Hello every one. Just dropped off my 355 yesturday to have it serviced at a good reputable shop with lotsa experience on Ferraris. I was quoted $7500 for belts , bearing, seals ,plugs etc...plus water pump and new clutch, he said that would also take care any minor lose ends , like hoses fittings etc..if need to be replaced. does that sound reasonable?
Depending on when the last major was done, that "etc" could be costly. With a 7.5k quote I'd plan around 10k, actually thats what I did...was quoted around 7.5 and by the end it was closer to 10...Ferrari parts are not getting any cheaper sadly and only once the engine is out can you really see whats needed and whats best to replace.
You're lucky if you escape at $7.5k. My "etc." took the total to $11k. In parts. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My car is in for the engine-out service right now. Quoted $8,100 and they hit that mark. I also asked them to diagnose a hot-start problem (that we knew wasn't just a Kluber Grease issue), clean & detail the engine bay, repaint the valve covers, plus they found a few other things like the clutch slave cylinder and weak battery that cranked the costs up a bit. The only reason I don't have it back yet is that when I found out they'd converted my AC system to R134a, I asked them to un-convert it back to R12. The previous owner had done the same conversion and it never blew adequately cold, so when I bought the car 6 years ago, I made a point to un-converted it back to R12. Needless to say, I wasn't pleased with the news, so they're un-converting it once again before I pick it up. Should be getting it back this week, then I'm good for another 5 years.
Interesting story. I though it was becoming very hard to find R12. Are you able to find it pretty easily? I have an 87 911 that was converted to R134. It works well enough.
My engine out last year came in at $15000 at an independent shop up here. Too high and they knew it. It was negotiated down to $12,000. Personally, it should have been closer to $10,000. Not sure who you are talking to, but there is a very good independent shop very close to you that might be a consideration if you have not pulled the trigger yet. Make sure you have a full list of your expectations. A flat fee engine out may skip some things that you would consider included.
Didn't they give you an estimate? Where I live it is required by law and if the work is to exceed the estimate you have to approve it.
Of course they did. ..and blew right through it. They billed me at time & materials. The quote was for the project. As is normal for these projects, we did some things during the engine out that they said was not included in the quote. I disagreed. I have a list of EXACTLY what I want next time. If we deviate off of that I know what to add and expect. My point being, a flat fee engine out will be done as inexpensively and quickly as possible for the service center. It may not meet your expectations. For the record, I may actually take my car to Bradan in NY next time. Local options for me suck. Lakeforest Sports cars in Chicago had my car after the engine out because the F1 system needed to be bled out. They told me and the indy shop it needed a new "carbon fiber actuator shaft....$5000" WTF? I took it to Continental and $50 later it was fine. Lots of BS out there...make a list.
I've have a thing for exotics and "old" cars, and I've always tried to keep R12 in the ones that were designed for it. 10 years ago, things were getting tough, supplies were low and you really had to worry about finding R12. I found an old AC shop that somehow always had a supply and the owner would tell me that he had to scrounge for every bit of R12 he had. The last few times I've been in to get topped off, he's told me that there's no shortage anymore. The reclaim process (where they suck R12 out of systems being retired or converted) and static supplies have created a perfectly adequate supply, especially when you consider how few cars actually need it these days. Evidently, the original R12 systems are even more rare than R12, so the shortage is no more.
There is a lot of R12 out there, even virgin R12. Everyone stockpiled it prior to the ban going into effect and grossly overestimated the demand for it at the prices being charged. In most places the restrictions for using it are far greater than for R134 so shops do not bother getting equipped. Beyond that shops were making more doing conversions than R12 recharges so demand for R12 fell through the floor. In California where the equipment and licensing is the same for R12 as it is for R134 I could get a pallet of 30lb cans of virgin R12 delivered before close of business and for a pretty good price. In Texas it is nearly impossible to get R12.
Not uncommon. In California the rules are strict but no enforcement unless a consumer complains. I know a California dealer who defined a "Major Service" as basically a fluid change not even including engine R+R and for a little lower than the going rate. They line itemed every other portion of a real major as an extra charge item and on a 355 or 348 by the time you were done it was nearly $20,000. The term "Major Service" was never an official term and had no definition other than what a shop chose to give it. Know what you are buying up front.
You know, that is a good point. We really should collectively compile what repairs are considered a "major". At least the mandatory list with applicable options... Belts - Required Tensioner bearings - required Tensioners - optional Water pump - errrr.. etc Ha... I know. I do...and I still don't trust them!
I paid for a cup of coffee. Love doing all my own work. Having wrench time over the past 17 years helps. Being a certified aircraft tech helps more. I recently helped a fellow F chat friend, who is local to FL, fix his lifters. Everything was done to spec. Cost him a bottle of water. I love helping people. In turn he fixed my AC on the 355 lol.
You can make any list you like but I'll keep mine thanks. I think any decent shop will respond likewise. Don't ever tell the shoe maker how to make shoes. Pick a good shoemaker and let him do his job.
Exactly the reason I never order food at my favorite restaurants. All I say is meal or snack. They take care of me. Too bad so many shop owners that ruin that theory.
