I wish the 550 would have a storage shelf for things like mobile phone, camera, tablet, ........ The small shelf besides the shift knob is too small. I saw a self made shelf here in the forum, this should be original in the car. But the most thing i hate at my 550 is the risk of loosing the driving license. Regards, Daniel
Armrest and storage area. cheers, Bill Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Bill, this looks great, i wish i would have this in my car. Poor for a GT car, that this isn't installed by factory. Daniel
Interesting! I was just going to start a thread about this very topic. Are more of these available? I have the same Tan/Beige interior color. (BTW - what is the proper name for this color) Any other options available out there?
Hi, I designed and had this one custom-made, when I first posted it several people wanted one so I arranged to have the guy who made mine make it for them. Honestly I don't remember how much he charged but would be happy to check for you. The nice thing about it is that it's made to fit perfectly in that spot and it only takes A very small screw to hold it in. I really like the armrest part especially on long drives that I do every month. Cheers, Bill
Back on topic. I've fixed most of the minor irritations that have bugged me but the one thing I can't fix, although I've alleviated is a bit is the center rear brake light that partially obstruct my rear vision. I do wish it had memory seats, at least for the driver's side..........sigh!
Agreed on both counts. I have considered removing the 3rd light and the black film outline and reconfiguring the fascia. I have considered using a mercedes seatbase and adapting the 550 seat to it. Memory seat is high on my 550 wish list. Lets work on it!
If you look on table 123, Tunnel inner trims, item 53, glove compartment,there is a factory option although rather undersized for what most of us want. One of the Fchat fellows in Australia has one on his car and I do like the way the front of the "glove compartment" blends with the rounded end of the console. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Robert- Here are two of them. One even has the Chinetti CY04 50th Anniversary emblem in front. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
There is a line visible on the rear bumper that follows from the wheel arch when you look at the car from the side, especially noticable on a clear colour such as the grigios. I don't like the look of it from the side. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Ferrari_550_Maranello_(8747623203).jpg A minor annoyance that I've first noticed about a year ago. Not a bad ''list'' of complaints for a car I've been staring at since 1996! --- Another fact I don't like about the car is that I don't have one yet but really hope to change that in 2015. Ferrari missed an oppertunity not to make a GTO/Scuderia/CS Maranello. Not impossible to do this yourself, ofcourse .
Thanks for the pictures TAZ. I forgot to mention in my post that two years ago at the Penn Jersey Fall Festival there was a Maranello with a removable glove box made by Classic Coach. It was very similar to the one shown by WBKLINK. The fellow mentioned that Classic Coach had kept the plans and would build more if anyone wanted one. Just a thought for those on the east coast. Only quality work comes out of that shop BTW. I am sure Barry will concur.
I bought my 550 in 1999. It was one year old with the FHP and was previously owned by Eric Fellner, the Oscar winning film producer. OK, the last bit's kinda irrelevant but I still have the car and adore it. I saw Mr Fellner in a London restaurant by chance this year and sent him a note via the waiter. Just had the reg number and the words "she's in rude health". He looked over beamed me a smile with a big thumbs up. We love our 550s, past and present. But.........I don't like the way the pininfarina exterior body badges end up coming off (a complete pain to re-position)....funny how many used 550s have lost their badges.....I don't like the rubber headlight surround which is as durable as a wooden hut in a hurricane......and I don't much like the pain in trying to replace the original Ferrari badge on the boot (trunk) lid. Ferrari changed its design several years ago and finding an exact replacement for the 550 is for some reason nigh on impossible in the UK. You can still buy the older script but they don't fit the 550. Otherwise I agree with other people - the 550 becomes more elegant and more beautiful with each passing year. And while it's overshadowed in acceleration by its more powerful modern siblings, nothing can touch its sublime handling with its towering V12 torque alongside its glorious "click-clack" manual box.
Looks like the option consists of the tray, an insert and a modified carpet section. Anyone know the part numbers...and/or if they are available?
As an addendum to this thread what do we need to do to improve reliability? The 550 is the most reliable modern Ferrari. What breakdowns have stranded you if any? I have never been stranded. I hear rumors of failed key FOB's a problem any Ferrari can have. Its work around is to keep a spare battery and screwdriver in the car. Sometimes this does not work. Something weird happens when FOB2 is used and that seems to make FOB1to resynch and work. This is not particularly a 550 problem but I have read about it on Fchat on any model with 5.2 Motronic and above. I hear claims that the little valley coolant hose can fail? It that a real failure or lack of maintenance. Is it really the valley hose or is it the ones near the valley behind the passenger head which is really hard to reach? Cooling fans? I have 2 550's and have seen first had the toasting of the cooling fan wires as they leave the fusebox. There appears to be too much current flowing here. Has this lead to any failures or is the Ferrari wiring on the ragged edge of barely acceptable? I think we need to get the main power for those fans off the fusebox. It is one of my many yet to be done projects. Radiator caps? A famous mechanic here on Fchat says he buys radiator caps by the dozen to find 3 or 4 that work! If that is remotely true then most of us have bad caps. Bad caps prevent us from keeping up the pressure that prevents boiling of our radiator fluid and poor cooling system function. Changing to an American style Stant cap is a great idea. If you are away from home and have an issue one of the first tests is always a system pressure test. Almost no one has a ferrari adapter but every gas station has a Stant cap adapter.
Only strand/tow issue I had was with the cooling hose. It cracked (I assume due to age). Had to get it towed 2 miles to the dealer. Cost a ton in labor as the manifolds (if I recall) had to be removed. Had I known about the SRI silicon replacements I would have used them, but the dealer just used official parts. Other than that (knock on wood) she's been good for 11years. dsd
Hey Terry, hope you don't mind I borrowed your pictures for an armrest Center console thread. Cheers, Bill
Interesting reading here... I could wish it had a 7th cruising gear... The ratio of the 6th is Perfect for top speed at 7.500 rpm of course, but at a steady 120 kph., I believe it has more revs than really neccesary. Also the rubbing noise when the seat is in the far back position, is annoying. I considder to make an alcantara/suede ersion of the "thing" that the seat rubs against. There is also a sound from the dry lubrication pump (klak klak klak) from time to time that I think sounds strange, much if the engine is going to giv up every time soon... The exhaust sound is also so restricted, that it takes away all the fun. Now I have Hyperflow cats,but it did not do much for the sound, just a little more power. The heater controls also look cheap for this kind of car even though the heater/AC works great.Except for these small issues, I love the car.