So yet another clickbait $25k major on a 348. I've chimed in and I'm getting kinda splattered... he says major but in reality he's doing more than a major. This kind of click bait nonsense hurts the 348 brand IMHO. I've passed my sentiments on to Ricambi as well.. given Daniel has owned a 348 in the past. I respect Ricambi and I get what they are doing here.. but the negatives posted as a result quite frankly make me a tad livid. Link is below. Thoughts? Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Agreed it's largely clickbait, but whatever you gotta do to get views. He keeps saying "it's not a typical major" and I scanned through the video for as long as I had the patience and couldn't find the part where the cost was justified. But whatever, I'll make a video of my next major saying I had a shop do it for $1000 to balance things out.
If you follow Normal Guy Super Car on Instagram, you'll see where this timing belt service does indeed become 'major'. https://www.instagram.com/normalguysupercar/ Whether you like the title of the video or not, the experience he documents is far more common than some are willing to admit or concede. For non-professionals, progress is sometimes made by two steps forward, one step backwards. Or worse, one step forward and two steps backwards.
Perhaps instead of always taking on a negative attitude towards fellow DIY Ferrari owners, perhaps you should embrace that I'm working really hard to try and document and produce entertaining videos for people to help alleviate many of the barriers of concern about Ferrari ownership.... But then again who am I kidding... F-chat wouldn't exist without everyone crapping on each other. Carry on.
I wouldn't call it crapping on.. but the clickbait title (not my word but someone else's) ... ppl are sheep at the end of the day. Including us who are positioned as crapping on fcar owners. In chatting with the folks intimately involved it will be more than just a major so at the end of the day when it's all spelled out what was done I believe we'll all be satisfied . Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
I've been doing this YouTube thing for a long time now, and when you post titles that are matter-of-fact they don't perform well. Why? Because everyone and their sister posts inflammatory and "click bait" titles. So when I compete with the thousands of other people posting videos every day, if mine doesn't stand out, it doesn't get clicked on, and it doesn't get viewed. Making YouTube videos is literally my job, so I'm going to do what I can to get people to watch, even if that means using what is probably the extreme side of the equation. That being said, it clearly worked because YOU posted about it, and started discussions about it. That means more people watching. Goal accomplished. The second goal which is my more hopeful one is to gain subscribers of people interested in Ferrari ownership experiences including DIY work on the cars. I can't gain subscribers if they don't watch in the first place. Effectively I HAVE to make click-baity titles if I want to succeed. Don't blame me, blame everyone. It's the way human nature works. It's the way YouTube's algorithm has been optimized. Unfortunately. This all being said, I appreciate you posting my video, and in a way, I have to accept the poo flinging that comes my way due to the nature of the situation... But I can guarantee you that it's not something I'd prefer. Finally, as I've stated many times on many of the comments across multiple social platforms of which I'm certain some were your posts... This isn't a typical major. We are going far beyond a simple timing belt service. The $25k number was quoted as a rough estimate from an actual Ferrari tech based on rates typical at a Ferrari dealership that he used to work at. Of COURSE you can do far better than $25k for what we're doing if you go to an indy shop or did much less than what we're doing. But as it stands, I have not published what we've actually done, so giving me the benefit of the doubt would be appreciated. Thanks.
Can't speak regarding this video since I haven't watched it but I've seen lots of 355s and even 360s with "majors" which totaled up to $15 to $25k. Has me wondering what in the world they did but when you look at parts prices they add up quite fast. I haven't really seen these kinda costs on 348s, though.
For sure, when you see the receipts, the parts alone when other components start getting replaced beyond the typical it adds up really quick. Include dealership mark-ups and dealership labor rates (based on flat rates!) and it's easy to hit the $20-25k+ mark. I'd argue that people stating "I got mine done for only $5k" is setting the wrong expectations. The problem is many times these cheap majors are done poorly and they are literally only replacing the bare minimum. This gives many people the false expectation that they can just go out and get a major for super cheap when in reality, that's not always true. If you have the shop only replace the basics, and not look around for other issues that can happen, you're setting yourself up for many problems later on. That being said, if things are in good shape after inspection, and you only need a basic major, then congrats! It can be done for pretty cheap.
