All this for probably a 25 cent capacitor in the tach... Does anyone know what part they replace in the tach that goes bad?? You can probably get one at Radio Shack and do it yourself for very cheap???? i'm sure i will be going down this road shortly with mine, i see it jump every now and then while driving....
Oh, I wanted to post back to the thread my experience with calling Palo Alto speedo... (Note that I've just gone ahead ordered a new tach for all of $175 or so.) I called PA Speedo, bracing myself for that California attitude I knew was coming. (joking) I was told that they knew of the problem, and that the issue with mine was probably the "typical" problem. I spoke to a guy named Hartmut. He said that the issue is that one of the electrical components that go bad... He wouldn't elaborate, just spit out the following words: ic, diode, resitor,capacitor, potentiometer, transistor. Right. Got it. He quoted me $180 to $250, typically around $200. (This is nothing short of highway robbery by the way and I strongly suggest anyone considering this route contact Margaret at "Mo Ma" here in Albuquerque (505 area code, don't know the number) for a 2nd opinion. PA Speedo quoted me one week to 10 days turnaround time. Not to bad mouth anyone, but note that Palo Alto Speedometer does not have a universally good reputation and not everyone has been pleased with their work / service (search the archives, especially on the old site). Thanks to Ferrari of UK, I have a new unit for less than the cost of repair of the old one. We live in a golden age of parts for our cars, ladies and fellas, and for that I am thankful. --Mike
I agree with you Mike, there are various opinions on PAS, but I can count myself as one of the "good references". BTW, you ARE bad mouthing them... Helmut is the owner, and he has fixed the clocks for both my previous 308 and my current 328. He also did the tach repair. In my case (wasn't as busy) he promised a three day turn around, and met that. The repair was around $150, maybe $160. I really don't know the guy, or have any relation, but did have a positive experience. Agree that nothing beats "new" and the price from Ferrari UK is not bad at all (best part; you can Ebay the busted one, and likely gain $100 or so back, netting you additional savings). My concern; is the new tach "updated" in anyway, or are you just as likely to see it fail in a few years? The same can be said with Helmut's repair, does he use an upgraded component? Who knows? And he ain't saying. I bought a replacement tach from Ferrari UK last year, but had two problems; one, it had a couple tiny scratches on the actual tach face, minor, but not appropriate for a "new" one. Also the new lettering was much deeper orange than the faded lettering on my other gauges. I decided to return it (Ferrari UK was terrific about that) and ended up sending my broke one to PAS.
Thanks for the ++ guys. I guess maybe NOS is next to new condition in some cases. Where you are specific about your requirements we are always happy to dig to the bottom of the pile to find that concours winning piece. Having said that, 99% of the NOS stuff is as shipped, or infact as originally packed in the little yella box 15 years or whatever ago ! Regards.
Jeff, I hope I did not come across as a "disgruntled customer", that was not the case...the defects were obviously in manufacturing, and unintentional. Your response and quick refund were commendable! Dave
My new tach just arrived today from the UK. Now that's fast!! Thanks to Jeff and the rest of the gang. You guys are great!
10:00am got my tach delivered via Fed Ex. 7:00pm had the tach installed, upgrading the light bulbs in it simultaneously. Works like a charm! I'm very "gauge" focused so having the tach back means all the world. There is nothing quite like seeing that little needle rev up to 6, 7, and on... Bouncing back down, only to do it again... The tachometer was in perfect cosmetic condition. The "orange" color of the face of the gauge was a 98% match of the previous one; the new one was naturally a bit deeper being "new" but nobody would ever notice. If it's good enough to get past my pickiness, then it's close enough . Thanks very much to Jeff and the rest of the gang at Ferrari UK!
I'll just chime in one more time on the tach. It's been a few days, and I can verify that the tach runs perfectly now (and should for at least for the next 30,000 miles, say! ). Now that it's installed, I can't really perceive any color difference on the gauge, which means that nobody else would ever perceive the difference, either . Very pleased! --Mike
