What is the real deal with regular services and official dealerships/mechanics?

Depends on the model. If you are just looking at an oil change, etc., I suppose you could get that done locally, if you used the right oils, etc. However, if you are getting a belt service, you'd better make darn sure your guy or you know what you're doing. There are tricks to the trade, and failure to know those can lead to a major disaster. An example: the fuel lines in a 355 have to be done a certain way, and that is required on a major service. Failure to get it right, and your car burns up. A little knowledge can be dangerous.

Art

 

Oil changes often require pulling down a bunch of belly pans which can be time consuming. Take a dry-sump car to Jiffy Lube, and unless you're watching like a hawk, you might get a massively overfilled system as they wait for something to register on the dipstick.

In a F355, if a Jiffy Lube empties the wrong drain plug, you might be driving home (not very far!) on a dry gearbox.

etc. etc. etc.

Find a qualified independent shop near you, and you'll probably be in good shape. If there is nobody local and you are not comfortable working on the car yourself, then spending the extra money for transport to the proper dealer seems like a reasonable thing to do (IMHO).

 

Sounds like you should do it yourself. Not too hard to figure out and on a lot of cars you can find most DIY items online.

 

"now i know that you are supposed to only have ferraris/lamborghinis services by certified techs or at the dealership. but why?"
I dont except if its under warranty, I do my own....get a service manual and working on your Gallardo is not that hard...

 

A few more reasons, some that have been implied, others not:

- a dealer or specialist has seen and worked on other examples of your car before
- dealer or specialist is not going to get all excited and go nuts at the sight of a Ferrari/Lamborghini
- dealer or specialist is less likely to be a high school dropout meth-addict who can't otherwise find a better paying / higher responsibility job
- dealer or specialist knows the cost associated with screwing up . . . and has the insurance to cover it
- dealer or specialist will have the correct, high quality lubricants and filters
- dealer or specialist will probably be doing the major service when it comes time; build an existing relationship with him/them, plus added bonus of familiarity with your car
- jiffy lube doesn't know what to look for on an exotic when they do the inspection part of the regular service
- when you go to sell the car, seeing Jiffy Lube in the service history is going to be a major red flag -- even if you are not a cheap owner, Jiffy Lube says "incompetent service" and "cheap owner".


In your situation, I would do the oil changes/regular services/inspections myself. Invest in some professional-quality tools -- get the right tool for everything you will be doing -- and the service manual(s). Ask on internet forums for your specific model about tips/things to look out for/other relevant information for when changing the fluids and checking for wear items, etc., and document each service you do. Take a few photo, and make a neat, organized sheet detailing everything you checked and the results. To a potential buyer, this says "conscientious, fastidious, competent owner," (provided you did everything right).

 

If you take it to a local, not used to high-end cars, ask yourself whether you want to babysit the car and what your time is worth or take the risk that the service guy takes it for a romp before you get back. Check out what happened to this car when it got left at a stereo installer...

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202451

 

Not trying to be a smart ass but what FAA certified jiffy lube do you use?

Also on the newer Ferrari and Lamborghini cars the diagnostic computers and software needed is not available or beyond the financial reach of most independant shops.

RUSSELL

 

+100

The latest Ferraris have very-sophisticated Engine management computers that require special diagnostic equipment to interface-with and interpret the codes within. The Diagnostic boxes and the proprietary software that goes with them is scarce, wildly expensive ($17,000+ a pop) and tightly-controlled by Ferrari SpA. Many would agree that this is done to ensure that your car is 'only' serviced by factory-trained techs at a dealership. Some independents are getting their hands on them, but that number is few. If you're buying anything 'newer' than a 355, then you're falling into the category of getting tied to your local dealership's left hip when it comes to service.

A Ferrari is a high-performance machine, purpose-built to take it 'to the edge'. If you're a performance-oriented driver, your car's mechanical and electrical condition is your life. Something breaks when you're putting-around at 55 mph is one thing....if you're on a track and you're doing 165 mph, its a completely different story for the car AND you. Since the latest machines have a performance envelope that often greatly surpasses the driving skills of their average customer, Ferrari has a vested interest in keeping YOU alive, the car in great shape, and its reputation preserved.

