I actually think that F355 repair and maintenance needs are already fully reflected in the market valuations. Trying to attract naive buyers by withholding information will only hurt the resale, as those cars will soon get back on the market, but now with signs of neglect and disrepair. Getting knowledgeable buyers that understand F355 service needs, and are willing to spend their time, money and effort to keep them in top shape is what will keep propping the price. And CV joints? Why?
I've never had to replace CV joints either. Boots were replaced by the PO, but that's far from abnormal on a 15-20 year old car and would fall under the routine maintenance area. The rest of your list is very typical of 20 year old cars. Motor mounts, seals etc. all wear. I guarantee if you find a 20 year old Camry or Corolla, it will have worn motor mounts, cv axles and suspension bushings along with 2 or 3 fluid leaks that would be completely unacceptable on a Ferrari but is fine on a car that you don't care about and is not capable of doing 150+mph. Heck, my sister's 2003 Corolla puffs a small amount of oil on acceleration that would probably indicate need for a full rebuild or at least valve guides on a 355, but she just changes the oil and drives. That's what people fail to realize, to keep even a Camry in tip top shape at 20 years old will not be cheap. It will be downright expensive (though nowhere near a Ferrari). But, nobody cares enough about a 20 year old Camry to bother fixing those things, you just do what it needs to drive. Heck, I have a close to 30 year old Porsche 944 turbo and it requires a hell of a lot more upkeep than my Ferrari. It's way cheaper when it comes time to buy parts and there are plenty of used parts out there, but it needs more attention by a long shot. In the past 4 months I've had to replace the balance shaft seals, rear wheel bearing, replace temp sensor, replace the shift boot and it needs a couple of other little things - and it's a fairly reliable car.
I appreciate your comments..! I also know my limits but I refuse to pay 7 grand for timing belts when I can resource this site pull my engine out with care and advice and do it myself. Just wondering what you mean when you say it takes more than mechanical skills to keep these cars running right? Do I need to get it blessed by the Vatican or something? Please enlighten me maybe the cooling system needs to be flushed with holy water or something. Like I said before it's a car!!
Thank you! It really pisses me off when people pull the well you bought it but you can't afford to look after crap! I'm not a stockbroker or a computer whizz,hell it took me about 5 years to figure out e mail! But when my cars break I'm not going to pay $200 bucks a minute with a complimentary latte from luigi to fill up my windscreen washer bottle.just because it's got a horse on the bonnet doesn't mean I can't fix it.to all the diy blokes on this site I thank you sincerely for your invaluable threads.
Steve, I side with john on this one. Many a Porsche mechanic have ruined a Ferrari service. Heck I have seen and experienced even failure by Ferrari mechanics. There are many tricks to dealing with these quirky cars and mistakes made where symptoms are treated but cauuses unknowingly ignored. It is difficult to accuse but there are two recent threads going where one owner may have missed the signs that resulted in a failed engine. Being a capable part replacer is very different than understanding how the cars work, making the right diagnosis, and replacing the right parts.
Not quite. I ordered my water for the cooling system straight from Italy. It comes from the babbling brook near the factory in Maranello so that it will be exactly like it was shipped and run the way it was intended when it left. The water is hauled by bucket, as they did in the year 1994, walked along the streets, and into the factory where it is inspected carefully by Ferrari engineers. Only then, is it placed in containers and shipped out. My dealer was very happy to offer this special service to me.
I do hear you and when I feel I'm not capable of something I will gladly walk away and pay an expert but I got quoted for a paint job on the car of 12k, why coz it was a ferrari did it my self for 2 k and I can assure you it's better workmanship than the body shop that quoted me. I will post pics if wanted
Anyway I'm off to bed it's midnight here and I've had two bottles of vino so let the flaming continue without me unto tomorrow. Goodnight brothers
Want lots of maintenance, look 25 year or so before the 355 came out Old big block chebbys, chevelle, camaro Clutch once a month or 2 along with rocker arms Once a year rods, pistons, rebuild trans, drive shaft Maybe 2 years out of the rear end, Front end bushings, motor mounts Everything gets better with time. Can't compare yesterday to tomorrow
Amen! My wife had an old Accord and the motor mounts were bad. Honda puts HYDRAULIC motor mounts in these cars to reduce vibration. The motor mounts contain pressurized fluid controlled by an electric solenoid. They leak. Crazy. And about $400 each. What's a 355 motor mount? $150?
