Price for Major Service **SHOCKER**

It would be interesting to get detailed lists from F of Atlanta, Foriegn Cars, and Continental, as to what is done for the major service. That way you can compare apples to apples and see if it is worth the "more extensive" major.

 

You must also remember to factor in the labor rate as it varies geographically & it goes up annually.

As an example, four years ago the labor rate at Ferrari of SF was $120/hour. It is now $150/hour i think.

 

Hi tfrancis

the info you got off the ferrarilist came from this website http://emelbon.tripod.com/eugeniosferrariservice.html

someone must have copied it directly from his website

just want to make sure credit goes where credit is due

best of luck
hope it all turns out for you

yes, dealers charge quite a bit more

also, people's lists vary
alot of shops like to be vague which i think is not too cool

i think your best bet is to find the best independant you can
imho

 

Check pages 55-56 of the owner's manual (at least for a 1988 US version, it may be elsewhere in other 328 manuals). This details all the operations required for each service interval. There's no mystery to it.

Peters has a good point about how shops "can't win for losing". There may be additional parts and labor charges as items are inspected and are found to be in need of replacement. Quoting a round figure really is a bit unrealistic.

$8,900 is ridiculous.

Noel's point about keeping an eye on the hourly rate is key.

Keep in mind that non-Ferrari shops can do absolutely everything the dealer can do, particularly on pre-SD2 cars. Their labor rates are often a lot lower.

Ferrari NA, in its infinite wisdom, hasn't put a dealership in Pittsburgh, despite three major sports teams and a great number of entrepreneurs, all of whom would be potential customers. The nearest dealership is a couple hundred miles away, so independents are the norm around here.

 

My mechanic doesn't even give me a quote however he's $90.00 per hour. That's what you should be looking at/ How much is the shop rate per hour. Ferrari of Denver is $125.00 and I'd say they are substandard as they told me they needed to remove my engine just to check the time. 10 hours shop time. That includes zero work should the engine need anything. My mechanic Dave charges $90.00 per hour and was able to check the timing without removing the engine. F.O.D. would have cost me thousands more to fix my car and were completely clueless when it came to what the car needed in order to pass emissions. They suggested things that blew my mind and would not have helped at all such as pulling the engine out. What for? Just to check the timing.

How stupid does your mechanic think you are?

 

I know your mechanic and he is one of the best but I will disagree about just looking at the hourly rate. You are not buying an hourly rate any more than you are buying a car payment. The bottom line, what you paid and what you got for it are what counts. I get calls all the time asking what my hourly rate is and that, with all due respect is about as dumb as a question gets. If I charge $500 per hour and get done in 1 hour what it takes Gomer to do in a day we are both better off.

 

Buy a 348. It will save you thousands just in service costs!

BT

 

I don't know Bill I would have to disagree on that. I think 328s are cheaper to maintain than 348s. In most cases the engine doesn't need to come out to do a major on a 328 but just to get at the timing belts you have to remove the engine in a 348. Regards, Vern

 

I had my 328 30K service done at Sport Auto in NC when I bought the car (it was due). You're a lot closer to them than I am. With the water pump rebuild and the usual major service items I ended up slightly under $4K, and the Ferrari tech there - Tom Jones - is highly regarded and a gentleman.

They did NOT remove the engine from the car, but it was very clean when they started and when I received the car it was neatly reassembled and running properly.

I think $2500-$3000 is on the low side, but Eugenio in San Gabriel (service lists you quoted here) also has a great reputation and at $3K he would be a good bet - except that by the time you ship your car from Memphis you're losing whatever you'd save.

PM me if you want more details about Sport Auto.

 

i'm feeling fortunate that FOW charges "only" $111/hr.

 

Brian:

The point is that some of these guys use the shop rate for the hours, and then charge a high rate. Not all shops and mechanics are as honest as you are.

Art

 

I understand, but to my mind all the more reason to ask for a bottom line price/list of included items, rather than a shop rate.

75% of the people that ask want to know the shop rate. Doesn't tell em anything.
The other 25% ask what the job will cost, out the door.

 

The prices they charge are a form of legalized robbery.......last year Cauley Ferrari quoted me $4,900 or higher depending on what it needed for my 328 30k service....they were very short and rude when I asked questions. An independent quoted $2,900.

 

All depends on overhead.


In Ca I don't know any one doing a decent job with a real licensed insured company that can stay in biz at $111. Our overhead will not allow it.

In some parts of the country $111 would be really good money.

 

Bargain alert!

Maybe they could do my Jeep.

I agree - tell me what, specifically, will be replaced, what will be checked, what the bill will be and when the car will be ready. I don't need an hourly diary of what the guy's doing, and I'm not doing time-motion studies on how efficient he is.

 

Damn right. It is no different than the Ford dealer that doesn't want to work on some Mustang from the 80s. So no pre 348s or flat 12 cars. They wanted to see you when the car was in it prime but after several generations of newer models, well for them its not worth the bother. Find an indepent mechanic and get better service.

 

Belt change & full service here in Singapore at the Ferrari Distributor is less than US$1300

 

A group of UK Ferrari techs should move to the USA and open a chain of Ferrari repair centers across the country with UK prices and take over the market...you'll thank me later..

 

I think a posted hourly rate is crazy..but here in Canada we have to post it by law..Which I can understand fully. But the bottom line of any job, is the out the door price with taxes. I have a "starting" price. Which includes all the common items in a major service. But I warn the customer that the price goes up from there. Of course I call to get authorization on any further work, but sometimes the cost can balloon extremely fast..on any car. Not just a Ferrari.
Heck I have a Subaru in the shop right now that needs 5k in work..guess what..customer said go ahead and fix it..how come Ferrari owners have an issue all the time? Oh the Subaru is only worth 10g's on a good day..guy didn't even bat an eyelash at the price...Maybe I should fix these cars more often..

