Unfortunately for everyone involved (though mostly just myself in reality) the weather for this long Easter weekend was less than ideal, which meant that although I got out to my car, I had decided that it wasn’t really worth taking it out in the rain just to drive to dinner. All of this was actually irrelevant, as when I went to open the boot and quickly noticed that I had no electrical power whatsoever. Putting two and two together, it dawned on me that this was because the internal lights had been on all week, because the passenger door was slightly ajar. Total rookie mistake!
Now in most instances I would have isolated the battery and hooked up a trickle charger, however last week when I tucked the 360 away I thought to myself that it wasn’t worth going through all of that, partly because I didn’t have an extension cable to connect the charger—which was the main reason for going out to my car now I wasn’t actually going for a drive.
Thankfully it was’t all a complete disaster, as I was able to rope in the help of someone who not only also stores their vehicle in the same place, but also already knows my car as they actually work at Slade’s during the week. After a little head-scratching, we decided to remove the battery and properly test it to see whether it was recoverable—in need of a full charge—or unserviceable and in need of replacing. Borrowing some tools I was given a quick course in Ferrari 360 battery removal: remove the panel at the end of the passenger footwell, unscrew the bar that holds the battery in place, and slide it all out (remembering to keep the cables from shorting everything out).
My trickle charger indicated that the battery was charged but checking it with a voltmeter suggested that it was dead. With such conflicting results, I received the kind offer to have the battery left on a charger for a few days and if it comes back to life then next weekend I can attempt to put it back in (as it seems simple enough), and if not then I can source a replacement and fit that instead.
Luckily as the weather had already convinced me not to that her out so I didn’t really miss out on a drive, I also have a week to get things sorted before an upcoming wedding, so whilst it is certainly disappointing, it’s not the end of the world. Hopefully I’ll be able to provide a successful update next week.
Update: All is back to normal; I’ve fitted a replacement battery and she’s ready to go.
