Ferrari Mechanics in Atlanta? | FerrariChat

Ferrari Mechanics in Atlanta?

Discussion in 'South Central - USA (TN, MS, AL, GA)' started by hollywoodchris, Oct 23, 2009.

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  1. hollywoodchris

    Aug 27, 2009
    27
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    Wondering is anyone has a recommended mechanic in the Atlanta area? As we all know the dealer will dig deep into your pockets.

    Thanks in advance,

    -Chris
     
  2. David Danhof

    David Danhof Karting

    Nov 5, 2003
    55
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    David Danhof
    Old World Motorcars. Ask for Steve.
     
  3. Bertocchi

    Bertocchi Formula 3
    Consultant

    Jan 28, 2004
    2,176
    Austin, Texas
    Full Name:
    David Castelhano
    I am trying to determine if there is enough interest/business in the Savannah area to open a Ferrari repair shop? Any thoughts?
     
  4. hollywoodchris

    Aug 27, 2009
    27
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    Thanks for the info. I will give them a shout.
     
  5. jeffdavison

    jeffdavison F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Jul 29, 2002
    2,544
    Suwanee Georgia
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    Jeffrey Davison
    #5 jeffdavison, Oct 23, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2009
    Just had my 30K engine out in my 355. Ferrari of Atlanta did the dead, and they certainly did a perfect job. They did not "dig deeply" as you asume a dealer would. It was less than I expected and about the same as quotes and copies of reciepts from respected others in the area.

    You make a perfectly WRONG assumption that a dealer will cost a lot more than an independant. Any exotic shop is fairly costly. But a having a dealer like Ferrari of Atlanta do the work is, imo, a wiser move if you own a Ferrari and need it to have the service that it needs with no question of quality of service / work. If I took my car to an independant who did not thouroly know my car inside and out, I would always worry if they missed something or kluged a tool if they didn't have the correct tool, or if they missed something due to the infrequency of their working on my particular make and model. Also FOA would have the SD2 / SD3 electronics to diagnose the car and to check all the systems properly. A tool usualy not on the shelf (too costly to have for the too few Ferraris that come to them) of the independants and an absolute necesity for working on the newer more electronically dependant modern Ferraris.

    I would trust my 355 with someone who worked on say 50 355's over the last few years with very satisified owners over a shop that may have worked on a couple of 308's and maybe a 60's something or other. Even tho their work may have been great and their owners happy. .... but that's just me... you pays your money and takes your choice...


    I would trust a dealer first. 1, besause of experience with a singular make/model (over a shop that does all makes and models). 2, becuase of having any specialized tools for doing the work, and most importantly the real ability to stand behind and warrant the work they perfomed.

    I have had my car serviced from 2002 till now with FOA, and they have always been very competitive, always did great work, and have always performed the work in a reasonable ammount of time.

    I can only give them the highest recommendations!!

    Jeff Davison
     
  6. jeffdavison

    jeffdavison F1 Rookie
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    Jul 29, 2002
    2,544
    Suwanee Georgia
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    Jeffrey Davison
    sorry, missed it in spell check... should read did the "deed"

     
  7. Redlambo

    Redlambo Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 5, 2004
    2,278
    Pendergrass GA
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    Vic Woloschinow
    Have to agree with Jeff on these points.

    In no way am I taking anything away from the folks at Old World Motorcars.

    However when you make an assumption that the dealer is out to rape you when that quite often not the case you are not being fair. If the **** hit the fan with the dealer’s workmanship you have much more recourse.

    Trust me I know as I took my 1984 Countach to a self proclaimed expert who completely F_cked up an engine rebuild and then conveniently filed for bankruptcy during my legal pursuit of him and his business.

    Just so there is NO CONFUSION on whom the self proclaimed expert Lamborghini technician was. It was Robert E Ball / Supercars International Inc; however I will refrain from expanding upon my extremely poor feelings about him and his shop here.

