Possible fire in a 458. | FerrariChat

Possible fire in a 458.

Discussion in 'California & Nevada (Northern)' started by Billdreamlv, May 11, 2021.

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  1. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell
    I pulled the bumper off of my 458 Ferrari and this is what I observed. I noticed a burning smell coming from the car but could not determine what it was coming from. Then I pulled the bumper. What do you think it is?
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  2. SVCalifornia

    SVCalifornia Formula 3
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 28, 2011
    2,447
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Keith
    Smell the plastic. Does it have the same odor as what you detected before??

    SV
     
  3. ridege55

    ridege55 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    May 9, 2017
    1,329
    Manhattan Beach, CA
    Full Name:
    John
    You should put this thread in the 458 section. Also, is your exhaust modified in any way?
     
  4. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell
    No my exhaust in not modified. I have a lot more pictures and would like to post but I am not a subscriber so I can't. If you would like to post something along the same lines I can respond with a lot of pictures.
     
  5. westerner

    westerner Rookie

    Mar 4, 2021
    13
    Bill did you get your car back from PPF shop? Damn thats crazy though hope you get it sorted out.
     
  6. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell

    Not yet. I should get it Friday.
     
  7. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell

    Not yet. Friday.
     
  8. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell
    More pictures. I talked to the guy at SF Ferrari and he said that I would have to pay for the tow to SF but he would see what he could do. I told him that Ferrari Corporate should know about this. If it happened to my car, it could be happening to other cars. He said he would get back to me today. I have a infrared meter to measure the temp in each exhaust port. I am going to measure the temp today since the reason why I took off the bumper was to put on an Forza exhaust controller. It is now installed and I should be able to turn on and off the exhaust in the outside ports.
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    SAFE4NOW likes this.
  9. FerrariCognoscenti

    FerrariCognoscenti Formula 3

    Jan 19, 2021
    2,429
    East Coast
    Ferrari needs to cover this regardless of warranty status and they better take care of the tow.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  10. SAFE4NOW

    SAFE4NOW F1 Veteran
    Sponsor Owner

    Aug 25, 2004
    5,378
    Dallas Texas
    Full Name:
    If you know you know
    You may want to hold off adding aftermarket bits & pieces if you are planning on rattling FNA's cage about this.

    IMO only, there is something unique about your very real situation that needs to be fleshed out...

    1. Has the burning odor been occuring for several days / weeks?
    2. Has the car been running at idle for an extended time ( stationary )
    3. Has the car been driven aggressively ( on track or canyon carving ) for extended time ( all day ? )


    I have personally seen dozens, if not more 458 rear bumpers off , none show what is showing in your photographs.

    S
     
  11. SAFE4NOW

    SAFE4NOW F1 Veteran
    Sponsor Owner

    Aug 25, 2004
    5,378
    Dallas Texas
    Full Name:
    If you know you know
    #11 SAFE4NOW, May 12, 2021
    Last edited: May 12, 2021

    Curious, why do you feel so strongly? Do you know something we don't ?

    S
     
  12. Ianjoub

    Ianjoub Formula Junior

    Dec 22, 2019
    899
    Homosassa, FL USA
    Full Name:
    Ian Joubert
    Very unlikely now that he has modified the exhaust.

    What year is your car? I wonder if this was due to the earlier tunes that allowed the exhaust popping on decel. Perhaps it was some joker that liked to sit still and rev the heck out of it... That would create excessive heat.
     
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  13. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell
    I received a call from SF Ferrari and they want to look at he car. They said they would analyze the car from bumper to bumper and see what happened. They said that they would send a tow truck to pick up the car for $1800. I asked them if I had to pay for it and they said yes. I asked them if they had talked to Ferrari Corporate about the possible fire damage and they said no. So, it doesn't look like Ferrari is going to take any responsibility for the melted bumper. There is nothing wrong with the car that I can see so, no, I am not going to pay $1800 to have it towed so that Ferrari can say it is not their fault. If other cars burn up because of the bumper catching on fire, then I will wait until Ferrari does a recall and get it fixed in the recall. I guess that is the way it works.

