Another 355 major underway! :)

My car is presently at Ferrari of Seattle, and having a major service as well. Last service was July 2003, at around 24k. Now at 46k miles, and closing on 5 years. Compression is fine, and no need for valve guides, a pleasant surprise! I have provided FoS with Hill Engineering tensioners and the silicone coolant hose kit from Ricambi America. They did find numerous minor oil leaks which are being tended to, along with some gear box oil leaks which will require the transaxle to be seperated from the engine (they will also go ahead and replace the main seal with an updated part, as long as it is apart). Also, there was a coolant leak on the top of the engine (heat exchanger?). While it is apart, they are going to replace all the Amp Junior Timer connector boots on the fuel injectors and various Bosch sensors, as they are all rotted and cracked. The valve covers will also be bead blasted and refinished. All in all, I am impressed with the thoroughness of the initial inspection and work thus far. Cesar is the technician on my car and Mark Glenwood is the service manager.

I would take a few picturers, but I don't think there is anything particularly remarkable or notable at this point. Maybe I will run by there again tomorrow and snap a couple of Cesar at work.

 

Excellent, 'tis the season for majors! Go ahead, take some pics, the more the merrier

 

I wish it was time for my major also----did I say that outloud? -----------My last major was done at Lake Forest October of 2006----so thankfully I have some time to go before one is needed.....Thinking about doing mine winter of 2010...Then again I may be in a 430 by then......yea right..

 

Approximately how much would you end up paying Ferrari of Seattle for all that work?

 

why would you want a 430 robbie?? Those things look like trucks..... the rear is so tall they have lost all the sleekness that f-cars have been known for ......

oh yeah, then you won't be part of the prestigious and renowned 'fratelli 355'....

 

Ditto, if you don't mind...

 

I have to agree with you there Goth... the 360 & 430 are nifty and all, but size-wise they are starting to resemble one of those crossover SUV's!

 

Hi, I agree, when a 360 or 430 is coming at you on the road I can hardly recognise it as a ferrari, it has become so tall. There is no mistaking a 348/355 from the front other than a ferrari.

 

The 355 resembles any Ferrari that was made previous. It has evolved whereas the 360 and 430 look more like ferraris on steroids. Bulky and too high off the ground. The 430 though is an improvement over the 360 similar to the 355 over the 348. It will be interesting to see where they go in a year or 2 with the next 8cylinder model.

 

Just had my major done also.
Could have spent a nice month in Fiji.... geez.


Tony.

 

If Scuderia 355 wins---I'll have to move on....

 

I took pictures this afternoon, but over at my father's house this evening. I will try to upload them later this evening, or in the morning.

 

The final tally is not in, and to be quite honest, I would rather not let this thread denigrate into a dealer bashing thread on service and repair costs. Let's just say it is a lot, but I am satisfied with the work thus far, and believe it is worth every penny or my car would not be entrusted in the hands of Ferrari of Seattle, Cesar and Mark.

 

......... fine.... ......... just promise me you won't do this to it......


http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=178423

 

I'll be the first to admit, I don't get out much. Out here in the middle of nowhere there aren't many exotic cars period. To be honest I have not seen a 430 "in the flesh", until a trip with the family to San Diego for a few days this week. Went to the Ferrari dealership in La Jolla and saw a couple 430's for the first time (also saw one up close and personal at Pioneer Porsche). I have to say the back end of that car is a bit of a mess. Very tall and "busy" much different than my 355. One VERY biased opinion here but the 360 and 430 VISUALLY loose out to the 355. This has nothing to do with performance etc. purely a superficial/ appearance based observation. Carry on...

 

+1

I respect that statement, saving money in the DIY manner is OK if its part of your ownership reward.
For others its simply easier to pay the trusted pros that do it everyday. Always depends on an individual situation.

*Sometimes the invoice bashing gets really old.......



Then there is the other crowd the trips over a quarter to pick up a dime........And really can't afford the car in the first place.......These are the cars that bring no money on Ebay No records, no service at well known shops, nothing.


Not completely positive, but I believe my car needed a new engine due to a previous owner trying to accomplish repairs, sore subject with me.......Obviously...


Good luck with the major, sounds like you trust the folks doing the work. That's what counts!

 

umm... I think that kindof says it all.

