First Ferrari - 2010 California

Yes "some" early Cali's had DCT issues. I feel this failure is way overstated/overblown. My 2011 has 40k miles - no DCT issues. I feel that if this car has driven 60k miles - it's doubtful there will be an issue. You are getting the car pretty cheap so budget some $$$s for inevitable repairs. Keep in mind my feedback is opinion only based on what I've read & experience with my car. Let forum know what you decide.

 

If you're buying it because it's cheap and thinking it's affordable then yes you should cancel the sale because there is nothing cheap about maintaining an early model Cali, I know first hand.

 

True statement. Very few Ferraris are cheap to buy & none are cheap to maintain.

 

I second that.
If the worst case scenario were to occur , and the car was a total write-off, would that make it difficult to meet your other obligations? If the answer is no, then jump in!
It's an expensive toy. Don't regret buying it, but even though our Cali has been reliable, the first gen are getting up there in age, and need lots of TLC. Which costs $$$
T

 

I bought a 2010 Cali from a very meticulous friend in the owners club. Had 48k miles on it. Purchase was 2.5 yrs ago. He Had a very through Ppi done. He had the car for 2 months, it was to be a daily driver for his wife, except at 5 ft tall, she could not see over the dash. I paid by todays standards alot. No regrets. I’ve done 4.5k miles been serviced twice. Needed front shocks after 1 leaked and new motor mounts during first service. As i approached the officina, the dct started to play up. He could not replicate the trouble. Drove home kicked up a lot of trouble. Car away for winter. Called dct scuderia, who repairs dcts, sensor replaced. No wire chaffing as most have, mine was just an old sensor. 40 hours of labour and £1500 in parts +20% vat, car is great. Dm me if you want more info or post here

 

Congrats! Drive, drive, drive!

 

Congrats ! at 60k miles at least it's well driven enough, like other said I would keep some backup funds from the savings of the initial upfront cost and enjoy the experience !

 

Congratulations! That's the full "Tuxedo Package", I like it!

 

Beautiful car. Do you have the service history? Has the gearbox ever been apart before?

Watch the rear of the car carefully for an oil leak coming from a weep hole at the back of the gearbox. That is the sign of an impending DCT seal failure. It will drip when running as that is when the oil in the transmission is under pressure and circulating. You can also have the gearbox fluid changed and analyzed for metal particles, another thing that happens as the internal bearings wear. Ferrari states that a drop of oil at the weephole is normal. But if the seal is intact and sealing, it should not leak at all.

Be prepared for a $15k-20k repair ($25k-30k at the dealer) if it really springs a leak or you get shifting errors and lose the odd or even gears. There are a number of pressure sensors inside the gearbox and if one fails, it has to be disassembled ... the too high voltage error would make me nervous. But if you do have to repair the box, do not just replace the offending sensor, replace everything -- seals, bearings, sensors, wiring -- it does not make sense to save a few thousand in parts on a repair bill at the risk of having something else fail and having to pay another 40 hour labor charge just to take it all apart again.

Mine failed this spring at 32k miles on a 2015 car which we used to think was less prone to failure than the early Californias ... while Getrag did address some early failures of the sensors, the real issue is the seals failing due to being degraded by the oil and metal from bearing wear over time. I saw the metal particles in my own gearbox when it was disassembled. The mechanic believed metal tore the seal as it was a big leak. The kits available now from The Hollywood Mechanic include new seals made from Viton and sealed bearings.

It's a known issue with the Getrag gearbox on every modern Ferrari and it's unclear if the newer 8-speed boxes have really solved it. Mercedes, who used the same Getrag DCT transmission in some AMG cars, extended the warranty on the gearbox for 8 years. Ferrari did not do so.

My car has had a remarkable service history from new ... nothing other than tires, batteries and one small plastic clip on a paddle actuator required attention. It has been driven regularly and reasonably and had been trouble free until the gearbox leaked -- and, unfortunately, that seems to be a matter of "when" and not "if."

Caution is not a bad idea when you encounter a used car, especially at a non-Ferrari dealer's lot. It's such a big repair that if an owner or dealer knew it was coming, the car could have been auctioned or traded. A prepurchase inspection at a knowledgeable Ferrari shop is a very good idea, and they should know what to look for.

It does not mean you will have a problem, but be watchful. I had the car for 5 years and 22k miles before mine failed, and I loved every mile.

 

Leave it in gear, it's circulating internal fluids, you are not saving the clutch pack on a DCT by putting it in Neutral.
Auto mode or paddles, enjoy the experience. I would mention that pulling the paddles with the tip of your finger is enough, using your full grip at full force does not make it shift faster or harder, but it may result in broken micro-switches!

Put $5k a year away, there will come a time that you will need it.
Enjoy your new to you Ferrari, welcome to the family!

S

 

Over my two years of ownership of a babied, all maintenance done on schedule 11k mile 2010 California I needed in addition to regular maintenance the carbon cleaning, an airbag module replaced more than once, shocks, a climate control module replaced, plugs/coils and new injectors. The total came out to around 20k for all of those, more if I didn't have the power warranty which I fought to have the injectors covered under. Power warranty cost me 9k for the two years or so. Mind you none of those are any kind of catastrophic issue like a tranny, top or whatever else....they were all common issues.

So all told with the warranty and regular maintenance you're talking 30k plus for two years for a car that didn't have any real issues other than common and wear tear. I didn't think that was absolutely crazy I figured that's just exotic car ownership but what stuck in my mind is that I spent it on a 100k car, not a 250k car.

 

Here’s what I’m using on my California. No issues.
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Jason, this is connected to the battery charging connection in the trunk. If I didn’t have a spare trunk connector from my last failed Ferrari charger I would just connect to the battery.

 

I have CTEKs, fairly priced and quite smart. The OE one was a CTEK anyway. Extra point for them fitting the original trickle socket. I would recommend the MXS 5.0 (i also have the free and the one but those are multipurpose; but for the time being i just keep a mxs plugged into each car; if you have cars with life/lipo batteries then CT5 POWERSPORT).