Ferrari 458 Battery Problem | FerrariChat

Ferrari 458 Battery Problem

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by Russell B McKee, May 3, 2020.

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  1. Russell B McKee

    May 3, 2020
    2
    Full Name:
    Russell B McKee
    I have a 2012 Ferrari 458. I am on my third battery. The latest, Odyssey high cranking battery was the best I could buy according to one dealer. I keep it on a Ferrari trickle charger, but after a couple weeks of non-operation, the battery is again dead. I am now slow charging the battery. What is the preferred amperage for slow charge? I don't want to fry the battery. Any thoughts on how I can remedy this problem once and for all?
     
  2. flash32

    flash32 F1 Veteran

    Aug 22, 2008
    5,563
    Central NJ
    Full Name:
    Dominick
    Get yourself a good charger with the proper adapter ..eBay has a few sellers .. and keep the Ferrari tender for resale purposes

    I personally like the ctek 5.0 but others have likes the battery saver brand
     
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  3. Russell B McKee

    May 3, 2020
    2
    Full Name:
    Russell B McKee
    Thank you. If I put the battery on a slow charge, do you know what amperage setting I should use?
     
  4. Llenroc

    Llenroc F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 9, 2004
    4,770
    Colorado
    Full Name:
    Vern
    You might want to buy an after market battery tender. The factory units don’t last forever I would bet that is is your problem.

    edit: opps didn’t see the above post till after I posted, carry on.:cool:
     
  5. whatheheck

    whatheheck F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Mar 27, 2006
    4,138
    Seattle, Wa
    Full Name:
    Dan L.
    I use this for my 2006 F430 Spider and has worked very well.

    It's a no brainer plug it in and forget it. It will slowly charge it and maintain it.

    Use the setting to set 12V, select AGM if you have an AGM battery, hook it up to the car battery, plug it to power outlet and that's it.

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LWVEKS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Dan
     
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  6. flash32

    flash32 F1 Veteran

    Aug 22, 2008
    5,563
    Central NJ
    Full Name:
    Dominick
    The battery tender should be at least 5 amps .. it will not use the amperage but it will be there for those times you come home from a hot day drive and slow traffic

    There are some that are 7 amps as well


    The beauty of a good tender is it will condition and charge the battery if weak and then continue to monitor it for a trickle charger /float charge

    Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
     
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  7. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    25,040
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
    Full Name:
    Steve Magnusson
    Have you measured what the current draw from the battery is when the car is off (no trickle charger connected)? A failed component or a bad electrical modification/addition could be the trouble. The parasitic current draw has gone up on modern cars as more electrical complexity has been added, but something like 0.5A or 1A or more would be a clear sign that something ain't right. Just a thought...
     
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  8. OffsetImage

    OffsetImage Rookie

    Apr 21, 2020
    24
    Full Name:
    Spence Haldren
    you will want a parasitic draw of no more than 30ma (.03A) on the battery, typically I have seen about 19-22ma when I am testing 458s that have battery issues. A Ferrari trickle charger will put on 2A charge so that's more than enough if the battery is always on a tender when its not in use, 5A is good as well both will need to be connected when the car is not in use to make sure that you won't have any battery issues.
     
  9. Jorligan

    Jorligan Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 23, 2007
    266
    Dexter, MI
    Full Name:
    Tim
    I wouldn't be surprised if your Ferrari charger is bad, mine failed on my '12. Replaced with the Antigravity lithium, no issues even after sitting for 3 weeks without a charger. Starts much more easily as compared to before.
     
  10. Jeff Pintler

    Jeff Pintler Formula Junior

    Jul 20, 2005
    537
    Richland
    Full Name:
    Jeff Pintler
    And, of course, remember that if your battery is below 12 volts (or near 11.5?), the new smart chargers won't allow the battery to charge. Use the supply
    setting to raise the voltage to 12 volts then use the smart charge setting to fully charge and maintain the battery. I have also read that once an Optima battery or even a lead-acid battery is completely drained, it will never fully charge again. Do a search on this site for dead batteries/chargers and you will find lots of postings.

    You would think that as much money we pay for these cars, Ferrari would fix or even solve the "car needs to be on a charger all the time" problem. stupid Mercedes or dodge trucks can sit for 5 months and start without a problem!!

    "Friends don't let friends buy optima batteries"
    Jeff Pintler
    89 348tb, 86TR, 99 360 3-pedal, 05 S-160 Bobcat
     
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  11. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    #11 f355spider, May 13, 2020
    Last edited: May 13, 2020
    Would tend to agree the battery tender is probably at fault here. There are much better ones than what Ferrari supplies, and the Ctek version Ferrari includes are known to fail or be dodgy in operation. Adapters to continue to use the factory ferrari magnetic catch are available online and Ebay.

    I would not worry about how much amperage the battery tender puts out...low and slow is better than higher output. It simply takes longer to reach full charge. Who cares if a 7amp can do it in 30 minutes and a 800ma takes 6 hours? Any battery manufacturer will state that a lower charge rate is better for the battery. I have several battery tenders from 800ma to around 4amps. They all work as intended.

    All battery tenders are microprocessor controlled to maintain the charge and not overcharge. Some do have temperature compensation modes and battery conditioning or anti sulfation modes, I have not found them to have any practical difference in battery life. Can they help? Possibly, but I wouldn't make that an over riding purchase decision. Find a reliable, trusted brand, with a good warranty and durable construction. Of the various ones I currently own, I like the Save A Battery ones, and have had good luck with Battery Tender and Griot Garage ones. But many like the Noco, Ctek (same maker of the Ferrari branded ones), and others.
     

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