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Gearbox issue with Roma Spider

U

Ufs

New member
Hi

UK based.

4 weeks ago I had delivery of a 1 year old Roma Spider from a renowned UK ferrari dealership, the car had some items that we had agreed prior that needed attention.

The vehicle arrived with the items untouched, in fact there were other items I’d noticed too, all of which I’d notified them of immediately upon delivery.
As the vehicle is relatively new and circa £200k they had promised me that once I’ve committed to the purchase they would be prepping the vehicle to concourse condition and it would go through a rigorous Ferrari Approved inspection. ie. I would receive the vehicle with no flaws and that any flaws would be corrected/renewed.
They agreed to some of the items I had reported upon delivery and were still finding out which of the additional items they were prepared to correct.

More importantly..
Meanwhile, 2 weeks after delivery the gearbox gave way and would not engage in gear at all from neutral. Of course, I notified them and they have recovered the vehicle and have agreed to correct the items and repair the gearbox even if it requires a new gearbox which has been approved by Ferrari Italy.

Of course, either option requires the complete removal of the gearbox.

This may be ok, but as is well known in the industry a replacement gearbox is ‘never the same’ as a factory fitted one.

I have 2 issues, one is that resell value will most definitely be compromised by the fact the gearbox has been removed/ replaced (personally I wouldn’t be too confident in purchasing a car of that value and age with a replaced gearbox).

Secondly the reliability once a gearbox is removed and refitted or replaced, it could be more prone to issues, and as you know Ferrari repairs are in the £10,000’s to say the least.

My questions are:
Are my thoughts on the gearbox issue founded?
Am I within legal rights to return the vehicle and have the transaction reversed?

I do love the car, the spec, colour combo etc. but I would need some real assurances to keep the vehicle.

Any thoughts and advices would be appreciated.

Thank you
 
Not sure on 1). On 2) read up on the consumer rights act. you are time limited on your options.

having “snoozed” last year on rejecting a car due to a fault and subsequent getting burnt; i would now be enacting my rights straight away.

personally with the above Id be rejecting the car on the basis they didn't fix the points agreed at sale; but thats me!
 
Need a gearbox diagnosis and aetiology ( what caused it to fail ) .
I understand they are Getrag off the self from Germany and probably used by other manufacturers?

From circa 2009 into of the Cali to 2017 the end of the 456 the getrag dL 7 was and still is a liability.
Briefly the central bearing wobbles you can’t tell and it looses it oil seals . It separates the shell gear oil from the shell diff oil . Theses mix …..no immediate symptoms many drive unknowingly. But and it’s a BIG but the resultant lub soup has a Uber low Ph and the acid starts to eat the insulation on the solenoids that are submerged in oil . = faults appears .

Initially Ferrari ( Getrag advise) was simply to replace the whole box , no one was opening them up .
This is 2009 onwards remember Cali , Cali T 458 . The 488 has a different box and the issues resolved.

Recently in the Indy / aftermarket world guys can open them up and replace the £20 bearing + what ever else has gone by the time the punter presents , worn synchros and the solenoid pack ( £5 K just for that part ) .

Additionally there is aftermarket preventative fix of swapping out the pair of Shell oils for iirc Motul equivalent ( might not be motul ) and when the seals fail again which they will in time the new none Ferrari oils when mixed don’t form an acid soup eating the insulation…..so you never know .

If anyone is bothered to remove the central floor pan ( not the engine belly pan ) there are weep holes either side of this crucial middle bearing …..so damp oil patches could be seem . Getrag fitted these weep holes . I can’t imagine a dealer taking in a 1 yr low miler ever stripping down all the under body covers / belly pan s and doing a forensic examination.
Despite the so called 111 ( or what ever ? ) point check BS .

You should have a copy of the “ pre owned check list “ ?

As said I understand the Getrag box fitted to 488 circa 2017 …..all theses woes where fixed ?

Maybe with your 2025 car Roma ….it isn’t or there’s another chocolate fire guard issue looming ….and being suppressed ? Anyhow Ferrari have had 17 yrs of gearbox hassle so your car is n good hands following due process .

If you could get out I would . Unless this is a 1 of 1 unique occurrence . Bad luck .

Feeling like deja vue …..you need to find out if it’s is / isn’t ?
 
Silver360 said:
Need a gearbox diagnosis and aetiology ( what caused it to fail ) .
I understand they are Getrag off the self from Germany and probably used by other manufacturers?

From circa 2009 into of the Cali to 2017 the end of the 456 the getrag dL 7 was and still is a liability.
Briefly the central bearing wobbles you can’t tell and it looses it oil seals . It separates the shell gear oil from the shell diff oil . Theses mix …..no immediate symptoms many drive unknowingly. But and it’s a BIG but the resultant lub soup has a Uber low Ph and the acid starts to eat the insulation on the solenoids that are submerged in oil . = faults appears .

Initially Ferrari ( Getrag advise) was simply to replace the whole box , no one was opening them up .
This is 2009 onwards remember Cali , Cali T 458 . The 488 has a different box and the issues resolved.

Recently in the Indy / aftermarket world guys can open them up and replace the £20 bearing + what ever else has gone by the time the punter presents , worn synchros and the solenoid pack ( £5 K just for that part ) .

Additionally there is aftermarket preventative fix of swapping out the pair of Shell oils for iirc Motul equivalent ( might not be motul ) and when the seals fail again which they will in time the new none Ferrari oils when mixed don’t form an acid soup eating the insulation…..so you never know .

If anyone is bothered to remove the central floor pan ( not the engine belly pan ) there are weep holes either side of this crucial middle bearing …..so damp oil patches could be seem . Getrag fitted these weep holes . I can’t imagine a dealer taking in a 1 yr low miler ever stripping down all the under body covers / belly pan s and doing a forensic examination.
Despite the so called 111 ( or what ever ? ) point check BS .

You should have a copy of the “ pre owned check list “ ?

As said I understand the Getrag box fitted to 488 circa 2017 …..all theses woes where fixed ?

Maybe with your 2025 car Roma ….it isn’t or there’s another chocolate fire guard issue looming ….and being suppressed ? Anyhow Ferrari have had 17 yrs of gearbox hassle so your car is n good hands following due process .

If you could get out I would . Unless this is a 1 of 1 unique occurrence . Bad luck .

Feeling like deja vue …..you need to find out if it’s is / isn’t ?
Click to expand...
Thank you Silver360 for the detailed response it’s much appreciated. I have just been advised that the Roma Spider has a 8-speed Magna 8DCL900 dual-clutch transmission? Any further views would be welcomed?
 
I had the same problem with the 1st Portofino M I had, same gear box as yours. This was in Feb 2023, the car was a year old with 8000 miles.
It came from the dealer with many defects after being told it was perfect, they collected it from me, then after they fixed most of them it went for PPF which was peeling, The PPF man called me to say it would not move. It was recovered and they changed the oil, etc, with no luck, needed new gear box, it came but they did not have the oil to fill it, they fitted it but then had to drain the oil and replace it with new as per running in instructions but did not have the oil!

Bear in mind I had not even driven the car, it arrived back with me in June, the first time I drove it the low oil stop the car light came on. I got my money back, and bought one that had not been a demo car [ my 1st mistake] which has been fine ever since, with lots of trips to Italy etc.

Personally I would be be worried with a brand new gearbox, other than with all the other problems you have had. It sounds like it has not been looked after, so it may have other issues, I would ask for my money back, which should be be a problem from a good dealer.
Good luck
 
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