I will be with the mechanic next week to change the tires and will ask him. I know they used some sort of thinner to remove the sticky bits and most of the stuff was painted with a proper semi matt finish that looks excellent. For the A/C panel I ordered a cover for it from eurospares.co.uk that fit in fine and looks great. I imagine it is not 100% factory finish, but it is probably 95% there, looks great and is no longer sticky to the touch!
There are a few DIY threads on how to remove the sticky stuff, I imagine they did it in a similar fashion.
The valve covers look fantastic. They seem to be a perfect match for the original red. Most of the valve-cover re-finishes I've seen, come out a little brighter and a little more orange than original. Do you know what brand of paint was used? I notice you haven't had the fuel line recall done (no blue fuel fittings at the center of the engine bay in between the power steering reservoir and the firewall). Are you having it done at the dealer separately? The dealer should perform this for free. I assume that the recall was world-wide and not just a USA thing.
Ferrari of Long Island did my recall for free in September 2011 on my 1995 355. I think it's a safety issue so they will do it for free anywhere in the world.
Did you notice this vibration in any particular gear, or did it happen in all gears once a certain rpm threshold was reached? I notice this vibration in my 355 in the 3rd gear gate but not the others. ketel
Thanks, they do look great. I'm not sure what paint the mechanic used but he told me he had a really hard time getting it! Regarding the recall, you are absolutely right, I appreciate the heads up! My intention is to take it to the dealer in a couple of weeks...I need to call them to book the service (it is free of charge). I just want to drive the damn thing...I took her out for a little 60 mile drive and she was fantastic...I love this little car!
The vibration occurred at higher revs and third gear was especially an issue. If I put my hand on the lever and held it lightly, the vibration would stop. Now it is gone. I do get the occasional light vibration, in several gears, at around 8,000 rpms, but that's to be expected...before it would start around 5k, and that was plain annoying. The parts I changed were the ball containing bushing (part 154741) and the ball join seat (part 127446) in the gearbox. Both were pretty inexpensive. Hope this helps...
