458 with no service record

some dealers do not report to CarFax

call the dealer to see if they have the service records

and CPO takes a lot of the risk out of buying a used Ferrari

 

Did you ask the dealer to run a VIN report? My dealer does this and the report is pretty good. I would not purchase a Ferrari without proof of maintenance and I really don’t trust carfax at all.


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I had *never* heard of a 458 with absolutely *no* service record, let alone one that is eligible for the 7 year free maintenance.

Unless there’s an *excellent* reason (honestly can’t think of one), I wouldn’t touch it with a pole vault. Lots of pristine 458s out there, regardless of year of manufacture and/or mileage.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

The dealership likely has its service records. I thought they would have to anyhow in order to get it CPO'd. I'd suggest maybe it was serviced by an indy, but I don't think it would be CPO'd if that were the case.

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Dealers generally do not CPO a problem car, it was probably CPO as requirement for trade-in or if on consignment the owner invested in CPO to give future buyer peace of mind, CPO is a good thing!

https://preowned.ferrari.com/us/approved

 

I bought mine in april. Carfax showed nothing but title transfers, yet car had a well documented binder of every service. Nothing out of the ordinary in what you are seeing. Speak with the dealer and i am sure you will find the see ice history.


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Perhaps the owner wasn’t interested in doing any of the service.

Since the car has only 5000k miles, it doesn’t meet any of the mileage based service.

It does meet time based schedule service which is usually done each year and sometimes every 2.5 years.

 

i certainly wldnt walk away due to no service records - it likely had at least one oil change and even if not the car isnt damaged. only 5k miles on the car so the oil i still fine. factor it into your price. not a big deal.

 

Now you’ve made me feel bad (kidding - sort of)... I currently drive 600 to 800km per year on my 458 (have other cars and work gets in the way) and I take it to the dealer annually for fluids and filters... Excess zeal it seems

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

trust me, i have done the same. i have cars that get annual services and see less than 100 miles per year. ive moved away from that in the past couple year but it has been generally true for me since i bought my first one in 2002. this past year i ran a bunch of oils through the blackstone lab test. a couple were in the car for 24 to 36 months and the test results came back saying the motor was clean and the oil cld have stayed much longer, for what its worth. synthetic oil doesn't degrade by sitting. a buddy of mine used to work as an engineer for motul and he always said pour some oil into a plastic container and leave it in your garage for 5 years. he said you will see nothing happens to it and sitting in a motor the oil is even better protected. Better reason to change oil is actually the filter.

 

if you think about it - Ferrari dealers don't do a very good joob at REAL servicing at all, they are only good enough for changing oil, so the lack of Ferrari service history isn't such of an issue. Also - the 458 is a damn reliable car. And all in all - it's just a car - you see it, you drive it, you take it for an inspection in a workshop you trust and if everything is fine and the car is perfect for the moment, who really cares if the oil has been changed in Ferrari or not?

 

For exact that few kms this year, I will not do the next service and certainly no all fluids, seems to me complete obsolete.

Did that all 7 years because it was payed for …

In what other brands of cars do you do that ?

 

It was during my early 911 ownership years that it was brought to my attention that yearly oil changes were a good idea even if you only drove a few hundred miles. The concern was the condensation build up inside the engine with cars not driven regularly and perhaps only started and run stationary in the garage to keep things in good order and never reaching operating temps. Oil filter changes each year were no so much a high priority.

 

That’s exactly my chief concern: condensation which in turn may lead to internal corrosion of engine parts.

Although I only drive 600 to 800km per year, I always drive at least 50km or 1 hour more or less each turn. If I can’t take it for a spin under this premise, I won’t start it and leave it stationary until reaching operating temps and then switch it off. That’s pretty much the worst you can do condensation-wise. It’s preferable imho to leave it hooked to the tender and try again next week.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

All in all - not starting the car for 8 months is much better than starting it every week, but just for idling in the garage. Either start it and drive it good or don't start it at all

 

Totally agree. For newer cars if you arent gonna drive it dont start it. For older carbed cars you can start them and let them idle but even those i wldnt do that anymore

 

2013 to 2015 were good model years for the 458. Those cars are nearly bullet proof.

5000 miles isn't even broken in. If it's a car which the same dealer originally sold, it's usually going to be a situation where a good customer is rolling through model years and moving up the "good customer" ladder or something. That means they probably had a 360, then moved into a 430, then moved into the 458.. ask the dealer if the person who had the car now has a 488 or Pista or something- they will probably say yes. If that's the case, then it's probably a situation where the person has multiple cars and only drives the Ferrari on the weekend or out for dinner or Ferrari events (e.g. rallies). #***********

Those are usually good cars to get, because you are often dealing with older adult customers that have good working relationships with Ferrari and typically aren't out redlining their cars or burning rubber at stop lights or anything crazy. In other words, adult driven and well cared for cars from known customers.

Also, if the car has been in for service at that same dealer, again that speaks well. On the 458, at 5k miles, I am guessing all that has been done is an oil change or two and the front accessory belt on the motor. Maybe the pollen filter and air cleaner filter also. That's about it. I doubt if any of the fluids have even been flushed yet.

The only other thing I would check would be the thickness of the brake pads (they start at 10mm when brand new, so it's easy enough to measure and see how much has been used). Also look at the surface appearance of the front and rear rotors, although the rotors are nearly indestructible under normal use. I'd also check the under belly of the car. Maybe have them put it on a lift for you and see if there is any evidence of scraping in the nose area or under panel areas. The other thing is to find out if anything up front has been resprayed. That's done a lot behind the front wing splitter things, since stone chips affect that area pretty often. That's not a big deal, but it's nice to know.

I'd also check the wheels to make sure they do not have any mild dents or deformations - either on the inside or outside lips. Also, which wheels does it have on it? The forged wheels are lighter than the base wheels, if memory serves me correctly. Also, the diamond cut wheels are real easy to touch up as far as curb rash, so that's something to consider. Painted wheels... not so much.

Check the control knobs and air vent fins also, to see if there is any sticky or peeling or anything along those lines.

Check tire tread. Check to see if the battery has been replaced. You don't need to search too much on Ferrari chat to see that dead batteries are a big issue with 458's, even ones that are brand new or CPO.

A rear view camera sure makes life with a 458 a lot more fun/easy. I'd say that's probably the only must have option on the car in my opinion.

Ray