458 glovebox problem

[willy wombat]

My 458 has developed a problem whereby the glovebox will not open by pressing the button on the centre consol (but it can be opened using the emergency string underneath). Dealer has diagnosed that it is a problem with the NQS. The money no object fix is install a new NQS for a cool £7,000. I believe in keeping my cars in tip top condition but £7k to open the glovebox is a stretch. The dealer is checking with Ferrari to see whether the NQS can be sent to them for repair (don’t hold your breath) but, in the meantime, has anyone else had this problem, found a cheaper fix, etc?

[andyr]

And its definitely not this ... ?

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/458-2011...

[willy wombat]

I don’t think so because it was working but I’ll give it a try, thanks.

[willy wombat]

Have checked this now but it’s not the problem. Any other suggestions gratefully received.

[jdwoodbury]

Can it be any more complicated than a solenoid to open the glovebox? If its just the solenoid I am sure there are outfits in the UK than could repair the unit as it unlikely to a Ferrari specific part. The question is when the button is pushed does the solenoid receive an electrical input, any competent auto electrician could test that for you.

[jdwoodbury]

Looks like a new lock mechanism is £150 on Eurospares

https://www.eurospares.co.uk/parts/ferrari/458-ita...

[Gnevans]

Fuse?

[willy wombat]

Regrettably it’s not as simple as the fuse. The investigation carried out by the dealer included all the obvious like car set up etc. They then swapped in the NQS from another 458 and that solved the problem. They then replaced my NQS and the problem was back again. They then disconnected and reconnected the battery. This solved the problem for a short period and then it recurred, which is where I am now. It looks like an intermittent fault in the NQS so I guess, as suggested above, I am now looking for someone who can troubleshoot and repair. It’s not the end of the world as the 458 glovebox is so small I hardly keep anything in it and I can always open it with the string. It is irritating though.

[voicey]

I will preface this reply by saying that I have never undertaken an investigation on the glovebox release on a 458, but this is based on countless investigations made on the Florence system fitted to late model Ferrari/Maserati....

The button push will be monitored by one of the onboard ECUs and then either a) that ECU will activate the glovebox release or b) it will send a message to another ECU which will then activate the release. The suggestion that the button and the release are wired together and that an auto electrician should be able to sort is wide of the mark.

I am surprised (which is why I am posting) that the NQS (instrument cluster) is at fault here. I would have money on the NBC (body computer) monitoring the button push and subsequently activating the release. This type of function is the bread an butter of the body computers life. I could be wrong though and it is entirely possible that the NBC is asking the NQS to perform the release (or in fact the NQS is doing both).

One thing I would be interested to know if how much you have paid for the diagnosis that the NQS is at fault? To take a cluster from another car and then program it to work in your car is a non-trivial task (don't forget it would also need to be programmed back and refitted to the donor vehicle).

If the car was with me, and it did transpire that it needed an expensive module then I would probably suggest creating a secondary circuit to operate the release using the button. The button will simply be grounding a pin on an ECU so it could be repurposed to switch a relay.

Please, please don't call me about this - I am certainly not soliciting, nor do I need, any new business.

[jdwoodbury]

I think the suggestion was is the solenoid receiving a current at all when the button is pushed.

[willy wombat]

Hi Voicey, to answer your question I have paid about £200 so far for diagnosis (done while the car was in for annual service and MOT). Thanks for your post, even if I didn’t understand all of it. I am hoping someone may post who has had experience of troubleshooting this problem.

[andyr]

Hi - what was the result ? Did you get the issue fixed ?

[andyr]

I keep putting this back up to the top as I'd really like to know the outcome !

[Eatpies99]

andyr said:

I keep putting this back up to the top as I'd really like to know the outcome !

Same

[willy wombat]

Sorry not to have updated but there is no news. Currently the car is SORN for the winter so I haven’t given it much thought. I had it out to run it up last week and I checked to see if it had mysteriously solved itself but it hasn’t. My view at the moment is that come the Spring, I will ring 2 or 3 specialist independents in the South East to see if any of them have any ideas (no point in doing that until the car is taxed as I can’t take it to them until then). If no one can come up with an affordable fix then I guess I will just live with it. I hardly ever use the glove box and I can always open it using the emergency string. However I must admit it does niggle me. I have always subscribed to the view that you must keep on top of these cars and not let maintenance issues build up but as I posted before, I am not going to spend £7k so I can open the glove box with the button. If there is any progress I promise I will post but don’t hold your breath.

[anonymous-user]

Yeah can see how that would be really annoying but £7k is a lot of wonga for a glovebox button even for the richest petrolhead.
I've always spent money up and beyond to maintain my vehicles but this would both bug me and test my resolve due to just knowing its there.

Must be a more cost effective fix

[andyr]

Thanks Willy Wombat.

I just took out a warranty plan with Warranty Wise to cover these issues. I paid £5000 for a 3 year warranty which has unlimited claims up to 10k per claim.I'm sure its got some exclusions in the small print but it does seem to cover most things.

[willy wombat]

Thanks, andyr. Interesting but I’m afraid that for me it’s rather the case that the horse has bolted before I shut the stable door.

[GCCP]

andyr said:

Thanks Willy Wombat.

I just took out a warranty plan with Warranty Wise to cover these issues. I paid £5000 for a 3 year warranty which has unlimited claims up to 10k per claim.I'm sure its got some exclusions in the small print but it does seem to cover most things.

love to hear more about this, can you share some of the details on what is/ is not covered?

[xcentric]

willy wombat said:

Thanks, andyr. Interesting but I’m afraid that for me it’s rather the case that the horse has bolted before I shut the stable door.

tbh it's very odd that disconnecting the battery fixed it for a while - whether solenoid or one of the ECUs it's strange that this should be a partial fix. I'd probably want to see what happened swapping out some of the ECUs, if that's feasible. And I'd really expect Ferrari to fix the issue for me, as it's not wear and tear nor is it user error. It seems a design problem or a faulty part, and I'd hope such stuff would be covered. Or at least most of the cost.