Between $6k and $7k I pretty much the going rate for a major w/o extras in the USA. If it's the going rate it is not a rip off. You may not like it and may think it is too much. But that doesn't make it a rip off. I know the guy I use charges about that but he doesn't just take the car apart and put it back together. He cleans everything and after it's back together test drives it, puts it back up on a lift, checks for leaks. Let's the car sit a few days. Test drives it and checks for leaks again. It's like I said before. Due to the current prices of these cars Ferrari dreamers are buying them and then cringe at the cost of service and may feel they are being ripped off. You probably would not think $7k was a rip if the car was still valued at $150k. In fact, most owners here probably would not be owners if the cars were $150k. Unfortunately, while the cars are pretty much fully depreciated, the cost of maintenance doesn't depreciate.
As I said, I took my time. Had I been all prepared (had car on the side of garage with tools), it would have certainly taken less. I doubt 20 minutes though. Have you changed a 355 battery?
That's very interesting Brian. I have the upmost respect for you and others who do this for a living and are even willing to interact with us who obviously have an enthusiasts view of these cars One of the readin do hold you guys who are available to interact with in high esteem is that unlike those who don't even own these cars and bash them, you guys actually have to help the guys who own and Love their cars fix them and not make them feel like total a holes for owning one. I am sure that has been a challenge at times. With that , this is not a header thread, but at one time you and another respected tech suggested that the current OEM headers were a good if not the correct choice at this time. I'll find the quote if need be. Tubi no longer offers lifetime warranties, one year if I am not mistaken. New OEM one are two years. Regardless, the cost if replacement was not 8000. My original headers lasted 21000 miles. If these last the same it will be just fine and 4400 is not crazy.
Steve I could be wrong.But I think when they quote the 9hr for the belts that must be the gas tank method with the motor left in the car.But I guess anything is possible.
We know for a fact that the factory manifolds are a low quality problematic part and are a major contributor to the now unfortunate reputation the car has. While Tubi has changed their warranty coverage the product remains far superior. The only other manifold I suggest and in fact the only manifold I can legally install is the OE part. Does not change the fact that it is a very distant second place and in comparison a substandard part. Also Ferrari reduced the price of the manifolds so it is a more attractive choice than it once was and if I remember correctly, they as well as the catalytic converters were on sale not long back by FNA to reduce stock levels. It would be interesting to read your invoice. Currently 2 OE manifolds are almost $4600 without gaskets or labor and I can only quote prices in effect when the article is written. Yesterdays price....tomorrows price, I cant control or base anything on that. The cost of doing CV joint boots is about half when the manifolds are out of the way so suggesting that quoted price was in any way false and misleading was very false and misleading. You and many others here act as though there is a grand conspiracy here in some way. Our only interest is to educate in an unbiased manner potential buyers. The people involved in the article have nothing to gain by presenting false information and not a single contributor has less than 25 years experience with the make. We deal with it every day and we really do understand how damaging to the overall reputation to the make hiding any short comings may be. We are owners of a Testarossa and we love it but it shares in some ways the same reputation the 355 has. I spent half an hour already this morning telling someone all the reasons he should not buy one. Like the 355, it is not for every car buyer and I think the 355 people really need to get a grip and accept that fact. I said many of the same things about the TR in that buyers guide a few months ago and got not one single negative comment. 355 owners on Fchat need to quit being in denial. In the real world they seem to be accepting of reality.
I'll post the invoice when I get home Brian. It is actually on here in another post of mine somewhere I am not part of any group that has a take on what is posted here. I have been here for a bit over a year and have read and learned a ton about my car. I have also read a learned a ton about how and what is posted here. You authored in that Forza article that header replacement will run upwards of $8000. Your words , not mine. I replaced my headers with new OEM items from a Ferrari dealer for far less than that. No argument , no conspiracy , those are just facts. Readers can take away from that what they will. If the new OEM headers are crap for what I paid , if Fabspeed is junk for whatever they charge , if the stainless headers that a fchat member just installed for about what my OEM ones were are crap and if the only worthwhile option out there is tubi for whatever they charge and if the final number for tubi s is $8000 then I stand corrected and what you published as an expert in the field of Ferrari repair stands as fact.
Not to pick on you Brian, but that latter statement is hardly unbiased. By all means tell your customer what the potential problems are, but suggesting that he should not buy one (if you really did) certainly shows bias. There are a lot of reasons to buy a TR too, (TR used in the generic sense), just as there are lots of reason to buy a 355. Anything in life is a balance of the pros and cons. Having owned my 308 QV for 29 years and being knowledgeable about Ferraris I went into a 355 fully knowing the issues and knowing that if necessary I could afford to address them or cut my losses and dump the car. When I wrote the check, I wrote it off. The biggest hindrance was getting past the negative bias that permeates FChat, and apparently now Forza.
Bob A friend of mine bought the tubi headers and he paid 6k just for the headers alone. I have fab speed and for $2700 I think there a great header and do give you a bit more performance.Yes they may have abit of a fit problem. I do think that they are made well. you cant beat them for the money.
