Happy to report I just brought home my first Ferrari, an F430 Grigio Titanio Coupe with ccb!

Unfortunately the Ferrari dealer doesn't install parts not bought through them, so the GPS tracker needed for insurance I'm on my own to do.

The unit's specs says 9-36VDC

I've attached a picture of the connector. Any ideas where/how I could safely connect this?

It also comes with a 12V Cigarette lighter receptacle plug option. Not going to plug it in anywhere obvious though, but thought I'd mention in case of other options.

Attached Images

You have many choices where to connect the locater, but the main decision you'll need to make is whether you wish to connect to a source which is "hot" all the time (ie the battery), or a source which is hot only when the ignition is on and the car is running. This decision will be driven by the autonomy of the locater (how long its own internal battery will keep it alive) and whether it'll do a "clean" startup if its battery is flat, and then it is turned back on by the car being run.

Ferrari electrical systems aren't the best, and their parasitic draw (the amount of electrical consumption when the car is sitting and not running) is rather high, and tends to flatten batteries if the car isn't kept on a battery tender, or driven regularly.

If it were me, I would steer clear of connecting the locater to an "always on" source, and opt for an ignition source.

If this strategy didn't work, then I'd look at a separate, larger, battery backup for the locater, and then use the +12 ignition source in the car to keep those batteries charged.

Thank-you!

Yes the ignition-based, hot-only would be the way to go since the car does not have access to a battery tender (condo garage) and won't be driven often. Where/how would you suggest connecting?

PS the power cord has a 2A fuse if that is relevent

I can't help you much with picking a specific location for the electrical tie in, as I'm a 550 owner, and don't know much about the 430's. Perhaps Stefan or one of the other 430 owners will chime in with specific advice.

One of the cleanest ways to add an aftermarket device is to use a fuse doubler, or "add-a-fuse" adapter like this, so you don't have to cut or splice into the OEM harness:

Oh, and BTW, you really should find a way to keep a tender on the car if it's not going to be driven very often. Ferraris act very spooky when battery voltage is low, and even worse if they go flat.......

Hi,
Welcome to FerrariLife and congrats for your new beauty!

There are several good locations where you can efficiently install your tracker in the F430. I can give you some good advice by PM (obviously not here...). The first thing you need to find out is the average current drain of the device. If you can't find this info in the device manual, contact the vendor. It's essential to know the current consumption of the device. If you're a bit handy, you can easily check that yourself with a simple volt/current meter. Hopefully it stays around 20-50mA. This info will help you to decide if you can hot wire it or not but I suppose your insurance requires the tracker to be powered at all time.

And I agree with cribbj, expect to start having troubles if your F430 isn't plugged on battery tender after a couple of weeks. A spare battery maintained in perfect condition would be good backup in your case.


Many thanks @cribbj

Always happy to "pinch hit" (American baseball slang for "temporarily substitute") for the 430 guru's until they arrive!

@nickorette - PM sent