f430 2005 with 8700 miles. total fluid change opinion

depends on the Independent. There are plenty that will do just fine.

 

After seeing the 'carnage' left by Ferrari dealers maintaining the '06 I bought, including rounded fasteners, all fluids replaced low(coolant reservior was bone dry) only 5 miles after a full service, and the results of a PPI that my young daughter could have caught, I'd definitely go with an independent. Only reason to maybe consider a dealership would be if car was under warranty, and to continue the whole 'kiss a$$ thing' you need to do to buy a new one, but other than that, you'd save quite a bit and most likely get better results with in independent IMO. Maintenance is not rocket science on these cars, but yes, make sure they have the shop manual.

Before I catch any flack, of course there're great dealers out there, but without a solid reference, I wouldn't even think about one, especially with basic maintenance. Good day folks.

 

I blew a rad hose clamp on the track and had to be flat decked to the dealership. Full coolant replacement is not as easy as one thinks for these cars. My dealer kept the car 2 days to do the job right getting all the air out of the system. After I picked it up, they wanted me to go back in a couple of days to check the coolant level again. I guess it all depends on how competent your dealer is.

As to changing your fluid with an independent. I think as long as the shop has worked on a lot of Ferrari's and has the capability to plug into the ECU, then there should be no problem. The diagnostic computer can tell you lots about your car even to the point that you had a stall at some point. I know this first hand. It can also tell you approximate clutch wear etc. etc. etc. Dealers also have the resource of the factory tech behind them. My dealer sends downloaded data to factory engineers for consultation all the time. I think this is where the advantage lies with taking your car to an authorized dealer.

 

Rounded fasteners are straight from the factory a lot of times unfortunately.

 

I think an independent shop with all the right diagnostic equipment and a good reputation for working on 430's would be fine. The question is whether you're more likely to find that than a competent dealer? For me in Mississippi, I don't have that luxury; but I'm fortunate that the dealer (FOA) is superb.

Best, Paul

 

+1 beside the mecanical experience of the F430, one of the most important things is that the independant shop has a SD3 or SDX to diagnose the ECU's. Such shop should also have a good experience with the F1 hydraulic system.

 

Same here.
Couldn't agree more!
If you know the independent garage and you trust their work, as long as they have the necessary tools and buy genuine parts then you can't go wrong.