HEADERS BURNED THROUGH ON 99 355.DAMMIT!! | FerrariChat

HEADERS BURNED THROUGH ON 99 355.DAMMIT!!

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by MY355, Feb 5, 2004.

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  1. MY355

    MY355 Formula Junior

    Feb 4, 2004
    258
    NYC and AZ
    YEP ,IT'S TRUE AND SUPPOSEDLY this NEVER happens to 355's in 99'
    says a few idiots wearing Ferrari sales shirts.Just happens to the 95's and 96's(This is why I bought a FU@#IN' 99'!!!!!!)


    NO Ferrari factory refused to honor the headers and supply the part even though it fell within' the 5 year /50k rule.

    Why I asked ............they said because it had a TUBI exhaust ,THIS IS BULL****!!!Any novice knows that the tubi makes the car run cooler NOT HOTTER!!!

    What has this whole ordeal cost.............well the original estimate for the headers was 6500 for parts 1200 for install.

    Finally the (DEAL) I got was 4985.00 parts and who the FU#$ knows what my mechanic will charge for the labor Im sure its between 500 and 1000.

    What the hell is next ???This car now scares me like a wife w/ a high limit credit card in a mall.


    Whell Im done *****ing good night.
    At least I own a 355 to ***** about.
     
  2. kenyon

    kenyon F1 Rookie

    Oct 7, 2002
    2,837
    East Yorkshire
    Full Name:
    Justin Kenyon
    Is this in the UK or US ?
    I feel for you.
     
  3. wax

    wax Five Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 20, 2003
    51,457
    SFPD
    Full Name:
    Dirty Harry
  4. simon355

    simon355 Formula Junior

    Nov 23, 2003
    650
    W.Yorkshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Simon George
    Yea me too.I'd be in f****** tears.Just goes to show it can be a lottery with 355's.Mine's a '96 with Tubi and gets hammered constantly (though well serviced).Its still on original manifolds and has never let me down in 30000 miles.Mind you,I may have it all to come...
    I would defo kick up big stink with the factory.If you write to them direct they often don't reply unless its in Italian. My sis speaks/writes fluently.If you wanna write i'll get her to translate it into Iti if it helps.Best of luck
     
  5. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,143
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    There's a place in England that appears to do a good job on replacement stainless headers, maybe a UK FChatter has the link.

    Buck up, man! Change 'em yourself. The first malfunction I had on my 308 was the front one blowing into two pieces and lighting the engine compartment on fire! Next to the gas tanks!


    I said to myself, "Now THIS is motoring excitement. FORZA! And baby, hand me that fire extinguisher, QUICK.

    The second one blew a few years later, causing fellow freeway motorists to give me the international hand gesture for "Hey, dude! Your car's ON FIRE!!!!"

    HTH

    FWIW, someone asked me about my F1 crew jacket. "Does Ferrari give you one of those when you buy the car??" I said "Ferrari doesn't give you %$^%(*&, when you buy the car!!!"
     
  6. 355f

    355f Formula Junior

    Nov 1, 2003
    307
    first off it happens on ALL model 355 including 99.

    There was one change in 96 involving changes to the aux air pipes but whatever you do they will all break in time.

    Dont buy new ones have them rebuilt by QV london or buy tubi ones
     
  7. dwhite

    dwhite F1 Rookie

    I would look into having them repaired or have a set made. There are many competent shops out there.
     
  8. MY355

    MY355 Formula Junior

    Feb 4, 2004
    258
    NYC and AZ
    PS the car has 45k mile on it rare yes but there are others out there too w/ daily driven Ferrari's I know especially since we are not in the economy slump of last year.Still 6k$$ could have gone for a lot of other things other than F'in headers on a ferrari.

    No the welder's both said the repair was chancy because the temper of the metal had changed and chrystalized and would most likely re-occur .
    and the 1-2 k would be lost $$$.
     
  9. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
    Consultant Professional Ferrari Technician

    Sep 18, 2002
    19,344
    The Cold North
    Full Name:
    Tom
    My355...Just for referance..the engine does not need to be removed from the car to replace the headers. The best bet it to replace them. If you try to repair them they will most definatly fail again.

    Check you're warrenty book. I beleive all emissions components are garenteed for 8 years. I had to send a customers cars to the F dealer here in canada because of failed cat-converters. They replaced them no questions asked..and his car has a tubi exhaust. If you bought your tubi from the dealer and they did not inform you that it would cancel the warrenty on emissins components then you may have a way out. Ferrari dealers supply tubis to owners as an upsell all the time. I don't think any dealer would knowingly try to sell you some thing for your car that would void the warrenty without telling you first.

    Yes all 355's have this problem..Ansa(the exhaust company that makes the exhaust for ferrari) did not do anything to the manifolds to fix them of this problem. Get the tubi ones or one of the others mentioned above.


    Tom
     
  10. redhead

    redhead F1 Rookie

    Dec 26, 2001
    4,869
    Full Name:
    ~Red~
    Tom-
    Anytime any aftermarket piece is attched to a certian system on a car, it CAN void that Manuf. wty. FNA had sent out back in 2001 a letter to ALL dealers stating that very thing in reference to a very certian Italian exhaust company. I can not find the letter here anymore, as we ignored as most dealers did at the time, but I have heared more and more the FNA will not cover the headers with a Tubi install.

    Your last paragraph states that Ansa did nothing to fix the exhaust. That is not true. They redesigned the headers as seen in this post on the old board.
    http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/165003.html

    I took those pics and had Ben post them. As well, the Cat's that have been a issue have been redesigned by Ansa as well.
     
  11. Tom Larkins

    Tom Larkins Formula Junior

    OK, I have to ask the ? As someone that will be looking at a possible purchase of a 355 I need to discount any Tubi installs for exhaust system b/c of this concern if it hasn't been address already. Is this correct thinking? Have a Tubi on my car now and I assumed it was the way to go on a 355.
     
