Who's not from California.......? Today high 60 deg F. Lil fog burning off to Sun and a gentle Ocean breeze. Cabriolet Weather! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hey Roel Thank God for Rachel's Valeo clutch. The freeways here in Los Angeles can get so crowded, one would swear that, indeed "everybody lives in CA". Be well, Hank
Why would a dealer refuse to stock a car for what they "may" have to warranty? Seems to me that warranty work for a dealership would be money in the bank...Many years ago I worked for a dealership, while it was not a Ferrari dealership it was common knowledge that money made from a sale was pale in comparison to money made on service work. So that statement doesn't quite make sense. Over 2 years of ownership has proven that my "t" has not had a single issue. That's how I roll!
Hey, I live in California and have never had my top down!!! I actually prefer the looks of the Mondial t with the top up...yep, I am probably the only one on the forum that likes it that way. For the record we have topped the century mark for over 3 days in a row here! By the way (350 HPMondial) how are the sewer-water issues progressing down in your neck of the woods??? I am a LAFCO commissioner up in Nor Cal and have been somewhat watching the issue.
Bwaaaaa ha ha,,, LOL ,,,,,, sewer? (We continue to poop in our yards. ...................How embarrassing.) We don't agree on ****...! In the photo, is my neighborhood, 1.5 miles West of the sewer site . (wink) We like it here....! Its all of the (poor) folks who live in the Wrong side of town,, in the pathetic 1.0 Million dollar homes ,,, down wind (cough) ,,, who dont want a sewer. They would like to build it somewhere else.
Hi David, Actually, I too quite agree with you regarding the the beauty of the Mondial t with the top up. Those rear quarter windows elongate the top---and it looks stunning. Anyway, it's too bloody hot for me with Rachel's top down. Sweatingly, Hank
Now, can anyone tell me how to unstick a stuck valve in a 308? Hal[/QUOTE] if you want to unstick a valve, pour a little bit of seafoam additive into the intake manifold through a vacuum line. Let it sit for a while and then start the car and try to get it up to operating temp. It works really good. When the car is up to op temp pour it very slowly into the vac line again while running until youve done anbout half the can. the car will want to stall so do it really slowly. Turn off engine and let sit for a half hour or so and then start her up again. It will smoke like the dickens and then after a few minutes will clear up. rev it a bunch to clear the crud and repeat this again. This is a common trick with land rovers. The discoveries easily get stuck exhaust valves mainly from running regular unleaded instead of super. Basically bad engineering. The dealer told me it would be a 3k engine job and after doing the seafoam three times it runs fine! Also try a motorvac carbon clean service which can be done at most firestone shops. its about 160 bucks but they inject a detergent throught the engine for about 30 minutes and you will have a brand new car. Ive never tried a ferrari but want to. hope this helps try it youll like it!
if you want to unstick a valve, pour a little bit of seafoam additive into the intake manifold through a vacuum line. Let it sit for a while and then start the car and try to get it up to operating temp. It works really good. When the car is up to op temp pour it very slowly into the vac line again while running until youve done anbout half the can. the car will want to stall so do it really slowly. Turn off engine and let sit for a half hour or so and then start her up again. It will smoke like the dickens and then after a few minutes will clear up. rev it a bunch to clear the crud and repeat this again. This is a common trick with land rovers. The discoveries easily get stuck exhaust valves mainly from running regular unleaded instead of super. Basically bad engineering. The dealer told me it would be a 3k engine job and after doing the seafoam three times it runs fine! Also try a motorvac carbon clean service which can be done at most firestone shops. its about 160 bucks but they inject a detergent throught the engine for about 30 minutes and you will have a brand new car. Ive never tried a ferrari but want to. hope this helps try it youll like it![/QUOTE] Safer way. Remove spark plug, feed about 8 inches of lightly oiled 3/8" nylon rope into the combustion chamber(keep hold of one end). Use a socket on the crank nut and gently rock the crank back and forth on the rope. You'll hear a 'TING!' sound in a few seconds and valve will be unstuck. Remove rope, insert plug and go drive.