C'mon now, let's be honest - the only reason you're posting "click bait" titles is to drive viewership and your brand value. It has nothing to do with driving awareness. Posting a "click-baity" title like the one you've posted can only harm the demand for these cars. You stated in your thread here that your goal is to "produce entertaining videos for people to help alleviate many of the barriers of concern about Ferrari ownership". 90% of 348 buyers aren't going to have the time, space, equipment OR the ability to do what is shown in the video. For those buyers, the fear of a $25K major service which is 1/2 to a 1/3rd of a 348s current value is going to drive away potential buyers and harm the market for them. So, at the end of the day, you're hurting the values of the cars to drive your own brand value. As a result, you ARE going to see "poo-flinging" (if you want to call a demand for accuracy/honesty "poo-flinging/crapping on"). I applaud you for documenting a DIY effort. That's great! My suggestion is to change the title and commentary to adequately state that this effort is going far beyond a typical engine-out, major 30K service. If your true motivation is "to help alleviate many of the barriers of concern about Ferrari ownership" then it would be the right thing to do. If it isn't your true motivation, then, well, that's a different story... 2cam
Umm..pretty sure my posts have given you the said benefit of the doubt. BUT since it may have been missed - I'm looking fwd to watching your videos, seeing all that's replaced over the course of the "major" and the additional parts and services your team is performing to bring this Ferrari back to top notch standards. Btw I get your point about getting the attention as I have lots of friends in the social media influencer realm. And you are right, the discourse gets the convo going. We're all gentleman here and sometimes we will disagree and/or agree to disagree. The end of the day we've got to find new caregivers for these cars in the future or they run the risk of sitting in barns gathering dust. Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
I just recently completed my major on my 355. I had done all the normal stuff done with a major. Plus I had a new AC compressor installed. My mechanic had to fabricate one of the AC lines because the one on the car was damaged. I had to buy a new/used cam cover because one on the car was cracked. I had heat shields fabricated for the cv boots, and I also replaced the entire exhaust with Tubi headers, test pipes, fabspeed exhaust and secondary cat delete pipe. Installed a challenge grill and replaced both radiators and fans. There’s other little things that I’m forgetting, but the big ticket items are listed. Including the exhaust and radiators, which I supplied, my total cost for the major was $26k. Did I need to replace the radiators and exhaust? No. That would have saved me about $10k with labor, but I budgeted this major to do preventative maintenance on the car, hoping it won’t have to be addressed again. I also could have gotten a less expensive exhaust system, but I choose what I was able to afford. These cars are expensive. No getting around that, unless you’re able to do the work yourself, which I’m not able to. Point being is a major service with preventative care to certain areas adds up. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Actually, yes, I do genuinely care about helping other Ferrari owners (or soon to be owners) and specifically DIY interested people. You're making assumptions about someone you've never met. If I personally hurt the value of 348's because of 1 video's title, then I'd be really impressed with myself. Frankly you're giving the video far more credit than reality, not that I wish I didn't have that sort of influence. The irony is that as the 348's continue to get older, I believe there are more and more owners interested in DIY servicing the car. So my video is hopefully helping the 348 market by showing that it's not that hard to maintain (in my opinion). Think of it this way... You're a potential 348 buyer but you've heard rumors about the major being expensive and are scared about that. So you search for videos about 348 majors and see my video. HOLY CRAP! $25k?! Really? That can't be true!! I'm going to watch it... So you click on the video and (hopefully) watch the entire series seeing all that is involved. During the series we discuss typical majors, and what we're doing noting how we're going FAR BEYOND what is typical. At the end of the series I'm going to discuss the costs we endured, and show some information about that. Now you're an educated buyer, you've seen and heard worst case numbers and what's involved. You feel more comfortable about what to expect, you've seen what is done, and you can negotiate better when buying a 348 or taking it in for service. Is that really hurting 348s? I strongly disagree. On the flip side, same situation, potential 348 buyer, searches for videos, sees my title, immediately says NOPE, not gonna buy one of those! And never buys a 348. Great! They probably shouldn't be in the market for a 348 anyways but that seems like a much more unlikely scenario. If history is an indicator, my experience owning my F430 proves that I helped the market by showing DIY projects on that car. About 200 people have personally contacted me saying they bought a F430 because of my videos and they wouldn't have otherwise. I suspect I'll get people contacting me about 348 purchases soon as well. You've heard the saying "any publicity is good publicity"... Well, it's true. I experience it all the time.
I get what you're doing and any 348-related media/publicity is always appreciated and beneficial to everyone as a whole, but you can't use a title like that, not explain the reasoning, and then expect everyone to give you the benefit of the doubt. You know that isn't how the internet works. If you actually explain why it's "not a typical major" I am sure people will calm down.
That's not really how the internet works either... Actually I'd suggest the opposite is true. You ever see the movie "Private Parts" where the talk about why people listen to his radio show?
I see the same thing for the TR... bottom line is if a car is regularly well maintained, aside a catastrophe, a major will never cost u more than 8-10k. I got 30 years of history on my c at showing that Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Why not a title stating saving 35,000 on a major? All kidding aside why not do it with floor Jack's to pull the motor as opposed to using 2/4 post lifts to make it an any mans approach? Sent using FerrariChat.com mobile app
We honestly considered using floor jacks in my garage but we really wanted Josh's help and he had a lot of tools that are custom made for this.
Meh! Mine went 9.5 years between the first major I did and the most "recent" one, which was 5 years ago. The F119 is a very tough engine, as is the timing belt. Now the stock bearings & water pump, that is a different story. In my opinion that is the main issue with the reliability of the engine. Oh and, the cam pulley fences. I currently have a set if Hill Engineering bearings on my f119 and a new water pump in it. I also have a Ferraripilot water pump sitting on my shelf the next time the engine comes out, FAR SUPERIOR design to the original. Though I do need to get a Hill Engineering lower drive pulley bearing from Daniel-San. The one I have in it now is questionable. Anyway, I think the 348/355 get over serviced. I put in top quality after market parts and drive worry free for years.
Next time don't jack the rear of the car up from the subframe support bracket. It's not mean to support the entire weight of the car. Betcha a Coke it got bent.
Yeah that's what Josh was saying is its not usually the belts going bad but instead the water pump, tensioners, or the fence on the pulleys.