Yes I did a search first, nothing specific for the 456 I could find except for this......
Yes I did a search first, nothing specific for the 456 I could find except for this... http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15142&highlight=456+Maintenance+costshttp://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15142&highlight=456+Maintenance+costs I think the best info so far was in Forza #53 May 2004... 15k: $2,500 30k: $6,300 Please share some real life experiences with maintenance issues and costs. How about the 456 as a daily driver? To me that would be a car that is reliable, good A/C, and easy to drive around town. How long does it take to really warm up? Is it like the 328 where you need to let it sit a couple minutes and then only drive low RPM's for another 10-15 while oil temp goes up? Thanks, rob
Not sure how much help this is going to be Rob, given that this is in the UK, but here goes. My car is a '99 M, manual, and I've had it for 4 years. I'm pretty sure this car was intended to be used as a daily driver. I don't use it that way, but that's personal preference. I usually warm it up for a couple of minutes (I do that with all my cars) but can't easily pull second until the car's gone 2-3 miles. Oil temp builds quickly, so I mean that literally. There is lots of torque, so 1st-> 3rd is no sweat. Positives Deceptively fast A real sense of occasion Goes over speed bumps I can see out of it eg rear and rear 3/4 The leather smells lovely I can actually get stuff in the trunk Benign handling Traffic gets out of my way (it doesn't in the Stradale BTW) I think it's gorgeous My kids love it Negatives Lazy engine Too much body roll when you really give it some Engine heat builds quickly, and in traffic you're reliant on the fans Nose is heavy so can ground out when going over yumps (ie airborne) Stock exhaust note is pathetic Poor turning circle Parts are expensive Running costs Thursday 3rd June Servicing/Repairs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Standard annual service @ Graypaul -Main cost this time is rear shocks needing replacing *again*, 3 yrs after I last did them. They're linked to the hydraulics so can't upgrade them. Including labour £1K. -Freed up parking brake cable which was sticking. -Very minor oil leak from cam seals held over until I get the belts done next year -MOT £1,959.00 Thursday 18th September 2003 Insurance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Insurance. Cheaper than last year, no mileage limit and £400 excess too. Thanks Ajay! £832.00 Friday 6th June 2003 Servicing/Repairs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Annual service. Resecured passenger door trim which had become loose because people keep SLAMMING the f'ing door Recharged air con MOT Noticed small coolant leak. Due to leak in hose that runs between cylinders- apparently very common in all current V12s. If you get to the 18K service without it leaking, suggest you get it changed as a precaution (£300 otherwise). £1,480.00 Friday 30th May 2003 Tyres -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rear Bridgestone SO2s down to wear marks but couldn't get anyone to supply replacements. All four tyres replaced with Michelin Pilot Sports. Hobsons choice. £860.00 Friday 10th January 2003 Servicing/Repairs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent the car up to Graypaul to arrange 'Power 2' warranty. Involves inspection of car at a cost of £250 + VAT. Car now has 2 yr unlimited claim, Ferrari-approved warranty that is transferable to another owner if that time comes. £2,060.00 Friday 10th January 2003 Servicing/Repairs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dinol anti-corrosion treatment (waxoyl-like) @ Graypaul. Nice job. They email you before and after photos. £330.00 Wednesday 7th August 2002 Servicing/Repairs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18K mile service & cam belts replaced by Graypaul. Car had lazy start & asked to replace battery. Car starts brilliantly now. Also did MOT, repaired stone chip in windscreen and replaced gaiter on ball joint. Used transporter to collect & deliver car. First time I have used Graypaul & VERY impressed. Not only cheaper than Maranello & Evans Halshaw but great customer service and the car looks immaculate. They even detailed the engine bay. £2,604.00 Tuesday 25th September 2001 Servicing/Repairs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bog standard service at Maranello Sales. Rear shock absorbers replaced under warranty £1,000.00
Thanks Kevin, exactly what I was looking for. In stop and go traffic, does it overheat or do the fans do their job? You say it's fast, but also a lazy engine. What do you mean by that? Doesn't rev very fast? What's the redline?
I own a 355 and just got a 95 456 GT a month ago in texas and drove it all the way to colorado. I have not had any problems... in the first month and have put 2,000 miles on it. Also when we got it up here.. we went over it with a fine tooth comb.. I have to do the belts because it is time.. but other than that it seems to run like a champ! It definately has power.. It does not corner as well as the 355, but it is designed as a touring car.. So it is great to get out on the highways and drive.. It rides more like a mercedes only with one hell of an engine!
