488 bizarre happenings on the highway

I never use the tender but I drive the car several times a week and now that I have a boat at the Lakeway marina, that is a half hour each way so it gets decent length drives too. As to all the glitches and gremlins, there is definitely a problem that Ferrari needs to address but they haven't put in the effort to find it. Fixing this kind of issue is hard, I know from years of experience designing systems that span multiple LRUs in an airframe. Different grounds are one of the biggest problems and they can cause communications errors between systems and within systems.

 

So...got my answer today from Ferrari, they indicated a weak cell in the battery was responsible for the occasional low voltage that caused the warning lights. It has been replaced under warranty, I'll get the car back this week. The battery had checked out fine last week, but I guess a deeper dive revealed the weak cell.

Jim

 

Glad it’s sorted, hopefully that will be the end of it.

 

I'll post again if it doesn't. I feel bad for the owner(s) that had their brakes lock up, I've not had that happen, but did have the AVH failure warning light that many of us have experienced. If it is just a bad cell in the battery, that's an easy fix, but I'd still like to see an electrical system that is not so intolerant of small voltage changes....maybe someday.

Jim

 

The battery is a very weak link in this car - am onto my third in 18 months. Admittedly some of that (may) have had something to do with the tracking device having a passive draw - tested to be within tolerance - and no longer in the car now - but I'm not convinced the tender is able to save the battery from dying when the car is parked up for periods between drives. It's what's causing the cells to fail that's the big unknown problem and the rear LED light seems to be on a constant draw for some odd reason too. I don't have these problems with my 911's and they've all got trackers. Having a new battery now is not going to stop future disappointments and surprise inconvenience I'm afraid to say hence why I would definitely fit the cord to the pull and always carry the booster in the frunk. It'll be one of the first things I do when I take delivery of my Pista. I'm so over this BS inconvenience. Funny thing it was the Ferrari tech who told me about the booster and to go buy one as batteries are the bane of his existence with this brand. My advice is don't get too comfortable just because a new battery got fitted.

 

Thanks, this is why I'm still asking for the "why" explanation (don't need to hear it's the battery, need to WHY the system causes this so frequently in these cars), and your example is certainly one cause. Why is it so hard for the designers to get this right, makes no sense to me.

Kind of funny, not so funny, story from a friend in Chicago. He pulls into a gas station in his 488 (8 months old, 2100 miles), has half a dozen guys surround the car, checking it out, asking questions, they obviously love the car, take pics, etc.. One guy asks if he can film the startup, wants to record the sound and drive away....(you can see where I'm going here)....and yes, presses Start, gets the click, gets the warning lights, cannot get it started, sits there 5 min, tries again with same result, will not start. One guy asks "how old is the car?" He gets the answer, shakes his head, strolls off as they all eventually did. Others come over and, almost laughing, ask if he needs a jump. He decides to wait for roadside assistance, so after sitting at the pump for an hour, listening to the negative comments about the car being "stuck" etc, he finally gets the jump and drives home. Calls me to tell me the story, and indicates the car will soon be up for sale, he's done with Ferrari. Like you, he's never had a problem like this with any other car (Porsche, Audi A8, Lambo, AM, others).

Ferrari can keep treating these instances as "no big deal," and telling owners to "keep it on the charger when parked" as if we don't do that (I do it EVERY time it's parked without fail), but they're not the one stuck at the pump. I'm starting to understand why so many owners keep these in the garage.....

Jim

 

The garage story is funny and sadly doesn't surprise me one bit. I have a few of my own to tell with the car, all battery related - one was when Ferrari had the car for a few days to check over the battery issue after the car wouldn't start at home and I had the Ferrari assist come and start it so I could drive it over to the service shop. Anyways a few days later they call me up to come collect the car saying they've checked everything out and all's good to go. So I get a cab over, after going though the usual processes they drive the car out of the service bay and out into the front of the shop area for me to get in and go home. Tech pulls up, stops engine gets out etc, and a few prospective customers saw the car and came over to look at it. Anyway I get in and go to start it and all the lights go on and it's as dead as a dodo. Head tech comes out checks it out himself, sales guys come out, a few muffled words are passed between them and then one says we'll call a taxi for you as it looks like the battery is dead. I'm standing there thinking how great is all this as at least this time the the thing craps itself in their shop this time! And this was after they cleared the battery as perfectly good and checked out the alternator charge and everything else! Yep batteries are a real issue with this car and there is clearly more going on that what they are able to fix unfortunately. It was a very bad look for the prospective customers to witness too.

