No, they printed a representative sample of the people they talked to. Exactly the same way it is always done. How many pages should they take up to make you happy? They try very hard to show a balance of opinions. In this case there was none. For your information I was called by the editor that day and told it was the first time in the history of the buyers guide than not one single owner said they would refer the car to a friend. All were long time multiple Ferrari owners.
Funny that the first owner bought a 95 new, drove it on long trips, put 35k miles on it in 3 years, totaled it, bough another 95 in 98 which now has 45k miles on it and which he still owns, but he would not recommend one to a friend. Let's interpret that. First, we know form the experts that guides and header won't last 35k miles, let alone 45k miles. Second, the owner apparently found the car otherwise reliable as he took it on long trips with his wife. Thus, he bought a new 95. Got burned by header and guides and other high maintenance costs, but the car was otherwise reliable. In spite of the costs he was so enamored with the car that he bought another 95 just to suffer headers and guides and all the other high maintenance coast all over again. If that isn't an endorsement for how really great a car the 355 is I don't know what is. Or perhaps the owner is just automotively masochistic? This is exactly why I don't pay attention to such rags or the negative comments posted here.
Excuse me. But I will just get this one bit of bs out of the way I put new OEM headlers on my car this past summer , installed by a factory authorized facility and I paid $4400 including one of those $1000 cv boots thrown in. That is for OEM headers, OEM cv boots plus labor. That $8000 number for headers in that article is false and misleading. Fact
components-tubi style manifolds-all False and misleading? OE manifolds are a false economy. They are the problem not the solution. Buy quality and pay once.
Eric, I'll never deny the value of experience. But also don't think owners will be at a huge disadvantage if they have the ability and take their time. Not all "pros" are pros. Some have the title and could give a crap about quality, for some it's just a job. I can promise you I am more passionate about my car than most shops I would take it to, Today I installed a new battery, it took me exactly one hour - probably pretty slow. But I took a few minutes to clean out the platform, rubber mate and access panel. Do you think a shop would have done the same? I doubt it. I also found 2 fasteners missing that I will source and replace unlike the last person that worked in that area (dealer).
$1,000 for CV boots? Get your hands dirty and replace the CV boots yourself. Kind of a pain in the A$$ but not beyond the skills of a reasonable DYI mechanic. I think I was all in for $175 which included 4 new boots and the cost of buying an impact wrench from HF which I now have for the next project. First side took about 10 hours which included beer breaks and plenty of interruptions. Once I knew what I was doing, the other side took only a couple of hours. Maybe some will say that their time is worth more than that but I learned from the process.
Sure they would but don't ***** about the labor charge. Shops are willing to do whatever you are willing to pay for.
That's great.....for the 5% of Ferrari owners who work on their own cars. Reality is few do and many things on the 355 are just out of the question for all but the most dedicated do it yourselfer.
It took me less than ten minutes to clean those parts. I did it because I do everything with care. Paying someone does not guarantee they will care. I deal with this everyday in business. Some people care and some don't. It is what it is.
There are good and bad in every business. Don't blame the good ones for the acts of the bad ones. It is up to the consumer to be selective.
Maybe a recommendation on the 355 should be for those who have deep pockets, are reasonably mechanically inclined, are willing to make the effort to source parts from other than the dealer or are an avid reader of FChat. Those who don't have the money, can't perform any of the work or aren't willing to learn from the advice of others should not apply. Its a Ferrari, not a Ford and no one should expect to do it on the same budget or same skills set. But it still is a car and not rocket science and a majority can be learned and performed by a handy DYI guy. You just have to know when something is out of your league and when to call in the experts.
Having never owned a Ferrari before, following is a list of the mechanical services that I have performed either on my own or with assistance from others: Installed Challenge Grill; Replaced front trunk lifts; Changed oil; Changed Transmission fluid; Changed Fuel filter; Replaced Cats with Fabspeed recored OME; Replaced (4) CV boots; Replaced battery; Removed airbox (installed GothSpeed plug); Replaced O2 sensor, Replaced wiper blades Total for all of the above doing it myself was approximately $2,700. Maybe 1/3 or less than if I had taken it to the dealer. For the most part I enjoyed doing the work. The three items that I did not do was fix inoperable top ($400 - dealer), replace windshield ($0 - dealer because they broke it fixing the top) and replace CAT ECU ($450 - Dealer).
It's humor, Brian, humor. You know, Ha, Ha, Ha, LOL, etc..... Laugh a little. It helps reduce stress and cholesterol. It's heart healthy.
And herein lies the problem!! A major in the uk by a reputable Indy will cost approx $3000. Here in west OZ 7k. I would be quite happy to pay between 3 and 4k for a major which is apparently able to be done in 9 hours but no way will I pay 7 grand. That's roughly $850 an hour!
Is 9 hours really a reasonable number? I had a shop tell me that their normal quote was 29 hours billed + additional if there is anything else worked on (Water Pump, etc.)
The shop may tell you it takes 29 hours but that is not necessarily the case!!! Every cambelt service that has been done on my car has cost between 1200 and 1500 pounds. It has been done by extremely reputable firms as in QV London . These firms normally charge around 100/150 pounds per hour so do the maths. My personal opinion is if you are being told a cambelt service takes 30hours you are getting smoke blown up your ass period!!
I think 9 hours to do a major is really low. In fact, I'd never trust someone that says they can do it that quick. How much attention to detail can be given in that amount of time?
It takes more than 9 hours to remove the motor and install, drain all fluids, evac AC, then fill all fluids, charge AC, bleed brakes etc etc etc. Time to install belts, tensioner bearings, cam seals, time cams, clean and replace valve cover gaskets plus other tasks required? I would guess the 29 hours is light.
I'm not being a smartass but please explain what you mean by attention to detail. There is a procedure for the job in question I have been told by reputable ferrari techs that the job can be done in approx 9 hours easy .if you want to pay an extra 20 hours labour fine but justify that extra 20 hours labour to me. I'm not an expert but I've done my research extensively in the uk and this is the general consensus so why does it take 30 hrs in the us? Maybe I forgot to factor in a trip to Maccas and Walmart !
Yesterday, I installed a new battery. No rush, took my time. Tools were on the other side of garage. It took 1 hour. I can't see how someone can do all the work required to change belts, set timing with a degree wheel, etc in 9 hours.
Dave I'm only passing on info I have got from pretty good sources. I don't mind paying for service and I'm certainly not trying to stir the pot. I will be doing my major at the end of the year myself and will post up my own independent findings. If I get stuck I have already some contacts made locally that can help and I will endeavour to give honest feedback to all you f chatters.I just hate being ripped off and I honestly cannot find justification for the prices that we are charged as ferrari owners.
