Every day tips for living with a 599

[cake eater]

Hi,

Finally have my 599 in the garage


Any tips for living with it?
Like how do you activate the parking sensors without going into reverse?
Where do you put your phone so you can use maps? I really don't like a suction mount on the windscreen and hate the idea of sticking a mount to the dash.

Thanks

[cake eater]

Well, I'm feeling dumb!

There's a button on the centre console to activate the sensors. There's also a function called 'stop/go' in the dash display which turns the parking sensors on automatically below 11mph.
There's two tiny rocker switches behind the steering wheel for accessing the menu on the dash display.

Amazing what you find hidden when you read the manual.

[cake eater]

I found it in the glovebox. For days I was like can't believe no cupholders and no glovebox. Last night I was in the car and thought, what does this 'open' button do?

And like magic a glovebox appears!!

[cake eater]

Gorgeous car PerseusGK

And thanks for the tips jayemm89. I remember the dealer told me about this as it helps to calibrate the throttle bodies.

I would also recommend getting a specialist inspection done even though you have purchased the car already. MDL specialist cars did this for me and found a few issues that were missed by the inspection from the main dealer inspection.

I am also going to do a day at Millbrook with CAT Driver Training as I am finding the shear size and speed of the car is taking some getting used to

Cake

[cake eater]

Hi PerseusGK,

I think I was looking at the same car as you. Unfortunately DL didn't give me the same experience you had. Never returned my calls or emails. Only person who treated me like a potential customer was the Ferrari financial guy Kevin Briggs.

Yes, I bought the Grigio Silverstone with Bordeaux car. I like the combination. It makes me think that if Bond left the Aston at home he'd take the 599.

I'm taking it to Monaco at the end of this month.

All the Best with your car!
Cake

[cake eater]

WCZ said:

they are a bit nuts aren't they¬!

In a scary fabulous way!

[cake eater]

PerseusGK said:

Have had a car as powerful in the past (McLaren 12C), but not with the seemingly never ending intensity power delivery and noise - it's quite startling in a good way!

It also feels like the widest thing I've ever driven, but still feels very agile for its size. Looking forward to getting into Europe with it, quite envious of your trip to Monaco, Cake.

I looked at 12c and 570s but the 599 turned my head more. I could not believe how much it was still pulling at 160! I'm rather wary of pushing its limits at the moment especially under brakes and cornering. I love the way it is a nice luxury GT when you want and completely nuts when the mood takes you.

[cake eater]

So yesterday turned out to be a bad day.

Planned to meet a friend for breakfast and had made a 60 mile route including the snake pass. 8 miles in and TPMS gives me a warning. Initially just thought it was false alarm till I felt a pull at the steering. Pressure reading 5psi! Unfortunately I am on a twisty B road with nowhere to pull over, not even a small straight. Drove on for a little bit and found a st place to stop, was really worried about driving any further as TPMS said 0psi. Checked the tyre and there is a finger sized hole in the side wall!

Please note I did not leave the car like this, it was only like this so I could check the tyre. I moved it to the kerb once I knew the tyre could not be repaired. Luckily the AA van turned up 30mins later and parked up with his lights flashing to help warn drivers. So glad it was a quiet Sunday morning with little traffic as there were quite a few scares.

Anyway. No jacking kit (no spare so not required but all the same!). Just a puncture repair kit that is 4 years out of date.

AA took 5 hours to get a low loader. The driver of the low loader then attempted to drive the 599 up the ramp, with a flat tyre, nearly pulling the bumper off and bending the number plate bracket. I was furious.

AA man told me what the driver of the low loader did is considered gross negligence. How do you complain and someone lose their job, their lively hood? As someone said to me on here, "it is just an expensive donkey!" In my industry, I could call a service company and recommend further training, no need for details.

What to do?

New tyre, new repair kit, fingers crossed for the trip to Monaco

[cake eater]

I do agree with you it needs to be mentioned as not and someone else suffering is also not an acceptable outcome.

Tyres were new, put on a few weeks ago, less than 500 miles on them, date stamp within the last 4 months for the front and 6 months for the rear.

AA man said tyres are their #1 call out now. Seems to have been a sharp stone that went right through the side wall.

[cake eater]

DeejRC said:

The expensive donkey comment was probably me. I cannot conceive of costing someone their job over such a thing, my car is just a car. My wife says that I’m such a soft touch that I’m nearly a bleeding heart liberal communist.

It was you

And I have appreciated your previous advice. I have spoken to the AA and just said that I had concerns, no specific violations, just asked for there to be clear guidance when loading / off loading specialist vehicles. As the low loader was from a contractor, the AA will reiterate their expectations for safe and proper handling of a customers vehicle.

Anyway, new tyre is on, no rim damage. Managed to recalibrate the TPMS after reading the manual again. Need to call Ferrari for a new puncture repair kit for the trip to Monaco and fingers crossed for better weather

Thanks all
Cake

[cake eater]

johnnyreggae said:

Massive Ferrari tax will apply if they even still sell them - a couple of regular size Halfords aerosols is an alternative

Yeah, not cheap
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/en-gb/part-finder...