 

I needed three new batteries in two years (F12).

Marcel Massini

 

These are AGM batteries, which see wide problem-free use. I have an AGM house bank on my boat.

The most basic cause of failure is that the parasitic draw on the batteries when the cars are parked is greater than the ability of the charger to provide an offsetting current. The latest charger Ferrari provide gives 4.3 amps maximum. This one, a 7 amp charger, is worth trying for anyone having issues.

https://www.ctek.com/products/vehicle/mxs-7-0

 

Funny and sad at the same time! My 488 will be returned soon, as mentioned in another post, your story would have been my story if I tried to pick up the car last week when they told me it "all checked out fine," but when they tried to load it on the truck it wouldn't start, got the usual lights, kept it, emailed the Mother ship, and the answer they got back was bad battery cell. Battery has been changed, and I'm waiting for the return.

If they aren't going to somehow reduce the parasitic draw, then it seems logical that they should use a battery that can handle it, but maybe it's just easier or cheaper to let owners get stuck, truck it to the dealer, go through the usual "can't find it" routine a couple of times, before they have no choice but to replace the battery. If as RayJohns and others have noted many times that the Braille battery solves the problem, why isn't Ferrari using these batteries?

Jim

 

In two (2) years, not in 1.

Marcel Massini

 

I had a similar experience with my 2018 488 spider. I've had a bunch of experiences lol. But this happened and it ended up being a faulty seat belt buckle. Believe it or not that's what fixed This for me.

 

Had my first service on my 488 GTB no questions asked and they put a new battery in
Not a Ferrari one

 

Get a good quality Group 48 battery in it. Words cannot describe the poor quality of a Ferrari branded battery.
Buddy of mine switched to a Braille battery and his 488 went from not being able to sit for more than a day, to now being able to sit for over a week. He hasn't found the limit yet, but it's the longest it has been sitting so far, and zero issues.
You can change the battery yourself if your not all thumbs and have a few basic tools. It's not hard, just a few things to take apart.

 

If they installed another OE battery, most likely not.

 

Perspective...spent a week on the road in the Perf, now 2,600 miles. Have never plugged car in once yet in a year of ownership.
It’s no ferrari of course, but I also never worry it will leave me stranded or flash electronic warnings randomly like my 458’s did.

I’ve been thinking about getting a Lusso or FF for distances but remembering my ferrari challenges has given me pause.

 

Since I got my battery changed I haven’t had any problems, but I am extremely paranoid and always worried I’m going to get stranded. I turn the car off when getting gas and cross my fingers while starting it back up, but if I pull off at a rest stop for a quick view, I leave the engine running “just in case.” It’s not so much having to pay for a battery, it’s the thought of being stranded somewhere inconvenient. It definitely puts a huge damper on some of my more adventurous drives.

 

Thanks.
Will this plug right into a Ferrari or do you have to attach a Ferrari-specific adaptor?

 

You'll need an adapter.

 

That’s ridiculous and completely impractical. If Ferrari’s truly needed this (I’ve never put mine on one unless left for over 2 weeks unattended and i e owned 12 Ferrari’s in 20 years) then they truly WOULD be Italian pieces of ****.

 

It is truly ridiculous. Part of the issue is, that the quality ofvthe batteries has gone down, and the leaching has gone up.
As I mentioned, best thing any new owner can do these days, is to drop off a quality battery off that can be installed during pre delivery prep. I saw a 458 that went from being able to sit fot 2 days with the stock junk box in it m, to 6 weeks after a Braille ICS 48 was installed. That speaks volumes as to the fact that the car is fine, but the batteries Ferrari gets from FLAMM is utter garbage. So many Ferrari electrical issues are reported daily, and so many of them can be traced down to low voltage issues.
Have you received your Pista yet? I'm curious as to whether the new lithium batteries Ferrari install will solve any of this. Any insight?

 

This was one of the key issues in my decision to sell my 488 Spider. When you lose trust in the car nothing else matters. I hope they have their act together with the hybrids going forward.

 

I’m scheduled for a September build I just found out yesterday.