I know this has been discussed before, and I have read some of the relevant threads ... But here I do have some very specific questions, regarding a) repair complexity and b) cost . * The passenger door would not open two weeks ago, neither from inside or outside. There is some clicking noise, but no useful action on the lock. My wife got in eventually through the driver's side so we made it home. * I brought the 360 to my trusty Ferrari service in NB, where I had the car in twice already this year (failed smog test, then later hydraulic reservoir for capote near empty). Generally in the past their work was done well and expenses reasonable. One of their technicians P. specializes in older Ferraris (360,430,308 etc) and he's very good and honest. * I figured they open the door by sliding some tool from the top into the door, to unlock it. Then they replace the $350 door lock mechanism, tutto fatto ! * Their estimate was instead $4200. They said they have to "break into the door" (verbatim), which is 8+ hours or work at $200+ an hour, they claim. Seriously ??? At first I thought I misread $4200 for $420. Which @ $200 x 8 = $1600 incidentally does not even come close to the $4200 original quote. * They also said the broken parts (they mentioned a snapped or stretched cable ?) which are a set : new door lock plus two steel cables ... have to come from Italy, takes three weeks if you are lucky. Btw they claim it's really a Fiat part. Could this part be outrageously expensive ? * I showed the the "Scuderia" or "Ricambi" parts, which are around $300 new for the complete repair set (door lock and two cables). They said, no problem we will order those. They say they use Scuderia and Ricambi routinely on older Ferraris, where original parts are hard to find. Takes three days to get the part (in stock now). So is all good on this front, it seems. https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part/8970/ferrari/68993100/rh-door-lock-with-cables.html * I am absolutely astonished that they would claim $3900 in labor to unlock ("break in" as they say) the passenger door and install a new lock. Am I missing something ?? Thanks in advance for your opinions. For reference, here's an older thread : https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/360-modena-drivers-door-will-not-open.607931/
Not sure if there’s another specialist in your neighborhood, but you really need a second opinion. I had the exact same thing last month. On my F430. Called my specialist here in The Netherlands (not official dealership, but over 30+ years Ferrari only maintenance) and he knew exactly what I talked about. Literally said: ‘ah this happens to the 430 and 360, don’t worry about it’. Week later I had the car repaired; it was a 300€ job, the lock had to be replaced.
Without knowing what they know, it would be hard to say, but I don't know why they are replacing two cables and the lock. How can all 3 break simultaneously? The guy in the video didn't seem to take too long to break into the car with the correct tools. Maybe they are charging you the cost of purchasing new tools.
Thank you for all your replies and comments ! It seems rather clear to me then that getting the door to open when stuck is trivial, with the right tools and if you know what you are doing. It seems he gets the door unlocked in less than 5 mins (not 8 hours of labor as claimed by F of NB) ! Since everybody seems to agree that this is a rather common problem in the 360 and 430, they (F of NB) should know by now how to go about it.
I had to break into one of my doors for the same issue. It’s not that many hours I don’t think if you know what you are doing. When I first got my car I paid like 1000 in 2021 to have a lock fixed but I did the second one for almost nothing myself since the part I needed was a lancia part iirc. get a second price or do it yourself.
you need a different mechanic who knows how to open a door with proper tools. Replacement of the door lock and two cables is the correct repair. Less than $1000
I had a similar experience with my 360. I was able to finally open the door by inserting the key into the lock, turning to the unlock position and pulling on the door opener from the outside at the same time. Never tried from the inside lever. Parts replaced. Have not had any subsequent issues.
Thank you all for your opinions ! I contacted RMT Motorsports, an independent Ferrari service shop nearby in Yorba Linda Ca, and they quoted me around $1200 for the complete job, which is roughly 28% of the Ferrari of NB initial estimate ... That would include the opening of the locked up passenger door, removal of the inner panel and glass to access the door lock mechanics, and complete replacement of the latter from Scuderia parts.
Not sure of your mechanical capabilities, but its about an hour job on an f430 in a driveway to replace the door lock actuator. Scott (Ratorossa) has a video of him doing it on a 360. The part is about $250-$300. Regardless, 4000+ is robbery.
