How do you? Who? Services/maintains your Ferrari if you don't have a local dealer or shop?

Mistake I see made very regularly is people choose not just a Ferrari mechanic but any service provider base on convenience and wind up with a bad one.. One of the chief reasons to be a member of the Ferrari club is to find reliable people to take care of the car. That would be my first choice for information.

Nice town by the way. I was there as a judge at the car show last year and expect to do it again this year.

 

I would post in the local region and see. These cars are very DIY friendly, but if you're new to them or something major develops, you'll need a professional shop to help.

My car was a Mississippi car since new. The previous owner had it trucked to Ferrari of Atlanta every year for service, sometimes more if something else was needed. That said, there should be a number of qualified shops closer than FOA, but maybe not super local. I'm of the opinion that factory service centers typically specialize in newer models and finding someone that is super familiar with older vehicles and their unique problems are few and far between. Those people are usually at independent shops.

 

We're in the same boat as you folks in Chattanooga. No competent F mech.

So most of us either DIY or trailer to Atlanta. From the locals here, they say Nashville is a no go. Atlanta is the closest decent Ferrari shop.

One local guy decided to use a local mechanic for his belt service. A month later, one of the belts jumped a tooth or two and his car is still in the shop in Florida a year later. He's already dumped $20g's into it.

So pennywise, pound foolish. DO NOT take your car to the guy who always wanted to work on a Ferrari but never has.

 

If you're driving all the way to Atlanta and want an independent, I would contact Jeremy Bucy at Alan Cox Automotive. When I lived there, I trusted nobody else to work on my cars. He's a race mechanic now for a Ferrari race team so don't be turned off by the Honda/Acura markings on the building.

 

Joining the local chapter of the fca is such a good answer to this. I’ve been involved with my chapter since I got my car and you learn which shops can do what kind of work and the current members definitely will give you feedback on what works for them.

YMMV but from my local chapter I found specialists in leather/interiors, detailing, paint work, engine/transmission, tuning, and convertible top stuff.

You get out what you put in though.


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People forget but that was a primary force behind creating the club. It was hard to find people. They joined forces and exchanged information. You get people who will look you in the eye and suggest someone. More importantly you get a feeling for the standards of the guy telling you to go to Jims Garage. The internet will never replace that.

 

Our solution in the Hilton Head/Savannah area was to find a Ferrari/Maserati owner who did his own work. We pooled our monies and bought him a Leonardo. He got so much work he quit his aircraft mechanics job at Gulfstream. Saved us all 4 hour flatbed trips to Atlanta or Greensboro/Charlotte.

 

Hey, I'm in the Chattanooga area also. There is a shop called Elite European in Jasper, GA I've worked with in the past before I started doing all my own maintenance and repairs. Ashley is a Ferrari factory trained mechanic. Still a bit of a hike, but closer than Atlanta or Nashville.

 

I do all my own work

 

Yeah, I have a 4 post lift which makes it so much easier.

 

I have my 430 serviced here, in my garage. I like to think of it as my “small Ferrari workshop”. Five annuals plus a few other maintenance evolutions (new exhaust manifolds, valve cover gaskets, cam variator solenoids, transmission bushing, etc.).
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Very nice !!!

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Aren't there a handful of Ferrari-specific mechanics for hire that will fly in, work on the car, and fly out?
I know it's not cheap, but I know a few guys on here have done that.

Thinking out-loud here.....

If there where a handful of F owners far from any official dealers,
and they were in a local club, what about pooling resources and bringing
in a real pro mechanic once or twice a year???

 

You are talking of a 20 yr old car and worrying about a short drive to the dealership ? Yes it is valid to ask if there is anyone nearer but 2 hours for folk in Europe which is much smaller let alone the States is nothing and could even be pleasurable !

 

Agreed. Good idea to find a good independent if they're competent and closer but 2 hours isn't that far. It takes me 45 min to get to F of Palm Beach or F of Ft Laud. I learned the hard way that it's best to go to dealer for some things.

There's a lot of so called F mechanics but their skills are often limited to basic service.

 

Extremely ineffective and inefficient. If I didn't need a shop full of special tools and equipment to do this why would I spend all that money. Id never entertain travelling to a car to fix it and if for some reason I did it would be more expensive to you in the end. Race teams do not have several semi's at the races to haul cars. Those are mobile workshops.

Much smarter idea is to transport car to them.

 

And there are a lot that vastly exceeded that.

 

Traveling mechanics just don't make sense. There are too many tools specific to each job that you cannot anticipate. Sometimes, you end up making tools along the way. Do your own work, get a lift, buy good tools, get some good knowledge, or transport your car to someone who can.

 

True, but I know a few guys on here have had the 'engine out' belt change
and have had guys flown in to do it/help with it, that is what I was thinking,
but not today with all the electronics today... I KNOW that.

And it's a shame you need a semi full of crap to run a race team, it wasn't
like that 50 years ago, but yes, I know, times change...

And especially with drag racing - back then you had maybe 3-4 guys travel with you,
and that was it. Today I think there are 50-60...
And let's not get into F1.... LOL

 

Has zero to do with electronics.
Where did I say it cant be done.? Its stupidly inefficient. Why go somewhere and spend 20 hours doing something I can do in the shop in 4. Sorry, really dumb idea.

 

I'll give up now.

 

Greetings. Long time reader ; first time posting. We have just recently moved to the Chattanooga area and have been searching for a reputable repair facility as well. A friend of mine from the Charlotte, NC ( where we moved from ) Ferrari store ( Foreign Cars Italia) recommended a place here called Quick Everett's off of Amnicola Hwy. I have yet to make contact , however, they have done work on the Italians. FWIW. If anyone in the area has had experience with this shop, an intel report would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.