Prospective 355 owner seeking advice | FerrariChat

Prospective 355 owner seeking advice

Discussion in '348/355' started by Robert_Loo, Jan 18, 2012.

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  1. Robert_Loo

    Robert_Loo Rookie

    Jan 13, 2012
    3
    New York City/Hawaii
    Full Name:
    Robert Loo
    Hi, I've been lurking on Fchat for a few months already and im about ready to pull the trigger on a F355 spider. Being a NSX owner myself I do realize that the F355 will incur way higher maintainance down the line. My 2 main concerns are the big ones associated with the 355 one being the cracked header issue and the other of course being the valve guides. My first question is if the car has stock headers what is the general consensus on how long it usually takes to fail assuming they are new but the same failure prone Ferrari headers?(I understand that many factors play into this but I just wanted to know a ball park number of what many people agree on) Secondly if the headers are replaced with aftermarket ones from fabspeed is this "theoretically" a permanent fix? or will I still have to expect a 10k or more header job down the road just "not so soon"? Finally when it comes to the valve guides the dealer has told me that since the car is alittle over 20,000 miles the problem is most likely not going to occur as he says that many owners experience valve guide failure at a much earlier mileage, I just wanted some owners opinions about this. I appreciate everyones help. Also I do not intend to drive the car more then 2000 miles a year, and intend to drive it moderately and not beating on it as if it were on a track.

    Thanks
    -Robert
     
  2. GerryD

    GerryD Formula 3

    May 5, 2010
    2,444
    North of TO
    Full Name:
    Guido
    Robert, there are a thousand threads on here dealing with just those questions. Some of them discussed in the last week are still on the first page of threads. Look for them and read them. Be carefull with some of the info discussed more than 3 or 4 years ago as much has been learned since then.
     
  3. bobzdar

    bobzdar F1 Veteran

    Sep 22, 2008
    6,895
    Richmond
    Full Name:
    Pete
    If you replace the cats with test pipes or high flow cats, you may never have the factory headers fail as the heat and restriction from the cats seems to be what kills them. Regarding valve guides, my car ('95) had them changed at around 34k miles, so 20k doesn't necessarily mean they are good to go. However, if the compression and leakdown check out, I personally wouldn't worry about it. Fwiw, my car has the factory headers at 44k miles but has test pipes. I'm not worried (maybe I should be?) - I'll worry about it if/when they fail.
     
  4. White Knight

    White Knight Formula 3

    Aug 22, 2011
    1,531
    Ogden, UT
    Full Name:
    Todd S.
    #4 White Knight, Jan 18, 2012
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2012
    Hello and welcome! There are many threads to help you with your search for information. The search button will become your friend.

    From what I've read on the valve guide issue, bad valve guides are much more likely to show up sooner than later in a 355's life (I could be mis-informed, however). The official word on it is improper installation by the factory. If we accept that as truth then once out and about the issue would be found relatively quickly. The year also makes some difference in the potential likelihood of occurrence (95's tend to have valve guides "go bad" more often, but there are sporadic accounts of later years having bad guides as well).

    The factory headers are thinner than aftermarkets. This gives the sound a bit of uniqueness but also causes the cracking issue. Most cars I've heard about have theirs replaced by 20,000 miles, but I believe that many do that for the "penny wise, pound foolish" peace of mind. They may very well last much longer. Mine had Fabspeeds put on around 17K miles and I've had no trouble with them. Once you replace them they should be good for a while, as long as you have them coated first to help keep heat out of the engine bay.


    When in doubt, make sure you have a full PPI and compression/leakdown check done. Good luck!
     
  5. Robert_Loo

    Robert_Loo Rookie

    Jan 13, 2012
    3
    New York City/Hawaii
    Full Name:
    Robert Loo
    I'd like to thank everyone for their input so far as well as the warm welcome.
     

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