DIYers Thread | FerrariChat

DIYers Thread

Discussion in '360/430' started by AandSC, Nov 23, 2020.

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  1. AandSC

    AandSC Formula Junior

    Dec 12, 2016
    757
    Jax, FL
    Full Name:
    Allen
    It’s interesting to see how many DIYers we have in this section given how many people will only buy a car with complete maintenance records. Would appreciate your story about why you are a DIYer and what you’ve done so far. I’m assuming those with their own build threads may not want to duplicate.

    My story,

    I love wrenching on cars. It’s like therapy for me. I’m OCD and I like knowing that when I’ve done a job it’s done perfect (40+ years in the aviation maintenance world). Some of the more complex jobs over the past few years include Ducati and my LS400 timing belts, Mini Cooper supercharger replacement, BMW 335 turbo rebuild, some coding work, and a bunch of other smaller jobs. I’m fortunate to have a nice garage with all the tools needed, a lift and a set of Quickjacks.

    Also, I’ve never had to take my car to a dealer for poor workmanship on my part, but I’ve had to correct a lot of poor work done by “professionals”.

    My 430:

    So far I’ve done:

    Oil, filter, power steering, brake and F1 fluid replacement
    Power steering hose replacement
    Serpentine belt, pullies and tensioner replacement
    Fixed broken front bumper tabs (had to pull the front bumper, which gave me a chance to clean behind it)
    Replaced every worn or missing fastener and zip tie with OEM
    Installed Scud Ing Swiss F1 relay, LED taillights, front turn signals and turn signal ECU
    Repaired broken OEM taillights
    Installed carbon fiber engine compartment panels
    Replaced my glove box light that had a broken tab
    Had my stock muffler welded to keep the white powder inside (had to outsource the welding but did removal and replacement by myself).
    Cleaning of everything (suspension, engine, interior, etc)

    To do in the next month:

    Gearbox and coolant fluid changes
    Replace my sticky mannetino switch label

    Look forward to seeing how many others of “us” are out there.

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  2. tstuli

    tstuli Formula Junior

    Jun 12, 2018
    370
    NC
    Love the floor!

    Sent from my SM-A515W using Tapatalk
     
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  3. Scottslaw

    Scottslaw Formula Junior

    Nice work! I'm the same way. I'm an attorney by day but just love wrenching as a stress reliever. Plus, I'm super careful and ocd, and saving money is nice too! I won't even begin to recount what I've done as the list is huge (my car was kind of a mess lol...mechanically sound but just needed a lot of maintenance and tlc). I'm about to replace both power steering hoses and have the manifolds off right now. Curious about the procedure you used. Just unfasten the hoses from the bottom and let everything drain, replace the hoses with new clamps, fill the reservoir and do a couple full-lock turns, and continue topping up 'till reservoir is full?

    While I have everything off the top of the engine (manifolds, exhaust, airboxes, etc...) I'm going to do the transmission mount. not looking forward to that! will also need to clean up the "valley" of the engine. Seems the power steering hoses have been "weeping" for some time and really made a mess of everything!
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  4. AandSC

    AandSC Formula Junior

    Dec 12, 2016
    757
    Jax, FL
    Full Name:
    Allen
    Scottslaw, love the story of your car and the work you’re doing to it. I’ve been following your thread with interest, and was watching the BAT auction when you bought it.

    The power steering hose replacement was quite the debacle. I thought my power steering pump was leaking but after taking the AC compressor and PS pump off and cleaning everything up it ended up being the hose from the reservoir. I changed the hose during my annual services since I wanted to drain and change the power steering fluid at the same time. Ended up being easiest to remove the AC compressor, drop the power steering pump and remove the hose to drain the fluid. The oetiker clamps were a huge PITA to remove, and I’m usually a factory OEM clamp guy, but since I plan to change the PS fluid annually I ended up putting a worm type clamp back on. If I ever decide to sell then I’ll put the oetiker clamps back on. There is a procedure in the manual for bleeding the PS system. You turn the steering wheel fully left and right three times after filling the reservoir. I did that a couple times to make sure the system was good to go. No issues since.

    Look forward to your continued progress. Your Scud is going to be like new!
     
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  5. G8TD

    G8TD Karting

    Apr 25, 2004
    108
    Houston
    Full Name:
    Joe
    Sweet garage!
     