    To answer some of the questions posted here:
    1. I purchased the car in March and drove it from Phoenix to Reno with no problems.
    2. It is a 2012 458.
    3. I noticed the burning smell after driving it on the freeway but it wasn't bad. I would say the it was a little more than a normal car smell after a long run.
    4. I purchased the car in March and have never had it over 4000 rpm. There has been no track time for me but I don't know if previous drivers have done it.
    5. No long time idle.

    It would seem to me that if I had a car company and this happened to one of my cars and this model has had a history of fires in the rear of the car, I would want to know about it and do what ever was necessary to see that it never happened again. Even if the car was at idle for an extended period of time(unknown to me) or if the car was driven hard on the track(unknown to me) Ferrari should not build a car that would potentially catch on fire for those reasons. IF they never know about it because SF Ferrari never tells them about it, well that is a different story. I am raising the alarm so that others will know about this potential problem and hope that Ferrari will engage.
     
    MrJason likes this.
  14. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell
    Just so you know, I have never driven the car since I put the Forza on it. This happened before I did anything.
     
  15. Ianjoub

    Ianjoub Formula Junior

    Dec 22, 2019
    899
    Homosassa, FL USA
    Full Name:
    Ian Joubert
    Yes, but any manufacturer would deny a claim on a potentially faulty exhaust system after the exhaust has been modified. At least remove the controller if you bring it in.

    I would just fab up a heat shield of some sort and occasionally monitor things with an infrared thermometer.
     
  16. FerrariCognoscenti

    FerrariCognoscenti Formula 3

    Jan 19, 2021
    2,429
    East Coast
    If you complain to Ferrari North America, they will take care of it. According to the dealer FNA isn’t even aware of this situation.


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  17. ChipG

    ChipG Formula 3

    May 26, 2011
    1,722
    Santa Monica, CA
    It might be a sign of your catalytic converter going bad, when they do they can get really hot:

    A worn or congested catalytic converter can effortlessly go from its standard working temperature range of about 1,200 to 1,6000F (648.9 to 871.10 C) to about 2, 0000 F (1,093.30C). ... If the catalytic converter gets becomes extremely hot, it could even set fire to the cabin insulation and carpeting.
     
  18. HMB-Dino

    HMB-Dino Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 28, 2010
    2,167
    Pebble Beach, CA
    Full Name:
    RonG
    Wow!
    1,200 to 1,6000F (648.9 to 871.10 C) to about 2, 0000 F (1,093.30C)

    16,000 to 20,000F is probably crematorium level hot...;)
     
    ChipG likes this.
  19. gw32

    gw32 Formula Junior

    Apr 6, 2017
    942
    Sonoma, CA
    Full Name:
    Gary
    How many miles on the car? Did you get a PPI for your recent purchase? I'd ask if the car is running normal but since you recently bought it and haven't run it over 4,000 RPM you probably can't make that judgement. Is it possible the previous owner had an exhaust system on the car put removed it for the sale? If you drive it, I would recommend you carry a fire extinguisher...just in case.
     
  20. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell
    It has 23,000 miles on the car. Does a catalytic converter only last for a few years? And I did get a PPF on the car. I do carry a fire extinguisher in the car.
     
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  21. ChipG

    ChipG Formula 3

    May 26, 2011
    1,722
    Santa Monica, CA
    I copied from a service bulletin, those crazy Italians and their math :) pretty funny but yea, a '0' should be removed from the end and added back onto the cars sticker price
     
  22. westerner

    westerner Rookie

    Mar 4, 2021
    13
    Bill I would take your car to Salerno Motorsports in Rocklin CA those guys are the best. Have them take a look at the car.
     
    Apollo 11 likes this.
  23. Billdreamlv

    Billdreamlv Rookie

    Feb 22, 2021
    17
    Full Name:
    Bill ODonnell
    Thanks Westerner, I will call them on Monday.
     

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