Best value repair shop in Central to Southern Ohio? | FerrariChat

Best value repair shop in Central to Southern Ohio?

Discussion in 'North Central - USA (MI, IN, OH, KY, WV)' started by arachnyd, Feb 22, 2018.

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  1. arachnyd

    arachnyd Karting

    Feb 5, 2016
    129
    Springboro
    I'm just going to cut to the chase, swallow my pride, and be honest. It seems like I can't find a quality difference between the 3 mainstream ferrari shops in Columbus, and the shops in Cincinnati and Dayton can't work on these things. I keep hesitating fixing my car, and its because if all else is equal, there's no easy way to evaluate the final factor in repair: Value.

    I run a tight ship, and thought I was set budgeting 5 grand annually for Ferrari 360 ownership, after others recommended 2-3.

    However, now like others discover I'm sure- find myself in a situation where I've already exceeded my Ferrari budget, spending over 10 grand in the last year and a half in maintenance and repairs. The car gods have not been looking at me favorably. After blessing me with a car working perfectly for a year, within weeks, I now have suspension error messages, the infamous "Slow Down" message issue while driving, faulty convertible top sensors, non functioning Air Conditioning, Coolant leaking out all over my garage, and smoke bellowing out the back.

    I intended to take it up to NJB over winter, but a fellow ferrari member said "Don't go there, its incredibly expensive- your going to lose your shirt on it- there's other good mechanics cheaper". I spoke to Maserati, and they said they can't do the top sensors or even the error messages. Another mechanic in Dayton that was recommended to me by a colleague with a whole collection of ferraris did my belts and other service, but they were both expensive, and they too can't interface with the ferrari computers.

    I found a shop near Cincinnati called Source 1 that has worked on Ferraris and other high end exotics (They specialize in NSXes), and they really know their stuff. I was totally pleased with their lead tech. They did my exhaust work including headers, and fluids and whatnot (they also work on my corvette race cars and my porsche and have the Porsche computers), but they can't interface with ferrari's computer system.

    So instead of having NJB come pick up the car, I just let it sit there and rot for a few months. Now I'm facing a few budgetary crunches on a commercial property project, and I can't get the ferrari issue out of the back of my mind. If I procrastinate any longer, its literally going to sit undriven for years in the back of my garage collecting dust, and that's just a depressing waste.

    I know the saying, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen", but you all know I can't sell the thing as is (not that I want to anyway- I love the car), but I'm also looking at the repair list running the math in my head thinking "my goodness- what the heck do I do about this." I'm hoping stats can work in my favor and I can get this under control and keep it for a few years closer to 3-5k/yr moving forward.

    I won't bat my eye if its only a couple thousand, but given the volume of issues I'm facing, its the potential cost that concerns me more than anything else. I know there are some great shops in Columbus, but I've never seen anyone talk about value. While they both have hourly rates, I also know a lot of ferrari jobs can be completed in a huge fraction of the listed shop time. In fact the guy at NJB even told me that they can do at least the water pump for way under the ferrari manual hours. I'm leaning towards NJB so far just because the guy I spoke to there seemed really nice and helpful, but I can't get the statement out of my head that I'll get hosed since I can't actually get a quote in advance.

    My ferrari isn't a garage queen. I'd take it to a few places for quotes, but there's no way I can drive it 2 hours as is, so I have to pay a few hundred bucks for delivery. That means I'll be at the mercy of wherever I take it. On the flip side, I know now that I need to develop a relationship with a good shop, and so I turn to you for guidance!

    Thanks for your thoughts.... and may other future searchers who find this post heed the advice to find a FULL SERVICE shop before you have problems...
     
  2. brian.s

    brian.s F1 Rookie
    Professional Ferrari Technician

    Nov 3, 2003
    3,806
    Midwest
    Full Name:
    Brian
    It sounds as though you have been happy with NJB, it is important to develop an honest and trusting relationship, you get what you pay for, pick one and stick with them, be upfront and work within your budget needs.
     
  3. rumblestrip

    rumblestrip Rookie

    Apr 18, 2016
    2
    I have personally used Studio 47 in Westerville just outside of columbus. Craig is a fantastic guy and did a great job on my car. He could have upsold me on a repair and yet he did not, this probobably saved me over $1500. The work they did was excellent and you can tell they have respect for customer cars. The car was done when he said it would be and the bill was exactly what was estimated, no surprises.
    I highly recommend him, they are very honest and skilled!
     
  4. FerrariMech1

    FerrariMech1 Karting

    Dec 14, 2014
    78
    Dayton, OH
    Full Name:
    Michael Wilson
    Studio 47 definitely! Craig is an awesome guy and because of the dire straits I was in when I purchased my car (considering all the valves on one bank we’re bent) he gave me a hell of a deal on the ones out of his personal car!

    That’s passion, my friends!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  5. TBigs

    TBigs Formula Junior

    Mar 23, 2010
    541
    NW Ohio
    Full Name:
    Terry
    I'm also a big fan of Craig and Studio 47. Honest, fair, and knows what he's doing. Definitely one of the good ones. While the shop rates are on the high end, the work is good and the shop is reliable.
     
  6. cranky

    cranky Karting

    Aug 7, 2011
    68
    Cincinnati
    Full Name:
    Michael S
    I know this is an older post, but the best Ferrari Mechanic, especially for pre 2014 Ferraris, is Aaron Greenburg who works at the Maserati of Cincinati dealer. He is Ferrari factory trained, they do have Ferrari diagnostic equipment and tools, and he is very thorough. I would not say he is cheap, but is that really what you want? Studio 47 worked on a car I purchased and Aaron found numerous issues with their work. I have found the Columbus Ferrari dealer to be horrendous. So, if you are in greater Cincinnati, I would use Aaron.
     
  7. MackF1Spider

    MackF1Spider Rookie

    Aug 10, 2020
    25
    Full Name:
    Joe mack
    I know this is an old thread, but I used NJB in September this year 2020. Great service, really good people, and did not force anything on me. Complete paperwork (scan). Adjusted The shifting points on our F430 F1 trans. Runs so much better. And........ The price was more than fair. Just thought you should know. Reading old threads today since the Cincinnati Bengals just got there you know what happened to them. Joe
     
    Matthew 6:19 likes this.

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