How long have you waited between annual service?

Drive it more.

Then it will be worth it!!!!

 

Do the annual service for peace of mind..The 430 is a great car and gets better the more you drive it..The nice thing is no more Cam Belts to replace every 3-5 years.Promise me you will drive and enjoy her...Life is good and even better when you drive and listen to the "music" of the 430..Ciao Tony

 

It's not just wear.

Not using your toys wears them out more than using them. Gas and oil do not sit well in rubber hoses etc. It just rots them out. I'd say your car needs service more often when not in use.

ESPECIALLY with all of the ethanol gas that's around nowadays. That stuff just ruins your internal parts when it sits.

 

Wonder why the call it an annual service? Could it be because some things break down over time and some things absorb water regardless of whether the car is driven?

It is your car. You know the recommendations. Do what you want. I know of no modern car without an annual service requirement on at least oil changes.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Most dealerships make a minimal amount of money on new cars and therefore supplement there rev with service. It makes prefect sense that they would get you in every year for a few k. It is very expensive to support the overhead associated with a dealership, this is the only way they can survive.

I am a big proponent of regular fluid changes and paying very close attention to any nuances that the car may have, but IMHO the services seem excessive.

I agree that you need to drive the car, nothing worse than a car sitting unless properly stored.

With these cars everyone scares you into these interval services + you can't sell for top dollar unless you have these services performed and all docs.

I guess this is something you deal with when you buy an f car.

 

You should go to independent service shops as well as dealers and ask how coolant and brake fluids especially in cars equipped with ABS/anti-lock look after just one year. Maybe some of them will even have some 1 year old fluids to show the affect of how not driving the car actually does more harm in some cases. They don't last forever. IMO get out there drive and enjoy!

 

+1

 

One year - Since moisture can collect or others stuff can break down even when you do not put on any miles.

 

For my 328, in So. Cal. servicing every 2 years works fine, on the 360 I am not so sure mainly because, and I know this is irrational, the whole key fob/alarm system scares me. One hears so many tales about 360's refusing to start and being stranded in a FERRARI would be monumentally embarrassing. If your Merc or Range Rover breaks down, well what the hell, everyone knows they are unreliable and you were an idiot for not buying a Japanese car. The 328 is totally reliable so no worries there. but for the 360 I believe that I need the reassurance that the Ferrari doctor has blessed it for another year. As I said, irrational, because he is really only changing the fluids. Bottom line, in a benign climate like Southern California, coupled with fairly low mileage I believe that servicing every 2 years is OK. Convincing a Potential buyer of this, however, would be another matter.

 

Assuming the car is driven regularly and not beat-on or tracked, I don't think pushing the service back a month or two would be an issue (if the car's still within the suggested miles). I wouldn't go way past the service intervals, though. Plus, getting the car serviced sooner rather than later may uncover a minor problem before it becomes a major one.

 

I do it exactly on it's anniversary. When you spend this much money on a car, the annual service cost is so minor, it's not worth worrying about.

If the car is scheduled for it, I do it. It makes things simple.

 

+1

 

+1

 

Your engine won't break if you don't service it exactly each year. You can check regulary the condition of the engine oil and if you're a bit "hands on", they main parts of your car can be checked by yourself. As mentionned before, drive the car as most as possible. The more you drive it, the less you'll need to service it

 

I agree with Stef. I find the more that I drive my 360.. the better she runs and the happier she is. Just changed the oil this weekend in the garage like a redneck. Took me about 45 minutes to an hour. Most of time is consumed with removal and replacement of body undertray.

 

Just got mine done- under $600. No reason to cut corners with these cars- my mechanic checks everything- in this case he found a leaking clamp for my coolant at the passenger side radiator. I feel good knowing she's ready for another season. If $1,200 or whatever your dealer charges is too much, post in your local region section of f-chat to find an excellent independant!

-Andrew

 

Mine was $750 and I had a leaking F1 fluid tank that was replaced. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

 

I completely forgot about my service. I had 14K miles in May-2010 and now have 20K. I called the shop and they said get in quick! I have been too busy servicing the darn phantom to even worry about the Fcar But the 360 has been a champ

 

1 annual.

 

Well, at least the OP's car does not have cam belts or we would be in for another question on how often....

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I agree with that, but wanted to make a few differentiations. First, some items need service based on mileage and others on age, and some of the 'annual' service are definitely cash cows for dealers IMO. Second, nothing wrong with driving your car few hundred miles a year, BUT that all depends how you put them. If you drive your car 20 miles every 2 weeks, for a total of 480 a year, with fuel stabilized, tire pressures checked and battery charged every 2 weeks, you'd have an absolute gem on your hands . But if you put the 500 miles in a wekend and the car sat all year in a garage, I'd RUN AWAY from that car. Bottom line is try to drive your car at least once a month, and at least 20 miles before turning engine off, to allow oil to get hot enough to evaporate all condensation, especially in winter.

I do annual brake fluid and oil changes in my cars, plus 2-ty tranny and diff fluids regardless of miles, but I know it's overkill. But if you do the work yourselves, you'd save a bundle and bond with your car at the same time .

And for the record, even for somebody as anal as me, I'd never eliminate a car from consideration because it didn't have an annual service with 1,500 miles on the clock. A plus yes, but a deal breaker, or even a deduction, hardly. Good day gang.

 

Not true! I bought a new Porsche Boxster S in the UK in 2003 and the service intervals were mileage (cannot remember exactly but from memory was 15k or 20k miles) or 24mths. Which ever occured 1st. Porsche used Mobil 1 oil in the engine. If it can last in a Porsche engine why can it not last in a Ferrari one?

I feel the OP's question is entirely valid. Also if you book in you Fcar for a yearly service at the dealer they would only change the oil and filter. Not the gearbox oil, brake fluid or coolant.

Like the OP I don't cover the mileage but do make a point of driving the car at least once a fortnight and getting everything fully up to temp including the gearbox and brakes. Everyones comments on cars not driven regularly are true in my experience.

I do not have the car serviced "yearly" but instead have every fluid changed every 2years. In the meantime I pay close attention to all fluid levels and keep a close eye on the garage floor in order to spot any small issues before they become major ones. Having a mechanic inspect the vehicle once a year cannot compensate for this daily vigilence.

 

That's very true. You can't imagine how many things I fixed myself after a service! Hydraulic oil found on the cat heatshields, loose bolts, broken wires, missing screws etc...It's not because the shop is an official Ferrari shop that you'll have the warranty of a perfect service...especially when you see that the yearly service is mostly done by trainees without any control of an experienced mechanic. On such cars, it's better to be enough "hands on" and check yourself the condition of your car. Anyway, the yearly service will not prevent a major failure if it wasn't seen early enough when it was still a minor issue.

True also for other cars. BMW for instance uses a closed engine oil system. There is even no way to check manually the oil level (only electronic check). Oil service is every 25.000km...which is a couple of years of Ferrari driving