Why not do your own maintenance?

So I have a 2011 458 Italia that I have owned for 7 years with 25k miles. I have done all the maintenance at the ferrari dealer but I am thinking of doing the basic things such as an oil change myself since the cost at the dealer is around $1k plus tax. I have worked on other cars before so the work isn't any issue.

My question is - does doing the basic maintenance yourself make it harder to sell the car down the line? Any other reasons to just take it to a shop and let them do it?

 

I think if you keep records that show when you did each oil change or other task it's just as good for a buyer, especially on a car that's now over a decade old and presumably no longer under any warranty. But that's just my opinion. I'm probably not the typical Ferrari owner as I don't plan to ever sell mine.

 

I do my own maintenance on my 2015 SpecialeA with the assistance of my mechanic at my house for the time being. The hardest part about doing an oil change yourself is that you have to take off the diffuser also. Mine is carbon fiber and doing it with only one guy is a challenge and easier to do with 2 guys. If you don't have the carbon fiber one, I'd think just yourself would be fine. I see no reason to take it to Ferrari at all. Good record keeping or a diary with receipts will be all you need. May be some pictures along the way wouldn't hurt either.

 

Yes you'll get wrench code eventually. Lets see, the oil runs around 175 for the 10W60 Shell Helix for the Speciale, the filter maybe 45, disposal of oil, its free. I will say, for me, I do have a 4 post lift so that it priceless for doing this stuff. I couldn't see getting on the ground for example. No chance. What I do like is that it gives you a chance to clean things up under there is necessary and you get to see whats going on. You make me laugh when you say what you used to do to dispose of your oil and remind me of when I was a kid back in the 80's and there was nowhere to get rid of old oil so I would go behind the yard and dump it near the road. It was only 4 1/2 quarts and while I didn't like doing it, it didn't harm a thing, in fact I think the weeds liked it.

 

I handled all the basic stuff on my 355 for a decade and it was never an issue. I used the pros for major services and a clutch.

For the 458, I've done all fluids/filters, the drive belt and battery myself. Also have done a bit of brake work like replacing pads and rebuilding a caliper. All maintenance I perform is documented, organized and includes receipts and photos. With a Launch code reader, you can perform quite a bit of bidirectional functions and read real-time stats--necessary for things like measuring the gearbox oil level. I love KNOWING a job was done right, not just hoping it was done right. It is also satisfying to clean everything you can get to (crankcase, undertray, inside of calipers, etc.) when you are "in there." These are tasks a professional would never be expected to do when performing work. And yes, I don't mind saving some money and two 4-hour round trips with 2 cars each time I schedule service.

Without a lift, the biggest pain for the 458 is getting the large undertray on and off while laying on your back. The undertray is way bigger and more cumbersome than the 355's and also has engine air intakes that can be slightly annoying to reinstall. However, once you've done it once, it is not a big deal.

In the end I believe an enthusiast buyer will appreciate the depth of knowledge a passionate owner brings who can tell the story of the car's upkeep and condition.

 

Love that story! It's kinda like my daughter had to do a team building meeting at K1 speed. They were going to race go karts and my daughter of course shows up with her own helmet.

 

Which model Launch scanner for you use?

 

Yes do your own maintenance, it’s the only way to know it was done and done right.

I’ve saved thousands of dollars doing my own oil changes.
$600-$1000 is ridiculous for a Ferrari oil change. The oil and filter is less than $100.
$600 oil change in my boat is also ridiculous.
$350 for my Harley is ridiculous.

It’s almost $100 at Jiffy Lube for my everyday cars and some kid left the air box unlatched on my Scion. Then wouldn’t own up to it or change the oil again for free after I drove down my dirt road several times and decided to check the idiots work.

Don’t trust anyone to do it right.


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While I have 2 lifts and do ALL of my own work on everything from hot rods, Corvettes and now my 458, please don’t knock dealer prices too much. You have to keep in mind that the dealership model (ie business case to own and operate one) completely breaks down if they aren’t able to sell parts and service. This is extremely evident in the electric car market and similarly applies to ICE powered exotics which have low volume. The dealer has to charge way more for low volume sales in order to keep their doors open. And Ferrari has to pay more for labor to retain the right level of service for those with more money than time.

