What happened: A) we forgot what an education was and what it was for B) we choose to buy the cheapest goods even if it put our neighbor out of work C) we allow the rich and powerful to opress the weak and poor D) we allow the politics of the country to remain completely corrupt In essence, we have fallen off the list of top 30s in all catagories {education, health, longevity, productivity, wealth creation, ...} In effect, we have become the only second world SuperPower in history.
Yes and no. My theory is that the engine was running too rich and that the gold connector kit has eradicated the issue. That said, I'm loving having test pipes right now and may never go back except to smog. It's unfair to say the cats failed when in reality what happened is that the engine fed them too much unburned fuel. The other news is that my cold start issue has gone away. I guess cleaning the relays did the trick.
It's been about 7 months since completing the major, so I thought I would update folks on how things have been going. Car runs flawlessly. Not a single issue, light, leaking fluid, starting problem ... nada. I'm guessing I've easily put 2,000 miles on it since the major - especially with the recent run up the coast to Monterey. I seriously think my F355 is better than factory and is as reliable as a Honda Civic now; especially with the SRI connector kit and coolant hoses along with a smattering of upgraded parts from Hill Engineering. Wishing everyone else in the Brotherhood as much success with their rides and wrenching as I've had. Now, get out and drive!!
Thanks for the update. It's nice to see follow up posts like this, and know that the improvements really worked!
considering all of your maintenance items were done while you have owned the car, though out your ownership there will likely be nothing else needed.. most of the cars that i have seen recently have majors that will be needed with in a year or 2 from the purchase date, assuming the car was purchased today. I would say you came out ahead, your into the car for 49k$, and everything is completely up to date. I would guess you could resell in the near future if you wanted and not really loose anything, due to the recent and extensive maintenance.
Though it's none of my (our) business I think he has closer to $75k all inclusive. It probably wouldn't sell for that (current market) but I know Rick plans to keep that beauty FOREVER anyway so it's a non-issue. Rob
Hi Rob - not clear if dakkon was referring to my car or Greg's (m5guy) - although he did quote Greg. Anyway, yeah...it would take some serious "stupid money" for me to part with my F355. Besides, then there's the premium involved for it being (possibly) the most photographed and filmed F355 around - not to mention the hotties that have driven it. lol.
Sandy, i'm sorry, misread m5guys post I though he was referring to your car. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for documenting your cars maintenance like you have, for those of us trying to learn what to expect when looking at cars.
It's been a while since I breathed any life into this thread. I figure there must be quite a number of new folks in the forum that haven't stumbled across this thread yet. Winter is almost here and perhaps you're planning some maintenance while unable to drive...my hope is maybe you'll gain something from my experiences. FWIW, a year+ later, the car is still running like a champ with no issues. I had to put "real" cats back on recently and will go to get the car Smog checked this week. Happy to answer any questions you might have.
Which relays did you clean to fix the cold start issue? Mine does the same thing, first attempt when cold (50's ambient temp) and it sputters but doesn't start. 2nd attempt and it fires up immediately and runs perfectly. When warm (either engine or ambient temp 60's or higher), fires right up. Not too big a deal, but I'd rather it start up 1st try in all conditions.
This is interesting because I have picked up on the exact same thing now that the fall temps here have pushed below 50 at night. I will follow up with the techs at the shop to see exactly what we did last year.
I just hopped on this thread. I did a big major last winter including the fuel line recall and Dave's coolant hoses. He just shipped me the Supremo gold connector kit, but I probably won't start on it until the weather forces me to park the car (probably 3-4 weeks?). Question: I have been running test pipes for years now. I had been running the codes on the OBD every so often to see if there was anything new, but I admit I haven't done it in a long long time. I still have a CEL, I just can't see it when I am driving because it's in my tool box. What was your solution for going to test pipes?
I'm pretty sure Rick's solution is to own a 1995 model They only have a pre-cat O2 sensor, so they don't throw codes when you put in test pipes.
Yep, sorry... on a positive note, I do think when you get around to putting in Helms' supremo gold kit, you will probably see the problem go away.
Time for you to Finish the install of the GCK before chasing ghosts. As I remember (highly flawed), you didnt get the full kit, correct?
That's right, Dave - I only did the base + O2 sensors. I may hit you up for the rest of it when I get back from Brazil in the spring. Right now, I'm preparing to put the car up on cinder blocks for the winter.
Just read this for the first time and I am bumping it because it is a terrific thread. I spent about 30k restoring my 355 a year ago and that was more than double my budget so I did not get any of the SRI stuff but definitely going for the hoses and the gold kit next major!!!
What a great way to do maintenance work on your ferrari. I am new to this forum and after reading these posts, I must say people do really love their ferraris. I have a question in terms of doing major work overhauls to the F355. Suppose I was to purchase one ( I live in Australia btw) and having known all issues with the car if there are any, changing parts/upgrading would be costly. I would allow 100K to replace all worn out parts to the car, respray the paint from red to white, bring it out of the factory stage and upgrade and improve overall performance of the car. Now now 100K to me sounds like a reasonable budget to cover all costs, including registration and insurance. From a Ferrari fanatic's pov, is this a good investment providing you are willing to keep the car and not think of it as a waste of time and money? Besides, spending $140-150K to purchase the car in Australia and 100K extra upgrading parts to top of the range aftermarket parts would be more durable in the end. Please let me know what you guys think. Cheers.
Your dollar is almost at par with the US/CDN dollar so they are comparable. Is it really that expensive to buy and maintain an Fcar down there???
What at terrific write up and thread. As someone who is hunting for his first 355 and just got torpedoed from one because of a bad leakdown test, this information is invaluable. I am really rethinking how to buy one now. The prices being asked for cars that need or will need majors soon and have never had the issues addressed that you took care of really give me pause on this process. Thank you for taking the time to post all of this
Yeh sure is, it all comes down to import costs and taxes. If you were to purchase one from overseas and get it imported to Aus, it will come to 150K. Most of the F355 that come up for sale are between 130-160K. Anything that gets shipped to Aus is a big rip off lol
