Nearest dealership OR independent service is 1225km away (761mi). I can generally make it in 10 hours, in a 458 probably less! Everyone keeps telling me the 458 is the most reliable Ferrari. Is it reliable enough to be that far from a service center? My brain says no, my heart says yes lol
Have you investigated how much having the car transported there and back would cost - once a year servicing ,and, if unlucky the odd issue ?
As long as there is a DIY (oil, brakes, etc) I can do the work. Transport cost isn't the end of the world, and I travel to the dealership city at least a couple of times year. I am more worried about consistent issues that require frequent dealer trips
I have searched high and low and I'm afraid anybody who would have a the software/tools necessary to work on a 458 is way out there. Porsche is only 3 hours away....
no one can really answer your question. just because something is reliable doesnt mean it wont have an issue. its a group of independant parts all working together. think about ur daily drivers and what it wld be like if you had to travel a long distance to fix those.
More thoughts here https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/first-ferrari-would-you-worry-about-not-being-close-to-a-dealer.611575/#post-146909744
Buy the new power warranty from your dealer and then the transport is covered. Of course you’ll have to get it to the dealer the first time for the inspection.
I would not let it stop me from buying the car. It's a good bet there will be no problems. Life is a risk.
It's not that the 458 is more complex than others. It is the investment in Ferrari Diagnostic computers that is expensive & sometime difficult to get for independent shops I am told. You might try calling Independents within that 1200 mile radius to find a shop that would meet your needs.
The 458 is a very reliable car I would not be afraid to buy it living that far from a dealer. Of course make sure the car you buy has a PPI and all service records.
How many miles on the 458 you're thinking about buying? In my experience, the 458 - especially model years late 2012 and after - are very reliable. You should only need oil and filter changes, which can be done if you have tools and a floor jack or two. I'd suggest upgrading to the Braille i48CS battery also. The 458 isn't like the 355 or 360, which require a lot more TLC to keep on the road. When the dealer does maintenance on your 458, I believe it's largely just oil and filter (plus air filters) and then the auxiliary belt is done only every other visit. They do put it on their computers to check, which is sort of the big appeal for most people I think. However, you do have to be careful that they don't unilaterally upgrade the ECU on you, as this sometimes can be a negative. The couple of times I let them do my 458 service, I explicitly said do not update my software version. However, given how bullet proof the 458 is, you can probably safely go 3 or 4 years between visits, as long as you are doing your oil and filter changes. I'd personally do gearbox oil changes as well. If you've never town down a manual transmission or differential, it's difficult to understand how much sludge there is in there, even with doing oil changes. I put 10K miles on my 458 over 3 years and it didn't so much as blink. I feel like it's a car you can probably put 50k miles on and really never need much serious work beyond oil and filter changes. A lot depends how you drive it too. I always warmed up the oil and motor for 5 to 10 miles before even moderately pushing the car. As far as the filter and the little aux belt - those can be bought off eBay. Besides, usually when the dealer throws the old belt into the trash, it looked practically brand new. You could probably put 75K miles on your aux belt and never have any problems Those belts are usually made by Dayco and tough as nails. Ray
Well I am about 400 miles one way from my dealership and I would never service the car myself nor let and shop do it... Ferrari's as we all know are a world of their own and unless your 458 is a high mileage early car already why risk having a local guy fix what they must by definition not do often.... these cars not made for trying.... you can really hurt yourself these days more than any savings I ship the car and store it ... two items the dealer handles for me at Lake Forest in northern IL. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat.com mobile app
The 458 is a modern car with well proven reliability. Is it perfect? No, and anybody can get a lemon. But if you knock that out of your head, which you should as it's rare after all, it's "just a car". It will work well like most modern cars. It's nothing like owning a 355 etc. or having issues with F1 clutches or break pedal start switches and all the rest of it. It's a reliable car period. Considering that you're far from your dealer, I will stress one thing THE BATTERY. Don't skimp, don't cheap out, do not wait and see. That is as always the main thing about these. The FLAMM battery the car comes with, is not very good. Combine this with a situation where the car usually sat for a long time during transport, or at a dealer etc. without a charger. These cars have a high parasitic draw, and the former means that many Ferraris are basically delivered new with a battery that is on its last legs. Like many, you could install a fairly reliable but cheap Interstate. But in your case, I would do my utmost to avoid any kind of little issues and errors when starting the car up, which is usually caused by low voltage. The interstate is a reliable battery, but not the most powerful or the one with the most CCA and PCA. I know I have said this a million times, and I'm sure some are bored to death with hearing me say Braille. But in your case, that is the proper battery to get. I'm not talking about the big bucks lithium battery. I'm talking about their AGM verity which can pump out more power than just about any group 48 AGM battery on the market. I believe the model number is B7548. It's about 50-80 bucks more than the top-of-the-line Interstate MTZ 48-H6. If you install that and keep your car on the tender when home, you well ahead in terms of trouble-free 458 ownership. The Annual stuff etc. is what it is. Make a trip of it or ship it out when needed be. But other than that, you shouldn't have many issues.
One thing that can be serviced on a 458 locally or diy, is brake pads. Those brakes are about the easiest brakes to work on there is. Changing pads is like 5-10 mins once the wheel is off. When it comes to brakes, they are far from a world of their own. It's a generic system used by many, including GM.
Watch a few episodes of Life Below Zero on the National Geographic channel (Tuesday evenings). People live 500 miles from the nearest grocery store. They live a little above or below the Arctic Circle in Alaska.
Flew into Iqaluit delivering a Cessna 421 from the Uk to Oklahoma back in '91. Like -35c or something from memory,just under the Artic Circle, didn't spot any Ferrari LOL.
Have it transported for the few times if and when you might have to send it to the dealer. Alternatively look for an independent shop closer to home. They’re out there, you just have to look. Maybe someone on this forum can recommend one for you.
Thanks for all the responses. Sadly if an indi shop was available somewhere close(r) by this wouldn't be an issue. What were the issues that required trips to the dealer?