Doody, Found this after someone posted a link, (Thanks), Most interesting. It would seem you guys pay around $4000 on average for a major service. I don't know what the average in the UK but I'll endeavour to find out ? I have also read the edmunds.com reviews and hope they are not representative, (have read the replies on this subject too). Their opinions seem to be very negative, except for the driving experience, which is obviously why we save up and buy these things in the first place - But I must admit cost of ownership is concerning me ? Also - Have you driven a 575M with or without the Fiorano Handling Pack ? If so - Are you of the same opinion that it's still only as good with the FHP as a 550 is in standard spec ? What about interior differences ? Torque & Power are obviously up, but do REALLY notice that much difference? Regards, Seb
Would someone mind reposting the data from this important, benchmark thread please? I see everyone talking about it, but I don't see the actual data. Thanks
oh man. this got lost in the hard drive crash back when. what a shame. here's what i dug up. no guarantees it's the same stuff, but i don't see why i would have mucked with the spreadsheet since the original posting. hope this is helpful. doody. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wow! This is very helpful. I'll see if I can dig up invoices for the major I had done when I purchased my 550 a few months back. Thank you Mr. Doody. BTW, what is MWAG?
what does fna require for a 40hr svc.or where might i look.interesting thread.great car to drive and work on.
That's what I'm doing. Tim Stanford here in South Florida already quoted me between $2500-3500, depending on what he finds. I'll probably have it done this winter. Mine's a '99 and I just hit 10K miles with the last major reported in mid 2003. I gotta' admit, the lower service costs for the 550 is why I bought it over a 355.
Timing of the major has been debated extensively on the Board over the years. The threads can easily be found and read at your leisure. Ferrari changed their specs about 2-3 years ago from 15K or 5 years to 15K/3 years when they started offering the extended warranty. Many on the Board are skeptical that a carefully maintained but lightly driven (2-3K/yr) car really needs a major every 3 years, particularly if the fluids/lubricants are changed out yearly. I had my last major done two years ago and insisted they keep all the parts for my inspection. Most of them looked like new and certainly there were no visible signs of stress on the timing belt. I got a new belt as well and looked at both in a blinded fashion under low power in a scope- and couldn't tell the difference. No cracks, stress lines, etc. even at 20X. Upon cutting the old belt in half and looking on the inside, again, no detectable wear. You honestly couldn't tell the difference between the old and new belts. Now, if the car had been extensively tracked, or baked every day in extreme environments, the story might be different- don't know. Personally, knowing how my car is driven and maintained and the temperatures it sees, I see no reason to do a major every three years (I do not have the extended warranty) and will stick to the yearly schedule of fluid/lubricant changeout and the major every 5 years. In my mind- acceptable risk.
Has anyone this work done since Doody performed this survey? Did the prices end up being similar? Any updates from Doody?
I had mine done last summer ('06)@ local dealer @ 4.5 years. Old rec was 5 years, my belts/3 hoses were fine, tech and I both looked. I would not go beyond 5y personally. Driven cars can go longer more safely it seems. Cost was close to middle ground on list, I added a battery (got nearly 5y out of a Fiamm!) and some incredibly expensive A/C hoses, so my total was higher. For the items listed (does not include the 3 intake hoses, nor were mine done) it was close to 5k. Also, FNA/many dealers consider for Power warranty status later, if service done by independent, service is not considered "done". BS, but could be issue for those buying used through dealer and wishing Power warranty.
I just had my major service done at Silicon Valley Auto group in Los gatos California. It cost about 7k in labor and 3K in parts. However, I had two oxygen sensors and the motor mounts replaced too for about $900 in parts. I also had the exhaust valves bypassed electronically instead of buying aftermarket exhaust mufflers. The original 30k service quote was $8k over the phone. Dave G.
Too bad you didn't go to Brain Crall, he would have examined those important cooling hoses under the manifold.
I am SO happy I bought my car just after it received its major service! I have to be very careful if I upgrade to a 575 - perhaps it's actually better to buy a 30K miles car that has already gone through the pain of the major, rather than insist on a 15-20K miles car which will cost considerably more AND will have to go through this whopper of a service. $8K... man that's outrageous. You could buy a fully functional E34 BMW M5 for that money
I believe the major for a 456 GT is the same for the 550. I now have a 456 GT that received its Major from FoSV, June '06: Don't like to talk out of school, but it would be interesting to see your list against mine....probably would help update the thread too. BUT, I plan to have Brian, more than likely, do my next major. unless FoSF gives me an oil coupon....they are awfully nice at extras, and the express0... Image Unavailable, Please Login
"$8K... man that's outrageous." True, but on the other hand there's a '99 550 on eBay (sorry, can't figure out how to link) that will probably sell in the high $80s plus major. Even at $97-98k fully sorted it's a pretty good deal (absent other issues, of course).
Prices for majors vary widely, from $3200-10K, depending upon who does them, what they "decide" a major entails, and what they find. I've been unpleasantly surprised at the variation. The best thing to do is to find a trusted independent; you'll come out thousands of dollars in the black in most cases. They have less overhead and often can devote more time to the job. But some of the figures that I've seen, 7-10K, when nothing is seriously wrong and all the change-outs are routine seem awfully high and may be more a function of "charge what the traffic can bear" than the complexity of the job or the time it takes. To my way of thinking, having a great shop imparts a lot of peace of mind to the ownership experience and a fair amount of the angst we see exhibited on this Board by owners is due to a lack of trust in terms of where they're getting their cars serviced.
I finally got round to posting my spreadsheet in a related thread. I thought I'd repeat myself here. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Well, that looks as if it was a lot of work. I think your spreadsheet will become the Board's reference point for 550 costs- at least in Europe. When a newbie comes asking what the maintenance will cost.......we now have an easy answer. Thanks.