OK, so you got over charged (and I think you did). But now it is done. If you had a 360, you'd have spent 50k more. If you had a Scuderia, you would have lost more in depreciation than you have spent on the 355 total. My point is, it is water under the bridge now. Don't worry about it; what is done is done. Drive and enjoy!
Wise words from a man who has lived with multiple F355's -- and (correct me if I'm wrong), enjoyed the crap outta them!
People have to be very careful when buying an F-car. There are many out there that are owned by people that have money to burn, people that only buy the car because of the prestige not because they love the actual car and really enjoy driving it. But we all know that these cars are not only supposed to be driven like a Ferrari (Hard) but they must also be maintaned like a high reving, high performance machine should be but unfortunatly many just want to drive them and then toss them so they can buy the next model. Many end up with the service and or problems that the last idiot didnt do. Not only that but many roll back the milage. Ive seen so many used and abused 355s in the last 5 years that have less than 20,000 miles on them. My advice to anyne looking to buy an F-car is to do their homework first and when looking for one not to jump on the first "seemingly" good deal that comes along. Most good F-cars are sold to friends. I know that if I was selling my car that there are a few people I know that would snap it up in a second at whatever price. The reason why is that it has had all the service and is in prestign condition....and oh it has 40,000 kilometers on it or about 26,000 miles and looks better than most 355s with 12,000miles on them. I would never ever buy an F-car from E-bay.
Very well said .......... though I have even seen 355s with almost 50k miles that look and run far better than 355s 'showing' 12k mile odos .............. if anyone wants a good 355 ....... do yourself a favor and ignore the odometer ......... the odometer is in no way an indicator of 'true' condition.
Well, that's definitely true! I agree with these comments, but we also want to hear which shops may be taking advantage of owners, and provide ideas on how to hold these shops' feet to the fire. Oh yeah...re: PS hoses; We 348 owners don't have that problem!
Those of us who own them can tell if the engine is right in about 1/2 second; Just by listening to the sound of the engine, that urgent idle, stable as a sleeping baby, ferocious as a crouching lion, coaxing you to be violent with the road surface, but only when the time is right..... A bit like hiku.....
+1, excellent perspective...throw in 360 or higher model depreciation and you're still way ahead even with a big maintenance bill.
Unfortunately, you own one of the most expensive Ferrari's to keep on the road in top running condition. I hate to say it, but the bills will keep on coming. The 355 is a wonderful car to drive when it is running. But once something goes wrong, your in for a good wallet raping. Its one of Ferrari's best cars, but also quite possibly the worst at the same time. Enjoy it for what it is, an expensive toy. Be thankful you have the means to afford it.
The dealer was given a good review by some previous buyers.... but they outright fibbed about owning the car, and pulled the old "there's another buyer who wants it" line on me. I'm curious--would spot welds be able to hide the sounds, smells and signs of shot headers for a little while? I have no doubt that my shop has taken me a bit downtown on the bills. Whenever someone tells me they're not making any money, I imeediately assume they're lying. Why on earth would I want someone providing a service for me not to make any money? That's one sure way to disincentivize careful work! Also, how many shops pass along the full hourly charge to a mechanic other than the owner?? That'd be Z-E-R-O! I suspect all exotic car shops and dealers on Long Island are probably thieves of one sort or another. All my future services will be done further from NYC and guys used to dealing with hedge funders/Wall Streeters with endless cash earned by sucking blood from the dead carcass of global finance! I'll scan and post the bills tomorrow when they're all here, along with my serviced (and sorted???????) car!!
I'd recommend heading a bit north to Pocono Sports Car...VERY honest, reasonable and expert factory trained work.
Excellent point. I am a firm beleiver that the service history is the most important factor, and unless it has 500,000 miles, who cares what the odemeter reads
I have had my 355 GTS F1 for over 5 years, the only that went wrong was the F1 electric pump burning out, changed it myself all other stuff has just been routine maintenance, change your shop as it appears you are getting ripped off. Oh and by the way I have covered over 20K during my ownership.
I don't think it's worth the risk. There have been numerous reports that header leaks result in lean mixtures and severe wear in the cylinders that are running lean. I'd get them replaced as soon as possible.
I was wondering if the seller might have spot welded the headers to cover the issue to sell it. I replaced them with QV Londons. Will post the bills now...
Here is a tale of nmy woe$... Opinions? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I got three quotes for the flatbed... that's what it costs around NYC to move expensive cars. I even tried a cheap outfit in the South Bronx, but by the time you add the extra miles for the suburbs, it all came out the same. About 60 miles each way from my house to shop. I didn't send it to factory shop, because IMHO they had a chance to tell me about the headers before I was committed to the car, and missed it. I heard the problem develop over the next 1k miles, and that's why I sent it in. So, here's what I got... the major service as described. New headers, installed. Resurfacing of all the interior sticky and scratched parts. Engine detail, covers repainted red. Thermostat replaced after the fact, as with ps hose. How much should all that have cost? The jokes rub salt in the pain, but don't answer the question. No way I want to or could do this all myself. I sent the car in before leaving the country for a month. It took six weeks, mostly waiting for parts. Everyone quotes $5k for the engne out major. OEM headers cost what, $7k plus labor? (The QV's were a lot cheaper)The cosmetics probably $2500-3k. Thermostat (have to break down top of engine again)... ps hose??? The shop is a supposedly good one out on LI. Not cheap, but supposedly good. I got the car back Friday but haven't had a chance to drive it again yet. Suffice it to say, anything else goes now, it goes elsewhere.
As for the refinish, the invoice seems to say they removed, cleaned, and painted the sticky parts. That's about $15 in parts (cleaner / rags / paint) and a bunch in labor. It's not fun to do, but certainly not worth expert shop rates! No way $2500 - $3k though. I would expect a 'normal' engine out to run as you said, $5k. OEM headers are pricey, you can get the actual price from Ricambi. Header labor is minimal while the engine is out, especially for an expert shop that's done this more than once. Repainting covers looks great visually, but again $15 in paint and 1 hr. of labor. Thermostat and PS hose seems high...but I can vouch that it's reeeeal tough to get to the PS hose once the engine is back in. Anyway what's done is done, start driving and enjoy every mile with that fresh motor!!!
The sticky parts, door handles, key surround, etc were all done with a resurfacing... some looks like a film coating, but it looks pretty good. I know I got stuck with top end pricing. Just hope it drives problem free. It did drive MUCH better before the thermostat went!