Assuming the 360 opens in same as 430- you put the key in the outside, turn to unlock it and pull the opener at the same time.
The Ratrossa video makes opening the door look easier than it actually is. I have had some 360/430's where the door release cable was so badly corroded that you could pull on it with all of your might and not budge it. I found that the only way to unlock the door was to pry on the lever of the door latch that the cable moves with a long screwdriver. It's the only way to get enough force to overcome the seized cable. The $1200 quote to open the door and replace the latch mechanism with the cables is completely reasonable, the $4200 quote is not.
Thanks ! The 360 has been garaged all her life and we live in one of the driest climates on earth ... There's no sign of corrosion anywhere, most likely just a cable snatch or strech ? Ha ha a long screwdriver to pry the lever, for 8-hrs work and a $3800 charge ?? They are one of the largest Ferrari service centers in the world, I am sure they can find the right screwdriver somewhere and deal with opening that door in a reasonable time Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just curious.... What's a door latch actuator? The armrest handle? A new lock assembly with cable costs U$342 at Eurospares, so $3,900 for labour?
Door Latch Actuator and Cable for the Ferrari 360 Modena is a $327 part : https://www.ricambiamerica.com/collections/360-f430-door-lock-assemblies.html I guess $3907 is the labor estimate of F of NB, coming down from their management, or Ferrari of NA in NJ (or perhaps more directly from Maranello ) I admit I am totally ignorant of these issues, but the charges struck me as utterly exorbitant ...
I can fly down to CA, and change it for you in about 2 hours give or take. with flights and hotel it won't cost you 3907.
The corrosion on the door cables happens in dry climates with cars that are stored inside. I was working at Ferrari SF when I first came across this issue. Ferrari used cables that had no plastic inner liner, with metal to metal contact between the inner wire and outer sheath and no lubrication. After 20 years the inner cable just corrodes to the outer cable sheath. Corrosion is the cause of door release the cables sticking in the open position and not allowing the latch to return to its normal position, blocking the locking mechanism from working. If you get your old latch with the cables attached to it, try and move the release cable, you will find that it is difficult to move or completely seized, due to corrosion/lack of lubrication. I lubricate the cables on the new latch before I install it to prevent the problem from happening in the future. The first car with this problem took me a couple of hours to figure out the cause and determine how to get the door opened. When I got the door opened without damaging anything on the car, the rest of the techs at the shop were very impressed as no one else was able to get the door opened. If the tech at the dealership was not aware of this issue and did not search Ferrarichat and see the various posts on how to solve the problem, then I could see the reason for a high estimate, although $3900 is a bit of a reach.
Thank you for your insight ! What baffles me even more now is that F of NB would order the part from Italy with a guaranteed 3-week wait (see text message above), given that both the $300 Scuderia and Ricambi parts are in fact clearly described as "Genuine Ferrari" OEM part no. 68993100 : https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part/8970/ferrari/68993100/rh-door-lock-with-cables.html ($278) https://www.ricambiamerica.com/collections/360-f430-door-lock-assemblies.html ($327) That brings the total expected repair time = 1 week for an appointment + 3 weeks or more for part + 1 week for work = 5 weeks total ... Ouch My 911 took $820 total and one afternoon for a LH side door mechanism replacement, done locally. Had her back the next day.
Ferrari dealerships are not allowed to purchase parts outside of the official Ferrari network. All of the parts for the older cars were shipped from their warehouse in New Jersey to England. So there is a long wait time for anything that has to come from overseas.
Well they (F of NB service) told me that they have accounts with both Scuderia and Ricambi (but not EBay) - and regularly buy parts from them for older cars, if they are hard to obtain via the regular channels (ie Ferrari of NA and Maranello Italy). So their policy might have changed in recent years.
The F 360 failed door lock saga was finally ended today, as I picked up the card at F of NB and paid $2213 including taxes .. The amount was not too far off from the $1800 quote from a local independent repair, RMT motorsports. I asked for the old parts, so here are some pics for the record. Yes indeed it is a Fiat / Lancia part but seems very well made ! This is what it looks like after some cleaning with purple power ... it had some black dust on it, not much Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I was wondering what was wrong with it, so I opened it up ... Everything seemed perfect, even the microswitches seemed good. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login