hello, stirring up trouble? not at all. the original thread stated that a ferrari dealer was being harsh on the mondial t. i was just pointing out a published article that had a similar complaint. but again, the writer didn't menton which ferrari dealerships or what specifically was at issue. that's why i also included keith martins response. keith martin has a market update every week in autoweek magazine (i know, a bit redundant) but his book is a good reference guide for someone looking to buy a used ferrari. and yes, a mondial t is on my wish list. i'm not oblivious to some of the issues ferraris have had in the past (and probably present) but if i wanted a sure-proof, no issues, sensibly built car... i'd buy a honda. joe
Sorry. The dealer was a guy I met in Houston. He was a sales rep. He seemed very knowledgable so I thought it was worth floating the question. I know my personal experiences with Ferrari's have been nothing like the public reputation. They've been nothing but reliable. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised but still, they are very easy to work on and very simple to understand. Some of it's a little hard to track down but that's more of a documentation issue than anything else. H
I have a copy of the Jan 1991 issue of Road and Track. There are three ugly German cars on the cover but here are some quotes on the mondial t... "It's appearance is paradoxical: The Cabriolet's top looks quite handsome when up...when stowed the top resides rather high, obstructing vision to the rear...and reminding one that this is not just any convertible - it's an exotic" "despite their quirks, Ferraris have earned enviable reputations as durable machines when maintained properly" if after 15 years it has been maintained properly the t should be a reliable car. And as they say on the F of Washington web site "the most important maintenance is to drive your Ferrari often" I believe the electronics are the weak link on the t. You have to get them hot to keep the moisture out. They don't like to sit.
Thanks buddy, with all this "climate changing" it is getting interesteing to have a cab here too. After holiday I will visit a garage who has a 3.2cab for sale........ you never know........ Ciao, Roel
"...good old EXPENSIVE Europe..." Ask me about my week in Switzerland last month. Of course, there was a woman involved...
hahaha!! That's why we like going to US nowadays. Very cheap because of very low $ against our strong Euro. Russ, Switzerland is one of the more expensive countries here........as you noticed Still sad we couldn't arrange a meet&great
If nothing else, this question's good for a bump: As a previous owner of an '83 QV Coupe, I prefer the way a coupe drives. I'm now considering a T for many of the reasons that have been covered earlier in this thread. While I'm realistic about the chances of getting my hands on one of the 40 or so T Coupes, I think the advantages of the T over the QV or 3.2 outweigh a solid roof. The question I have is: Were there any significant changes in the T from year-to-year and if so, does one stand out as better than the others? Jackson Kokeny Aspen CO USA
Hey all, First off, any of you folks in the path of Ike or his friends - - hope you're all OK. With Rachel's top up or down, I have ZERO rattles. With Hyperflows and XOst, I have great sound. I'm constantly in awe at the way my Valeo system works Oh BTW, my seat belt mice are named Melvin and Kelvin (most things in my life take on names) and both have worked flawlessly for the four years that I've had Rachel. God, I love this car ! Cheers, Hank
Who cares about seeing behind??? I'm not usually worried about whats behind me! +1 on the more you drive her the more reliable she is. The only time mine wouldn't start was my own fault. I forgot to turn on the battery on/off switch under the front hood after a trip out of town. Needless to say the brain fart was my eroor not the cars. T's do have electrical gremlins but most older imports do. Just be sure to keep the contacts clean and your battery in good condition and that usually keeps most of the gremlins at bay. I LOVE my Mondial T and would buy a Sera blue coupe just to compliment my T. Dave.
Good to see this old thread again. We have put almost 5,000 miles on our t cab in the last year and a half. Notwithstanding the first month, we have had no problems except for a leaky coolant hose. Rattles? No way! Although, you might hear your teeth rattle when the anti-lock brakes kick in (found that out when a deer jumped out in front of the car). The later t-s (post 1989 I think) have the seat belt mice as Hank mentioned and the three point belts in the back. Also there is the upgraded engine management system which I think adds a few HP and gives you the ability to access stored error codes by pushing a couple of buttons in the trunk and watching the dash lights blink. As far as significant changes, I don't know of any other then the optional Valeo clutch in the later years. Dave
I'm late to the party here, but I saw a comment about electrical system on the t being flaky or something. DeOxit 5 cures all that. Anyone who has a t should get well acquainted with the 348 primer and the 348 parts interchange thread. Fix all your issues, and save a LOT of money. http://www.club348.com/technical/Tech/348.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50339
