360 What to do service
Discussion
As a regular on here I would appreciate the advice of you my fellow ferrari owners, my 360 is now due its big service and cam belt change so do I , 1 send it to ferrari Lancaster and keep the service book all ferrari, they will carry out this big service change cam belts and mot it for £2240 or do I 2 send it to keys motorsport who for an additional. £450 will also replace the clutch.
It does not necessarily need a new clutch but at 31 k on the clock it seems like a good move, I would appreciate your thoughts, many thanks Mike
It does not necessarily need a new clutch but at 31 k on the clock it seems like a good move, I would appreciate your thoughts, many thanks Mike
Christian Lewis near Northampton have some great offers on at the moment for servicing and clutches.
I've no affiliation and not personally used them, but Eddie posts on here and is about as knowledgeable as you could get with these cars. They are getting some really good feedback on the other forums also
If I lived in the area I'd at least give them a call before deciding.
I'd pay for quality of service and VFM and not the stamps
HTH.......M
PS and well done, your first 'non-triple' post
I've no affiliation and not personally used them, but Eddie posts on here and is about as knowledgeable as you could get with these cars. They are getting some really good feedback on the other forums also
If I lived in the area I'd at least give them a call before deciding.
I'd pay for quality of service and VFM and not the stamps
HTH.......M
PS and well done, your first 'non-triple' post
Edited by mike01606 on Sunday 27th September 07:50
Edited by mike01606 on Sunday 27th September 07:51
They want another 2.5 k for a new clutch, was all I could do to get them to put the mot on FOC, as I say the clutch is fine anyway I am sure it's the original so might go another 8 k or so as yet, it's just Keys have this deal and it seems so good, just my service book will say keys not ferrari for the first time, I really do not know quite what to do for certain, regards Mike
What do they both define as a clutch?
Just a friction and pressure plate, genuine or aftermarket etc......
With the age of the car, I'd fit a new release bearing and it may need other parts e.g bleed block, release bearing flange and what about the flywheel?
Just be careful your comparing apples with apples and you may want to allow a bit more, at least expect it then it could be a nice surprise rather than a can of worms.
Finally, why not have them look at it through the inspection plate during the service and then decide.....
Just a friction and pressure plate, genuine or aftermarket etc......
With the age of the car, I'd fit a new release bearing and it may need other parts e.g bleed block, release bearing flange and what about the flywheel?
Just be careful your comparing apples with apples and you may want to allow a bit more, at least expect it then it could be a nice surprise rather than a can of worms.
Finally, why not have them look at it through the inspection plate during the service and then decide.....
Yes keys use genuine (Valeo) but I agree that to leave well alone is good advice, it's manual by the way, I will get the clutch inspected , as I have said it bites about a third to halfway up its travel and feels good, I don't believe it to need one, it's just that Keys were offering this all inclusive deal.
I don't know how anyone manages to get price matching by the main dealers, Lancaster told me its 14 hours work to undertake the the 31 k service, my point was more about do I break the entries in the service book after 11 years of total Ferrari stamps or is the value of an all ferrari service book more valuable, anyway I appreciate all your thoughts, and in answer to 1606 mike , yes I was happy to see just one entry instead of my normal 3, thanks Mike
I don't know how anyone manages to get price matching by the main dealers, Lancaster told me its 14 hours work to undertake the the 31 k service, my point was more about do I break the entries in the service book after 11 years of total Ferrari stamps or is the value of an all ferrari service book more valuable, anyway I appreciate all your thoughts, and in answer to 1606 mike , yes I was happy to see just one entry instead of my normal 3, thanks Mike
I think it comes down to when you expect to sell it. If you are keeping it for 3 years, say, I would go independent. If there is a likelihood of wanting to sell it in the next couple of years, it will probably pay you to keep the Ferrari franchise stamps in the book. I think that the SD computer will give you a read-out of how much clutch wear you have. Unless you need a new clutch, I would leave it alone, though i agree that £450 sounds attractive
Hi Mike
I don't have a 360 but instead a 430 spider..... Just my opinion but maybe something to consider.
Firstly, ask yourself honestly, if you still owned the car next year would you go to a main dealer for the smaller service, to keep the run of stamps? (if not then you might as well go specialist now).
Secondly, do you really want to break that run of main dealer stamps, that always look so reassuring to potential buyers?
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's some great specialists out there and probably some that do a better job than many main dealers! However, while I think it's good to get the opinion of other knowledgable Ferrari owners, I think it's better for you to consider this one from the perspective of a potential buyer who's never owned a Ferrari before.... How will they view this break in main dealer stamps?
Furthermore, consider the added confidence it will give you at time of sale, making your life and the sale process so much easier..... The last thing you want to be doing, especially with such a solid service history to date, is find yourself trying to justify a stamp, or convince a perspective buyer that this specialist is actually OK!
Like yourself, I have a book full purely of Ferrari main dealer service stamps and if it were me, I wouldn't want to break that.
That said, telling a potential buyer that a new clutch was also fitted xxx miles ago, is something of a bonus.
It's a tough one, I'd say start and put some money aside for the clutch when required and keep the main dealer history.
