Ok. Have owned my 355 GTB now for 8 years and am approaching it's 3rd cambelt change. Have previously always had this done by the indie specialist who sold me the car (an engine out change). My local Ferrari franchise dealer can do it for £1000 less via the engine in method (remove / loosen the fuel tank). The car is high mileage (51000 miles) but at last oil service by ferrari main dealer had every box ticked green on the appraisal ..... In other words it seems to be a good car. Almost certain to get an all green report again if I go with main dealer albeit with engine in cambelt change. Should I go main dealer or indie ? .... How important is the main dealer stamp ( I might be selling car in next 12 months ). If I was keeping it I would prefer the engine to come out. If I am selling it should I go main dealer for the quodos of the all green report ?
If you are looking to sell the buyer will most likely look at the stamp not whether it was engine in our out If you have done a lot of miles in the past year engine out might be the way to go so that everything else can be inspected/checked
Yes I have thought same for many years. However, it is by a main dealer and method will not be recorded .... it will just be "service and cambelt changed", everything else will be a tick in the green box. Is that worth having if selling before next service ?
Thanks for your reply. Car has only done 1200 miles since last service (an oil by main dealer). If the car was staying with me I would go engine out cambelt. Because I might be selling I am thinking main dealer engine in cambelt to save £1000 and possibly increase saleability / value ?
Doing my engine out now on me spider Nice to let it give birth and look it over Oppps wrong pic Image Unavailable, Please Login
Seriously though this is a strange decision for me. Option 1: Spend more to have the engine out with an Indie ( a very well regarded one i should add ) but possibly take less sale money in the next 12 months due to non-ferrari main dealer provinence Option 2: Spend less to have the engine in with a main dealer and possibly take more sale money in the next 12 months because of the perceived value in main dealer work and an "all green" report I am torn, if i was keeping the car I would spend more for the engine out service because that is what i have always done and what has probably led to the all green main dealer report. If i am selling then the main dealer green light report is probably worth having on the record for the car. ???
Engine out, all the way. I have seen too many corners cut by engine in service. hey, I thought you can get a service for a 355 in the UK for $3K???
Yes we can indeed ..... have never spent more than £3xxx on any service in 8 years. Most expensive was about £3400 which was engine out cambelt plus 2 x radiators oil tyres etc and paint chips.
Option 3: If you really are thinking of selling it, don't do the belt change now, and leave it to the new buyer to decide who/when/where/how it will be done. 8 years of ownership and you had 2 belt changes already - it's not like this is an urgent issue; unless you're worried about something. My $.02. BTW, I can't imagine a dealer not wanting to follow the engine-out manufacturer directed approach, simply from a liability point of view.
No dilema at all engine out only. It will totally depend n the buyer. I think you will alienate some knowledgeable buyers by doing the engine in. Engine out ensures all buyers should have no trouble. An un edcucated buyer will not care but an educated one will care verymuch
Three cam belt changes in eight years? Seriously? I get that these engines were designed to be removed to replace the belts, but certainly not with this frequency in mind. If all you wanted to do was replace the belts because of age, I would go for the minimally invasive approach. It would be like having a choice of two orthopedists to replace your hip. One will do it with a 6 inch incision to get to the bone, the other will completely sever your leg, which also gives them an opportunity to check all of the nerves, arteries, tendons, etc.
If you go with the indie but take photos and document everything. You can tell the buyer the car was thoroughly looked over very recently. That has value.
We would be assuming nothing else caused the engine to be pulled but at 4 years is not totally outrages if the service was do the first year of owner ship
Is just the way it is in UK market. Belts mandated every 3 years regardless of mileage. I had mine done in years 2 and 5 of my ownership. Now coming up to 3rd change in year 8. I believe the usa is every 5 years ? but seems you are charged more for the work ( presumably to placate the dealer service department? ).
- 1st, 51,00miles is NOT high mileage. The 355 I saw with circa 90,000 miles having £30k ish body restoration might be considered high, but 51, seriously?? - 2nd As to your dilemma, I seriously doubt you will get more money for the last service with a Main dealer stamp; particularly given you don't have a full main dealer service history anyway. You will also get some people questioning main dealer service history at this point as there is a school of thought that indies do it better. Just saying there are two sides to this coin; particularly for cars of this age. -3rd I'm very surprised a main dealer is suggestion this method as its not an approved Ferrari method. I've only owned my 348 for a year, but everybody, bar one indie has said it should be engine out not fuel tank. But if you are going to sell it and only want the stamp in the book then take the cheapest option. But bear in mind any sensible buyer will be calling previous workshops to find out about the car and what was done. -4th any main dealer will give a condition report for a few £. (I think its circa £100) To a potential buyer its not really worth the paper its written on as its done inside an hour. It will give a warm(ish) feeling to the buyer, but that's about it. Any buyer will get a full independent PPI, unless they are an idiot. And any buyer would also be an idiot to rely on any condition report a seller provides. One word of caution, make sure you agree hourly rates with the main dealer up front, as there will be other "bits" that will need doing that aren't included in the menu price. The main dealers I've spoken to will give a reasonable rate for older cars; but you certainly don't want to be agreeing to their "normal" rates.
I'm late to the party, but I'm reminded of a phrase we used to have back in the software business (yeah, I was a software developer for eons -- before the internet era): "Do it once, do it right, make it last" I think it applies to Ferrari timing belt services. A whole bunch of models are designed for belt changes with the lump in situ, but not the 348/F355. I just can't find a compelling economic reason to squeeze on a new timing belt, when experienced shops and dealers can drop the engine efficiently. That's a part of ownership that we all knew about before buying one.
This has been discussed on a few occasions. I'm sure there was an indie on the UK that also did/does the 'engine in' belt service. I've never changed belts on a Ferrari and have no intention to ever do that again on any car. I have seen that space on my previous F355 and even with the tank out it looks tight. My worry would be that they have not been able to check tensioner bearing etc. Maybe if they were replaced anyway? I'm not sure it would put me off buying one that had an engine in service. I know folk do their own servicing including belts. I'm sure (because I see their work 1st hand) they're capable but is everybody as confident? It's a main dealer so that must account for something.
In the USA and Canada and the entire world it is 3 years or 30,000 miles - the service bulletin is world wide.
It's funny. The 355 service manual..states..install timing belts. Run engine for five minutes, and recheck belt tension. Not sure how this is done with the engine out of the car, or with the tank dropped. I'll take a picture of it shortly
