Here's the reply I have spoken to our workshop supervisor and the document you e mailed was only released for car in the North America market, this extended replacement time for the belts did not apply to the European market. The belts were last replaced in 2015 which makes them 4 years old please confirm you are happy for us to leave them till next year.
Agreed with statement people do change belts way to often for how little these cars get driven. I was and still am a believer in the 5 year interval; But always get the belts inspected when in for service. I drive a couple of hundred miles a year on the 575 if that and on my last service the tech inspected the belts and there was visible failure in the material. Belts were 3 year old.
My 550 is due for belt / "major" service next year (last one was done in 2015). I plan do it toward the end of 2020 before it's put it away in winter storage. See no need to do a year ahead of time unless I were going to sell it, which I am not.
Darius- Afraid I just do not believe that. The original bulletin was published in 2002 just after the Kevlar belts came out and came from Ferrari. No way there is a different recommendation for Europe and the US.
Thanks Taz. Is there a way of checking that the part number is the same in the US and UK? That would show them there is no difference, I think
I suspect the misunderstanding is due to the fact that the PDF Taz sent Darius was published by Ferrari of North America on their letterhead.
Darius- It is the same part number for all 456, 456M, 550, 575M, Superamerica, and 612 Ferraris everywhere. It is the only OEM belt that has been available for around 15 years.
You guys are forgetting that air molecules in North America are dramatically different from air molecules in the rest of the world. The interaction with these molecules leads belts outside of North America to deteriorate belts at a much higher rate (3 years)... fortunately, our air in North America is much more belt-friendly and we can safely go to a 5 year interval. Ruben
So I have pushed back on them saying it's the same part, yadda yadda, check your bulletins, let me know. I could just say I don't want belts and that's it, but I want them to acknowledge this. I think it's an honest mistake on their part, they didn't get official service status til 2015, so let's see. Thanks everyone.
Darius- Tell them to look in the Superamerica WSM and the 612 WSM. Both show 5 years and they are both Type F133 engines (G and F), just like the F133E in the 575M and all use the same belt and other cam drive parts. The last iteration of the 5 year interval bulletin was in 2008, so precedes them being an authorized service center.