WHAT COULD FERRARI HAVE DONE BETTER

All of us who own 360's have got to know the plus and minus of our cars sometimes in painful ways dollars wise. I thought this would be an interesting discussion, do chime in and give your opinions on what Ferrari could have done to improve either build quality, easier service or in some case ways they could have lessen the need for such major up keep on the 360's.. Again I am not looking to upgrade the cars in the ways that would have increased the cost large amounts of dollars like supercharging or turbocharging...

who wants to the start....

 

It really isn't that major. Its not a car for the masses. First you need the money, then you need the deep pockets to pay for everything or some skills and facilities to be more involved in your hobby. If you view it as a hobby the perceived pains are nothing, if you view it as merely transportation you are going to be disappointed and see the effort as un-enjoyable.

 

Well said Kevin !

Of course Ferrari could give me a new 458, that would be better

 

No belt change would be nice.
Better soft touch compound on the buttons that doesn't break down would also be nice.
Better quality F1 pump (mine is still original...keeping fingers crossed).

 

Front air suspension like the gallardo to raise the front end when entering an incline or driveway.

Fix the sticky buttons.

More torque

 

Starting process after an interval...
Pump thats triggered by door opening..
Leather that creases the minute you touch it..
Battery drain..
Body panel behind each wheel that get sandblasted....
Sticky knobs...door handles...
On the spider, folding roof scratch the head buffer...
Paint on key...
Fuel cap release needing car to be 'on'...
Door pocket that chipped easily...
F1 paddles with rubber that disintegrate...

 

Hydaulics for front lift and lowering I like,eliminating the need for belt change itself on the major according to most xcperts really is only a product of removing them to inspect and replace the more important parts every four years. Belts are only changed in process of Major swervice because they are stretched out and cannot put them back not because they cant go another number of years. These belts generally in great shape . So I have been told

 

Bring back the Air Horn

 

Alarm system from any japanese car of the period that works well
Fuel door that can be activated without the key
Chains instead of timing belts
HVAC controls used by Porsche (never had any problem with my Boxster)
No soft-touch paint

 

Anything related to their paint

 

Heat exchanger - was it put in place to help warm up the transmission fluid or keep it from getting too hot? Either way, either a more robust design so that cross contamination doesn't ruin the transmission or just use a separate oil cooler and not take that risk.

Variator design - would be nice if they made it more robust or designed differently so that it doesn't snap and destroy your engine. Either that, or make them easy to replace without risking damage from the replacement process.

Pre-cats - there to heat up quickly and keep cold start emissions down, but could be a more robust design, or re-designed not to flake off bits that could ride reversion waves back into the engine.

For me, most of the other stuff is relatively minor. We are to blame for this in part because most owners don't drive their cars enough during the warranty period to cause Ferrari to identify and pay for fixes under warranty, thus giving them no incentive to re-design things. As a result, the same weak designs can be passed through other generations. Many 360s and 430s, even now, have less than 50k miles on them, which is a huge number of miles for Ferraris, but not even mid-life for most luxury cars.

 

THIS! I couldn't agree more. I have had several brand new Ferraris delivered from the dealer to me and most of them have TERRIBLE paint. I am getting a Grigio Medio F12 directly from the dealership next week. we will see how it is!

Also, their headers could use some work.. not that I am complaining about that

 

Better quality control at the dealerships. The Ferrari brand is fine. Ferrari has to visit a Lexus dealership and learn by way of example on how to treat/serve the customers.

 

I have not heard this notion before but it sure makes sense to me.

 

all of the above and... a radio that is simple to use...

 

I think the fuel flap can be opened by a cable operated emergency release. The handle is in the rear LHS corner on the same side as the fuel flap and can be seen if you open the engine lid and look into Left hand corner of the opening just above the exhaust box.
kk

 

Ditch all of the guys that work in the showrooms and replace with hot ex-models (women).

 

Here's what I would like:
Headlight lens that don't fog up,
Windshield wipers that you can actually move out of the way whey you clean the glass,
Under tray design so that the lift doesn't hold the tray you are trying to remove,
Install trumpet horn instead of the lame horn sound,
Nose lift,
Some type of dash that doesn't buckle,

 

For 360
- window switches deteriorates
- F1 paddle and M gear knob scratches to easy
- would of liked to see colour of car through door jambs and under hood, not black
- better alignment of panels
- door handles feel like they are going to break every time you open the doors
- more torque

 

+1 on the front lift
+1 on the undertray removal problem when jacking up
+1 on a better horn and indicator noises (had people laugh as how high pitched and cheap the noise is when I make a turn lol)
Don't mind the fuel release but would like a boot open button on my key fob
Cheaper parts even if subsidised with higher retail price
Multi choice switchable exhaust so that it can be a quiet or loud as I like
A "valet key" so if I leave the car at a garage etc rpm and power is almost limited to limp mode to stop any worry the teenage garage worker will take her for a joy ride.
Power mirrors so I can fit her in my garage without having to get out of the car.
Finally a cup holder

 

OK you guys are coming up with some good ones now. The valet thing = yes, nose lift = yes. Jacking points for the garage mechanic would be good too.

Now the serious question...it's Ferrari after all, would you pay 5K more for each thing on your list? KC is up to 45K of adds!!!

 

+1

 

Very well said Kevin!

I love my 360 very much. The smile it puts on my face every time I drive it is priceless.
It is the best car I have ever driven and owned.

Its just very expensive to repair and maintain.

6 weeks of ownership and I have already spent almost $8K on repairs and maintenance......but she is worth every penny.

What they can do better? For the price we pay for these cars I think Ferrari should put a high end Stereo System so that we wont have to upgrade.

A center console storage system under the A/C panel would be great too for storing driving gloves, sunglasses, my Ruger 380LCP, pen and paper, etc.

Other than that - for me, I love everything.

Dan

 

+1!

Dan

 

Wheels with the right offset to fill the wheel arches up.
Sport mode with the softer suspension setting.