430 1st time to the dealer! - any suggestions?

Hey everyone, so, I got my car in Nov 2020, got the conversion done by EAG, they reported some issues, all of which I believe I've addressed and then some.

I've been doing all the work and maintenance on it myself (that's how awesome these cars are to work on), I'm certainly no expert, thanks to this fantastic community, I've been able to do far more than I ever dreamed I would/could.

So, I'm a bit nervous, I don't know why, guess I have a deep seated fear they are going to tell me something I don't want to hear or didn't realize....?

Anyway, I'm bringing it in because they've got pretty insistent about the reservoir cap recall (emailed me with an offer to trailer it in to do the swap), and for anyone who followed my manual seat install thread, I'm going to see if I can get my SRS dash light reset now that I've swapped in the European airbag ECU.

That all said, any recommendations as to what I should or shouldn't do? Maybe have them look at/check?

All suggestions are appreciated!

Thank you

 

Have them install the clutch switch, LOL. But in all seriousness remind them or place a sticky note on the steering wheel that the car will start with or without the clutch depressed.

I took my F430 to the local Silicon Valley Ferrari and those boneheads took 5 hours to program the 2nd key when it should of been 15 min. It was a FML moment until an Enzo was dropped off.

 

It's not under warranty so don't worry about anything. There have been cases where work was refused due to a conversion or the car not being stock, but that was for a larger issue. They are obligated to replace the cap regardless of what you've done. Otherwise, it's just going to be standard service center stuff. They'll look for things they can charge you money for, that's all. Best case is they "recommend" things. Worst case is they get pushy and try to scare you with fantasy scenarios of what could happen if you don't have a stock vehicle.

Besides, I'm sure the service guys would be excited to see the conversion as they're likely gear heads and not necessarily purists.

Oh, and my guess is they might give you pushback on the airbag light as it's not related to factory equipment. You might need to find an indie shop for that or a better scanner

 

good suggestion! I'll ask about it

good point

I have a 2nd non programmed key, was considering that too, thanks again

I'm definitely anticipating this, although this car is so 'old', I wonder if they'll even bother

I am definitely curious to see if this generates any conversation, I'm HOPING they know how to drive it!

True, she said they would take a look at it and should be able to help, to your point, I have a backup plan with an indie if that doesn't work out.

Thanks Joe

 

What my dealer told me when I booked my appointment to have the cap done was that sometimes they see brake lines that start to crack and need to be replaced. I was worried they were going to try to go that route with me, but they didn’t. Had a complimentary espresso and walked through the entire dealership checking out the inventory and getting a good look at a Testarossa and a LaFerrari they had in the shop. 45 min later was back in the car and on the road.

Nothing about brake lines, but I did end up replacing them myself with some SS lines last winter.

 

Did you do front and rear? I did the front but haven't felt motivated to dig into the rear due to 70/30 demand.

 

This is really the best part and worth the trip *if* they're quick about it. Mine took three days (although I went ahead and had a yearly done there), but just browsing around the new stuff and whatever used inventory they had was fun.

 

Front and rear. Goodridge lines. Rears were easier. Felt they were more accessible after the wheel liners were out.

 

First trip to the dealer with your F430? Here’s the steps:

1) Home Depot - buy the largest wheelbarrow in stock.

2) Local Bank - fill the the rim with unmarked bills in a mix of denominations. Don’t try to save a few bucks by inky including ones, fives and tens - they’ll be checking your wheelbarrow when you arrive.

3) Gas Station near dealership - purchase two large bags of ice.

4) Finally at the dealership - they’ll empty the wheelbarrow while telling you how it’s all worth it - you’ll then need one bag of ice for where they remove the kidney and the other for your ass!

Kevin

 

Porsche dealership tried to charge me $3.5k for work that took me 35 min and $40 in parts. Need two bags of ice for your ass.

 

Hey John,
Have you thought about or checked with Fonz at J. Scuderia ? He did lots of work on my car and brought it to the dealership for that recall. Depending on his schedule, it might take a little while ???
Good Luck Either Way,
Dominic

 

Thank you Dom, that is actually my backup plan.

I'm hoping this is just an easy in and out, no charge situation with a chance to browse around like the guys said.

Had I needed to take it to Fonz for anything, I would have just had him adddress it as you stated

 

they can’t charge you for any work you don’t agree to. Don’t sweat it and just enjoy the visit.