I decided that I will probably perform my next major myself... and it has NOTHING to do with ''tripping over quarters''.
For the same money I would spend on labor alone, I could buy a lift for my garage, and a bunch of nifty new tools. From my perspective, this is something significant to show for a substantial expense... not just the same car I dropped off, that does the same thing it did when I left it.

On the other hand, the only way I would consider letting a shop do the work is if they allowed me to provide every single part myself. The money I would save on the parts markup alone would probably offset the labor by at least a 3rd, not to mention the cost difference between aftermarket and more expensive (and often inferior) OEM parts. The ultimate bottom line might be closer to what I consider ''reasonable''.

 

Okay so a had a nice conversation with Mark Glenwood the service manager and he showed me a few of the details.
Sorry a few of the pictures are "soft" I was not very careful in being more steady while shooting.

First shot is car on the rack
Second is a front view of the motor out. That power steering hose up top looks wet...it had been leaking and will be replaced. They also found a small vacuum leak in the intake system, and that was fixed as well.
Third is a right side of motor with new Hill Engineering tensioner and belt installed
Fourth is left side of motor.

I forgot to take a before and after picture of the coolant leak with the heat exchanger on top of the engine. It had been leaking for a while and there were traces of coolant both on top, and down the front of the engine. Funny, it must have been a slow leak just in the past year, because I only added maybe a cup or two each year in top ups.
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First picture is water pump housing. They tell me the housing will be removed and a new gasket installed between it and the engine. The water pump is being rebuilt with new bearing and seals. Mine was fine, with no play or leaking, but at 46k and 11 years, I don't trust those seals going much longer...and "while you are in there'...well, why not replace the bearing too? (that bearing is not cheap)

The rest are just pictures with the valve covers off, and the engine compartment minus an engine.....

They started on Monday and plan to have it buttoned back up by the following Monday.

The transaxle still needs to be split from the engine so they can replace some leaky seals.

They noted that the Kingsborne 8mm plug wires I had installed a couple years ago were a bit pinched in spots from the tight fit in the valve covers (the stock wires are 7mm). I called Kingsborne about replacing them with the correct 7mm wire and they agreed to send a new set out for "cost", which was very nice of them to do (Kingsborne admits they no longer make 8mm sets for the 355 due to fitiment issues). Should arrive tomorrow or Friday.

BTW, those are QV London rebuilt exhaust manifolds on my engine. I put those on two years ago with some experienced help from a couple friends.

Coming right along.
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Excellent, thanks for the pics and comments! I agree it is worth every penny for the peace of mind that it's being done right. I'm going with the 7mm Kingsborne wire also. Do you know which plugs you have?

Jetfixr - good comments; for me, it's about the ownership experience. I'm happier than a pig in you know what to be turning wrenches on my own Ferrari!

 

Ah, capitalism.... So profit/investment is bad?

 

Geez...What was that for?

Don't reply steve...it's not worth it.

 

It's wonderful that owners take on the servicing of their vehicle. Good on 'em. But why is it necessary to fault me and others for our retail mark-up (not clear profit) on parts etc.? My garage is full of books/manuals/special tools, my head is full of knowledge from experience/schooling. I carry insurance on customer cars and stand 100% behind my work, any problems are dealt with immediately and I pass on any issue with replacement bits to the supplier/manufacturer at no additional cost to the customer. I couldn't do that giving stuff away at cost.

B.

 

OK...I'll play

Replacement water pump $1400
Rebuilt water pump $700
Rebuild kit (seals only) $57
My water pump, rebuilt (seals and bearings), shaft and housing blasted, cleaned,checked, measured, warranteed, and delivered $99 by a source other than me.

Tell me again about reasonable markup.

If you don't do that, bravo. Others do...

Capitalism also means competition for the lowest cost and best product.

Damn...apparently I can't follow my own advise

 

f355, would it be possible to PM invoice info to those of us interested, once the work is done? I'm currently in the "OK, I can do this, which may save this, but I'm not comfortable with this, and how much would it cost to have it done" stage of my purchasing research. I can afford to have the work done at a dealer, and have enough knowledge to do my own work, for the most part, but there are some things I can do myself that I would probably worry about at night while trying to sleep. Those things would be better off left to a tech, even if I can tackle the job. Definitly don't want to get invoce bashing started, but would like a realistic view of dealer supplied parts and labor charges. TIA!