05 F430 Needs Water pump and control arm... does it though?

I am not going to bother to look up all the prices but it looks as though the car was inspected by a mechanic who lives by the old saying "When I see moisture I see money".

There is a big difference between a leak and damp. And he wants to replace a control arm because a boot is torn and will cause it to wear faster? Why not just wait until it IS worn out THEN replace it. By the way, the boots are replaceable seperately for a tiny fraction of the cost and 6 grand in parts will replace a whole set of arms.



Bottom line is you went into a shop with very aggressive selling. You might need some of it but they are looking for a home run here.


Find someone a little less prostitute like who will look out for their interests AND yours in the hopes of having a long term customer rather than one who "Charges like we'll never see him again".

 

I wish more people in all areas of business thought the way you do Brian.

So many places try to stick it you as hard as possible on every little thing.

 

Pay for another PPI.

If the car has CCB, replace those pads immediately. If not, replace them anyway. Pads for the non-CCB F430 are cheap.

TPMS sensors are cheap.

I can't see $15k on labor and parts, what a rip-off.

Power steering pump testing is quite easy, if it's wet doesn't mean new pump.

Most Ferraris on the road have a wacky alignment, the owners just don't know. I put my cars on the alignment rack when I buy them, and no car has been within acceptable specs. Alignment for the F430 is quite easy, I do it all the time.

Good luck with your search.

 

How many miles are on this car if I might ask?

 

OMG !!! $5000 to replace a water pump. That's amazing.

 

I'd recommend you try get 5k off the seller, go to a decent but respected independent, have him replace the torn boot on the front, get it aligned, replace the pads and go drive. The rest doesn't sound like it needs doing at all and if/when it does I suspect you'll have change out of 5k when it does.

Leaky oil dipstick gasket? $227 parts + labour? I suspect we're talking about a rubber ring within the screw down cap........

£10 Sterling here.............

http://www.eurospares.co.uk/partsListing.asp?M=1&Mo=643&A=1&B=36903&S=&ID4=1509497

 

That will be impossible to say until the car is inspected by someone reputable. Too many of those things are a judgement call and I would need to see them to give you an intelligent or useful answer.

 

I'm going thru a PPI on Monday at FNE; hope I don't get a list like that. He he.
Problem for us first time buyers is we don't know anything about these cars. And add not having a dealer closer than 400 miles and those results make any of us nervous. My car has CCB, and dealer told me I should never have to worry about them driving the car mildly (like I will), so hope the wear is less than 90%, like he predicted on this 8.8K-mile, '06 spider. My other concern is the clutch (6MT), which I also hope is around 90%. But I also want checked the PS, water pump, suspension, alignment, and max SD3 engine values (rpm, coolant temp, oil temp, etc), to make sure engine was never mechanically overrevved, overheated, etc.

Owner told me I was wasting my $1K (car has to be transported to a dealer), but since he's the second owner, it's money well spent IMO. We'll see.

Good luck man, and please keep us posted on your decision.

 

While almost all of the recommendation do seem to be out of line price wise we have not seen the actually verbage but hearing it second had. I hope this was worded in a way to give you a heads up as to areas that are showing some concerns and you should be aware of the POTENTIAL repairs needed. We very often make observation for items showing concerns but it is worded as a moist or seeping unit that should be monitored rather then a leaking unit that needs replacement. P/S pumps and water pumps on these units will seep. It is not uncommon for the 430 water pump to have a spot of coolant or dried residue at one of the two weap holes. Providing it is not actively leaking or leaving a puddle on the undertray. Monitor and advise if things change.

Hopefully the technician was looking out for your best interest and perhaps the Service Advisor got a little carried away. I would recommend speaking directly with a technician if possible, we enourage it here, and have him show you areas in need or of concern.

Good luck in your search for a car.

 

I'm not qualified to comment on most things but a couple of itmes and can talk about from first hand experience with an 05. The suspension tends to creak. I had bushings replaced under warranty but some creaking still happens occasionally. I don't let it bother me.

There is a warning light when the front pads get to 10%. I can tell you first hand it works. A set of pads installed is about 1K at my dealer.

It is likely it was delivered with the alignment out, mine was and I've heard of others. Just more of Ferrari's fantastice quality control!

I've had mine since new and it now has 19K miles. Very, very few problems.

Dave

 

Last time I was there they had 2 alignment racks for the entire production facility. One of them was being used for storing boxes, the other was not in use at the time.

Do you know how fast you would need to work to get a days production aligned on one rack?


Bottom line is most never see an alignment rack. They align one occasionally and the rest get set the same way.

 

I'm surprised they haven't added a "proper alignment" option for about 5K.

Dave