having a ferrari and servicing it yourself?

Ok, I have a second so I will throw in my .02

Some of the guys here on fchat are "wrenches" and do every bit of service on thier cars. If that is you, you will save a ton of money, and if you are interested in older ones anyway, you will be able to do it because they are not rocket science to work on...

In many of our cases, we are either not mechanically inclined, or we are working 60+ hours a week and/or running our own businesses (see: me) and so we pay people to work on our Ferrari's.

It is EXPENSIVE to own one of these cars. So much so that I have been saving for about 18 months to have all of the suspension/bushings/shocks/bearings replaced on my 308QV and will finally be able to do it this Winter - and I KNOW I am not alone because I know a guy on this site who just spent a bloody fortune on his 355 to have work done on it and he is a GREAT wrench. It's just part of Ferrari ownership.

These cars take an incredible amount of love and dedication (see: $$$ or time) to make them work like they are supposed to work. That is the reason that everyone doesn't have one - they take love and dedication, whether it is mechanically or financially (or both).

Does that help?

MB

 

+1000 Another point is a lot pf people are afraid to work on them especially the newer ones, cause if you screw it it up it can cost you 5x the amount. The only things on my car I've done are change the turning signals lights and replace the hood struts 2x.

 

I wrench on my own Ferrari.

 

That is kinda cheating isn't it?

 

Not if he's into 'open' relationships

 

I wrench on all six of my cars and motorcycle. Three Ferraris and a Ducati. There is nothing mysterious or undoable about them. I also work a full time job. I just happen to choose to work on my cars in my time off instead of doing something else.

 

No...in fact, often it means the opposite. A well cared-for 308 or 328 with worked performed by someone who knows the ins and outs of his own car is often sold at a premium to one that goes in when something goes wrong.

The key is to have documentation of the work. If you have receipts for parts and photos of the major work, then it helps improve value.

And just because you take a car to a "professional mechanic" doesn't mean it's better. I have plenty of mechanic horror stories.

Just keep in mind that Ferraris are just cars. From a pure mechanical standpoint, there's nothing really magic about them. Everything up through the 328s are simple. If you can balance carbs on a Triumph or MG, you can do it on a Ferrari. If you can setup the fuel injection on a Mercedes 450SL, you can do it on a 308, because it's the same unit. As for the 348, 355, 360...they are more difficult, just like a Caddy with the Northstar in 1993 is more complex than a '78 Seville.

 

They are still cars. 4wheels, an engine, etc.. They are put together differently sometime than a ford but so is my bmw. The main drawback is the wsm is not like a wsm for a ford. They are for someone trained in f-speak and u need to understand electronics a bit more than in "regular" cars to do the diagnostics on the newer cars. That said i would have no problem taking one apart with the help of my fchat friends. They have been helpful and there is a wealth of info here. There is a real sense of accomplishment after the last screw is tightened. Dont be shy. A cool eccentric unique car but in the end still just a car.

 

Ferraris are just like regular cars except you add a zero "0" to any part when you order it no matter how small. ;-)

I "wrench" on my 360. I like to do it, it's fun, and I know things are done right. I do what I can and usually if a lift is needed my mechanic takes it from there, i.e. majors, clutches and engine out kinda stuff, even an SD2 if its needed, usually its not. As a disclaimer.. I have a 1979 porsche 928 that I also work on myself and compared to it, the 360 is a piece of cake!

If you cob a repair, the car will be worth less. When I do a repair I ask myself, can I do this THE RIGHT WAY. If not, I ask my mechanic if he can do it. By "the right way" I mean indistinguishable from OEM factory work when done. Repair manuals are online, go by the cookbook and most parts are plug and play (on modern Ferrari's). If you have the time and inclination it can be fun and definitely brings you closer to your ferrari.

 

For me, it is a mix of both. Some stuff I do and will do myself and other stuff I leave to an independent shop that specializes in Ferraris. The main reason that I take this approach is that I do not have a fully equipped garage and it is not worth it for me to build one up. (Hmmm, it would be fun though wouldn't it.)

As others have stated, it is just a car. There are many on fchat that share the passion for these cars and a great wealth of information and support. I am also fortunate to have a local shop with a very knowledgeable staff (especially 308s) that are always happy to help.

There is likely no better car to tinker with than a Ferrari. They are quirky and require attention. For me that is a big part of ownership.

In closing, a friend of mine used to joke that he spent two days working on his car (1959 PF) for every day of driving. I am not sure which he enjoyed more.

