I just bought my first Ferrari, a 1999 355 spider 6 speed manual. It came with a stack of service records, and the I am now only the 3rd owner. The service records go back to the original purchase in 1999. It appears to have been stored in a professional auto storage facility at various times for about 5 of the 10 years, and most of the last 2. I am posting pictures of the service receipts from 2017-2019 (I'm trying to capture the highlights as there are probably 40 pages of stuff). Not pictured, new clutch in 2014 at around 32k miles. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login My questions are, what if anything should be done immediately, and what has been fixed that is a known item that I now don't have to worry about for a while?
Quite comprehensive. Just a few comments: There is no mention of any HVAC checks. I suppose you could check that things like heating, fan speeds, fresh air/recirc operation, air direction, etc. The HVAC components are made of lots of plastic cogs which tend to break down over time. There is not much said about the clutch/gearbox. Hopefully no shrapnel was found during the gearbox (fluid) service and there were no leaks from the clutch pumpkin (due to throwout bearing seal failure). How old are the tyres? If the "remove and install new belts to engine" included the cam belts... and the above has been checked ok... then it looks like everything is good to go*. Just carry on with routine annual services until your next engine out service. There are plenty of debates on the time period on the forum: 3~5 years... even longer if you're feeling lucky Seems like an odd comment to make about not using the suspension switch because it might break. On the F1 car, all kinds of good things happen when you hit the SPORT switch. It's really good that the roof system has been refurbished. Do the windows work now (when you unlatch the roof from the windshield)?
I was told the cam belts were done as part of the service in 2018, so I'm 1 year short of a 5 year interval. Not sure why it says F1 fluid service, it was a manual car from the factory, the shop may have just put that in because they use the same name for transmission fluid of any kind. HVAC seems to be working OK, with a little squealing behind the dash on adjusting temperature. Tires are from 2017, so almost ready for replacement. I'll keep looking but I was hoping at some point the big items like headers, valveguides, etc had been done. With the clutch being replaced in 2014, I'm assuming that's one 5k item off the list for a while.
Not sure either. The F1 does use hydraulic fluid for the actuators and regular fluid for the gearbox. With a 1999 car, you shouldn't have to worry about valve guides. The softer ones were on earlier cars. Hopefully with the clutch being replaced, they fitted Hill Engineering bearings. Do you have original headers? What about the rest of the exhaust (cats, muffler, etc?) How many miles do you have?
So this is what I always tell salespersons who boast to me about the "car having a 4 inch thick service record book" ...: This is Ferrari, the next buyer can also rack up his own 4 inch thick service records in a year. I am not sure if that is a good thing. You are now on your way to your own 4 inch stack of receipts. This car seems to have just the normal things that break on a 355 spider. The things that are really important to look for are 1) headers replacement, 2) Cats replacement, 3) valve guides replacement (even on a 1999). That does not seem to be there. As for the F1 service on a stick shift, is that an indicator of a dishonest shop, or a pure mistake. You have to decide.
The entries for antifreeze and distilled water I find very interesting. Very low concentrate of antifreeze and I consider it a bad idea for normal use. Could even be a danger to the car with winter here depending on where the car is. Nearly everyone suggests 50/50 for normal use for very good reasons. Especially in an aluminum engine with steel head studs and liners. Tsk tsk tsk. Most are ignorant of the chemistry involved and these guys are poster children for that. I have no doubt the entry for F1 fluid is mistake. Just how many non F1 99 355's do you think they see?
I'd be giving them the benefit of the doubt about the F1 flush....except the clutch fluid line item is just 3 lines above. Makes me think they just have a service "package" that they sell and most don't pay enough attention to notice. For $125, seems a cheap shot that would probably stop me from using that shop.