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  6. marc996

    marc996 Karting

    May 12, 2019
    63
    Full Name:
    marc bethell
    I've worked on my cars all my life, but only recently bought my first Ferrari. On my previous cars (mainly Porsche) I've done all the mechanical work including engine and gearbox rebuild, welding and spraying.
    The strange thing for me is that although I'm enjoying working on my F430, I take it to the main dealer for service just to get that vital stamp in the book, which I know is mad.
    I'm currently in the process of changing the pistons on my CCM calipers. The brakes actually seemed fine, just a bit of binding during hard drives but as I investigated I found quite a few sticking and even seized pistons.
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  7. RedNeck

    RedNeck F1 Veteran
    BANNED Silver Subscribed

    Jul 8, 2016
    9,875
    The CSA
    Full Name:
    Me
    If I wasn't a DIY'er, there's no way I would own this car. The prices that people charge to do even the simplest of jobs on these is nothing less than offensive. I know a lot of people want to see those dealer receipts to pay a premium for a car that has had people that honestly don't really care about your car as much as you do, but IMO, it makes no sense to pay $20k in service so your car is worth another $10k. mine's a driver anyway. I don't have my book in front of me, but from memory, over the past 4 years I've done

    Ball joints
    brakes/rotors
    Complete interior carpet swap
    heat exchanger/runner gaskets (replaced a bunch of coolant hoses while it was apart)
    PS reservoir and hose
    upper tranny mount
    both cat ECU's
    coil packs
    injectors
    charcoal can and hoses/solenoids
    fluids
    ...I'm sure a bunch of crap I'm forgetting

    Currently in the process of major service/pulling cams for variator swap
     
  8. AandSC

    AandSC Formula Junior

    Dec 12, 2016
    757
    Jax, FL
    Full Name:
    Allen
    I think this is the conundrum we are all faced with. I don’t intend to ever sell my 430, and I prefer to know all the maintenance was done correctly, so I’ll continue to do my own maintenance as long as I’m physically able. I do keep thorough records so that should help some.

    Were you able to clean up your brake pistons or did you buy new ones?
     
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  9. Scottslaw

    Scottslaw Formula Junior

    That's super nice of you! I'm probably going to tackle the hoses this afternoon. The good thing about disassembling your own car is you get to indulge your OCD and clean everything up! My intake runners were pretty nasty. I think my car was overfilled with oil at some point as there were good puddles of oil in the top areas! My car being a track car, lots of hoses and gaskets were hard and brittle from years of heat cycles so I'm replacing everything that is suspect (especially all the oil recirculation/blow by hoses and components). It makes my hear full to see these clean runners. I literally spent 2 hours cleaning these suckers inside and out LOL!
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  10. Marcoboxer

    Marcoboxer Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 5, 2019
    292
    Alpharetta, GA
    Full Name:
    Mark Roberts
    I find it therapeutic to work on the car.....not so much when I hear a new noise after I've finished :)

    Engine mounts
    CV boots
    All fluids/service
    Replaced straps in the frunk for compressor/toolkit
    Exhaust mounts
    Diffuser replaced (broken tabs)
    TPMS sensors all round
    ScudIng F1 relay and indicator
    Found quite a few loose nuts and bolts while playing around, exhaust headers, tie rod on rear wheel, etc.

    Probably a ton of other things I'm forgetting, pretty sure the MAF's are us next & probably front ball joints.
     
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  11. S F

    S F Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    May 13, 2016
    164
    Texas
    Without the ability to DIY, this car, as well as many others that I have owned or currently own, would be unobtainable for me.

    I haven't done a lot to the 360 yet, just an oil change, coolant hose replacement and system bleed and a few other odds and ends. Planning to do the belt service and clutch when they come due, that should be fun :)
     
  12. marc996

    marc996 Karting

    May 12, 2019
    63
    Full Name:
    marc bethell
    As I said, the really strange thing about the brakes was that I thought they were fantastic and only expected to be cleaning up the front right. That caliper had a sticking piston and one that wouldn't move at all even when i stamped on the brake. The problem is that a patch of the nickel plating wears off the aluminium piston, which then corrodes and cause the piston to seize. On checking the rest of the calipers, the left front was even worse and the 2 rear just as bad.
    I would definitely recommend everyone with CCM brakes to do an inspection over winter.
    Its not worth trying to clean the faulty pistons as they will just continue to corrode, the solution is to replace with Stainless steel (Hills Engineering), which I've now done and changed the bleed nipples for stainless while I was at it .
     
  13. AandSC

    AandSC Formula Junior

    Dec 12, 2016
    757
    Jax, FL
    Full Name:
    Allen
    Definitely agree with cleaning things up! Those inlet runners look awesome! Makes me want to take mine off and clean them up. Almost. I’m attaching a couple pics that show my power steering fluid leak before cleaning and after as well as behind my front bumper when I took it off to repair the broken tabs. I really enjoy making things look new again. Will be interested in seeing how your engine looks after the clean up.

    Thanks very much for the feedback! My next annual service is going to be done in May so I’ll plan to look at mine then.
     

    Attached Files:

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  14. Enzo Sebastian

    Enzo Sebastian Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 2, 2020
    241
    Amsterdam
    Full Name:
    Laurence Sebastian
    Let’s just say I’m jealous of all you guys. Even though I know quite a bit about the technicalities, all of my BMW (M) cars and my current F430 I’ve had dealer or specialist treated. I do have a good working space, but it’s just the time... time is so limited!

