Fixed my 355 rattle/squeak

There was one thing that kept me from fully enjoying my daily 355 drive to and from work. Every time I hit a bump or uneven road surface the interior cabin rattled. For the longest time I though it was the pod covering the gages. If I pushed up on it why driving I could minimize the squeaks/rattles. I tried tightening, and loosening the screws, but nothing helped. I even loosened it enough to put foam in between where the two leather surfaces touched, all to no avail. Still had the squeaks. Thursday I found the real cause of the noise. It was were the leather meets the windshield. So I purchased heavy duty silicon spray and used a regular straw to get the silicone right where they meet. This way minimized the area of leather and windshield that the silicone hit.

It has been two days now and my interior is wonderfully free of rattles. I can enjoy the engine music even at slow speeds. At higher speeds the tubi drowned out all rattles so it did not matter. I do not know how long it will last, but if I can go at least a few weeks without the low speed rattle I will be very happy. Hope this helps others that have a 355 rattle they can not find.
--tony

 

Ownership wise it has been great, my cats went bad, so I put hyper-flow ones on. Other than that it has been a great daily driver. I love everything about the 355, the look, the interior, and the sound. There are the annoying issues that have been discussed here a bunch of times:
exhaust manifold
alarm battery
valve guides
cats
dash shrinkage
plastic melting
gear lever rattle

I have a 99 and have only run into the rattling cats and dead alarm batteries.
I think with the 355, using car covers and sun deflectors will keep the interior looking good. Having a loud yellow Ferrari sure gets a lot of attention, but it has all been positive so far. I think the 355 is the end of the series that the 308 started, 308->328->348->355

I think of the 360 as the start of a new line of cars, new technology,
360-430->? I do not have enough time in a 360 to really comment on it. Friends who have owned both tell me the 360 is better in every way.
I like the 355 looks a little better. If I was going to purchase a used one now, it would be a tough choice the price for well sorted 355s and 360s are not that far apart, it seems that they are 10k-20k. Good luck Cielo!
--tony

 

I hope not, I asked a leather shop about it. The owner of the store
said a light coating where the leather rubs against the windshield would
be OK. I will keep an eye on it and possibly use a leather conditioner
next time. Thanks!