430 Mods to my 430

Taking time to perform all the service that the Ferrari dealer SHOULD have done is time consuming. But, having done all the work that research indicates is necessary, I will be putting lots of miles on this car in very short order.

One thing I have learned is that Ferrari is a much overrated brand. As soon as the 2021 C8 is ready for ordering I will unload this rolling piece of fix it again Tony ...

 

Thanks for all the replies

I found a source for the heat shield. $98 USD and three weeks to get it from Ferrari S.p.A.

Ferrari of Newport Beach wants $298 USD for the same part and 12 weeks to acquire it because they don't order parts until they have enough requests. Customer service at its finest.

Ray

 

The work I performed had no relationship to *mileage*. The work I performed was to replace items that age, whether the car is driven or not driven. The air here in California is positively toxic to rubber components, so items such as the F1 Accumulator *must* be periodically replaced. The same is true of the rubber brake hoses that connect the caliper to the metal tubing that carries the brake fluid. It's called preventive maintenance and is something I learned in the Army as a tank commander: If it can fail due to neglect, it will fail. Bushings and half-shaft boots are also susceptible.

Fluids also are more dependent on age rather than normal use. My car was *manufactured* in late 2006. That means the fluids are 14 years old. The *only* service this car has had prior to my ownership was an engine oil and filter change. How the original owner was able to maintain the warranty despite ignoring mandatory maintenance is beyond me. I understand why he didn't have these items serviced. The Ferrari dealership charges are positively obscene. $750 for an oil change? $2,000 to replace an accumulator? Seriously?

Headers that they *knew* cracked because of engineering mistakes, replaced by headers they *knew* would crack but would cause less damage, is something you wouldn't tolerate on a Honda Fit, yet it is par for the course with a $179,000 "supercar". I replaced the headers (myself) to avoid the engine ingesting debris. I didn't want more horsepower, less weight, or more loudness. I just did not want to be on the hook for a $65,000 engine (labor not included).

I do agree that their are NO squeaks or rattles. But in looking around the interior and undercarriage while installing things I have noticed a remarkably sloppy assembly technique. Components held on with double-sided tape? Over spray (and under spray) in many parts of the car. Electrical tape rotting away (wire wraps not invented in 2006?). Floor mats that have the dumbest attachment scheme imaginable that creep forward and depress the fly-by-wire accelerator?

The car is beautiful IMHO. It is artwork that you can drive. It stops like you caught a three-wire. It shifts (now) crisply enough to snap your head back. It growls like a horny lion. It corners with no body roll. It has virtues.

But it is also the embodiment of the nanny state. If *anything* doesn't seem perfectly kosher to the various ECUs, TCUs, and BMCs, this car will not start. It will not shift out of or into gear for the most trivial reasons. If the E-diff is feeling queasy you can't drive it. Why? The E-Diff simply makes the limited-slip differential clutches engage or disengage. You don't need a limited slip differential to go to Home Depot. If the clutches are not working all you have is an "open" rear, like millions of other cars on the road. I can understand not being allowed to go into race mode, or all stability control systems being disabled. But refusing to let you take the damned thing to the dealer is kind of goofy.

And the operating system that coordinates and controls the 50-plus embedded processors in the vehicle makes Microsoft Windows appear positively robust and elegant. I've driven (manual transmission cars) since I was 14, and working on them out of necessity since I was 16. I have done as much work on all my cars as was humanly possible. I'm not a mechanic, I'm an engineer (structural, not choo-choo). But to me, if you don't do your own work on your car, you're not an "owner", you're a lessee.

I will put miles on this car, only when I'm confidant it won't leave me stranded on I-10 between Palm Springs and Blythe.

Ray

 

I wasn't offended and never thought you were stating anything that wasn't on point.

To put things in perspective, I took a *brand new* Corvette Z06 (50 miles on the odometer) on a road trip to Banff, Alberta circling back through Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, before heading back to New Mexico, Arizona, and home to SoCal. Never had a single issue. Trip was 6,000 miles. I went on to put 64,000 miles on the car and sold it to buy the 430. BTW, that car averaged 31mpg on long stages.

I would NEVER attempt that with my 430. Not because I'm worried about mileage depreciation, I could care less, but because I don't want to find myself stuck in Bum F*** South Dakota where the nearest Ferrari dealer is in another time zone. For cars supposedly based on race technology, these things are remarkably fragile and temperamental.

And I have spent my share of time in the hot pits at Sebring, Le Mans, Road Atlanta, Road America, and Laguna Seca. I have seen how quickly and easily these cars are repaired and put back on the track.

Ray

 

Still modifying things ... Quick Jacks are great ... getting ready to install a new ECU from Scud Ing ... Thanks Stefvan!


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I replaced the Odyssey Batteries 34R-PC1500T with a H6/Group 48 40Ah Anti-gravity battery saving 36 pounds of weight. Also got the CTEK Li-Ion charger to keep it charged.

I replaced the Bridgestone tires with Michelin Pilot Sport PS4 tires. Much quieter, very sticky.

I replaced the clear side lights with the Scud Ing black ones. Also Installed the Scud Ing SEB.

Added Big Daddy O2 sensors. No more CELs.

Ray