of them but will ask.
I think I’m going to go for it 
I’m a loooong way from Newcastle though so will be putting a deposit down without driving or viewing it. Are there any PHers close to JCT 600 in Newcastle with some Ferrari experience that fancy taking a look at it for me and giving it a drive? Please pm me if you can help and I’d be happy to pay a fee. I’m not looking for a technical report just a conscientious approach to viewing paint, panels, wheels etc and making sure there’s nothing obviously wrong with how it drives.
I’m a loooong way from Newcastle though so will be putting a deposit down without driving or viewing it. Are there any PHers close to JCT 600 in Newcastle with some Ferrari experience that fancy taking a look at it for me and giving it a drive? Please pm me if you can help and I’d be happy to pay a fee. I’m not looking for a technical report just a conscientious approach to viewing paint, panels, wheels etc and making sure there’s nothing obviously wrong with how it drives.
Pro Bono said:
I'm also in the market for a California, and I'd noticed that one because it's in the colour I want, Grigio Silverstone. Also, the mileage seems about right.
Don't worry, I'm not quite ready to buy yet, so I'll not be bidding against you, but I'd be very interested to hear of your experience.
Have you driven one before? I haven't, and I wanted to try one out before deciding finally to go ahead, but it's very difficult. A typical test drive's pretty much a waste of time, particularly if the salesman's sat next to you. You can hire them, but at about £700 a day it makes for an expensive test drive.
I did think about driving one on one of those `experience days' but they don't seem to operate during the winter, and the earliest I could get one was April.
Incidentally, do you like the coloured calipers? I really don't, and although they aren't too bad in red most grey Californias have yellow ones, which to my mind look really garish and spoil the look of the car, as with this one - https://www.gumtree.com/p/ferrari/2009-ferrari-cal... (nice car, but too high mileage for my peace of mind).
I'd also been wondering about the best way to get it checked over mechanically. It seems there are quite few decent Ferrari specialists about who'll do a fairly comprehensive inspection for around £300 - £500, but I'd like to know what you end up doing.
Are you planning to buy a warranty? if so, I'd be interested to hear which one you go for and how much it cost.
I know that there's an awful lot of snobbery about Californias, but I think they're great cars, and I also like the look of them, though they definitely don't suit bright colours. And in a world where convertibles are gradually disappearing they're becoming even more desirable.
I really hope you'll come back and share your experience of buying and owning it - and good luck!
Hi - to answer your questions:Don't worry, I'm not quite ready to buy yet, so I'll not be bidding against you, but I'd be very interested to hear of your experience.
Have you driven one before? I haven't, and I wanted to try one out before deciding finally to go ahead, but it's very difficult. A typical test drive's pretty much a waste of time, particularly if the salesman's sat next to you. You can hire them, but at about £700 a day it makes for an expensive test drive.
I did think about driving one on one of those `experience days' but they don't seem to operate during the winter, and the earliest I could get one was April.
Incidentally, do you like the coloured calipers? I really don't, and although they aren't too bad in red most grey Californias have yellow ones, which to my mind look really garish and spoil the look of the car, as with this one - https://www.gumtree.com/p/ferrari/2009-ferrari-cal... (nice car, but too high mileage for my peace of mind).
I'd also been wondering about the best way to get it checked over mechanically. It seems there are quite few decent Ferrari specialists about who'll do a fairly comprehensive inspection for around £300 - £500, but I'd like to know what you end up doing.
Are you planning to buy a warranty? if so, I'd be interested to hear which one you go for and how much it cost.
I know that there's an awful lot of snobbery about Californias, but I think they're great cars, and I also like the look of them, though they definitely don't suit bright colours. And in a world where convertibles are gradually disappearing they're becoming even more desirable.
I really hope you'll come back and share your experience of buying and owning it - and good luck!
Driven one before? Yes, a test drive on a different car to the one I’m looking to buy though - same model year. It seems to me that what I want from a test drive might be different to you though. I’m not capable of driving a car to anywhere near it’s full potential. For me, a test drive just needs to put a smile on my face and demonstrate the car’s not obviously broken. I also don’t tend to keep my car for long so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I didn’t get on with it. I’d be much more particular if I planned on keeping it for many years.
Do I like the coloured calipers? Yes I do! I actually prefer yellow.
Mechanical check & warranty? The dealer I’m buying from seems to be well regarded so I’m not getting any further mechanical checks done. I would if buying privately though, and in that situation I would want Ferrari to do it and arrange a warranty through them too. The one I’m hoping to buy has an, at best, mediocre warranty but I’ve heard the Ferrari warranty isn’t all belts and braces either.
Good luck with your search.