High-Performance machines require high-performance maintenance using high-performance components. You don't get high-performance ANYTHING from Jiffy-Lube. They don't have the skills, nor the talent, nor the products to properly service a true high-performance machine. Their bread-and-butter clients are people who drive Saturns and Suburbans - their liability insurance might prompt them to flat-out refuse to work on your car.

 

Man, I wish! Add $10k, and you're in the neighborhood. If all goes according to plan, I'll have 2 more of them here at the end of next week.

 

Wasn't there a serious issue with the installation of 430 oil filters that if not done right or with a special tool could be very bad news?

 

The whole filter was changed in part number, and the old ones were destroyed (pulled from stock). Improper oil filter torque is also an issue, and Ferrari now places warning stickers on the boxes.

 

As others have said here, you should be able to do the lubricants yourself. I am average mechanical savvy, however in a short time I have learned how to change the engine oil, gear oil, and engine coolant. I have bought a decent set of tools to supplement my existing tools and now have all the tools necessary to do the minor work. Once you learn how to do it, you may actually enjoy it, and more importantly you did yourself so you know that it was done properly and with the utmost care.

 

I do my own fluid changes and carry her to the dealer for major service

 

Why??,,buffffff,,the answer could be very short or very long,depens of the "prisma" from that you see it.
In my modest and honest opinion:
Be cheap,is not bad,it means you are no so stupid to pay the "robbery" that means some spare parts in this kind of cars at official brand dealer/garage.Lot of mechanichal/electronical spare parts under cavallino logo are manufactured by OTHER brands(Valeo,Brembo,etc,etc,etc) working for Ferrari:You can buy the spare part directly to the manufacturer(without cavallino logo) and is exactly the same spare part,but cheeeeaperrrr,so,,,

I mean:

If you had been changing oils in all your cars by your own before(or at the same time) the only thing you need to do it is very easy: to know the amount and kind of oil and find the correct model of spare part to replace,that`s all,easy.
If you have been changing brakes pads and discs in all your cars and if you know how to purge the "brake circuits" to let it work OK again,is exactly the same,you can do it by yourself easy finding the correct spare parts/fluids.
If you have been changing exhausts.....
If you have been ,,,,,
There is a lot of things to do in a Ferrari(or ANY CAR/SUPERCAR) that could be in this "makebyyourown list",,a lot of them,,,,a Ferrari is a car,not a caza,not a F22 or a space ship;highperformance car,yeah,but a car,that`s all.

but ¡¡¡¡¡¡

There is some things you CAN NOT do by yourself in a twin RUBBER distibution chains from a Ferrari V8 motor,this is another story,under dinamometer laws.
You need to be a very experimented mechanic to know how to do that without risks,so in this case better to send to Official garage,in this case is well justificated the spend of the money,the motor is the heart of the car,and the motor`s distribution is the heart of the motor,it has to be very well accurated to run properly.So NOT do that by yourself or cheap/bad mechanic in this kind of V8,never.

Also with METAL distribution chain( I mean the 430 for example) you have to send the car to the Official garage for its revision.Revision of "chain`s tensiometers" and all that.Never by your own or cheap mechanic.NEVER.

Motor and gearbox,always (if you can) Offial garage,specially motor.One big reason is the Ferrari pc "check control" for any modern model,yeah.
If you can not(or simply don`t want) send to official garage cause the so much priced service,always you can send to a Ferrari specialist outside official brand
is going to be the same,a good job,and little bit cheaper,but they need to have got the Ferrari softwares,,,,,and "hardwares" jejejej

So to finish,In my modest opinion you can work by yourself in a lot of "points" of your supercar,but never,never,neeeeeever touch something If you not are completly sure how to do it from the start to the finish.

Im not rich,of course not,but I was restored and own a Jag E-type,If I had to send it to the Official Jaguar garage any time I had a problem there,,,,mmmm,,,actually I must be in RUIN,,,and is not like that.So cheaper not always is bad,sometimes means a CLEVER solution.