Bill Comes Up With Greatest Metaphor For Ferrari Ownership | FerrariChat

Bill Comes Up With Greatest Metaphor For Ferrari Ownership

Discussion in '365 GT4 2+2/400/412' started by billg, May 23, 2007.

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  1. billg

    billg Formula Junior

    Jun 7, 2006
    307
    New Orleans
    Full Name:
    Bill Grady
    If you want to get to the metaphor right away, and it is classic, go to the bottom of the post because I first have to relate the experience that led to this revelation. Some of you may recall the time I ran my 400A through the car wash at the Shell station and was nonplussed to discover the plugs fouled due to water encroaching through the louvers in the hood. I believe I endured several comments here in the nature of 'you idiot' and 'are you nuts.' To my credit,the lesson was not lost, as ever-since I have taken care to cover these louvers during periodic sponge-offs. Anyway, it was time for a full detailing, so I took the car to a high-end garage that,while not handling Ferrari, gets a lot of nice cars. During a meeting of the minds outside the service department, I told the owner, his assistant,and the owner's leering son, let's call him Darrell Jr. (pseudonym), to cover the louvers at all costs. In retrospect, I realize they were not listening because the Ferrari was having an effect on them similar to a viewing of Anna Nicole Smith at her best in the nude. When I called yesterday to see if Anna Nicole was ready, I was informed that, no, L.J. HAD NOT STARTED ON IT YET. Can you feel the tragedy unfold? That's right, Darrell Jr. got pulled off the job and L.J. felt up Anna Nicole without covering her louvers.
    So there I go again, up and down the Interstate, up and down the Interstate, trying to get the ******* plugs to be nice and clean themselves. At the end of this torture, the car is running at about 95 percent which as Ferrari owners we all know is equivalent to 0 percent. Still,I maintained some degree of equlibrium , and went out this morning to run it again, but as most of you have guessed by now, it was too late. So offended was the vehicle at having its plugs watered by L.J., that the gear shift lever won't budge from park. After calling my Ferrari mechanic and being instructed to get the bezel off the console, peer down into the teeming mechanical hell beneath and try to figure out how to 'disengage the teeth,' I broke one of the plastic clips on the bezel, finally got it off, and, donning protective goggles, peered into that horror of wire, grease, nicely cast metal parts and, it must be said, a cobweb or two. That's when I started laughing. That's when the metaphor struck. I called the mechanic back and said 'Jimmy, we all know this is too much for me. We both knew before we started talking 'bezels' and 'linkages' that you'd have to come out to the house and do this. But I have realized one thing, and you can tell your prospective customers considering buying a Ferrari what it's really like to own one, how the pleasure and the misery and the thrill and the struggle combine into one unified exerience: It's like trying to land Moby Dick.' Best regards, Capt. Ahab
     
  2. KraigG

    KraigG Formula 3

    May 25, 2006
    1,501
    Willow Springs
    Full Name:
    Kraig
    Wow, Bill- perhaps your 400 just doesn't like you! :)

    I take mine to the car wash at least once a week, and even though it's a hand wash, the water and soap is still blasting at it like there's no tomorrow, yet I've never had a fouled plug incident like you've described.

    Looks like you need to invest in a good duster, and keep the car covered!
     
  3. Kram

    Kram Formula Junior

    Jul 3, 2004
    867
    Park bench, Canada
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Well written!

    Dud plugs? I suspect that you may have a cracked distributor cap or plug leads made out of dehydrated bread, though in truth I don't know much about the 400 series. One quick check: Start the car up at the dead of night and with all the lights off open the hood and have a good look at the running motor. Any short will be visible in the darkness, quick blue sparks jumping from faulty leads or wires to the nearest ground. If all is black then it is - something else! As for the stuck gear shift - good luck!
     
  4. blkprlz

    blkprlz Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2007
    2,169
    Tampa bay
    Full Name:
    Bruce
    Guys!!, If you must spray wash the bonnet in the louver area, Put some old bed sheets or drop cloth inside the motor compartment under the louvers.
    Those louvers are in front the timing chest, & if h2o is getting in the plug wells, lighten up on the spray action---use compressed air to blast the h2o out of the plug wells, run engine till normal operating temp. to dry.
    OMO, Ferrari motors & h2o don't mix!
     
  5. ArtS

    ArtS F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 11, 2003
    13,321
    Central NJ
    Bill,

    Great story!

    However, I call BS on all of the people saying that area can't get wet. This is a case of either bad wires or bad distributor caps; my guess is the wires.

    I have an older model (330), I've driven 800 miles in continuous pouring rain without a single miss - I assure you my engine was wet - lots and lots of cleaning afterwards but no mechanical problems. Your car should have no issues with water through the hood - though, if you are really worried about it, get the engine up to operating temperature before you start washing.

    Regards,

    Art S.
     
  6. Ashman

    Ashman Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2002
    33,226
    MA
    Full Name:
    John

    Ditto. While I don't go out of my way to force water from the hose through the louvers when I am washing my 400i, I don't really worry about water getting in there. I've driven many miles through some pretty heavy rainstorms without any problems whatsoever.

    John
     
  7. BLUROAD

    BLUROAD F1 Veteran

    Feb 3, 2006
    6,081
    Tustin Ranch, Cali
    Full Name:
    Enrico Pollini
    I own 5 cars and the only one that ever gets touched by water is My wifes Camry. I wash with a Small water bottle and 30 Percent Speed shine all of the other cars. JJ
     
  8. markcF355

    markcF355 F1 Rookie

    Jun 6, 2004
    3,493
    Schmeckelstan
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Owning a 400i is like being in an old German black and white movie. Wearing a dark leather mechanics duster, goggles, large leather gloves, and working in a factory that resembles a smelting plant. Through bellowing steam you struggle to keep the machine working.

    When washing the car / engine, I have found that if I cover the distributor area with plastic and blow the engine dry with a leaf blower. All will be right.
     
  9. billg

    billg Formula Junior

    Jun 7, 2006
    307
    New Orleans
    Full Name:
    Bill Grady
    Another excellent metaphor. The struggle is the thing.
     

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