Thanks for the tip on 2 x Halfords ones

[cake eater]

Thank jayemm,

Turns out I'm in need of that Ferrari assistance.
I'm currently waiting in Millbrook car park for Ferrari assistance to collect me.


Power steering failure unfortunately.

[cake eater]

Hi Geffg,

To tell you the truth, it has been awesome. I want to drive it all the time!

It's been a pampered car, it's 14 years old, at the moment in this honeymoon period I'm forgiving a lot and still loving it.

It's done a 1000 miles in a couple weeks, driven in all conditions and it's just a great place to spend time.

I expected some niggles but I was hoping to have at least a year without problems. We'll see if the Ferrari New Power warranty was worth it.

[cake eater]

willy wombat said:

the tale of the low loader has reminded me of when I had my 599 transported to Italy for an event . . . .
. . . So my "every day tip for living with a 599" is don't ever use brake and accelerator at the same time and don't let anyone else do it either!

I'm now completely paranoid!
Ferrari Assistance collected the car and the guy told me just go relax in reception and I couldn't until the car was up on the ramp!

He got in and started the car and I was absolutely convinced he was going to drive it up!!

But it's was just so he could turn the steering wheel.

[cake eater]

Wozy68 said:

Interesting about the AA and the tyre.

On Monday I had to move over on a narrow lane as a transit coming the other way was in the middle of the road….. result I hit a stone in the verge and destroyed the tyre.

19inch rim and knackered tyre with no spare or jack. Called the AA and expected them to tow it to a garage but nope he had a universal wheel with him which bolted on and off we went. He followed me to the garage of my choice .

So I’m surprised your AA man didn’t offer this to you.

Mind you mine was a Mazda, not a Ferrari

AA man did try to repair but as soon as he tried to inflate the tyre it blew all 5 grommets out! And no universal spare for my car

These low profile tyred do seem very vulnerable

[cake eater]

F355GTS said:

tbf the 599 is a bit of a bugger to drive up ramps on to a truck particularly if it's wet, I had the same problem with Stratstones when they collected my 599, clutch smell was awful

The Ferrari Assistance guy did say that they can be difficult. He was very concerned about the towing eye. It had already been bent from a previous owner.

[cake eater]

willy wombat said:

Stick with it, Cake Eater. Sounds to me like some of the issues (not the puncture obviously) could be because the car hasn’t been driven much in the past few years (am I right?). Hopefully as you’re now putting miles on it these things will work themselves out and you’ll have a reliable car. I had a 599 for 13 years with no major issues (it was driven regularly and serviced according to the schedule every year). Don’t get paranoid about the clutch - just be careful. Doing a hill start on a steep hill is a nightmare. The handbrake is no match for the weight of the car and so you have to put your left foot on the brake. Just try to make sure you’re not still braking when you push the accelerator. Repeated hill starts might give you a clutch overheat warning (I had one trying to get out the Festival of Speed car park). If you get the warning, just pull out the way and let everything cool down again and the clutch should be fine. If you are stuck in an uphill queue, don’t crawl. Wait until you’ve enough space to make a clean start and drive up to the car in front without any clutch slip. All common sense really.

Now that is a good tip!

I have been struggling with how to manage the clutch in traffic, creeping when parking etc as the ECU is constantly in / out with the clutch and being able to feather is near impossible. It definitely likes a more positive throttle. But then it moves off too fast when you are in a tight space! So no more creeping in traffic. I'm managing the hill starts so far and will keep your experience in mind.

The 599 has been very well looked after by the previous owners. Annual servicing, approximately 2000 easy miles per year but much less in the last two years. Inspection of the car by MDL Specialist Cars showed that it was a very clean car with zero corrosion issues. One issue highlighted was that it would not give you the superfast mode for the gearbox and MDL suggested that it needed to go through a learning mode for the gearbox. Needless to say that after a day a Millbrook the F1-S message was displaying on the LCD screen. A sign of how its previous owners have treated the car.

[cake eater]

So I have just collected the 599 from Maranello Service in Egham.

A few things I have learnt.
Having the Ferrari New Power warranty has paid for its self - even though the service manager said you're more often not covered. I think why so many people choose not to have the extended warranty.
If you breakdown, Ferrari Assistance means you get priority in the service hence the 1 week to turn around the car when I'd been told by other dealers it would be a week just to look at the car.
Ferrari Assistance also includes onward travel, so Ferrari paid for my taxi from Millbrook to Home in the Peak District.

And thanks to the efforts of Maranello Service I'll be bringing my car back here.

Now off to Monaco

[cake eater]

At the tunnel

[cake eater]

Dear Ferrari Service,

I promise I wasn't being naughty


I have only treated the car with respect