| Author | Message | ||
| Ron Shirley (Easy_rider)
Member Username: Easy_rider Post Number: 518 Registered: 12-2002 |
Ernie, same thing happened to me once in a Toyota (I know not a Ferrari story). I had an alarm installed. They left a shop rag in the horn (used to muffle the sound for the neighbors), On the way home the rag caught fire which caught other stuff on fire and burned up most of the wiring and caused other damage. Luckily the whole car did not go up. I knew that something was wrong but had no idea what. Got it home and opened up the hood to find the blaze going. I had a fire extinguisher at home so I ran inside and got it. Their insurance paid for it thankfully but quite an experience. | ||
| Bill Steele (Glassman)
Member Username: Glassman Post Number: 265 Registered: 4-2002 |
After much deliberation I decided to let a local detail shop do my Ferrari. It was partial trade for a job we did for them, and they assured me they had worked on Ferrari's and other exotics in the past. I was leaving town that afternoon, so when they called for me to pick up the car, I just drove it home and put it in the garage. About a month later I noticed that the floor mats were missing, so I called them and the detailer said he was letting the carpets dry so he put the floor mats in the zippered trunk in the back. I thought OK thats fine. About a month later I descided to get the mats out and put them back in the car. When I opened the engine compartment I noticed that the zippers were corroded and would barely move. Then to my horror I found my Keith Collins floor mats rolled up and still wet. There was mildew everywhere. The snaps on the tool roll were rusted shut and the tools inside completely rusted. Same with the jack bag and tools inside it. Also the leather documents pouch was trashed. When I called the detailer he came and looked at everything and said whats the big deal, all my tools have rust on them! After a month of arguing, his insurance company paid up, and let me keep all the old stuff. | ||
| Mike Procopio (Pupz308)
Member Username: Pupz308 Post Number: 394 Registered: 10-2002 |
Excellent! I, too, have had a nice cowboy pull along side of me in his pickup, his wife screaming, "HEY! YOUR ENGINE IS ON FIRE!" to which, as Ernie pointed out, the only acceptable response is of course "OH ••••!! THANKS!!". I had unburned fuel igniting in the cats and shooting out the rear (not helping the muffler out, either). | ||
| Ernie (Ernie)
Member Username: Ernie Post Number: 718 Registered: 11-2001 |
Two days after I had the entire clutch redone on my 348, I'm on the freeway getting the feel of the new clutch, and I notice this car is following me. I start to accelerate and he is keeping pace on the right side of me. So I down shift, blip the throttle, release the clutch and, see ya latter alligator. The clutch is working just fine. After a couple of miles the guy catches up and starts yelling HEY, HEY, HEEEEY!!!!! and pointing at the rear. So I look in the mirror and see Freeking Smoke. Oh great, I'm thinking, I just roasted a $6,000 clutch job. Then he yells, YOUR ENGINE IS ON FIRE!!! I reply, OH SH!T THANKS!! I pull off of the freeway hoping my car doesn't burn to the ground. I get into a parking lot pop the engine cover and see flames! Turns out the clutch was just fine. The mechanic left a shop rag on the muffler and it caught fire. I was so glad that it wasn't the clutch or engine that was on fire, I really didn't get mad. How ever I did drive right to the mechanics shop and let him know that he almost caused my car to burn to the ground. He of coarse was appologetic about it. | ||
| Mike Procopio (Pupz308)
Member Username: Pupz308 Post Number: 392 Registered: 10-2002 |
I'm still a newbie to the Ferrari world, so mine is nowhere nere as bad as these here! I had the 308 in for the alternator, fuel pump, carb work, etc. When I got the car back, they had put on the air box from the OTHER (identical, as it turned out) 308 that they were working on at the time--I noticed it immediately! One air box swap later and we were fine.  | ||
| Ken Ross (Kdross)
Member Username: Kdross Post Number: 371 Registered: 2-2002 |
Welcome to Fchat Larry. Ken | ||
| larrybard (Larrybard)
New member Username: Larrybard Post Number: 5 Registered: 6-2003 |
Misery loves company? And I certainly don't look back and laugh now -- maybe in a few more years I will be able to. But in a series of what with hindsight were poor judgments, I purchased a 512TR that was in AZ (I'm in PA), sight unseen (i.e., not in person). A ferrarilist member recommended a mechanic for the prepurchase inspection and that mechanic highly recommended a different mechanic with extensive experience in exotics, including Ferraris. After the car passed inspection with flying colors I bought it and had the AZ mechanic complete a major servicing (timing belts, etc.) before being shipped east to me. Car arrives, I take it on its maiden voyage and about 8 miles into the drive all hell breaks loose in the engine bay. I learn firsthand what an interference engine sounds like when valves collide with pistons, etc. Turns out the mechanic didn't sufficiently torque the camshaft pulley bolt, which worked loose. Needless to say a very expensive repair (by my local Ferrari dealer this time, which I should have had do the job in the first place). | ||
| Dr. I. M. Ibrahim (Coachi)
Member Username: Coachi Post Number: 296 Registered: 5-2002 |
just thought this might be interesting. I would love to hear of personal experiences with mechanic goofs on your Ferrari. Mine occured over ten years ago, and I have had several, but this one was the most expensive goof. I had sold an 82 308 GTSi to a gentleman who had never owned a Ferrari before, and he insisted that I have the oil changed before he took delivery. He did not trust my work, so I stopped at a local Mercedes dealership where my daily driver was usually serviced and they said they would be glad to change the oil for me. This was on the way to the airport where I was picking this gentleman up and he was to drive his car back to Detroit or somewhere far away from South Carolina. An hour so later, I paid the dealership for the service, drove some 30 miles to the airport, picked up the buyer, drove back some 50 miles home, where he paid me and then got in the car and drove away. Early the next morning, he calls me and was obviously in a frantic mood. He said his engine was covered with oil, and was having great difficulty shifting gears. He wondered what kind of junky car I had sold him. I had driven the car myself for some time and it was a wonderful car. I started thinking about it. It dawned on me that the mechanic who did not know how to read Italian had drained the gear oil, and had heavily overfilled the oil in the engine. The mechanic had mentioned to me that he thought that the oil he had drained smelled funny but at the time it did not occur to me what he had done. The buyer sued the mercedes dealer and me. The dealer said the mechanic swore I had told him which plug to take out to drain the oil. 23,000 dollars later, 5,000 out of my pocket and the rest out of the mercedes dealer's pocket settled the suit. I look back and laugh now, but it was NOT funny then. What is your story? |