 

I love 928s, but I always tell people "there's a reason you can buy one for $3500"...Ferrari parts prices with a few inherent issues that take a few days of labor to fix. One of my work buddies years ago bought a "good runner" 928 for $3800 and doubled-down his investment in about six weeks.

I've never been the world's greatest fan of the 911 (I've owned one), but there's something to be said about the ease of service on the first 25 years of production.

 

Me too.

I don't do brakes and I don't pop heads. Other than that it is fair game.


And my 308 is the 1st car I have EVER Wrenched.

 

No brake jobs? Interesting. I can understand not wanting to do your own head work, but brake jobs, even complete overhauls, are really straightforward. Bleeding the lines can be a pain, but that's what friends and speed bleeders are for.

 

The break to me for the average backyard mechanic is the 308/328 and the 348.

After that, you start to get into electronics, hydraulics, complicated mechanisms or engine removals that most backyard mechanics can't do themselves.

Yes, it can be done. It just needs a level beyond were the average guy with a set of box wrenches and a floor jack can do. The workshop manual is a must and you may require special tools now and then (which you can get).

A 308/328 is not that complicated though to take apart and put back together if you know what you're doing.

Then again, you're not planning on doing an engine rebuild, are you?

 

Yes I wrench on my own Ferrari. And those of others. No problem. There is less mystique about them than many a dealer or shop wants you to believe.

That is true for very recent models, but not for the 355, testarossa, 512TR, early 456GT, and so on. Especially the early Motronics are easy to work on even for the backyard mechanic, although the engine removal cars such as the 355, Testa and 512TR are certainly on the high end and not doable without a lift, ruling out many.
For the later models solutions for the electronics are also finding their way to the market. And even then, a clutch or brake job can still be done, just the calibration afterwards you will sometimes need to pay for.

See above - some jobs will become difficult, but generic maintenance is still well within the realm of the backyard mechanic. Unfortunately the carmakers are finding more and more ways to disable that same mechanic from doing jobs on their cars. They think it is a free way to have a dealernetwork, but it is my believe that is not possible. In the end it damages the competitiveness of such "closed" companies, it simply hurts resale value of their cars, because maintenance becomes economically unviable at an earlier stage. They develop a bad reputation as a result.

Look for instance at the "engine removal for service" models - I think Ferrari believed they could get away with saddling their owners with a 10k$ bill every 3 years. They could for a while, but my guess is that the engine hatch on the 360 and the later models without timing belts show that eventually they could not.

 

always work on my rides. doing my belts right now. i just take my time and it gets done.

 

I'll do my own work until as someone else says it needs a full size lift or an expensive special tool. I'd even consider buying a lift, but with limited overhead in my garage it may not make sense.

I've always wrenched my own vehicles as much as possible and have quite an investment in tools to do it properly. A Ferrari may not be the vehicle you want to learn on, but if you are already comfortable with basic operations on other cars there is no reason not to do the same on the Ferrari. If you struggle with basic repairs and don't have a proper place to work on the car, maybe this is when you pay a pro.

 

Terrific post, Matt.

 

I did engine out major on my 87 TR without a lift. Wasn't that difficult. But this was not my 1st repair job. Ive been working on my vehicles and motorcycles for 45years.





Ago

 

As several folks have already said, the older cars (308s, 328s, etc.) are fine for the DIY types. Just keep in mind that the parts are expensive no matter who does the work, and a serious mistake will be very expensive.

Yes, they are just cars, and changing the timing belts is not much different than doing it on a Honda Civic. The difference is if you screw up that 308 motor is going to set you back $10K to $20K instead of a couple grand for the Civic.

 

I am surprised about the brakes. Brakes are pretty simple and safe. A speed bleeder is the only special equipment one would need or that would make it very easy.

Brakes are one of the easiest things IMHO.

 

Well, try removing a fuel pump in a TR without a lift. Possible, yes. Fun... no. And dropping the engine from a TR to do a water pump is also no fun.

My point is that the 308/328 is you can do pretty much everything yourself on that car with a good set of tools, some jack stands, and a few special ones provided you have a workshop manual to help out. Replace a water pump, fuel pump, clutch, fuel injection components, plugs/cap and wires, brake job, master cylinder, clutch cylinder, repair a leaky valve cover, etc. Most backyard mechanics could maintain a 308 by themselves if they had the skills of some level of automotive repair experience.

Not so with a TR or the other cars you mention. Yes, it CAN be done, but it's going to need a lift and some real patience to do it.

It all goes back to how much time, experience, and money you want to invest to do the wrenching yourself. In the case of the 308/328, that's not much. That's why I mention them as the best for this kind of hands on experience for most.