Engine Overhaul?

How far "off tolerance"?
Do you have the numbers on the tests?

 

None of us know but you should be asking them for the specifics of their findings. They probably have cause to say it and you should know what that is.

 

A good solid 355 motor will make very much the same numbers cold as hot. It is true with numbers like that the motor would not be running well but I suspect it has more to do with getting debris on the valves when pulling the plugs which is a typical rookie mistake. If they are so unsure of the tests they should not be taking money for the tests and blowing off a buyer.

That was very irresponsible if that is what happened.


We do tests of various types all the time and when you get a result that makes no sense you redo the test. You do not take questionable results and just go with it, unless of course your intent is to just sell work.

 

Good idea. Its sounds like they messed up the test. 2 cylinders running that low compression in an engine would sound and run like grandpa's old lawnmower on a Sunday morning.
Rookie mistake............or they are quiet and could do with some work.

 

yes, get another opinion. THose tests can fluctuate depending on who and how they are performed it seems! Good luck
gordon

 

Last car I sold, during the PPI the shop (reputable) told the buyer that it needed a complete front brake job. It just had one done 7k miles ago. I told them to show me the #'s! They took a flash light and pointed to the worst one. That pad had almost 3/8" thick of brake material left!!!

I couldn't believe they told that to the buyer over the phone!! He wanted to negotiate the cost of a brake job out of the price. Luckily the buyer when he saw it in person was knowledgeable enough to know that there was plenty of pad left.

It may be the shop you went to had some self-serving motives or some very incompetent technicians. If that reading was accurate, it would be soooo down on power and idle rough too!

 

Jody,
the fact of the matter is that this particular 355 has had better care taken of it than most. I know that when I owned the car I never experienced any performance related issues. The service bill from FoCF from Oct of 2005 was over $26k for work to "make the car perfect", new cats, new headers, new clutch, AC compressor, belts, idlers, on and on..... certainly Rocky or Randy would have taken the opportunity to do a valve job had the car needed it. That car never saw a hard day during the time I owned it, period. I honestly believe that FoW has not done the leakdown correctly. I would buy the car back without a PPI..... thats how confident I am in the condition of the car.

 

I heard your car a week and a half ago and it sounded great! I hope all works out for you
Nathan

 

I'm going through similar stories with two 355s I'm looking at. Both "need" valve guides done...along with another $10,000 in work. One seller concedes that he thinks the valves may need to be done, but he suspects that the dealer is trying to work pricing down for their customers. I tend to agree. How can every car for sale need a $15,000 service?

 

Jodi---see if Grand Touring can do a leakdown for you..

 

I think that most of you guys know that I am the one that was going to buy Jody's car. FoW gave me these #'s today for the leakdown and compression test.
#1 45 #5 12
#2 54 #6 24
#3 13 #7 22
#4 17 #8 8

And yes they told me that it will need an engine overhaul soon. I really want to trust what these guys say because I don't live far from them and they will be servicing which ever F car I do get. I love Jody's car but told him that I didn't want to buy it because of the PPI result's. Is this a mistake???

 

NO way are those numbers right... They are all over the board--I wouldn't imagine the car would even run correctly..

 

Vitamin_J - Run a bottle or two of techron thru it, and run it up to the redline
a bit. It may just be carbon buildup.

Steve - There are several local shops in your area, get an independant
2nd opinion. This is what I would do before throwing away a good
car to a dealer f-up.

 

with those numbers IMO the car would idle and run terribly . half the cylinders are under spec.

 

That's probably the best advice I have ever read on this board!

 

it is kinda slow time of year for the dealerships...when in doubt ..a nice parts list and a labor charge helps keep the lights on...

 

You didn't make a mistake. The fact is that you are doing the right thing by getting a PPI. Your seller was honest-enough to agree to the PPI and honest-enough to refund your money due to the PPI, so your seller is doing the right thing, as well.

Now, if your seller goes to his expense and trouble to get a 2nd opinion, and if you like the car, then I'd give the seller a 2nd chance...but that's just me.

But, you should stick with the numbers that a legitimate PPI gives you. As the Buyer, you should hold steady.

I wouldn't think that a 2nd PPI should be your expense, and I wouldn't buy the car when only guessing that the original PPI is bad.

On the other hand, if I wanted the car and the seller paid for a 2nd PPI that turned up good, then that would be where I'd give the benefit of the doubt.

In short, you are doing the right thing and the seller is doing the right thing. This is how these cars should be purchased and sold.

 

Hello, I don't know the car, or the buyer or the seller involved in this thread ... but I do know FoW pretty well.

FoW has serviced, for me, cars ranging from a 1953 212 Inter to a '91 F40 to a 430 Challenge car. I know most of the folks in all parts of the business there personally and, yes, I'm probably biased - but I've never, ever had any problems. I can't put that record down to luck, so it grates on me to see folks who know nothing about a dealer speculate about the competence of its technicians.

Instead of having the conversation here, why not call up FoW's service manager and explain your concerns? If somehow a mistake was made, I'm certain they'll fix it. You're upset because you feel your deal was blown up - everyone understands that. But why complain about it here, why not deal with it face to face?

Search the archives here - FoW receives pretty much uniformly favorable reviews. There's a reason for that.

Regards, Will

 

^^ Werd.

I spoke with Jody today and said pretty much the same thing. I don't think he is questioning the integrity of FoW; simply the quality/consistency of the tests that were performed on the car and resultant deal which collapsed.

I'll let him re-post some of the details from today's interaction with them.

 

Will, I agree FOW has a good reputation. Though if you only want users to post favorable threads how will that make clear peoples experiences? I think this is a valid thread with good information going from the thread starter to the members here. Your experience and opinions are welcomed and valued, but you should recognize someone with the history you state could be treated differently.

My experience with FOW has been very professional. In my opinion they charge what's in line with other Ferrari dealerships and that's high. They did cause a problem with my car that required it go back to them. They took responsibility and corrected the issue. So, other then an inconvenience and a little less faith on the quality of their work I was taken care of.

Good Luck

SGMDCFD - If you still have interest in this car, you should do a bit more investigation before walking away, as clearly it is warranted.