You also have to remeber, parts are also expensive for the shop to buy..not just you. We are lucky to make 10% on a part, were as domestics I can make as much as 25%. Think about liability issues, insurance costs, general overhead of the building, employee salaries, etc..that all has to be paid for somehow.

Exotic car techs are the LEAST paid technicians of the industry. I could go to Toypta and make almost double what I make now...beleive me I have thought about it many times. I would service the exotics in my off time..just for the joy of it..but to make any real money..forget it..it does not pay like some of you think.

 

Right up until they need to buy American insurance, American houses, comply with American laws, rules and regs, and our highly inflated American parts prices. Then what do you know they are charging $150 an hour too.

 

The parts alone cost my shop more than that in the US.

 

Brian says: "The parts alone cost my shop more than that in the US."

Ditto! Here's my perspective in answer to an earlier inquiry about the variability of service pricing specific to the 328...

"I think ~$2500 was the norm seven or eight years ago. For my shop, that meant changing timing belts, accessory drive belts, seals, cam cover gaskets, thermostat, all rubber hoses (including fuel crossover lines), all fluids, all filters, remedy minor electrical faults, full alignment and wheel balance, chassis lubrication, hood and engine lid struts and the minor tiddling that took time, but resulted in a much more pleasant "daily driving experience."

Now, we quote ~$3800-$4500 and have room to include tensioner bearings and water pump (if there's any doubt) to keep from having to do anything between the service date and the next service date except (hopefully) for oil changes. We use the OEM "green" gaskets that are more expensive, but last far longer as well as other tested, proven parts. This figure does not generally include brake pads, plug wires, distributor caps and other parts that are not normally thought of as regularly (marked only as "to be inspected" on Ferrari's maintenance coupon) replaced items.

The service intervals are so misunderstood. People ask about changing cam belts all the time, but in reality, this is all about "messa a punto," bringing the car "to a point" where everything works the way it is supposed to. Because so many cars sit for extended periods of time, a "big" (Ferrari recommended 30K interval) service should be done every four to seven years, regardless of mileage. (IMHO)

Shadetree, Tim Stanford, Tom Jones, Bill Pollard, David C, myself and many other independents have driven hundreds of these cars and can tell you within 300 yards what has been done, needs to be done and can evaluate where and how every aspect of the car stacks up against other, well preserved examples.

For example, we had a fellow bring a very nice higher mileage carb 308 in for "a belt change." We asked him whether he was doing this for preventative maintenance or to resolve a running problem, he said because his friends told him it was important to do. We did a belt change. It was clear someone had not taken the cam covers off before because of crude, painted reference marks on the sprockets and covers. With the new belts, the car ran like crap, so off came the covers and it was clear that the front bank was off on both cams. That corrected, much better, but ignition misfire past 3800 RPM. Take the distributors apart, remove R2 and replace R1 and voila! Car runs like a million bucks. The fellow was blown away, said the car had never driven like that! We had originally said ~$880-$1100 to JUST change the belts, turned into ~$2400, but he was overjoyed and we were (partially) made whole for going on a wild goose chase to track down a running problem rather than to perform regular maintenance. My very experienced tech, Rod Atkinson, said "no more" a la carte procedures! <grin>"

Here's the key...

"The "big service" transaction, first and foremost, must be an enterprise grounded in mutual trust and respect between the shop and the car owner. It is so all-encompassing (or should be) that the final number will always reflect the range and scope of pre-existing problems, the expectations and experience of the owner and the experience of the tech and/or shop principal. It's as much an "education" for the often new owner as it is needed attention to the car. That's why I like doing them so much! It's fun! For that reason alone (along with geographic and infrastructure costs) the numbers are all over the map. Just make sure you get what you pay for."

-Peter

 

I know, I know. It is just the only opportunity I have ver seen to make such an outrageous claim. I guess at the same dealership the 348 service would be around $11,000 and the 355 service would be around $13,000?

BT

 

I totally agree with Lolaman on this topic & his explanantion. I just had my 15K done at Algar, thru in a 4 wheel alignment & hunted down a few problems not engine related. If not for the misc items that I added I was actually OK with the bill (as OK as one can get) & I don't have deep pockets - just a love for cars (yes, I used the 15 % off winter coupon) which may or may not be banked in somewhere. My only frustration is when looking around at independents alot of them would have gave me a cleaned eng bay & cleaned up engine. I know that sounds alittle stupid but I would have loved to get in there while the eng was out & "clean up" everything. One of the guys out in Calif actually repaints the valve covers. It would have cost me $600 to have valve covers re-done which I said "no" . That pi**ed me off. In fairness to Algar they sub it out ... but $600 !!!! I'm sure some body shop guy will justify the $600 ... but I already know why....the car logo says Ferrari.

I also think these intervals are getting out of hand depending if you have a closet queen or a driver. Look at what Ferrai said a fews yeras ago vs now.
One of the guys at Algar told me the 15K is no different than the 30K. But when I purposely called other F dealers they disagreed with that. ??? Go firgure.

In my younger days I came up thru the ranks as a mechanic -(service technician) and understand the "whole picture" but it is the stupid little things that really mean alot to me that we don't get from the dealer. With Algar only 40 min from my home it's tough to look around. My mom told me a long time ago -- "you have to PAY to PLAY" it's never going to change.