Hello everyone, I'm interested to know what it's like working for Ferarri as a service technician. I'm in my third of four years of technical training and currently work for a luxury brand. I have always been a Ferarri man. I live in Alberta Canada and am interested to know your guys' experiences with working for/ around Ferarri(s). What did you like about it? What are some things you didn't like about it? How does the stress differ from working on, say, 150k cars to +300k cars? How are Ferrari's training programs? Ah, So many questions! Thanks for your time!
Dealer environment or independent shop? I imagine it'd be very different. Not sure too many people here would be able to answer your questions however.
Welcome & good luck with your career - there have been similar threads in the general section at the top over the years so it could be worth looking there even if it does not specifically cover Alberta
I have answered this so much I really dont want to go through it again. But a short version. I have done it for over 40 years. It has turned into a terrible career path and from my perspective a terrible job. If I had a, at this point grandson wanting to do it i'd do everything possible to stop him. If on the other hand it was still like it was 40 years ago I'd do it again in a heart beat. If you want to spend your day diagnosing body modules and fixing infotainment systems....well it still sucks. The restoration side of the business is looking for good people. If you want to do exotics and like old cars that would be a way to go. Go with one of the big ones in the USA like Pat Ottis, Paul Russell, MPI, Bob Smith etc. But in the interview process ask about their plan for transition of power when they retire. They are all very close to that and it is a serious problem. Seems there are no younger people capable and wanting to take over the reins. We have all talked about that. If this industry disappears that will be the reason.
Excellent answer Brian. Modern dealer work is so much about doing what a diagnostic computer tells you and then changing a part. Working at Ferrari would not be too different to any other brand in a dealership and all the cars will start looking the same after a while. It is a bit like thinking that eating ice cream every day will be fun and then you get into it and realize that ice cream is best served as a treat. That said the restoration route is very different as each project is different and requires a lot of brain power to get right. Restoration can be very rewarding and few people really do it well.
My advice would be to skip the automotive sector altogether and move to aviation. An aviation airframe and powerplant tech works on multi-million dollar equipment with state of the art tools in a spotlessly clean environment. Pay is excellent and many offer benefits like free air travel.
Over the yeas I knew a large number of guys from the car business who went to aviation and nearly all came back. They considered it mindless drudgery. One or two I know stayed for the benefit packages but I do not recall any who liked the work. The car industry traditionally had a lot of A+Ps for that reason. 2 of the guys I knew at United in San Francisco transferred into ground handling equipment because the airplanes bored them into a coma. One eventually left and I hired him, the other stayed for the retirement package but never did get his retirement because of strikes and layoffs.
I was shop foreman in one of the largest Ferrari dealers in the wold. A few years ago I met my counterpart in another one of the big ones. He asked how I liked being out of the dealer network. I asked how he liked fixing infotainment systems. He just looked at the floor and said, "Yea, I know what you mean".
Years ago (when at FoW and working on a 250 "GTO" project) I chickened out asking if Bob Wallace would want an apprentice. 2005-2009ish. Not sure if his wife was still in his care (only heard stories) and I don't know what he might've said, but my lack of stones for something I would have truly enjoyed is on the list of regrets.
Learn the old stuff. They are fun and enjoyable to work on. That ended with the 458. Anything newer is a nightmare to work on. Better yet..open up a high-end shoe store..you would be better off.
Left a year after the release of the 458.. Glad I did, never looked back and have no regrets. Knew what we were in for the coming years. Had NO interest in it at that point. Plus I was due to retire anyway.. Correct .. the "Old stuff" it was almost fun. Unfortunately those days are gone for new techs..My..how times have changed..
I enjoy the diagnostics side of the job so it is intriguing however i do understand how it can get boring
That was always a speciality and why I have stayed in the service side and not the restoration. But not really that much real diagnosis anymore. In a modern car environment once you have figured out what component is broken a new one gets plugged in. The reality is in most cases its a cheaper way to fix things. Its also about as interesting as being in the UAW throwing cars together. What I am doing is rapidly going the way of making buggy whips. Not exactly a long term potential. Stay away.
Find a job that will afford you the ability to purchase and tinker on your own collection of cars. Fixing cars..any cars for a living requires a certain amount of idiocy not found in most people.