Hi Rob You should also consider the Maserati Coupe. Other than paddle-shifter quirks (see "Other Italian"), mine has been absolutely reliable over the 5K miles that I have put on it. Basically, the newer paddle-shifter Maserati are more civilized (and less to my liking) than the older ones. I have even had it on the track a few times, and the have been pleasantly surprised by how well the car performs. The car is an absolute blast to drive. I considered a manual 456 briefly, but the Maserati has better handling (smaller car), worse ride, better acceleration to 100mph, more modern interior, and even better sound (stock exhaust). With all that said, for me the most important factor was getting a car under warranty (Masers come with 4yr, 50K miles) - compared to an out-of-warranty 5 year old 456. Definately take the time to drive the 456GT and the Maser Coupe back-to-back! You will be pleasantly surprised by the Maser! Best - Jon
No it doesn't overheat, because the fans are doing their job. You can hear the fans cutting in and out though, so you're very aware of the heat being generated. That said, I've been stuck in stop 'n go traffic for hours at a time with nothing untoward happening Exactly, it doesn't seem to rev that quickly up to 4K, then it takes off up to the 7K redline. It's quite turbine like. In the real world, it revs just fine, but in comparison to the V8 screamers you're used to, it will seem lazy. Until you glance at the speedo...
I have a 2003 456M GT, supposedly the last to leave the factory for the US...but not necessarily the last build if that makes sense. I have driven 3000K these past 6 months and got it new. It had the oil temperature sender or sensor go and the gauge shot up to redline...but it wasn't overheating. The dealer replaced it within a day. That's the only issue so far. I too have not experienced any high running temperatures (unlike my 550 which does not tolerate stop and go traffic). I love the way it handles...very balanced and i think it is deceptively quick. It rides so smoothly. The stock exhaust is quite tame but seems to fit the character of the car. I'm tempted to try the fuchs/cargraphic exhaust since hearing one out at Monterey this summer. Overall...a great daily driver that still feels special everytime i get in it. Also, I personally love that the gauges are all still analog and classic. The new techno dashes are distracting for me.
Some friends of a friend of mine have an '00-01 M, with 160,000kms on it. US car, but KM speedo. It is the driver, period. Has been pretty good for them, I can get more details, but the mere fact it has soooo many miles bodes well. They also have a 4cam with IIRC 420k kms on it...clean one owner. The way god intended. Remember, no hydraulic valves though, so shims/ service a bit more $. Sticks pretty uncommon here. FWIW
We don't get a lot of heat, like you might in Texas, but I have driven mine around town quite a bit on 100 degree days. No problem, no tendency to overheat, and the A/C is as good as any other car I own (which includes my wife's Lexus). It is a fine daily driver. It doesn't take long to warm up, although I do keep the revs low for the first ten minutes or so. I don't skip second gear or anything like that, however. If my work situation was different, it could be my daily driver (but my work entails leaving a car at the airport for several days, and I can't bring myself to do that with the 456). I will try to remember to check and see how much the major service cost the previous owner-- I am thinking around $7k, but I could be wrong.
Rob, I got my 1995 456GT in the beginning of April with 17,800 miles. It is now Sept, and the car has just a hair over 24,400 miles. Despite putting on 3600 miles in one week for the Player's Run, the car has run quite nicely and reliably (knock on wood, right?) Services completed: - Oil Change 4k miles ago Upgrades: - New wheels, lowered, and aligned - BMC Air Filters - Tubis (came with the car) Some Open Repair Items: - Windows were updated, but still need to adjust "thrust" on both sides - estimated cost to repair $500-600 - Speedo just stopped intermittently last week - may need new sending unit - have not priced yet - Passenger seat does not pull forward - latch requires adjustment - have not priced yet - A/C blows really cold air at coldest setting, but when set to other temps, it blows warm air at times - requires some additional research - Suspension bushings are old, so they squeak a bit - not a big deal, but may change them in the future Owner Experience: The experience that people are sharing are similar to mine - it seemed a bit lazy to start at the beginning (esp. compared to my challenge car)... but amazingly smooth and the powerband is huge. I love the torque and overall driveability of this vehicle. I haven't had more fun driving an understated, low-key ferrari ever! On the player's run, everyone was envious that I had 4 seats, cushy seats, and A/C that blew cold air all the time to travel cross-country. After putting on the wheels and lowering the car by 1", it is now much more aggressive looking and handles a lot better (less body roll). I am looking at a major service maybe sometime next spring/summer, so I don't know how much that will cost me yet. The only thing I find to be somewhat quirky is the electronics sometimes... sometimes, I'll get a check 1-6 light come on, then turn off... same with 7-12... then the self-leveling system light will turn on, then off. Other than these minor things, the car has been easy to drive and own and if you can find a good one for a decent price, I'd say GET IT! And to answer your question - the car seems to warm up pretty quickly... it runs warm in general, but the fans do the job nicely of keeping the car cool. Mine is a daily driver and I've driven it heavy so cal traffic numerous times w/o any problems. Let me know if you have more questions and I'll be happy to answer them for ya. Byron
Ohh, I'm not really in the position now to buy anything. I go back and forth between replacing my '93 325is with a more modern BMW or keeping it and just adding another horse to the stable. Right now I'm on a kick for the later, but promised Jennie to pay off the first two before looking for a third.