Hope this helps.
Allister
I don't have a 360 but instead a 430 spider..... Just my opinion but maybe something to consider.
Firstly, ask yourself honestly, if you still owned the car next year would you go to a main dealer for the smaller service, to keep the run of stamps? (if not then you might as well go specialist now).
Secondly, do you really want to break that run of main dealer stamps, that always look so reassuring to potential buyers?
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's some great specialists out there and probably some that do a better job than many main dealers! However, while I think it's good to get the opinion of other knowledgable Ferrari owners, I think it's better for you to consider this one from the perspective of a potential buyer who's never owned a Ferrari before.... How will they view this break in main dealer stamps?
Furthermore, consider the added confidence it will give you at time of sale, making your life and the sale process so much easier..... The last thing you want to be doing, especially with such a solid service history to date, is find yourself trying to justify a stamp, or convince a perspective buyer that this specialist is actually OK!
Like yourself, I have a book full purely of Ferrari main dealer service stamps and if it were me, I wouldn't want to break that.
That said, telling a potential buyer that a new clutch was also fitted xxx miles ago, is something of a bonus.
It's a tough one, I'd say start and put some money aside for the clutch when required and keep the main dealer history.
Hope this helps.
Allister
I have used a lot of main dealers in the UK over the past 15 years, spending tens of thousands, and can say pretty much all of them are rubbish. Most recently my 550 came back from service with several issues that were not there before. Especially on an older car, the 20 year old technicians who predominate these days have zero experience or knowledge. The experienced guys are no longer on the workshop floor, being moved into 'overseeing' positions. Ask me how I know..
A good independent will do a far better job and I too would recommend Ed at Christian Lewis. Absolutely first class knowledge and reasonable pricing too.
A good independent will do a far better job and I too would recommend Ed at Christian Lewis. Absolutely first class knowledge and reasonable pricing too.
Edited by cgt2 on Monday 28th September 13:59
ts nice to know that I am not alone in my dilemma here, Alistair has a very good point and is exactly where I am in this conundrum, I am leaning towards independent, who is Ed at Christians or more who and where are they, agree about the generation in the main dealers, and to be fair I did not entirely feel that the main dealer did a particularly great job last time, anyway I really appreciate your collective thoughts very valuable, Mike
I don't doubt for one minute what the other three posts above say (Excluding Mike's), in fact I'm certainly not a main dealer fan.... The salesman are all sharks in suits and whether you're buying or servicing a Ford or a Ferrari, they all lie and they all try and get away with whatever they can.
However, it doesn't change the fact that a main dealer service history is always considered more desirable, particularly to those people with no Ferrari experience, or knowledge of a particular specialist... That's the sad truth.
However, it doesn't change the fact that a main dealer service history is always considered more desirable, particularly to those people with no Ferrari experience, or knowledge of a particular specialist... That's the sad truth.
Edited by allister on Monday 28th September 15:11
It's true that a book full of main dealer stamps is viewed as more desirable. Quite why I've got no idea as I spend quite a bit of my time undoing the work (or lack of it) done by main dealers. Quite a few main dealer techs are paid a time bonus so they get paid extra for billing (say) 16 hours worth of work in a 8 hour day. This leads to corners being cut. A frequent item that is missed is the brake fluid change as it takes time to perform.
One final point I'd like to make is that many techs in main dealers are not trained on something as old as a 360. When a tech joins training is only offered on current models and they are provided with the workshop manual for anything else. To get someone who is certified on a 360 they'd have to have worked inside the dealer network for at least 11 years.
OP: If you want a reference for Ed @ Christian Lewis then I'm happy to personally vouch for him. Your car will be looked after there.
One final point I'd like to make is that many techs in main dealers are not trained on something as old as a 360. When a tech joins training is only offered on current models and they are provided with the workshop manual for anything else. To get someone who is certified on a 360 they'd have to have worked inside the dealer network for at least 11 years.
OP: If you want a reference for Ed @ Christian Lewis then I'm happy to personally vouch for him. Your car will be looked after there.
I agree with the above as it's something I'd previously thought about. Chances are, if you have a car that's a few models old, the expertise may well be with the indies. Just choose a well regarded one whose stamp will be respected.
Fwiw, we just had our 31k service, belts and a full set of p-zeros for considerably less than the service only quote I got from a main dealer.
Fwiw, we just had our 31k service, belts and a full set of p-zeros for considerably less than the service only quote I got from a main dealer.
allister said:
do you really want to break that run of main dealer stamps, that always look so reassuring to potential buyers?
For me this is really the only reason (and not really a huge argument in favour of main dealer) for a car of this age. Personally the only reason I would go main dealer is if it was newer and in a factory warranty (hands are tied then anyways).TBH if you find the right Indy specialist (example - Rardley Motors spring to mind) who have more experience than a bunch of main dealers strung together you'll get a better service and pay less. You could even argue the stamp from the right Indy would carry more reassurance than a main dealer. Don’t forget Indy's trade and rely even more so on their reputation, quality and craftsmanship and don’t have the MD franchise to support them. They simply can’t afford to be turning out bad work sullying their name...
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