Also - a big thank you to the people that got in touch with me re offering to go to JCT 600 to view the car for me. A local Ferrari owner to JCT 600 went there today and gave it the thumbs up so all is looking good. Getting pretty excited here
Deposit paid and so the wait to collect begins Fingers crossed for good weather on the c250 mile drive home.
I’ve found the owners manual online and have a question about the battery conditioner. It says to connect it to the socket in the ‘luggage compartment’ then ‘run the connection cable underneath the luggage compartment lid in the outer/rear corner‘. There’s no photos so just wondering how exactly the cable exits the car? Does the boot have to remain open? How long is the cable? I’ve not used battery conditioners on previous cars as I would usually use the car at least every couple of weeks but have read it’s better to use as a default on a Cali.
Not strictly related to the Cali, but how do you all feel about valet parking? Not the type you might get at an airport, more specifically about what you might expect at a smart hotel in some locations. I’m mostly going to be using this car for trips to France and will stay at a couple of places with valet parking. Whatever car I’m driving, I’m very particular about where I park. I’ll freely admit that I’m a bit too precious about my ‘stuff’ and like to look even things even if it impedes on my enjoyment of them but I can’t help it. I’m definitely not the type of guy that can throw my keys to the valet, stroll down to the beach and not give it a second thought. I’d be making up an excuse as to why I had to pop back to the hotel and retrieve something from the car just to check all was okay and that my car wasn’t damaged or parked under a dripping pipe.
I know that there will be far more expensive metal being parked than a 10 year old California and they park & retrieve cars all day and night but I just can’t get away from the feeling they won’t look after it like I would. Not looking for a solution to overcome this feeling of unease, just wondering how others view it?
Fingers crossed for good weather on the c250 mile drive home. I’ve found the owners manual online and have a question about the battery conditioner. It says to connect it to the socket in the ‘luggage compartment’ then ‘run the connection cable underneath the luggage compartment lid in the outer/rear corner‘. There’s no photos so just wondering how exactly the cable exits the car? Does the boot have to remain open? How long is the cable? I’ve not used battery conditioners on previous cars as I would usually use the car at least every couple of weeks but have read it’s better to use as a default on a Cali.
Not strictly related to the Cali, but how do you all feel about valet parking? Not the type you might get at an airport, more specifically about what you might expect at a smart hotel in some locations. I’m mostly going to be using this car for trips to France and will stay at a couple of places with valet parking. Whatever car I’m driving, I’m very particular about where I park. I’ll freely admit that I’m a bit too precious about my ‘stuff’ and like to look even things even if it impedes on my enjoyment of them but I can’t help it. I’m definitely not the type of guy that can throw my keys to the valet, stroll down to the beach and not give it a second thought. I’d be making up an excuse as to why I had to pop back to the hotel and retrieve something from the car just to check all was okay and that my car wasn’t damaged or parked under a dripping pipe.
I know that there will be far more expensive metal being parked than a 10 year old California and they park & retrieve cars all day and night but I just can’t get away from the feeling they won’t look after it like I would. Not looking for a solution to overcome this feeling of unease, just wondering how others view it?
jw673 said:
UK 3pin > ~190cm cable > Ctek/Conditioner (~16cm) > ~180cm cable > Cali boot connector
You can close the boot, it compresses the cable; in the boot's corners appears to be the best position/least amount of compression.
My California is rarely on the conditioner as I use it at least every couple of weeks (sometimes a three-week gap). That said, it always has a good run when it is being used - if you're only travelling a few miles every couple of weeks, I'd use the conditioner.
If it's not on the conditioner on a regular basis I wouldn't be overly concerned about possible sporadic warning messages* on start-up, especially in the midst of a cold winter, although if these are a regular occurrence and the car is being well used - I'd replace the battery.
From memory, I think if the boot takes two clicks on the keyfob to open - this is a signifier of a low battery (note: not necessarily a bad battery).
*I can't recall the exact error(s)/order of errors, although generally the lower the battery the more error messages appeared - I had a battery that was on the way out (probably the original from the factory). I should add that none of the error messages re-occurred after the battery was back up to charge and the car restarted (i.e. didn’t require an OBD-II reader to reset).
Thank you. You can close the boot, it compresses the cable; in the boot's corners appears to be the best position/least amount of compression.
My California is rarely on the conditioner as I use it at least every couple of weeks (sometimes a three-week gap). That said, it always has a good run when it is being used - if you're only travelling a few miles every couple of weeks, I'd use the conditioner.
If it's not on the conditioner on a regular basis I wouldn't be overly concerned about possible sporadic warning messages* on start-up, especially in the midst of a cold winter, although if these are a regular occurrence and the car is being well used - I'd replace the battery.