  12. MY355

    MY355 Formula Junior

    Feb 4, 2004
    258
    NYC and AZ
    well heres where it is .I supplied the tubi exhaust.The dealer installed it.
    They NEVER told me the Tubi would void warrentees on my355.

    Is it time to call my lawyer???

    Pss.. the work is already near done "but " i did give the dealer the opportunity to make the situation right.
     
  13. MY355

    MY355 Formula Junior

    Feb 4, 2004
    258
    NYC and AZ

    Yes my mechanic knows the motor doesn't have to be pulled.
    Appreciate the input though.
    MY355
     
  14. wax

    wax Five Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 20, 2003
    51,457
    SFPD
    Full Name:
    Dirty Harry
    MY355 - see Post #3. Then click the link. Read that puppy.
     
  15. TheCarcierge

    TheCarcierge Formula 3

    Feb 1, 2004
    1,837
    Boca Raton, FL
    Full Name:
    Scott Saidel
    I would try FNA - directly. They were - at least when I worked at a dealer - pretty good about eating some of the cost - Tubi or not. There is also a pretty prickly legal issue regarding "emissions related equipment" that they are probably anxious to avoid - again Tubi or not.

    They never covered the whole job but in many cases they did provide the parts. That could put a couple grand back into your pocket.

    Scottie
     
  16. F355Fly

    F355Fly Guest

    Nov 26, 2003
    54
    SoCal
    Full Name:
    Asi
    My355,

    I just went through a very similar story. I bought my F355(1996) and both headers/manifolds were cracked. The whole deal cost my $1,600. Do what I did and you will not regret. First take the headers you bought back to the dealer and tell them to stickem up their A$$. Then contact Phil @ QV London and order both headers, take the car and the headers to a local mechanic or if you feel comfortable change then yourself. If you keep and install the headers you bought from the dealer eventually this will happen again. Do yourself and your pocket a favor and contact QV London ask for Phil and he will sell you both headers for around $1,600 or slightly higher as the currency chage will effect the numbers but nothing near as close to what the dealer charged you for those factory pieces of chit. The engine DOES NOT have to come out and the R&R is actually very easy and fast, I had both sides done within a matter of 7 hours or so. I hope this helped and good luck to you.
     
  17. Dino

    Dino Karting

    Nov 3, 2003
    116
    San Diego
    In the U.S, the Federal emissions warranty is 8 years or 80k miles. In California it is reduced to 7years or 70k miles.

    Dino.
     
  18. MarkCollins

    MarkCollins F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Jul 2, 2002
    3,202
    South England
    Full Name:
    Mark Collins
    Contact details for QV London

    Tel. +44 1344 622011
    email [email protected]

    Phil or Mick
     
  19. MY355

    MY355 Formula Junior

    Feb 4, 2004
    258
    NYC and AZ
    goddammit NOW I find this out AFTER I'M done and paid for.

    @W$@%$%%#&%#^%$%$^$%*

    MY355
     
  20. MY355

    MY355 Formula Junior

    Feb 4, 2004
    258
    NYC and AZ
    I was told by the dealer that my book says which parts are concidered emmissions related .Further that if Ferrari ever does cover headers it was done as a courtesy as per their contract and NEVER do they cover it if Tubi exhaust is involved.

    Cali's emissions books are longer and more supportive to F cars this is true as Cali is a very environment concious state.

    Bottom line I GOT HOSED!!

    MY355
     
  21. FLATOUTRACING

    FLATOUTRACING F1 Rookie

    Aug 20, 2001
    2,684
    East Coast
    Full Name:
    Jon K.
    It's too late now but next time get a set of Tubi headers. I ran them on my Challenge car for two seasons and they looked brand new. the poor stock headers cracked in one season and every season thereafter.

    The Tubi's are far superior. They ran them at Daytona for 24 hours straight.

    Regards,

    Jon P. Kofod
    www.flatoutracing.net
     
  22. F40

    F40 F1 Rookie

    Apr 16, 2003
    3,230
    AZ
    MY355, you wouldn't happen to be Bill would you?
     
  23. rketex7

    rketex7 Formula Junior

    Jan 8, 2004
    511
    Midwest
    Full Name:
    K.C.Y.
    Don't kill the messager.....
    Here is what I found out about the reason for cracked manifolds on all 355, I was talking to my Mechanic who prepped a street 355 into Challenge spec. car. which he mantained this car through 7k track miles. He said the cracking is mostly due to the flexing of the system and the weight of the cats. He fabricated 2 brackets to support the headers and 7k track miles later and the manifold stay intact.
    I sorta want to believe him since why would Ferrari let Ansa give them crappy manifolds and Ansa should know better, and if you look at the design of the manifolds it has to carry a lot of weight before it gets to the support brackets.
    Do u think my mechanic is right?
     
  24. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
    Consultant Professional Ferrari Technician

    Sep 18, 2002
    19,344
    The Cold North
    Full Name:
    Tom
    Ummm..I also posted in that thread stating that the metal used in the manufacture of that header has not been updated. I know this from personal experiance. I have replaced manifolds on the same car twice!! and both times they melted under the heat sheilding were the center 2 cylinders are. Yes the manifold i recived from Ferrari had the updated A.I.R tubes. This does help with the tubes cracking,but does not fix the burn through problem. Maybe I had a rare exception..but you would think by the time 1999 rolled around Ferrari would have used the updated manifolds in the production cars.
     
  25. BrentC

    BrentC Formula Junior

    Aug 13, 2003
    278
    Does anybody want to give or sell me a set of their failed headers? I'm looking at a solution but need some parts to work with. TIA.

    Brent
     

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