My principal reasons for doing my own work are that I enjoy wrenching, engineering and problem solving, I have more time than money, I don’t have time to wait for others to be available, I have never had any good experience letting others perform work on my vehicles (although never tried a Ferrari dealer), I track or race several cars and don’t trust anyone else to do the job right. For me it’s better to just buy whatever tools I need. After 30 years of wrenching I have everything except the occasional must-have special tools which I generally buy, rent or borrow as needed.


“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games” - Ernest Hemingway

 

Guys, although I agree with you that services at Ferrari are overcharged, my opinion is that she will maintain value better with service record from dealer.

Bear in mind that our cars can be sold throughout the globe, not just in our city, that’s when service records matter the most.

My 458S visits dealer every 14/16 months and happy to get the stamp on the book.

Even if you DIY, passing the car by dealer every 2/3 years will not break your pockets and at the end of the day, they know your car better than anyone.

 

I have this one. It is the perfect size for me, uses Bluetooth and can be held with one hand while using the other to do what you need. For me, the tablets were too big and my phone screen was too small.

https://www.amazon.com/LAUNCH-Bi-Directional-Services-Programming-Crankshaft/dp/B072FHLYRY/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1W8LURKJ75NXS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NImDYkgc7Me9pgxpjug76Hjx_Hgiy1DP6xmRBg80zBzEMYH3zagAJnglPVdAcWdBuDIuV3dSNgDgDWMd0UjZSGfzi-0TVRsovY_JBxTMyA41WQ3maZzabkCOoalZNb_l6PaDOjfoxnlf5HnqiSyY1C5e39l4PdJbG90m6LdAjv7xpGnaNFRBXvr0TNEuE7oqL35VkbpWWp9adCECP_Ta8HiGbCxYS_3J_P-5UYBCMzbLbOIcv8tqy7PK1colpdDoCTq_y7v7nbsLyK5-fqY6os1Qods31QKXRznotYQ0iKE.2YP2pLP0tbjTcMgUhvxyZwCl97V0Jk3dgHsuLxKJPtk&dib_tag=se&keywords=launch+x431+diagun+v&qid=1708606363&sprefix=diagun%2Caps%2C548&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.2b70bf2b-6730-4ccf-ab97-eb60747b8daf

 

I don't even own tools.

So doing anything on my own is just out of the question.

 

Do you guys do your tax return?

I don't work on cars because I lack the three T's - Time, tools, and talent.

I like to drive em I don't like to fool around with them.

 

Luckily, have family who also work on cars so we get to work on them together for the day. Save over $1k+ which Ferrari charges for an oil change that takes us an hour.

The only reason I wouldn't do it is if it affects the value of the car somehow or resell value down the line which we don't really have a clear answer on right now.

 

Yes I do my own tax filing as well. Not sure it’s relevant to this thread though.

 

Will you do mine?

 

I’d rather work on Ferraris but if you pay enough I’ll do your taxes too LOL

 

As a car guy and someone who works at a service department at a Ferrari dealership I’d say it’s circumstantial. Working on these cars on the ground is very difficult. If you own a four post lift and posses some mechanical knowledge give an oil change a try. However I do believe in terms of resale having recites from an official Ferrari dealership carry’s some weight.

 

So what about doing the oil change, filters, coolant myself and just taking it in for a brake flush to the dealer just so they go over the car to get the receipts.

My local dealer used to charge $500 for the entire service and now it's $1k+ just for the oil change so really don't want to be dropping 2-3k per service when I can do it myself.

 

Sure I see nothing wrong with that. It’s a matter of what you are comfortable doing vs. practicality/cost.

 

Does Bigfoot **** in woods



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O.K. I have a $ 15 small OBDII reader that works on my Benz, Smart and 458 (sometimes).

Does the above one get deep enough into the 458 software ?

Can it do proxy alignment and canbus connections ?

Can you give us some examples please ?

We need help in this matter Kevin

 

Reading the product description it does not state any communication with Ferrari products. It should be able to clear codes on your 458 but no adaptations, hard coding etc. Ferrari is VERY stingy with their software hence our scan tool is 50k.