Greetings all and Happy New Year. I've been letting my 355 bug me for the last few months. It received a cam belt replacement in 9/10 and I purchased it in 4/11. What is bugging me is that the belt replacement was not what I would consider a major service, but more like a service to sell. While many things were replaced such as tensioners and water pump, it was just a little over the bare minimum when doing a major service. Two things that bug me are incorrect/old hardware and incorrect/cheap hose clamps and my bay is littered with it. I'm finding that to really rectify all of this I'm going to need to drop the engine. Now, I have my own shop, so this is much cheaper for me to do than the average joe, but how much should I let this bug me? Also, for those of you in the market to buy, keep an eye out for these 'major done just before sale' cars as they might not have had a major like you would have wanted. To yank or just keep driving till 2015? I'll probably do it next winter, 2 years early.
what incorrect hardware are you talking about? I would let the hose clamps go until the next time I touch the area. But it is your car.
This is why I advocate buying a car that is due for a major rather than one. Knowing what was done and done correctly provides peace of mind when driving the car for another 5 years.
Yank it now especially since you are a shop. Just be warned the fit and finish is no where BMW quality. I'm a DIY guy. When I buy a used car I'm into it. So regardless of maintenance records the first thing I do is take the thing apart to not only fix all the stuff the PO and previous wrenches did wrong but to really learn the car. Consider all the nicely engineered Scuderia Rampante Inovations parts that solve many recurring Ferrari problems. You can start by feeling and listening to the dirt that make crumbling noise as you wiggle a ferrari connector off say a MAF sensor that almost jumps apart in your hand. Compare that to BMW connectors which you have to work on so hard you swear you might break them but you rarely do.
Agreed. The only thing that is a bit off is the fit and finish. I might be a little picky too though since I only work on BMWs. One thing that bugs the living daylights out of me is that they didn't replace all the header hardware with new copper nuts. Hoseclamps of poor quality and/or facing directions that make repairs difficult, unknown green coolant, etc, etc. I find that when I get into just anything other than an oil change I get half temped to just yank the thing out just so I can easily work on it and correct all the little meaningless things that bug me. Most of the connectors are somewhat similar to BMW. The 355 set-up is similar to what BMW was running in M20 and M30 cars into the late 80s early 90s. Those cars had minimal heat exposure when compared to a 355 so most of the connectors held up much better. I might just do it next winter so that I can enjoy the car this summer. Will be nice to have a completely sorted engine bay though
I feel there are pros/cons for both. I wanted a car that I didn't have to do anything to right away (or at least minimize the chances). For the average owner, it is much more expensive to buy and then have a major done and if they aren't a savvy owner they still might not get a really good go through along with the belt job. It is a bit of a coin toss.
I love BMW's. My family went from zero to now owning 6 BMW's. All have been great and a pleasure to repair when needed. I race a Z06 now and actually want to sell it and race a BMW. Bosch will tell you the Ferrari bosch connectors are the same. I swear they are not. I actually talked to a bosch engineer who I offended telling him that Bosch must keep the good connectors for the Germans and sell the seconds to the Italians. He was not amused. There are reports of Ferrari documents where the life cycle of 348 connectors was 10! As in designed for 10 on/off's cycles. So many Ferrari problems are traced to connections. Even good running cars run better with solid connections. We have proven it.
Drive my car again and it'll probably push you over the edge to do it this winter! I owned my '95 for a year before doing the major. What was already a good car turned into a GREAT car once we went through everything and upgraded wherever possible to Hill Engineering or SRI (i.e., hoses and gold kit). Google search "F355 University" and you'll see the full rundown of everything I did. I'm sure you'd spend a mere fraction of what I did - maybe 1/3 - to do all of it.
I wasn't a savvy owner when I first bought the car. Heck, I test drove the thing and the entire time the handbrake was on (I tought because it was down, it was off like a regular car) I was completely ignorant on the car but I did some research and I knew the 355 is what I wanted so I bargained and got it at my price with the seller admitting that a service was needed. Taking apart the engine allowed me to do some research beyond just the belts. It allowed me to see the engine upclose, learn about the header issues and I went ahead and had them replaced along with many other essential and cosmetic things. Went deep into the major and came out at 13k but driving the car now, I have peace of mind that things were done completely and done right. It also allowed me to learn so much about the car and, even if I'm still very far from an expert, allows me to give my own advice to others at times.
I'll probably spend 1/16th and you'll cry. I'll do it next winter though for sure. Don't want to miss out on any fun this spring and summer. We have to do one grueling drive this spring before the heat hits out east.
One thing is certain. I know for a fact that any ferrari bosch part numbers are protected in-house. None of my suppliers bosch reps have access to any of the ferrari parts. Like it is a whole separate division of the company.