CV boots big deal I've had to replace them on most cars I've ever owned $30.00 and abit of labour. You say 5k for a flywheel.. or you could buy the grease for $125.00 and rebuild the flywheel yourself.If not you could send the flywheel out and have it rebuilt and machined for $1000.00 no need for a new one for 5k..To do a clutch on a 355 there is no car in the world that is as easy. 5hr
No. I mean there is a big difference between being able to take something apart and putting it back together with new parts and being able to diagnose a problem correctly. As an example, read this thread, http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q/438321-f355-clicking-noise-pumpkin.html. FBB knows what I mean. If this guy understood backlash in gear trains he might not have been so quick to dismiss the rough engine idle as the source of the problem. From what I have seen people with diagnostic skills are few and far between on this site and even those who may have them are hard pressed to diagnose a problem without the car. As for a DIY major, that's your call. In my case I, if I can do it in a day I'll give it a shot. But there is no way I want to spend a week in my garage working on a car in the middle of summer when I could be out enjoying other activities.
That's the only benifit of the NE winters, John. Why would you do a major in summer? I'll be doing mine in winter and if it takes 5 months, who cares? That's a great way to pass a winter. Maybe a should do a major each year
I don't have a heated garage and don't work in the cold. Plus Dave, I get no enjoyment out of it. And I've seen these cars go 13 years w/o a major. In 13 years I'll be 80. Maybe I'll just drive it until the belts break and then sell it for scrap. I sure as heck ain't worried about the next guy.
Because it is the car that makes you feel best. You can talk about pros and cons all day long but when buying a Ferrari it is surely about what makes you feel good. There really is no logical reason to buy one.
I have to agree with John here that there's a big difference between knowing how to take apart (and even put back together) a machine and then knowing the intricacies of that machine. I think the difference would best be described as "enthusiast" or "hobbyist" versus "professional." An enthusiast or hobbyist may have experience, even extensive experience, on a very limited scope - their own car in most cases. Whereas a professional will have not only extensive experience but it'll be across a broad range of cars with both breadth AND depth of experience... not to mention longevity. If you're going to do the maintenance yourself, I think that's great - a lot of people seem to get real enjoyment from it, and you learn something about the car in the process. But to John's point, I think you DO need more than just some good mechanical skills to properly maintain these things. And to some degree, it's a bit disparaging to suggest that you could do it with the same degree of effectiveness as someone who's dedicated their career to it. While I think many people on this board have clearly demonstrated they can do quite a bit of work on their cars, I do have to wonder how many issues go undetected and therefore untreated (until it's much more serious) because a DIYer doesn't have the experience to spot an issue earlier... or how many downstream issues are the result of DIY jobs done "by the book" but where the book fails to provide insights into tips and tricks commonly adopted over the years by professional mechanics. I don't know the answer, but I'd be hard pressed to believe a DIYer will achieve the same levels of quality, effectiveness, and efficiency as a master mechanic for Ferrari. Because if I DO believe that, in turn I'd have to believe that a part-time hobbyist can amass the same skills and experience as someone who spent a career working on these cars. I'm not buying it. That's why, when I finally pick up my first Ferrari, it's going to be seen by Ferrari, or a competent indy shop, when it needs maintenance. That... and I have no interest, honestly, in taking the thing apart. But I'll close with this... even if I DID intend to do the maintenance myself, I think I'd still take the car to the shop on an annual basis to have a second set of eyes look everything over - like going to the doctor for a preventative check-up, if you will. It's just an awful amount of money to spend on a beautiful machine to risk it going to hell in a handbasket due to a simple mistake or oversight. My 0.02 cents!
I have had lots of rework at both Dealer's, Indy's and master mechanics both Ferrari and Daily Drivers. I doubt it's the work ethic - and I doubt it's a rush to get things done on the clock. It's probably more the nature of the beast. But I HATE rework
Yes, I too heard this was coming.... Forza spoke to a total of 3 F355 owners. A wonderfully valid statistical sampling. F*** 'em.
Eric, You can DIY these cars. You have to be smart about it, check one's ego (difficult for Ferrari guys) and take baby steps on your way to complicated repairs. DIY guys work slower than pros and if you factor that in probably working for way less that the job they have that bought them the Ferrari. I am sure it is more cost effect to pay a pro in many cases. People even complain of expensive pro oil changes something any DIY'er should be able to do. Then we hear on fchat post on why they got smoke and oil filling the intake manifold and what should I do now? How many stripped drain plugs what do I do now threads? If doing DIY right it is done for love of the hobby and willingness to take risk. That is not free.
