Thank you Ernie for finding this. The document looks to be created for the 360 (reading the metadata), however... I guess other models just follow suit to be safe?
Yeah I think that is why they came up with it. But, you will notice that they pained with a BROAD brush. The letter says for ALL 8 cylinder Ferrari's. As for me I say BS! In my opinion I think that instead of them coming up with a better design and updating things, they just issued a letter saying that people need to change their belts at 3 year/30k mile intervals. It saves them engineering money and time, plus it makes the dealers more money and FNA more money. It's way easier to send out a letter than it is to send out a mass recall and fix something right. On my 348 it's 5 years or 50,000 miles. But do what you like.
I luv ya Ernie, but...I disagree. MANY MANY MANY parts are updated and changed to improve design and reliability. By changing the belts (I don't care about the interval), it provides opportunity to install the latest updates. 360 variators, 348 oil pump bearings, 355 tensioner arms/brackets... these all come to mind without even really thinking too hard. Stuff is changed 'mid production' all the time. Moreover, parts which find their way into later cars (but were used on earlier cars), continue to be under scrutiny and are often revised. Heck, the timing belts themselves that began on the 355 (same ones as used on the 360) had a major update from Dayco with the new kevlar ribbing. For me, that'd be reason enough to yank a 355 motor at the 3-year interval if the changeover occurred while I owned the car.
How can I tell if my oil pump bearings were updated? Is there a specific part number or code I can look for in my Spider's pile o' receipts?
When they made it three yearly intervals for the cambelt change that meant LESS frequent changes on the 348 because it was previously two yearly intervals - at least for early models.
Maybe I should have clarified myself a bit better. By improving things I mean by issuing a recall that gets changed at NO COST to the owner. Look at how well know the issue is with the 355 headers being nothing but pure crap, and how about the issue with the valve guides? I got a letter from Ford on a recall for my Expedition relating to the cruse control wiring harness. I took it to the dealer dropped off the truck and it was fixed at NO CHARGE to me. Then again for the tow hitch not being strong enough, again FREE of charge. Then the automatic seat belt (aka: madmouse) in my Acura Integra went bad. Again I took it to the dealer and it was fixed at NO CHARGE to me, and the car is 18 years old, AND out of warranty with over 260,000 miles on it. I was charged NOTHING! Would Ferrari do that for the pile of crap automatic seat belts in the 348, or how about the junk motor mounts in a 550??? No frickin way! In a nut shell the letter is to cover Ferrari's ass so that they don't have to pay for squat. I will say this though. I am VERY glad to see that Ferrari FINALLY went to the use of a cam timing chain. LLOOOOOOONG over due. But I still luv ya like a brother Daniel san.
Great post and your right. The dealers are putting out information that serves them not the customer.
Okay then, prove me wrong. Provide your proof of where in the TECHNICAL manual it is written 2 years. Someone asked if the letter from Ferrari that said 3year/30k could be posted, and I posted it. So.................let's see it. Because I'm looking in my work shop manual right now and is say nothing about years. The earliest is says about the belt is that, the belt should be INSPECTED every 10,000km (6215miles), absolutely nothing about YEARS. So let's see it. I want to see where in the TECHNICAL manual it says 2 YEARS to replace the timing belt on a 348.
The literature that Ferrari puts out is AAAALLLLL over the place. In the OWNERS manual it goes as low as 24 months with a different one saying 36 months, in the shop manual the inspection went down as low as 6215 miles, the owners manual say change it as 52,500 miles, the shop manual says to change it as early as 21,700 miles, then there was the "official" letter saying 3 years/ 30k miles. My point is this. Use some common sense here people. When you take your car to the shop they can pick and choose from what ever they want. Heck you could be in for your oil change and because the manual says to inspect the timing belt after 6215 miles (10,000 km) they can say "UH OH, your belt doesn't look good. Look at all this rubber dust. Here you can even see here on the top of the belt were it is wearing, and look at all the rubber build up inside the inspection cap. It needs to be changed" "But I just had it changed last year" "Yes, but the shop manual says to inspect it every 10,000km (6215.5 miles) and your belt doesn't 'look' so good" "But Ferrari put out a letter saying every 3 years or 30,000 mile." "Well we inspected it according to the shop manual, and we advise you to change it" Now you are screwed, because they advised you to change it even though it has been less than the "official" letter sent out. Sooooo...... if your belt now breaks in the next year you are out of luck because you were "advised" that it needed changing during the "inspection" and now the shop is off the hook. And that belt not looking so good could be because, the mechanic that put it on had the upper belt guides resting ON the belt causing it to wear prematurely, instead of having it spaced at least 1mm away from the belt, where the manual mentions NOTHING about that. Like I said before, in my opinion it's all BS. On my 348 I do my own work and it's 5 years or 50,000 miles. So follow whatever you want.
Preach Ernie preach!! you da man! If my tensioner bearings dont make it to 5 years (estimated 20K miles), when they are replaced they will then be agressively inserted into SOMEONES anal cavity! For what they cost and cost to replace, they should be built out of friggin titanium and kryptonite and last the life of the vehicle!! If Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc can do it for a 10th the cost, then Ferrari can damn sure do it!
I don't have a scanner so I can't post a copy of my 'technical manual' but in Section N page 6 onwards it lists the main service operations. Item 8 in that list says check the condition of the timing belt every 10,000 kilometres, item 9 says change the timing belt every 40,000 kilometres OR every 24 months. You are perfectly entitled to change yours every 80,000 kilometres or 5 years if that's what you think is necessary but the original poster asked what *Ferrari* recommended and that is what I have responded to based on the information in MY manual.
Well that's fine. Like I said, take your pick. Change it every two years if it floats your boat, or every three years, or every 40,000km, or after every inspection at 10,000km. Better yet, just print out all the official letters of all the different intervals that the timing belt "should" be changed, throw them all in the air, and as they are falling back to the ground snatch one out of the air and use that as your guide for when to change your belt. Because that is pretty much what we have. A bunch of random crap put out by the factory that everyone argues about, over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over................................... Ferrari, can put out an official letter that says the timing belts should be changed at each oil change if they want. But in my opinion it would be nothing more than the factory covering their ass from any responsibility. Honesty people, use some common sense.