 

Sorry Kevin, but you missed a few steps.
I've made the corrections in red

 

I bring one of my cars that I work on myself to the dealership for stuff periodically when I don’t have time to do something or for stuff I can’t do like tires.

I know everyone there by their first name tho bc of FCA stuff so overall they are cool and fair with me. Yes dealers are expensive but every brand of dealer is expensive now for service.

I would tell them about aftermarket tuning or ecu stuff you don’t want overwritten. I am not sure if it’s even possible but I bought a little plug that goes over the obd port that literally says “do not reflash contact vehicle owner” bc I wanted to avoid a problem.

it’s always a game to see if they can find stuff wrong that I don’t know about. I enjoy it.

 

Great suggestion! Thank you!

 

No affiliation but this is what I bought https://longhornfabshop.com/obdii-port-cover-do-not-reflash-200922/

 

Well, I don't want to scare you but I too brought my car into the dealership for the brake cap recall recently and it was an absolutely terrible experience. I have a manual conversion as well. I dropped the car off, they said maybe an hour so I went to grab a bite and came back. As soon as the service advisor saw me he waved me down and said come with me I want to show you something. Crap I thought.

I get back to the garage bay and he says do you smell that clutch? Is there something wrong with your clutch? It was a burnt clutch smell. I started to get livid. I asked him who drove my car in and if he knew how to drive stick. He assured me the person did. Then he said maybe your clutch is at the end of its life, and I told him I know the % when it was converted and it is not. He said their diagnostics can check the % left, and I told him I'm pretty sure it can't since it's a manual. After another 30 minutes he came and admitted I was right, they can't check. Anyway, long story short the head technician came out and drove the car with me and finally admitted the guy who brought it in just didn't know how to drive this car in stick. They offered me a complete free inspection of the car on the lift and I just said no thanks and left. Luckily, there wasn't any damage done as the parking space to the garage bay was maybe 50 feet and the smell dissipated very quickly. I was very nervous he rode the clutch or something, spent the next few hours going to my car and sniffing around

So my advice to you is explicitly make sure whoever drives your car knows how to drive a damn stickshift. Don't assume like I did that just because it is a Ferrari dealership the tech that brings in your car knows how to drive one.

 

This was a main concern of mine as fewer people know how to drive stick. I was assuming since so many older Ferraris were stick, they'd have to be able to do this, but you make a great point, not necessarily, especially if they put a newbie on it because it is such a simple service.

When I went to inspection when I first got the car, I had to take it through, they had no idea what to do with it.

I'm going to give them a head's up about this.

Thanks again.

 

NEVER EVER LET NJ MVC INSPECT YOUR EXOTIC CAR... Pay the $80 and take it to Bodymotion in Ocean for my state inspections. I had a 350lb guy at the Eatontown NJ inspection center not let me drive my GT3 through the inspection, not only did he ride the clutch for a lovely burning smell. I have the factory cup seats in standard size. I thought he was going to crack them. That was the last time I let NJ inspection drive one of my cars. I mentioned it to the service guy at Bodymotion and he said they can do the inspection. I have taken all my Porsche's and my Ferrari there ever since for their inspections.

 

Well it was just the one time and I drove it through, so no worries there. And now I have the collectorsstixcker, so no inspection required any longer.

Thank you for future reference though!

 

"First time to the dealer any suggestions" - don't go. Find a reputable local indy instead, unless the dealer is the only option for you.

 

It's for the brake cap recall. Unfortunate there is no other option at this point.

 

So, made the trip. The showroom is simply insane. One of these cars is awesome, rows of them are humbling. They had a speciale and a pista that were just to die for.

Fortunately, other than dealing with my airbag light, trip was uneventful. No surprises, things I planned to do or look at anyway. This is good news I think

Their recommendations:
4 tires: $2300
replace wipers: $210
clear out airbag condition: $1200 (long story here: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/149858669/)
I have a bit of chatter on my steering column, (any insights greatly appreciated) remove cover and diagnose: $300
replace power steering fluid: $732
tighten side mirrors: $300

I'm just posting this so the DIY'ers can see how much money they are saving themselves!

Thank you everyone for your time and suggestions.

 

I see they’re still selling gold plated wipers