He just sold it to a guy in California. That is the sad part. The people that can afford the big ticket break downs dont usually have them because they are paying people like me to keep them from happening. The ones that can't have the problems and it costs them a car.
I have one of these cars too and this is how I look at it. I hate working on cars for free but I hate more having a car in the garage that I have any second thoughts about getting in, anytime, 24/7, filling with gas and driving anywhere I want to go. I won't do it. There is no room in my life wondering about the reliability of my car. As soon as I do, it is gone.
Youve got that right. Driving them is always fun. Fixing them is sometimes fun. Breaking down in them (which typically happens at night, in the rain, on a holiday) is never fun.
On what? A 360? Do them every week. If it is your Mondial, if all you want is belts and tensioners it should be no problem. We would do it here probably for less and this place is more expensive to operate in than where you are.
All I can add, is to look at my thread called "belt broke anyone wanna help"... was done in Dec, of 2005... My then 308QV shedded most all the teeth on the back bank ... and bent each valve, had to have the head re done, replace a bunch of other stuff, and I had a Ferrari Tech help me ( he did most of the work) ... and I did not pay him.. and it still cost about $6k... you might be able to buy an engine for $8K but you still have to get the old one out and the new one in, ... which is NOT for the faint of heart!!! my advice budget about $2K per every 15k miles, and change the belts & tensioners... you can do a water pump, AC etc.. your self, but I would have an experieinced person do the cam belts... Hey its your car do what you want! I have a great $800 head gasket frame for 4 Ferrari pictures!... so it was not a complete loss! all things being equal... I'd rather not have had the experience. Tom
Just booked my 328 into QV London for a belt change - standard price (not including tensioners which we'll do as well) but including the 3 Aux belts is £349+tax = £410 - call it $800 near enough. I.
I am not surprised. Parts and labor both here are a little higher. You could get belts and bearings only here for not a lot more than that. The Mondial talked about would be a little more still because they are not as easy to do.
I'm always reading here how much cheaper services are in Britain than the US. WUWT? How many hours does a belt change in a 328 really take? I mean really, with an experienced mechanic and whatever second set of hands he may or may not need? Parts are a few hundred if that for belts, tensioners and gasket goop, right? I have my flame suit on, but my Honda had a belt change and major service for $800. And it's a DOHC 4 valve engine. Granted a Ferrari has 2 belts so make that $1600. Where do these $5000 bills come from? I know middies mean less easy access, but still... Ken
I think that the question here is about the time interval not the wear and tear interval. So what is the answer? Does a car with regular starting and runnig have a different belt replacement time of one that is driven regularly? I personally am very interested.
Most belt changes are done with a major service including valve shims and a few other things. So parts for a major service from Ferrari dealer may be about $800 alone. Service rates are generally higher, figure $120/hour in many places. Then ya got the "while I'm in there..." stuff like the water pump, shift-shaft seal, etc. This is where we usually get in trouble. I wonder how much it would cost to actually have ONLY the belts/tensioners done. Maybe next time I'll find out!
I don't understand how the dealers have managed to con so many people that a belt service is a multi-thousand dollar enterprise. What a croc! We had this discussion a few posts ago. Bottom line, the procedure (assuming just a belt/bearing change) is not that difficult and if you're a competent DIYer, on a 308 you can swap out belts and bearings for a Sunday's labour and about $400 - 500 in parts max. A competent independant should be able to do this for around the $1,000.00 mark......Ask Rifledriver. Those of you who are bent over your dealers, service counter, unscrewing the lid on the KY jelly, you should reconsider your relationship with your dealer or stop complaining about high service costs.
I use an independent for service on my 328, and the reason my bills are higher (although less than the dealers charge) is that when the car is due for a proper major -- valve adjustment, cam belt, tensioner bearings, possible water pump rebuild, etc. -- I pay to have someone who knows what he's doing do a proper major service, and I understand how many hours go into the different tasks. My mechanic found that my car now has a minor leak from the head gasket, so that's going get corrected next time he's in there. Yeah, I could take the car over to the Shell station and have them throw a new belt on it, but with these older cars I think there's benefit to having it gone over thoroughly so you can keep up with the small things that can cause big problems later. Up to you, but I'm too busy in life take car maintenance week by week. Maybe I agree with your last comment - stop complaining. It's a Ferrari, and you (hopefully) knew what you were getting into.
No question at all about being thourough but just because a car is due for belts does not make it automatically due for a major. Many cars, probably most cars do not go far enough in 3 to 5 years to justify a major. I service many cars that are part of various sizes of collections, some of those see 1000 miles in 5 years, every single week, sometimes twice a week I service a 360 that is 3 or 4 years old with 5000 miles. Should we be doing a major on every single one? Or would the car and customer be better served by a fluid and belt change? Belts should be changed, they should be changed every three years and most people don't do it because they are routinely being bent over to the tune of 5 grand when what the car needs is fluids and belts.
I am in the process of purchasing a 328 that had a "major" service performed in 2006 and a few 1000 miles ago by a highly regarded shop. The tensioners were checked for free travel and because they were smooth and Ferrari brand tensioners, they were put back in with new belts. Is this generally OK or should I have them replaced before I put mile 1 on the car? The same thing was done with the water pump. Checked for free travel and then put back in. -F
This post is spot on, I change my belts/bearings and waterpump every two years myself for insurance. Its an easy weekend job and costs about $650 in parts with waterpump. I would assume a competent honest independent would charge about 6 hours or so. The hardest part is moving the AC compressor for access. Ferrari main dealers in the US are just ripping us older car (or newer) owners off period. Go independent of learn to do it yourself, its fun and rewarding as well.
So if i were to tackle the belts, bearing and water pump on my own, are there any specific tools that i would need other than the usual stuff? Also, is there a DIY guide online somewhere that can walk you through the steps? TIA
Personally I think not replacing the tensioner bearings is suicide. This is the culprit in most belt failures. In my opinion of course.
No regular metric tool set should do. I initially did a search on here and a few people have very well documented what to do. I think Verrell actaully posted photos aswell.
Search trough the other timing belt treads and find the cam-lock tool. They're not much money, and can save you tons of time and possibly a lot of heartache. It goes between the cam pulleys and locks them into position so the timing doesn't change.
The "$8KUSD" number often bandied about, is the net cost INCLUDING your old core $4KUSD allowed.....the total for a long block is actually $12K banded to a crate......mosy likely Shipping and Handling extra as well.......
I agree, once your car is at a base (hopefully fresh major) plan on changing belts/tensioners at regular intervals. It costs a few hundred a year, cheap insurance. If you've got a seeping gasket that is not causing other problems, fix it at the next major. My mechanic told me one can expect maybe 10 yrs out of good quality seals. Barring any unforseen problems that's the plan I'm working with...a major in 10 yrs (just completed one this year) and in the interim 3 belt/tensioner changes with, I expect a water pump somewhere in there. I don't consider this maintenance onerous or excessive.
