had a tyre which needed patching on the 348. took it to the nearest ****ing ******* tyre centre and before i knew it one of the ****ing techs had started jacking the rear of the car on/below where the radiators are..(there is a point on either side like "buttons" where the radiators latches to the car, located right below the radiators just in front of the rear wheels which might have given the ****er the impression of them being the jacking points) ... anyway,coolant immediately started seeping out....shouted at the idiot and got the car lowered... gave him a lashing for not asking where the jacking points were and for assuming he knew it.... I am now back home and am terribly upset....for a tyre fix i hope i didn't end up with serious damage.... what could the damage have been? at the moment there is a slight seepage of water from that point where the car was jacked.....
I would probably have verified the extent of the damage before leaving the shop. Hopefully it's nothing serious.
Wow, that sucks in a major way. Sorry it happened to you. My guess is that you will need a new radiator, and who knows what else. I hope you went on record with whoever was in charge because they will need to file an insurance claim to cover the damage to your car unless they choose to pony up out of pocket. Perhaps consider upgrading to an all aluminum radiator since you are likely going to have to replace it anyway. Again, sorry this ever happened. Let us know how it all shakes out.
I feel your pain, because I had the same experience. Took my car in for the annual state inspection. I told them I would wait in the waiting area so I would be there for any questions and that the car was unusual in many aspects so PLEASE ask. The garage had done work on the A/C system when I first bought the car and had saved me a bundle of cash by fabricating a faulty hose instead of buying the official Ferrari one, so they had put it on the lift in the past. Of course this time the guy takes the car into the work bay by himself, and 2 minutes later the tech and the shop owner come into the waiting room with grim faces. Yep, coolant flowing onto the floor just like yours. I pulled out my smart phone, went on the Ricambi web site and proceeded to calmly welcome him to the world of Ferrari parts prices. I recall at the time a radiator was North of $2000.00. That ruined his day. They got new parts and got it fixed right.
Blame yourself. I never let anyone jack up my car without showing them the lift points. I carry pics of Dave Rocks alternate lift points and show them to whoever is working on it before they lift if. If you drive a car like this very few people have worked on you need to be proactive or not complain when **** goes wrong.
Tough love. Wow. But you are correct. Original poster: I've seen this happen before. I was with someone once in his driveway. He had just gotten the car new (used, but new for him), and he jacked the car up and went right through the radiator. He was in a hurry and didn't ask for my assistance. It certainly ruined the day. This will cost you quite a bit of money and time. On the other hand, this is a valuable lesson for you and all of us. **DO NOT** let anyone work on your F-car who hasn't worked on F-cars before **AND** who hasn't been shown (by you) exactly how the car is to be lifted. I am present 100% of the time when my cars go on the lift if I am using anyone besides my F-car master mechanic.
I love my local tire place... but I trust no one. In the 3 years that I've had the car I've put new rubber on twice... pulled the wheels off at home myself and took them in for a rubber swap/balance in my DD. That way I know it's jacked properly, no impact wrenches are used for uninstall/install, only a nylon socket is used on my lugs and they go back on with proper torque via my own torque wrench.
I am a new "f-car" owner. I have 99 456. Can you explain where the jack points are.. Thank you.. I appreciate the help
See the second post here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/456-550-575-sponsored-bradan/262668-456-jack-lift-question.html
You might try the 456 section if you haven't already. I'm sure those guys over there that own those cars can answer you more specifically and easier than the 348/355 guys.
ok thanks for all the feedback.... i pulled out the wheel and the wheel guard and have access to the radiator... i have a very slight hairline crack i think, as water is dripping very so slightly from under the radiator.... .....at a rate of perhaps a handful of drops every few minutes.... question.. can the radiator be patched? any reason why everyone above is advising on getting a new radiator? ps: i had to leave the place asap because i was very close at hitting the idiot with perhaps more than just a wrench...... ;-)
The crack cannot be repaired. A new tank could be fitted if one could be found but they would not have been sold separately, so from a practical perspective you need a new radiator.
If it is aluminium, can't it be welded back by someone who does aluminium welding? Since OEM is already aluminium, does Mike mean "an all aluminium" without the plastic sides? Sorry for the ignorance guys.
It takes a special skill to weld/braze radiator tubes and with the cheap replacement costs of the average cars radiator these days it is definitely a dieing art. Harder and harder to find radiator repair shops. I'm going to say the most likely damage to your radiator was that the plastic cracked anyway. And yes the aftermarket ones you can get do not have any plastic. They are entirely aluminum or stainless steal.
Sorry to hear about the radiator. For those that don't know.. yes please ask. I feel the same way about tire changers as they always tear up even more powder coating every time I go to a shop that might not know. I bring the tire in, and leave vehicle in my garage because it's not like jacking up a Ford Taurus!
Weeeell...depends. Mine developed a small leak around one of the plastic necks three years ago. My tech repaired it with bumper fix epoxy and it has held up beautifully, no issues whatsoever.
The PO of my car had new aluminum radiators made for the car... let me look back through my receipts and see if I can find the shop name.
Saldana Racing makes nice ones. I think this guy on EBay is reselling with a markup, but you can get Saldana to build them for you cheaper if you contact them direct. Custom Racing Street Full Aluminum Ferrari 348 355 Radiators 137617 137619 | eBay EDIT: that auction has 355 in the title but it is for 348 rads, they DO make 355 too though.
