having a ferrari and servicing it yourself?

Been doing all the work on my 348 for years.

 

Been a Professional Mechanic/Craftsman for forty yerars. As several individuals have stated...this isn't rocket science. The biggest thing is to own the FACTORY service manual and follow the procedures. I personally have worked on everything from a weed whacker to a bulldozer and Indy Cars. There is nothing different from one to the other except the size and how many cylinders. If your careful and willing to get help on things you aren't sure of, you will find it to be fun to do and you get to keep your cash!!! Above all....Buy the Ferrari of your dreams and start living your dream. I did and boy am I glad!!!

 

Once I can grab myself an Ferrari I won't service it myself because I am just not technologically inclined nor do I doubt I'll find enough time. I respect anyone that can but not being able to service ones own car doesn't make you a bad owner.

 

Just put in an ABS/ASR unit in my 360 last weekend, took me 2-4 hours total for everything. FCars are just as friendly, if not more so for DIY guys as are porsches..

 

No...being a bad owner is neglecting the car until it is either sold for dismantling or destroyed by stupid driving habits. These are not just cars but both pieces of art & historical time pieces. After so many years only a few remain, then they get sold to private collections. The true love of these cars is in the driving. Nothing beats 12 cylinders in tune on a fall afternoon going thru a sweeping turn and grabbing the next gear. That is pure heaven!!!

 

Made a cradle with casters to fit the sub frame out of square tubing. Put the front tires on 4" blocks, took the rear tires off. lowered the sub frame down on the cradle. Jacked up the body and rolled the engine/trans/rear suspension out the back. Got most of the ideas on this post.



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Good summary.

I'd like to add a few points, though.

ANY high performance car is going to require comprehensive routine service.
The reason there's such an after-market tuner industry for ricers is that most Japanese cars are detuned for reliability. You can get more out of them, but then you have more maintenance.
A peaked out ricer will take just as much service as an Italian car (which typically comes tuned to peak from the factory).

(I added it up, once: Over a four year period, my '88 Celica GT-Four and my '88 328 cost just about the same amount in maintenance.) (But that doesn't count the DMS coil-overs I installed on the Celica, because the stock suspension wasn't adjustable --- where the 328's is.) (That may have been the world's only Celica with no understeer. )

And I'll quibble over "it's just a car". Yes, it's an internal combustion engine like any other. Fuel air and ignition.
But, compared to other machines I've worked on, the 328 is *elegant* engineering.
The attention to detail in the design makes working on it a pleasure.

Like any car, there are a few oddities, but only a few. By contrast, my old Celica GT-Four was a Japanese puzzle box.
I never did figure out how to get the carb off a Fiat 124 without having to take it half apart on the car, in order to reach the manifold bolts.


As noted, the newer cars are going to have more high tech equipment that requires specialized tools to service.
(If you thought electrical issues were tricky on a 3x8, wait until you see a car using a CAN bus, with computer chips at each light cluster.)


As I get older, I find I have less time, energy, ... and garage space.

(Anyone else notice that vehicles are getting larger, but garages are getting smaller?)

 

Good Points. The Ferrari is built with a passion,like the evolution of the TR flat 12 from mid 70s Formula 0ne GP winning engine. The F1 engine only had 4 main bearings. I think they were rollers to reduce friction.



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I work on my own 308. The carbureted Ferrari's of the 70s are incredibly easy to work on IMO. The others are not bad but 348s/355s, Testarossa's, Boxers, all require engine out servicing which can be a pain. 360s are easy as are 430s. Some of the 90s stuff have trivial issues to deal with which can at times make them a pain, but overall they are not at all bad. A Mercedes S class will give you more of a headache.