From memory, I think if the boot takes two clicks on the keyfob to open - this is a signifier of a low battery (note: not necessarily a bad battery).
*I can't recall the exact error(s)/order of errors, although generally the lower the battery the more error messages appeared - I had a battery that was on the way out (probably the original from the factory). I should add that none of the error messages re-occurred after the battery was back up to charge and the car restarted (i.e. didn’t require an OBD-II reader to reset).
To be clear then, just stick the wire in the corner and shut the boot?
jon66 said:
Congratulations on the purchase....I'm sure that you will have plenty of fun with this Cali. Definitely looked like a nice choice.
I'd echo the comments about using the trickle charger....mine lives on that when not in use regularly and has never missed a beat. If I get chance later I'll take a quick photo so that you can see how I run the lead out of the boot.
Thanks, Jon. That would be v helpful. I'd echo the comments about using the trickle charger....mine lives on that when not in use regularly and has never missed a beat. If I get chance later I'll take a quick photo so that you can see how I run the lead out of the boot.
Update:
I was due to be collecting the car this week but that’s been put on hold due to a required part from Italy having not arrived. Apparently they are unable to track this order or get any precise info as to when it will arrive (even though it’s being dealt with be Leeds Ferrari). Does that sound normal or am I being messed around?
I’m not too concerned about the delay as I didn’t want to collect the car until early March anyway but they really pushed for collection as soon as possible so I inconvenienced myself (financially and time-wise) to make it happen this week.
A couple of things are playing on my mind...One is the fact I had to chase them to get the bad news today and although empathetic he was not apologetic which annoyed me a bit. More importantly though, should the fact they are finding something to fix on this car after several weeks (since November) on sale be something I should be worried about?
I was due to be collecting the car this week but that’s been put on hold due to a required part from Italy having not arrived. Apparently they are unable to track this order or get any precise info as to when it will arrive (even though it’s being dealt with be Leeds Ferrari). Does that sound normal or am I being messed around?
I’m not too concerned about the delay as I didn’t want to collect the car until early March anyway but they really pushed for collection as soon as possible so I inconvenienced myself (financially and time-wise) to make it happen this week.
A couple of things are playing on my mind...One is the fact I had to chase them to get the bad news today and although empathetic he was not apologetic which annoyed me a bit. More importantly though, should the fact they are finding something to fix on this car after several weeks (since November) on sale be something I should be worried about?
ANOpax said:
What’s the problem and what’s the part you’re waiting on? If it has gone AWOL, they should simply request another and return the original order when it eventually shows up.
Stuff can be found during the pre-sale inspection which wouldn’t otherwise show up so depending on what they found it could be a genuine repair. Are you getting a new power warranty with the car?
I asked via email what the part was and what problem it will fix and the answer was:Stuff can be found during the pre-sale inspection which wouldn’t otherwise show up so depending on what they found it could be a genuine repair. Are you getting a new power warranty with the car?
‘The parts and issues was “Breather fault with engine, due to oil contamination. Replaced breather and cam cover gasket POO”’
I’ll ask for clarification.
I appreciate things will be found out at presale inspection but this has shown up many weeks after going on sale.
No Power Warranty. This car is not being sold as an approved used Ferrari. It’s from JCT 600 in Newcastle that is soon to be a Ferrari service and used dealership but not yet. They are working with Leeds JCT 600 Ferrari for the work.
We managed to reach an agreement yesterday and after a gesture their end (can it be a gesture if I asked for it?) I made new arrangements to go up next Tuesday to collect the car. The car was MOT’d yesterday so I looked up the report this morning.
It was put through the MOT without number plates so was initially failed but then passed with an advisory point ‘ slight play in n/s steering arm’. This has not been mentioned in previous MOTs.
I spoke to the sales manager and was told they all suffer from this and even if a new steering rack was put in it would still be the same. I’ve since checked MOTs on 6 or 7 other Cali’s and can’t see the same advisory.
I’m not going to buy this car without this issue being resolved so what would be the correct repair?
It was put through the MOT without number plates so was initially failed but then passed with an advisory point ‘ slight play in n/s steering arm’. This has not been mentioned in previous MOTs.
I spoke to the sales manager and was told they all suffer from this and even if a new steering rack was put in it would still be the same. I’ve since checked MOTs on 6 or 7 other Cali’s and can’t see the same advisory.
I’m not going to buy this car without this issue being resolved so what would be the correct repair?
Pro Bono said:
Did you actually buy this car in the end? I was looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it, but in the absence of any further comment since 21 February I'm thinking you maybe decided to give it a miss.
No, I didn’t. Still want one though and will start the search again soon. Gassing Station | Ferrari V8 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff