Why not do your own maintenance

Meh. If you buy a Ferrari and have to worry about the resale.. what's the fun of having it. Kinda like getting married and planning the divorce. OTOH if you NEED to maximize the resale, or are obsessed with it, can you really afford the car. I enjoy working on mine. I repair with perfection. That's why my car always starts, no lights no issues in 14 years of ownership.

You get basket case cars when maintained by reputable shops, ham fisted shops, dealerships, etc etc. Seek perfection. My regret is I didn't do the last belt job in my 360 myself. It would be more perfect than it was.. done by a reputable shop.

 

True, shop techs can screw up. The caveat is that wherever you get your car serviced you need to find a meticulous, experienced and knowledgeable tech to do the work. Often this is an independent shop. The real question is, as a buyer, would you feel confident about a car with a stack of receipts from that shop?

Two examples of many from my experience:

On my '85 308 QV, the Ferrari dealer delivered my car with one seized brake caliper, and all four improperly adjusted. Gary Bobileff was my go-to guy for my 328, and explained how the 308 brakes were different -- a difference the young guys at the dealer apparently didn't know about. Gary did the repairs, the dealer sent me a check for the costs, and the car braked perfectly afterward. Would I buy a Bobileff-serviced Ferrari over an equivalent DIY car? Yes.

On my '93 911 C2, I bought it through a dealer who had bought it from the original owner, a DIY guy. The car ran beautifully, no accidents, etc. Driving it not long after I bought it, one of the rear light lenses came loose and was hanging on the bumper. The rear lenses on the 911/964 are notorious for discoloration with age and sun, so are often replaced. The Porsche Classic tech met me at the restaurant where I had stopped for lunch, and explained that the replacement lenses had all been overtightened, cracking the brackets. He did a temporary repair to get me back on the road. Eventually, $1600 in parts cost later, I had new, properly installed lenses. I don't blame the original owner for his DIY spirit, but in retrospect it would have been cheaper to have these expensive OEM-only parts installed by someone who knew how.

As a postscript, last year I entered the 911 in a competitive PCA national concours, and to me it looked like a contender with one more good detailing. The car was in the shop for wheel refinishing and that Porsche Classic tech texted me saying that he noticed the car was missing the rubber screw cover on the underside of the driver's side view mirror housing. Worried that I would lose a point over something tiny, I asked if he could get one before the weekend concours. He said he'd already brought one in and installed it. IIRC it was a $10 part, no labor charge. No doubt the original owner took care of the car, but whoever owns it after I'm gone is going to know it was maintained by a Porsche expert. Resale value, but also I drive it with confidence.

 

I do all my own maintenance for the following reasons:

1. I find my Ferrari to be technically interesting. I love learning how this car has been designed and put together, and I greatly enjoy learning all the little details of what makes it tick. It's a process that never gets old to me.

2. I allow myself all the time I need to be meticulous and to not cut corners. I thoroughly (maybe even obsessively...) research every task that I am not 100% familiar with before I commit to the job, and I follow the factory service manuals as closely as I can (they aren't perfect). I buy special tools whenever they are needed to properly do a job. When I work on my car, I never set any artificial deadlines that might cause me to rush.

4. I greatly enjoy networking with other owners and enthusiasts in order to learn more, solve problems, and hopefully provide assistance.

5. I truly believe that no other mechanic will give my car the same level of attention and care that I would give it myself. This isn't meant to insult those guys, rather it just highlights that they often work under constraints and pressures that I am able to avoid by doing the work myself.

6. Maybe most important of all, the current or future valuation of my car always comes secondary to enjoying the ownership experience. My car isn't particularly special or collectible and I realize that it is a depreciating asset...which is truly liberating.

 

I’m perfectly capable of doing an annual on my 488 and cannot say I don’t have the tools. But I send mine in every year and will not be deviating.

My logic is simple: Can I look over the car and do basic stuff? Yes. Do I have experience doing so on a car that can exceed 200 MPH? No. So, I’ll keep letting a tech do the work.

 

Oh good.. official Porsche dealership repair stories..

So the 997 had a window that would crunch as I put it up. Bad window regulator. Still had warranty on the car at that point so bring it to the dealership.

they replace the regulator and I pay the deductible and get it back. A few days later I realize that the tech didn’t connect the window switch when they put it back together (window didn’t move when use the switch). Rookie mistake #1. So I’m like.. ok I don’t have time to waste bringing it in to them, so I take off the panel to reconnect when I notice there is a little tab on the mirror attachment that always breaks off if you’re not careful. You can glue it and get a decent enough repair. But.. for a dealership repair.. it shouldn’t be broken. Rookie mistake #2.

you guys think you’re getting a seasoned expert when it’s a 20 year old guy making $20/hr who drives a clapped out VW who is doing the repair..

That’s why buying a car with a folder full of receipts doesn’t mean as much as it might.

 

On this entire planet there is only a very short list of persons who have your best interests in mind: you yourself and maybe some family members or very close friends if you are lucky.

Your car dealership/workshop/tech is nowhere near that list. They have their own interests and if in doubt, they will always put their own interest first.

With my sports cars I do my own work or if someone else has to work on them, i'm standing right next to them observing. I did not start like this, but I quickly realized that this is the only way to go if I don't want to pay $$$ for someone who cares less about my car than I care about a random car in a random parking lot.

Official dealerships (Ferrari, Porsche) seem to care even less.

 

In general, I agree. You need to find a tech who knows the specific model and listens to you. The Porsche Classic technician who cares for my 964 has owned one, and takes the time to text and video work that might be needed now or in the future.

Wayne Baker, who cared for my 356A, has raced Porsches for decades. He can restore or service these cars, and he and his wife are good people.

I could go on, but the bottom line is that I’ve had friendships or at least acquaintance with the guys who have taken care of my special cars. Gary Bobileff for my Ferraris - I trust him, and when you do Miura restorations like he does I’m not too worried about 328 timing belt services.

When it came to daily driver crap like my Jeeps, I honestly couldn’t name the techs who serviced them, but the costs were relatively minor.


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I completely understand you:
- I started to do my own maintenance after seeing (during a tire replacement job) that not one but several screws on the undertray were wrong screws (resulting in stress on the undertray in a wrong way) but also noticed missing screws…
- And on one occasion where I didn’t find the time to do the maintenance, the car went to a shop … and afterwards I found a screwdriver under the bonnet… I don’t need to explain what harm the screw driver could have generated…
when confronting the shop with it (in a friendly way), they simply said that they had forgotten it.

Furthermore, as stated multiple times in this thread: working on your own car generates a special connection [emoji846]

 

I enjoy wrenching on cars. I enjoy wrenching on my dream car. I enjoy helping other people wrench on their Testarossas too! The amount of help from this forum is invaluable so that’s why I’ve been a silver subscribed member for over 15 years.

 

I work on the turbine engine in the aircraft I fly. Engine alone is 600K to overhaul. Im good on working on most things with my 458. Unless I dont feel like it, then I send it to the dealer.

 

It's whatever makes you sleep better at night. I got my 430 with a 2" thick set of dealer receipts. First time on my lift, it pained me to see all the mismatched bolts on the belly panel alone..which I immediately changed out with stainless steel bolts and washers. I greatly enjoy doing the basics and majors on my car. I know every inch, nut and bolt of her glorious naked body at this point. I'll prob never sell it anyway, but I'll already take a hit with 43k miles on it. So not only do I maintain it, but I (gulp) drive it.

 

Geez - Sounds like many people are challenged and/or lack the technical knowledge to remove a drain plug, oil filter, and refill an oil fill port.

Changing fluids is a high school student "shop" class task - no offense to trained techs, but it's egregious for shops like Ferrari, Aston, etc. to get $800-1k dollars to pour 11qts, loosen/tighten a screw/filter and reset a service counter. The most difficult task in the whole affair I have is the hassle of disposing of the used fluid.

 

Do my own maintenance sometimes. But for me I can do it with a spanner and screwdriver.
If its more complicated than that I take it to a dealer.
Maintenance manual, whats that !!!
Then again the car only needs air in the tires and fuel.
- thank heavens.

 

We r plenty of DIYers that do it for the challenge,the learning and to brag about how I fixed it when the dealer wanted a lot ... You'll get dirty, get scratches etc. and the satisfaction u did it to a T proper torquing and stuff

 

To quote a famous American, " A man has got to know his limitations". [Dirty Harry]

 

Precisely!

 

For me it’s a matter of time and space. I have a demanding day job and I live in an apartment building. So my local (non-Ferrari) tech does it. He also picks the car up and drops it off. I maintain the levels, check tire pressures and keep it clean.

 

Imagine calling yourself a car guy but can't even change your own oil.

 

Exactly. I've got 7 drain tubs sitting in the garage full of oil.

 

I find it so therapeutic to work on my car that sometimes I simply look for stuff to do on it. Last week I decided to swap out the F1 bleed block with a Hill version just for fun. The oem block was bound to weep eventually anyway This week it'll be new sway bar bushings. It's the paint correction and ceramic stuff I farm out...I don't find that work fun at all.

 

Well we are a combination of both, regular services we do through a specialist, just to get the stamps for the resale value (if we are ever going to sell it, my plan is not too but u never know what can happen down the line). All the other things, like repairs, modifications etc we tend to do ourselves

 

I love to work on cars, any model or shape, and have been doing so for over 25 years. It is my Prozac after a stressful day in a high liability line of work. I do the vast majority of tasks. If there is something I don’t feel comfortable doing or if I don’t have time, I’ll take it to a trusted independent shop. I keep accurate records with receipts and some pictures. My cars' maintenance and repairs are top notch with OEM parts unless there is a better aftermarket option and done according to factory shop manuals. If down the line someone has problem with that and won't appreciate the care and attention to detail, I won't sell my cars to them. I cherish reading the threads of many DIYers on this forum.

 

Where did you guys get your F430 Worshop manual then (preferably in english or dutch if that even exists)? i havent found one yet, and will want one for future work on the car...

 

Workshop Manual for F430 | FerrariChat