458 - Intro to my new 458 + Opinion regarding custom center seat inserts | FerrariChat

458 Intro to my new 458 + Opinion regarding custom center seat inserts

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by Tarek307, Nov 29, 2022.

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  1. Tarek307

    Tarek307 Formula 3
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    #1 Tarek307, Nov 29, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2022
    Hey guys, so March 21' i sold my 458 which i had for over a year and put 11K miles on, i instantly regretted the decision ...then right after that prices went crazy on these cars and i figured ok, im now priced out...i wanted another 458 but it also had to be black/black with particular options and over 25K miles (i prefer driven cars so i can pile miles on and not worry + they are always best running ones IMO) ...FFW to a few months ago a 458 pops up on BaT but its so distasfully modded , terrible wheels, ridiculous engine intake candy apple red color , silly rear spoiler...and custom center inserts in the seats instead of the daytona center pattern which the car was optioned with. Anyways it only went to $168k on there and was RNM since seller wouldn't accept this figure for it, of course the entire discussion was regarding the mods, i was also a big critic of the mods...a month ago it pops up again on another way slower auction site and gains no traction and also doesn't sell...

    I ended up contacting the seller, and the garage where it was serviced realizing the car was mechanically very solid and always serviced and that these mods can easily be reversible...we struck a deal and i got the car, and was very impressed as it looked way better in real life than in the photos on BaT - right away i removed the spoiler (double sided tape) and had OEM 20' forged wheels w brand new tires put on immediately, next up its going in to paint the engine intake the proper crinkle ferrari red paint ..

    I also liked the Novitec side skirts and front diffuser which i thought i'd be removing right away..a big bonus was that the car has Novitec springs as i always lower my cars and feel like i saved $4k by just having that already done + it has the open flash tune, which is very impressive and after reading up on it realized its a nice add on (and can easily be removed)

    now i already had an appt setup before the car arrived to redo the seats back to Daytonas (which i'm actually not a big fan of Daytona, prefer the comfort seats or race seats) but when i saw the seats in real life i was very impressed, they actually look great, and the center leather is high quality and has great cushioning (only the centers of the seat were changed) the Red actually breaks up the interior and i'm liking it alot even though i'm not a Red seat fan, but its only red centers on this one so isn't overbearing.,
    the centers were done in the Goldrake sport seat pattern..

    So after this long essay, lol...i'm wondering what do you guys think of these seats? again in the auction i thought they looked terrible and i admittidly talked a lot of crap about the mods lol , the seat pics were horrid and the side of the leather was popping out from around the seat shell (popped right back in) ..but in real life, i am really really liking them.

    All in all i'm super happy i got this car, i've already put 800 miles on it in 2 weeks , the 458 really is the greatest sports car made in the past decade (i gave up my 355 to keep this baby) How long will i keep her, we will see..but as of right now i think this is now going to be my daily ...

    A little bonus was that carfax had the ownership # wrong on the car, they had 9 owners, and the PO insisted to me it was less (either 4 or 5 max) , so i was able to contact carfax and after doing research they were able to lower the # of owners to 6 , i'm still trying to get them to correct it to 5 but i'm happy with 6 (several montana titles from CA owners are what caused the confusion)

    here are some pics of the interior...let me know your opinions on it..sorry for he long babbling lol
    (last photo is an example of what the original seats on option sticker would have been, Daytona with Alcantara)
     

    Attached Files:

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  2. Boiler Inspector

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    I bought my first 458 earlier this year that was optioned with two-toned interior: black with grey inserts and grey doors. I personally like it because it breaks up an all black interior. I'm not personally crazy about red but I'd rather have this two-toned red than all red leather seats. It's just too much for me.
     
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  3. Boiler Inspector

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  4. Kent Adams

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    #4 Kent Adams, Nov 29, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2022
    If you like the car, it does not matter what I or other people think. Enjoy your car. Are you second guessing your decision and having buyer's remorse?
     
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  5. Tarek307

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    I actually couldn’t be happier about my decision..I love the car and glad to be back in a 458- the greatest sports car in the past decade+ (IMO)
     
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  6. 3POINT8

    3POINT8 F1 Rookie
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    Only since you asked and I am assuming you want honest feedback - I do not care for the seats at all. But like you said they may show better in person. Plus this is your daily and going to be a high mileage car so who cares. Plus you won't see the seats much when you are driving. I would never have bought it but since the deed is done I would also not spend money replacing I would just roll with it. Best.
     
