New 550 owner needs advice on small problems

Just picked up a '97 550 and having a blast. Had a full inspection done by the main dealer before buying, but frankly they only told me stuff I already knew within a minute of test driving the car (like the a/c only works on setting 4), or stuff I could see immediately (like the car has an aftermarket (Tubi) exhaust). They relieved me of $500 for the privilege, and I just didn't feel they did a very thorough job of evaluating the true cost of fixing problems. (Switches a bit sticky? Oh, just replace the whole console...)

Anyway, as this will be a daily driver, I'd like to sort a few irritating little problems and need some advice. It seems at some point in the car's life, the dash leather has been replaced (and the shrinkage has started again, but then temperatures do tend to average 35-40 in this part of the world). I think the whole dash was removed as there are four problems that may be related:

1. The actuators are not adjusting the suspension between sport and comfort, even though all 4 shock units look ok (visually). Current is passing through the actuators, but all 4 units are stuck in their stiffest setting, so maybe there's something wrong with the sensors.
2. The airbag light is on, although there's nothing to suggest they have been used or abused.
3. The a/c only works on setting 4, which is a pain as it's so damn loud, it drowns out that gorgeous complex rumble from the engine.
4. The horn doesn't work.

Does anyone share my suspicions on there being a wiring problem, or experienced these before? I am holding off on ordering 4 complete shock units from the official dealer (extremely expensive) until I allow "my" guy to get behind the dash (the car is not warranted by the main dealer, so I can afford to let an independent loose on the car - besides he seems to know so much more).

One final question: I see that the manual recommends 95 octane fuel. It seems bizarre to me that such a special engine should not be optimised for 98 RON, which is what I have been using. Is the general consensus that I should go with the written word, or stick with 98?

 

Thanks for the responses. Have tried every combination on the a/c, and it's definitely just full on (ie setting 4) or full off only. Weird problem.

The workshop is going to have to remove the dash anyway to check the wiring for the airbag and the horn, so they'll get a chance to check out other problems while they're poking around.

Now for the gripe. Why is it main dealers seem to have a policy of replacing whole units if there's a glitch in a particular part? These days, most dealers seem to be "fitters" rather than engineers. They don't seem inclined to solve problems, which is why I much prefer to go to experienced independents, the kind who have seemingly chaotic workshops you can freely wander around and look at stripped down exotics in various states of build, whilst chatting to the owner.

The workshop I am using is run by an ex-racer who loves Ferraris with a passion. Currently he is working on a Ford GT, an original Cobra, three Ferraris and a race prepared Mitsu Evo. Time will tell if he can solve my problems to my satisfaction, but here's hoping...

 

Great - thanks for that advice. I will get right on it...

 

I spoke with my workshop yesterday, and yes, you are right about the steering wheel. Something broke behind the column which meant the horn was only intermittently connected. Now fixed.

Workshop has another 550 in at the moment, so he will swap actuators to test whether that's the problem. No warning lights on the dash, though, and the switch shows Sport mode ok.

Thanks for the tip on eurospares!

 

Tubi exhaust fitted. Truly wonderful sound. I have to be honest, I'm not sure what's standard and what are options, but the Tubi's all I need.

Now regarding the colour, here's the thing. It's TDF blue on crema, and it's my sixth blue car, so I'm pretty fed up with the colour. It's just that the car had been sitting at the dealer for ever (no-one wants blue Ferraris in Dubai) and I bagged an absolute bargain.

The exterior is cosmetically a little scruffy (a few chips, scratches and dings), so rather than merely tidy up, I will be doing a high quality repaint to rosso. Yeah, I know, I've thought about resale, I've thought about the cost, the quality of the job, the funny looks from other Ferrari owners. But I've weighed it all up and believe I can have a first class job for a fraction of the cost of doing the job in the UK, plus possibly increase my resale chances (since red is the preferred colour for Ferraris here).

Plus the fact I always wanted my first Ferrari to be red. In isolation a blue 550 looks great, but frankly I saw a red one the other day and decided it was no contest. All in my personal opinion, of course...