    Victor Woloschinow
     
  8. Scaledetails

    Scaledetails F1 Rookie
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    Nov 19, 2003
    4,205
    Daytona Beach, FL
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    Stephane
    #8 Scaledetails, Oct 23, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2009
    Don't waste your time, there is already more Ferrari mechanics than there are cars. I believe 3 Ferraris in Savannah total, 2 of which are mine. The rest is just average cars you see everywhere. I've been here 4 years, Savannah is a disaster for exotic car seekers. We are considering a move soon. Beautiful city though, great for tourism.
     
  9. Scaledetails

    Scaledetails F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 19, 2003
    4,205
    Daytona Beach, FL
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    Stephane



    +1
    I would definitely want to build a reputation with my dealer if I was new to the Atlanta area. Aside from the great staff, they are the only ones that can get you into the Maranello factory gates!! ;)
     
  10. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 27, 2004
    15,924
    Georgia
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    Jim Pernikoff
    I have known for a long time that the price for the major service for 348s and 355s should always be significantly higher than that for the 328 because of the need to drop the engine. I've seen service prices listed at around $5000-6000 for the 355 versus around $3000-3500 for the 328.

    When it was time for my 60k service on my 328, the independents I asked were around the $3000 mark, but FoA quoted me $5500, which is more like 355 country! I made sure that they were giving me a quote for a 328, and I don't remember which service advisor I was dealing with at the time (this was around 3 years ago). But I don't think that charging a 355 price for a 328 service is "competitive".

    (I had the service done by an independent, but since I had it done in several stages, I'm not really sure what I paid, but I believe the total cost was in the $3000 ballpark.)
     
  11. jeffdavison

    jeffdavison F1 Rookie
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    Jul 29, 2002
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    #11 jeffdavison, Oct 24, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2009
    Jim, While an important factor, it's not always only about the money.
    It really pays you back in dividends to do proper research about WHO will do the work, and who will do the work "properly". If you make wrong choices, you could be paying for the work several times over. THAT would be the MOST expensive proposition.

    It is, critical imo, that the mechanic / shop, is intimately familiar with the car worked upon, and have all the correct tools and service items, and the absolute willingness to back up the work if any problems occur. Sometimes you get exactly what you pay for, sometimes more and sometimes much less, but once the money is out of your pocket, it's out of your pocket.
    JD
     
  12. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

    Sep 4, 2001
    12,887
    Cumming, Georgia
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    Franklin E. Parker
    #12 parkerfe, Oct 24, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2009
    While I have used several high quality independents in the past, FoA recently gave me the best price for a full service on my B512i...so that's where the work is currently being done. FoA does great work and have the wherewithal to stand by the work in the event something happens; which is something all independents do not have.
     
  13. F355Bvc

    F355Bvc Formula 3

    Dec 4, 2003
    1,657
    Lawrenceville. GA
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    Vince Canipelli
    Mark Turner just had his 348 major done at FOA. How was the job performance , Mark?
     
  14. F355Bvc

    F355Bvc Formula 3

    Dec 4, 2003
    1,657
    Lawrenceville. GA
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    Vince Canipelli
    Jim, I hate to BURST you bubble, but you will NOT get a major done on a 355, at least not done correctly, for that price.... More like $8 - 10,000.
     
  15. mred

    mred Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
    476
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Ed B.
    I have to vote for the dealer in Atlanta as well. They have always done excellent work by me on my 2 360s and 612. They are extremely honest about what is actually wrong with a car and they bend over backwards to get it done.

    I recently had an issue with the readiness indicators not ticking off on the 612 after a battery change. In order to pass emissions 7 out of the 8 have to clear. I drove the car 400 miles in all conditions trying to get the codes to clear with no luck. I took the car by there and Thomas reset the computer and drove it home for the night. He gave it back with the indicators cleared off - all for the cost of nothing!

    There are big bills and there are small bills but the guys in service at FOA are the best I have encountered in the Ferrari business.
     