    So many things I want to do in my life and working on my cars isn’t one of them.

    Driving them is, though.

    Also; I know it’s weird but here in Europe it’s pretty damn hard to try and sell your ‘DIY maintained sportscar’. People love dealer stamps.
     
  15. AandSC

    AandSC Formula Junior

    Dec 12, 2016
    757
    Jax, FL
    Full Name:
    Allen
    Enzo, I respect your philosophy. A lot of Americans spend a huge amount of time making their yards perfect. I write a check every month and hope to never do another minute of yard work, so it’s a matter of personal preference. I’m curious about the quality of automotive work in Europe vs. the U.S. I’ve had quality issues at least 95% of the time I, my friends or my daughter have taken cars to a dealership, so I don’t trust them to treat my cars the way I treat them. And like a number of folks have said, I like saving the money, so I can pay for yard work. :D:D
     
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  16. DeTomasoGTS74

    DeTomasoGTS74 Formula Junior

    Dec 13, 2016
    375
    Austin
    Full Name:
    Eric
    Amen. Drove my Scud home from its first (to me) dealer service and they didn’t tighten the bolts on the carbon fiber diffuser. Two of them fell off the car on the way home unbeknownst to me. I also noticed a nick that they caused on my 10 mill wrap that was just put on my car.

    The first two years the dealership on my Aston Martin was putting the V12 0W40 instead of the V8 0W60.

    My experience with main dealers has been that they care less than independents. Doing it yourself is the only way to guarantee it was done right.


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  17. Enzo Sebastian

    Enzo Sebastian Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 2, 2020
    241
    Amsterdam
    Full Name:
    Laurence Sebastian
    Well, first of all, I envy you guys for doing the work yourself as I said! What Eric says is just unacceptable, that shouldn't be the case when you leave your car with the dealer. However; I realize that in the US everything is bigger and also further apart. Here, living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands is quite small and both Belgium and Germany are close. You're on the other side of the country with a 2 hour drive. Meaning; we have 2 official dealerhips in The Netherlands and a few reputable specialists; visiting the one that you trust and has a ton of good reviews is only 2 hours away. The country is smaller, people talk, delivering bad service means death for the business.

    But you're right. If you want to have everything done perfectly, you need to do it yourself! That's also why my dental surgery clinic takes up all my time:p
     
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  18. Scottslaw

    Scottslaw Formula Junior

    Thanks for those pics AandSC! My issue is the lines are all oily at the reservoir. Reminds me of my old e36 m3 (same reservoir too). Every one of those I owned leaked at the reservoir junction as the hose clamp slices into an increasingly brittle/aged hose over time. Both the reservoir lines are coated in grime! Tackling tonight!

    Enzo, I get you! Time is limited and I have a lot of hobbies (surfing, ultra running, triathlon, etc...). Figure some time spent now will reap years of fun and savings after a sort out most of the items that bother me!
     
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  19. FiatAbarth850

    FiatAbarth850 Karting

    Aug 2, 2020
    100
    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
    Full Name:
    Bill H.
    AandSC, please tell us about the lift in your garage. How long have you had it? Is it as useful as you'd hoped it would be? Would you buy it again? Would you buy a different lift instead, different size/features/2 post? I'm just about to purchase a lift so am very interested in your feedback.

    I bought my 360 in August with some known maintenance/repair requirements that I'll tackle later this winter after I get my lift. I'll be doing steering rack rebuild (one end weeps a little), front lower ball joints, send immobilizer out for PIN extraction and fob programming, remove the huge, fancy aftermarket audio system and put in an OEM radio, chase down my P1154 code and do cam belts replacement. The car had a new clutch and absolutely perfect paint and interior which far out-weighed the mechanical issues in my purchasing decision. I can fix mechanical issues easily and cheaply, not so with body work.
     
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  20. Extreme1

    Extreme1 Formula 3

    Jun 27, 2017
    1,212
    Santa Clarita, CA
    I’m also a DIY’r. I’ve got a 2009 F430 that I bought in February. I’ve done the oil/filter change, gearbox oil/filter change, power steering fluid change, plugs and air filters. I’ve also tightened up the side mirrors that were loose. When it come time for a clutch, I’ll leave that to my local independent. While doing the maintenance, I’ve found missing bolts from the bottom pan and diffuser. Mismatched bolts in both, which really irritates. I don’t see why a lot of people want the dealer to do the servicing. They really don’t care about your car like you do.

    I have a boat, motorcycles, offroad cars, and 4 other street cars. I do all the maintenance so I know it’s done right. I couldn’t afford all my toys if I had to take them to someone for servicing. The engine oil change in my boat is $600, similar to the cost of my F430 dealer oil change. Ludicrous!


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  21. RANDY6005

    RANDY6005 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 9, 2017
    2,267
    Jacksonville
    Full Name:
    RANDY
    Last five years pretty much everything bumper to pumper and I mean even replacing bumpers lol.
     

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