Yes I might have been a dreamer one day but for the last three years I have been a realist!! I own one and I don't cringe at the cost of things. I have the money to pay 7k for a service but I refuse to do so. I will do it myself and the money I save will take me on a nice holiday to Thialand. I have worked on numerous vehicles over the years cars trucks boats, I even built a fairly successful rally car from scratch for a good pal of mine. Look at Aussie prices and these cars here range from 120 to 150 k and the price of stuff here is horrendous. I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this. In the words of frank sinatra I'll do it my way!!
It took me 10 minutes to change 348 battery and max 30 minutes to change 360 battery which is in passengers foot well. 355 has 20 bolts to drop engine ... average time 4 hours
Just read this John . Interesting guess this poor bugger was in over his head. If I where in the same situation I would go straight to a pro as advised by fbb .
I changed my timing belt this morning, 30 minutes using an impact gun Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've only had my 1999 355 F1 Spyder a year and a half. When I bought it so I wouldn't be pissed I budgeted 5k a year. After I had it shipped to Vancouver I had a transmission sensor, seat potentiometer for the roof and a check up. 2200 bucks. In the next 17 months one 650 dollar oil change including check up. Rock solid feel safe and never worry about being stranded. I drive it whenever I can, I'm a happy owner!
From the outside looking in, the US market is definitely a curious thing when it comes to the 355. To you guys who are owners, how do you feel about the fact that the car is so maligned there whereas in the rest of the world they are highly regarded, and prices are stable or slowly climbing? On the one hand, the constant whining about maintenance issues means that to buy in is super cheap for you compared to the rest of the world, but it also means the cars are never likely to appreciate. As Steve said above, prices of good 355s are in the $120 - 150k (and more) range here, and in the UK they are rising slowly. Personally I think johnk made an excellent point when he said that if you had to pay $150k to buy one in the first place you probably wouldn't complain so much about maintenance costs, and would be more inclined to do whatever it took to look after the vehicle properly. Having said that, I hate being ripped off as much as anyone. Steve, my major is due early next year. An extremely well regarded Indy here in Adelaide has quoted me approx $5k, as long as nothing nasty is found. I'm happy to pay that for a good job, particularly as I don't know one end of a spanner from the other and wouldn't dream of attempting anything beyond a basic oil change myself. And I like having that stamp in the book, even if it's not a full dealer stamp.
You know if it was 5k here I would nearly pay the money but no way am I paying 7. If ur not mechanically minded you are quite right not to attempt it but as for myself I have been swinging spanners for the past 25 years in my spare time and I'm actually looking forward to doing the job myself and if I get stuck I have a couple of good techs I can call on. Hey did I see on another thread that u got ur shocks rebuilt?? When I do the major I'm also going to re bush the whole car so I would also like to get the shocks rebuilt. If u did, did u get them done in OZ
No, wasn't me. I've had to do nothing to my car apart from routine servicing since I bought it. Last routine service a couple of months ago and the report was pretty much perfect. Under $550 and I'm a happy man. We'll see what happens next year! I reckon in Oz you could budget re $2-3k / year and unless something goes wrong you wouldn't be far off the mark. Of course a sensible person would allow more than that to be sure, and to cover the things which fall under "I'd like to" rather than "I need to". But really, to own and drive a beautiful Italian exotic car, that is bugger all. I've owned aircraft before and compared to them the Ferrari is the best value bang for buck item I've ever encountered.
Steve You can send your shocks back to Bilstein in the states and have them rebuilt for $175.00 each.Pm if you need a phone number.
With any older car, it doesn't matter what it is, you need to do your homework. There are no warranties with these vehicles, as we are all well aware of. If you are aware of the cars short comings, you will not be surprised if the issues arise. Just be prepared to deal with them or cut your losses and move on. Before I purchased my car I had already planned on addressing certain issues and had spent a lot of time reading about the car from this website as well as books. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that parts prices are going to be more expensive than a Ford, Chevy, or Honda. Additionally there are threads on this site that can make ownership less expensive through alternative parts sourcing and DIY maintenance information. I do agree with John K's assessment of one of the owners in that Forza article. If the car was that bad, or the ownership experience was that bad, why would you purchase the same car again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Having read the article now, I'd say it's fair enough. Until you get to the owners part. What a pack of sooks. Maybe they should have stuck to their wife's Corolla. You couldn't find ONE 355 owner who was happy and would recommend the car? Or, maybe you didn't want to.
I've pissed to much money into modding cars over the years that a few grand here and there for repairs over a year is nothing. Try building a high Hp Japanese turbo car, might as well burn my money. Or.. Owning a land rover discovery.. Fck that truck
Exactly. I've lost a combined 70k (actually probably more) in the last 4 years from the newish BMWs I've owned. So what? I've enjoyed the cars, and it won't stop me buying another one. Some people here expect to buy a beautiful high performance Italian supercar and maintain it for the price of a Toyota? Give me a break. If you can't stand the heat, no need to ruin it for those who can.