  16. mred

    mred Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
    476
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Ed B.
    It is also worth noting that any shop that gives you a flat rate for a 15k service is going to be cutting too many corners. You simply cannot predict how much you are going to have to do before you get into the car beyond a stage that you would want to transport it to another shop.

    I have had 15k services cost $1,500 to $6,500 on my cars and I have seen plenty that got a long way over $15k. It all depends on whether or not you are doing seals, rollers, clutch, brakes, etc.
     
  17. elgin328

    elgin328 Formula 3

    Apr 11, 2004
    1,034
    near Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Mark
    LOL!!! I will let you know in 3 weeks when I get it back.
     
  18. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Feb 27, 2004
    15,924
    Georgia
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    Jim Pernikoff
    Several years ago a prominent southern California independent Ferrari mechanic had his own website, where the contents and prices of service packages for various models were listed. I took note of the "major service" packages for certain V-8 models:
    328 = $2900, 348 = $4900, 355 = $5700. Now, the rates may have gone up somewhat since then, but $8-10k seems quite high. That's the one thing that will probably dissuade me from ever getting a 355, no matter how good a car it might be.
     
  19. jeffdavison

    jeffdavison F1 Rookie
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    Jul 29, 2002
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    Suwanee Georgia
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    #19 jeffdavison, Oct 24, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2009
    Jim.. fyi.....

    My 30K was $6300. I supplied the belts, bearings, gaskets etc.. with a 30K service kit from Daniel at Ricambi, one of the best vendors on Earth fo F parts. Their kit was around $1500. That brings the total to around $7800. I was budgeting a higher ammount.
    That price also included something not normally done in a 30K, but FOA discovered something during the service... I had to replace the inner CV joint boots. That was about a $500 in itself (I included this in the $6300 number)..

    Also fyi.... FOA gives FCA members a discount of about $700 on this job... so membership DOES pay!

    JD
     
  20. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 27, 2004
    15,924
    Georgia
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    Jim Pernikoff
    I've got a 75,000 (15,000) mile service due on the 328 this winter. I think the big cost driver on this service is the valve adjustment. I hadn't considered the FCA discount; thanks for the tip. I'll get a price from FoA before I go anywhere else.
     
  21. hollywoodchris

    Aug 27, 2009
    27
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    #21 hollywoodchris, Oct 24, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2009
    What a deal!!
     
  22. gcmerak

    gcmerak Formula 3

    Mar 17, 2008
    1,657
    Engine Bay, Georgia
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    George C.
    If I can't adjust the valves myself on a car, then that car won't be on my buying list.

    Ciao,
    George
     
  23. hollywoodchris

    Aug 27, 2009
    27
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Chris


    My personal experiences have been different from yours obviously, Glad to know how "WRONG" i am though... Thanks for your 2 cents...
     
  24. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

    Sep 4, 2001
    12,887
    Cumming, Georgia
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    Franklin E. Parker
    #24 parkerfe, Oct 25, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2009
    My you have thin skin...You did include in your first thread the phase "...As we all know..." the dealer will dig deep in your pockets. And, since we all DO NOT know that the dealer charges too much, at least not FoA, you were wrong. Of course if you go into a dealer with an attitude that they are rip off artists, they certainly will not give you a break and may just quote you a price to make you go away so they don't have to deal with you.
     
  25. hollywoodchris

    Aug 27, 2009
    27
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    #25 hollywoodchris, Oct 25, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2009
    I stand corrected, I should have said..." In My Personal Experience" Eventhough My inital statement could have been misleading to you, that does not make me "wrong" or there wouldn't be 100 threads asking for help outside the dealer by other people on this board in all locations around the globe for financial reasons... The intentions to prove me "wrong" - have not been justified and that does not make "the" "wrong" statement by "jeffdavison" accurate. It simply makes the inital comment "inaccurate" in some cases. There are exceptions on both sides and I apologize if I have offended either of you noble gentleman.

    Best driving and happy days!
     

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