Hey guys, I've got my 348 scheduled in for it's 30K a week from Friday down at Alfa Tacoma with Carlo. I heard in one of the other forums how great he is, but that was before I discovered the local group here. I just was wondering if you guys agreed that it's a good place to go for my car's service. I do a lot of work on my cars myself, but I don't have the time or experience to do a good job on the major. I orginially had the car booked with FoS, but they quoted $6K+ (a BIG plus knowing how it goes) there, and they only really have one tech that knows the older cars anymore. Carlo's price was more reasonable, around $4200-$5200, depending on what needs to be done. But more importantly, he seems to be highly recommended and competent. Am I on the right track here?
I consider Carlo to be more than my technician/mechanic, but a good friend. He will do an excellent job for you, (as would FoS), and I like the very personalized attention he gives to each car/customer. The thing you have to remember with Carlo, is that he is essentially a "one man shop"*, and VERY popular. So please be patient, as he can get very busy and backed up with cars. Regards, Dave *There are actually several other employees, but Carlo is essentially the only one touching the Ferraris.
Definitely the right way to go. Carlo and Lino are GREAT people! Carlo took the time to keep me well informed and even had me come in so he could explain a few things to me while he had the car apart. Really reassuring to a newbie like me to have such an expert close by. Dave is right things can take some time there but as long as I know, I don't care. He'll be getting my bussiness as long as I own a Ferrari (in fact I will be calling in the next couple months for another appointment). John
One thing I really appreciate about Carlo is that his approach is to do exactly what he feels would need to be done if it were his own car. You can't ask better than that. And I trust him completely.
Thanks for the input, guys. I just wanted to make sure that the collective experience was good with him, because I've only trusted FoS with my cars up until now. By the way, I still trust them and will continue to give them my business (especially when I buy my next car), but in this case, I wanted to be able to go down into the shop and have a closer look at my engine while it was out of the car. I wanted to learn a little bit more because I do like to perform "simple" maintenence on my car myself (kind of helps me bond with it I suppose), so I do my own oil, brakes, plugs, electrical, etc. Thanks again for the help!
how much would an oil change run you if FOS was to do it? I will be looking for a 348 next year thats why Im wondering
I'd estimate about $500-$600 at FoS. They'll do a great job, but at $100/hr it doesn't take long to add up. I would suggest if you get a 348, you do the oil change yourself. It is very easy to do and helps you to get to know your car. I always do my own and have never had any problems. The filter is not particularly expensive (I think I paid around $20-$30 for it at FoS. I only use RedLine oil in my car, so that jacks the price up, but it still can all be done for under $100. The 348 owner's manual tells you exactly how to do the oil change, but make sure you read it carefully!
I've had to take my car into Carlo a couple of time for minor things and he has been VERY helpful. Shop rates are about $30/hour less than FOS and he doesn't BS. Being a south-ender he is much more convenient than FOS. I just got my car back from him yesterday to switch out a bad relay which was causing my dash / tail lights to not turn on. Cost me all of about $200 including a new fog light. FOS had my car last week to look into a code. They spent about an hour checking out the fuse box, etc and realized they weren't getting power to the box, so they wanted me to bring it back in (as I ran out of time) to do further exploration....."oh, about 2 hours or so". I think you will find people on this site that will lean both directions. It's a matter of convenience for you as everyone makes mistakes and can say good or bad about all. If you have an appointment, there's no question you will be taken care of by a professional and will (most likely) cost you less than FOS. VERY busy though....full shop! My 2 cents!!!! Good luck!
