Need Help! Is my dealer trying to rip me off?

FYI;According to FNA timing belts are not due at 15K but 3yrs or 30K.
Did they actually state that the tentioners and timing variators are broken or...? If your car was running fine like you stated I would flatbed to a second opinion.

 

Don't overreact. First, post a systemized breakdown of the costs for each fix so we can better help you analyze whether the proposed costs are reasonable. You've got a lot of relatively expensive parts to fix based on your list. You need first figure out if it needs fixing, and then what the right cost would be to do so.

I would also get a second opinion, from an independent or another dealer.

 

The cam variators on most 2000 360's had an issue and you should replace them. Ferrari will pay for the parts and labor to replace them, but only if you pay for a timing belt change. If the car has it's original timing belt - it's due for a replacement anyway due to age.

-steve

 

Steve us correct. The reason that Ferrari now recommends the belts be done every 3 years or 15000 miles, and it is 15,000 miles now, is because of the cam variator issues on the 360's, to my knowledge.

 

I second what Vik is saying:

If all these things needed done - than 10K is not out of wack. A clutch with labor is around 3K alone - belts and tensioners, Timing variators, Throttle bearing and alternator - parts and labor would be around another 5 - 7K (Dealer price) - you could be - from a dealer around 10K pretty quickly.

Couple of questions:

Did they already perform the work?
If so - did they give you a quote before work began?
If they haven't started the work - I assume this is the quote...
If so - get someone in your neck of the woods to give you a great independent - give him a call and tell him what the dealer told you needed to be replaced... you could save 2 - 3K. And if the independent gets in there and finds all of that doesn't need to be replaced - you could save a few more...

Let's get some more info from you and take a look at where we are...

Rich

 

LIKE EVERYONE SAYS. KEEP YOUR PANTIES ON AND DONT OVER REACT

FIRST OFF, WHERE IN FLORIDA DO YOU LIVE??

I KNOW AND ALOT HERE KNOW THE BEST INDEPENDENT IN FLORIDA, IN FT LAUDERDALE, NO NAMES MENTIONED YET, BUT WHERE ARE YOU IN FLORIDA??

BRUCE

 

Funny I've never heard of a throttle bearing, is that anything like a muffler bearing?

The 5/8 tensioner and the variators are on Ferrari, parts and labor.

I would sure like an explanation for the clutch and flywheel. There was some misinformation started by an ex-employee of Ferrari that flywheels had to be replaced with clutches but that was pure fantasy that some people still buy into.


Get a written breakdown with explanations as to why a car with that few miles has so many broken, worn out parts. An alternator is a new one on me. I have never even heard of a 360 with an alternator problem.

They might be right, for all we know you might be death to cars.

 

You have a good point on the Throttle Bearing now that I am noodleing this - Aren't these only on Motorcycles? - Maybe he meant Throttle Linkage/Kit?

Rifle - if this is only a quote - could they determine all this by visual inspection ? Wouldn't they pretty much have to be in there to determine most of these things? Just curious now that I am thinking about it...

 

I'd speculate that "throttle bearing" may be a misunderstanding of "throwout bearing."

dn

 

Yeah dude they are ripping you off. Unless they rebuilt the alternator, which we all know dealers like to sell "new" parts, they are taking you for a ride. You can have an alternator out in 30 minutes. Was the car still under any warranty, since it is five years old? If it was, the variators should have been cover by it. Especially since you only have 15k on the engine. I would looking to see if you are still in the warranty at all. If anything, get them to take off four hours of labor charges for the alternator. Seriously to remove and replace an alternator is no more than an hour job.

 

Sounds like it mate!

 

That's the saddest thing... 15,000km new already facing over $10,000 service bill... From another point of view, how did these things got broken down so fast?... too aggressive driving, over heated engine, over redline rpm...something must have caused it to break or worn so quickly like the clutch... It sounded like your car were falling apart but you said it was running fine before bring in??? ....... yea...ripping big time.

 

This thread has me wondering about labor charges. Let's say the alternator could only be R&Red with the engine out. It doesn't have to be the case with this car - just use it as an example. The total labor may be 12 hrs for just the alt. (again I have no idea engine R&R time but let's just say 12 for now).

What would the labor be if the engine was out already for other work and you decide that it needs to be replaced then? How do you guys calculated that? Surely you wouldn't add 12 hrs to the labor tab to do it then. If not, is it a common practice for a crooked shop to do this type of thing to an unsuspecting customer?

I know that in this example the alt could be rebuilt, how do we know it's bad in the first place, 12hr is NOT the r&r labor here, etc., etc. but none of this is important to the real question here.

 

LMAO.....

We had "That guy" in high school auto shop too! He was the one we told to chrome his alternator and ACTUALLY FELT the 5 HP increase!!!

LMAO!!!!

Thanks for the memories!

 

A. Speaking to the variator issue, you are now paying the back end costs that you saved up front by buying a gray market car.


B. There are no springs in the tensioner system. If you had a broken timing belt tensioner you would also have a blown up motor. If it is the alt or A/C belt tensioner they are speaking of those have no springs either and would not have gone unnoticed by you. That leaves you with two alternatives.
1 They are crooked.
2 They are incompetent.

 

since when did FNA reccomend belts done every three years? i was always informed the 30K service with belts was to be done every five years or 30K

thanks

joe

 

Starting with 360s dealers recommend three-year interval for belt service. But this really started in mid to late 2003. And, they always took the position that it is not mandatory but also said if something goes wrong (variator/tensioner) it is the owner's responsibility. In fact I know first hand of a 99 360 which had a broken variator and the owner was blamed to cough up for the repairs since he had not performed the belt service. It is indeed ludicrous but...I’ve always suspected the tensioner and variator issues had something to do with this bogus recommendation.

 

I am sure they are talking about the starter ring gear and not the flywheel. Ferrari redesigned from a three bolt pattern to six bolt pattern after a NHTSA recall back in 99 or 2000 and the new clutch assembly will not fit the old ring gear. FNA covered the cost of ring gear replacement for me when I was doing the clutch.

I am surprised they didn't mention the bearings and seals in the clutch assembly as they were updated twice as well and the early style release bearings easily got stock in temp and high revs. I think this is an 18-hour labor job plus parts.

 

All 360s since day one have had the three year interval in the book. Since the introduction of the 360 all Ferrari's from 550,456,355 and newer have been changed by Ferrari to a 3 year interval and distributed that information to the dealers in the form of TSB's.

 

412fly,

thanks,

current porsche owner looking to purchase my first ferrari. looked as a 92' 348 locally but the condition was only okay (front air dam weathered and leather interior the same) just planning ahead for scheduled maintenance costs.

joe

 

The service manual for my 2000 360 indicates timing belt replacement at 30K intervals there is no yearly interval (like stated for fluid changes) assigned to it but they do recommend inspecting the belts at every 15K and replace at 30K...Although we would never find out what made Ferrari decide to issue the 3yr/30K interval for 360 belt service I am leaning towards the variator/tensioner fiasco...

 

are you certain about this?

my understanding was that the Maranello got shifted from 5 to 3 when they released the newfangled warranty. the "rules" were changed to keep the actuaries happy at whoever underwrites those policies.

if this is true, then i assume the changeover for all the cars from 5 to 3 would have happened then, and that was after the 360s were released.

but i don't have hard data.

doody.