FYI, my major service cost $6k, from an authorized dealer. I have had very few problems. My air conditioning compressor gave out, which was not cheap, but other than that the car has been very reliable. I've put about 4k miles on it over the last year. My front end squeaks a bit too. Is that just bushings? My impression was that it was more involved, based largely on some posts here a few years back regarding front end squeaking on 550s.
Byron, could you elaborate on this bit please? From an entirely asthetic perspective I've considered lowering the suspension/fitting larger wheels, but was concerned it would destroy the ride and/or handling. You appear to be saying it's an improvement... I'm all ears! Kevin
I've heard Ferrari was never able to REALLY fix the windows. Is that just a rumor? Do they need yearly adjustments??
Kevin, I had taken my 456GT on the racetrack with stock wheels, street tires (Eagle F-1's), and stock suspension... it handled great. Some body roll (as can be expected from a large GT Car) However, since I've lowered my car and had it professionally aligned and corner balanced, it drives a lot tighter and does not seem to have as much body roll on cornering and on launches. Check my write up here: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24170&highlight=lowering+456Gt Toward the end of the thread, there is a post with a link to a document I threw together for those DIY'ers out there! Let me know if you want more details. Cheers, Byron
Thanks Byron! Your car looks great too. I do have a couple of questions if you don't mind; I've asked them before but no-one seemed to know, so getting them out on the main board will help clear them up: 1) Do you notice the ride and handling on normal roads to be improved/compromised? 2) Is ground clearance an issue? 3) You describe adjusting the springs as well as the self-levelling system, but suggest that you could get the effect by altering the self-levelling system only. Have I understood this correctly? Cheers Kevin
Thanks for the compliments, Kevin. Here are some answers to your questions: 1) The ride and handling is not compromised, as the aspect ratio with the new wheels and tires has not been altered. I went with 255/35ZR19 tires in the front and 295/30ZR19 tires in the rear. This maintained the original ratios with the 255/45ZR17 and 285/40ZR17 F/R's. I am still able to adjust the S/H/Medium dampening settings. Overall, a bit stiffer, but makes the car a bit sportier, IMO. 2) Ground clearance is not an issue. I have to watch the parking curbs a bit (I have to admit, I pull the car too far up sometimes!)... but as long as you make angling in/out of steep driveways a regular practice, I don't foresee this to be a problem... 3) You can probably achieve dropping the rear by lowering the self-leveling system only, but I would think that adjusting the spring collars as well is the correct method. Ideally, you would want the car to sit on the springs - if you have the spring collar set too high and just force the oil pressure too low on the shocks, I think you may run some risks of doing damage to your rear shocks when the car is fully laden. Check a few other threads on this - and speak to one of the f-chat consultants for more details on #3... (talk to fatbillybob or rexrcr) Hope this helps! Byron
I've had mine just over a year, and the windows have not needed any adjustment. I would guess that if the windows failed to go down and you slammed the door shut, you could knock them out of adjustment, but other than that I can't see any reason for trouble. Mine has been in pouring rain, etc., no problems.
I am a new proud owner of a magnificent 456 so i am looking for as much advise as is available can anybody please advise me as to where is the best place to buy service parts (kits) Belts ect.
I have owned my 1999 456mgt for three and a half years. Last year at about 20,000 miles I did the belt service(30,000 mile) and it was about 5,500 dollars. The rear shocks were leaking to the tune of about 2,500 dollars and the motor mounts for an additional 1.500to 1800 dollars. It was about 9500 for everything from the excellent Brian Crall. I love the torque and my three Bouviers fit in with luggage for several days very easily. I have MIchelin AS ( all season Pilot Sports) as the original Pilot Sports were worn out after 15,000 miles. the all seasons have great grip and are really great in the rain and snow but because of the width tend to pile up snow under them. An early spring drive on Highway 88 and down Olmo Ranch Road in Somerset. The AS Piltots were great at Laguna Seca two years ago. Limited warranty for 30,000 miles. A very fun car, and somewhat stealthy in darker colors. Good luck. Winston