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  7. emmholla

    emmholla Karting

    Dec 15, 2018
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    The seats look good in pics. If they really bug you change them back to stock but from what I see here they look good. The car looks sharp. Enjoy it in good health.


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  8. Tarek307

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    I didn't care for them before i saw them in person either, but i still bought the car, what was most important to me was that the mods are reversible and its service history & mechanical standing- putting seats back to stock is simple, for less than $5K those centers can be redone in Daytona / Alcantara easily...that was actually my plan until i saw it live..and ended up liking them as they are.
     
  9. Snapshift

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    I wouldn't worry about it. They look like the racing seats and you don't see it while driving. It breaks up the all black interior. Get some complimentary floor mats and I think it'll look sharp. If it is in great mechanical shape no issues, enjoy the heck out of it.. It's your car. It looks like it is pretty sharp with good paint etc. You probably got a steal but don't know it yet.
     
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  10. Tarek307

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    Good eye, the centers were changed to the carbon OEM sports seats "goldrake" pattern ...they really look like they would have been a 458 seat option, not out of place..i'm sort of on the fence about them but the more i sit in them and look at them the more i like them
     
  11. Petrolhead#32

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    That's one mean 458 man. Love it! Inside and out. Enjoy one of the best Ferraris ever.

    PS: My only issue with black is how hard it is to keep clean. PPF + ceramic coating helps a ton, just in case you didn't already know...
     
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  12. Tarek307

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    Black cars are def hard to keep clean but my fav color in cars, when i sold my daily black 458 in early 21' a few months later i bought a white one, and couldn't seem to like it at all..sold it the same week..now back to black ..The car already has front PPF & ceramic , ceramic def helps when washing & drying
     
  13. v35

    v35 Karting

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    Congrats on getting back in the 458! I'm not a huge fan of the seats, but since you don't hate them and you're not sure how long you'll actually keep the car I would just keep it as-is for now and enjoy the car in the meantime.
     
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  14. r6elmo

    r6elmo Karting

    Sep 12, 2010
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    I'd keep it the way it is. The red brake calipers help to keep the color scheme going too. I think a non-Ferrari 458 person would think it looks like an OEM option.
    If i were to change it out, i'd go straight to race carbon buckets and not the OEM alcantara ones.
     
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  15. Tarek307

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  16. up4speed

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    I personally think that the car, and the seats both look great in the photos. The only thing that would bother me if it was my car, would be that it wasn't "stock".
    All that said, I would leave them as is (for at least a year or two). You could always change them in the future if you decided to go back to stock, or if the cars value shoots up so high that it warrants it.
    When I first got my car, I was so annoyed that it had silver calipers. I thought I was going to have to paint them. By the time I got around to having it done, they actually grew on me. Now I LOVE them. A big reason why, is that they were different than the typical 458. I feel the same about your seats. I think you will appreciate that they are different.

    For now, it's a beautiful 458, enjoy it in good health!
     
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  17. Tarek307

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    Next up Novitec Exhaust + Forza controller, can't wait to get these installed next week when i drop the car off to have the intakes painted back to their proper crinkle red Ferrari color.
     

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  18. todd cloud

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    Where did you source the OEM forged wheels?
     
  19. Tarek307

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    Got lucky found wheels with brand new michelins locally. You can find them on ebay though or make a WTB post in the facebook 458 owners group (thats what i did)
     
  20. Tarek307

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    #20 Tarek307, Mar 24, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2023
    She came together wonderfully..after adding about 3500 miles since buying it in late November, i now appreciate the extra padding in the seats and love the red centers in the goldrake pattern, won't be changing anything about the seats. The novitec exhaust with forza controller sounds amazing..I ended up getting the intakes painted back to proper crinckle paint ferrari red and did the valve covers too along with new gaskets and tons of other service "while in there" including Walnut blasting the valves which i highly recommend as there was lots of carbon buildup at 33K miles
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  21. rmlovett1

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    Not being stock would bug me a little, but not enough to change out in the short term. To my eye, the seats look good! Well done on the rest!
     
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  22. Tarek307

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    Little update, now at 39K miles, so about 7K miles since buying it (but it was in the shop getting sorted for at least 2 months) the car is running great, absolutely one of the most reliable cars i've owned *Touch Wood* I love this thing...and absolutely love the red seat centers..my current feeling after 10 months of living with them is that those seats updated the look of the car and it would look a tad bit dated inside with the OEM look...

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