Ferrari 550, 1 owner, only 109,000 miles FSH.Well would you?
Discussion
Ok I will get cracking on some pictures. Car is currently up on the jacks as a armoured cable to a cat thermocouple had frayed and was on its last legs - new part coming DHL from Maranello today. Laughable placement of the cable around the exhaust with excess cable lost at the cat end rather than the exhaust-ECU-end under the front wings....will rectify this or it will just happen again.
Other work - drivers door is currently disassembled due to excess rattling and a worn (clunky) check strap, replacement part also on order from Maranello, should arrive today. Apparently a common issue. Rattling seems to be coming from an offending piece of metal that had dropped into the door well...trying to figure out where from! Everything else inside the door looks fine.
Couple of photos - engine bay with refinished cam covers and new radiator shroud + numerous pipes / hoses etc. Had all hoses inside the 'V' replaced with Cambelts as they are prone to perishing and splitting from heat due to their location.....tuppence part but enormous labour so made sense whilst the belts were being done. Final photo - refinished hubs.
Other work - drivers door is currently disassembled due to excess rattling and a worn (clunky) check strap, replacement part also on order from Maranello, should arrive today. Apparently a common issue. Rattling seems to be coming from an offending piece of metal that had dropped into the door well...trying to figure out where from! Everything else inside the door looks fine.
Couple of photos - engine bay with refinished cam covers and new radiator shroud + numerous pipes / hoses etc. Had all hoses inside the 'V' replaced with Cambelts as they are prone to perishing and splitting from heat due to their location.....tuppence part but enormous labour so made sense whilst the belts were being done. Final photo - refinished hubs.
Absolutely correct. One of the ones I saw was so sad it was pitiful..."30,000" miles - discovered it had had an engine change as numbers didnt match.....reason "hit debris on the motorway" which supposedly passed through the radiator grill and into the engine bay. Suspect to say the least, especially as the C pillar on the drivers side had a noticeable kink in it!! Can never be too careful - I even phoned the ferrari dealer who had previously sold it after its engine change and they said it was "a perfectly straight car as far as they knew..." hmmmmm.
Much happier with a genuine high mileage car which I can fettle rather than a pig cut and shut job that is only fit for the scrap heap...even if it has only done 20,000 miles!!
Will keep you posted on works.
Much happier with a genuine high mileage car which I can fettle rather than a pig cut and shut job that is only fit for the scrap heap...even if it has only done 20,000 miles!!
Will keep you posted on works.
Update.....
The thermocouple issue turned out to be a fried relay close to the fuse board. The result of which was that the ECU believed the left hand cat was overheating and was therefore shutting down the left bank of cylinders, whilst dispaying "SLOW DOWN" in red on the dash (see poor pic) This has now been rectified and the car is 'running on 12' again and very sweetly so. Left hand cat thermocouple + armoured cable replaced as well as it needed doing.
Driver door check strap has been replaced along with new gasket and new roller pin - it is now silent and 'as new'. In the picture note the old part in the foreground and new in the background and the worn 'peak' on the old part. The strap bearing was also very tired on the old part.
Interior needs work...rear parcel shelf carpeting is loose and needs attention. Dash leather is also a little tired (esp glovebox cover). Considering a change of carpet throughout from midnight blue to beige to bring a little extra light into the cabin. Drivers seat also needs attention where bolster is worn etc.....Off to J. Mussell & Son to look at re connolising + colouring the seats and carpet options.
Slightly more ominous is the knocking from the front left wheel which was initially believed to be worn bushes....about £1k per corner to put right. On closer inspection it transpires to be the shock mounting/rose joint that has worked its way loose. Cheaper to put right but slightly concerning as the car had new springs and dampers at 84k at large expense, which leads me to believe that the job wasnt done to a particularly high standard.
Still a great looking car despite its current flaws....
The thermocouple issue turned out to be a fried relay close to the fuse board. The result of which was that the ECU believed the left hand cat was overheating and was therefore shutting down the left bank of cylinders, whilst dispaying "SLOW DOWN" in red on the dash (see poor pic) This has now been rectified and the car is 'running on 12' again and very sweetly so. Left hand cat thermocouple + armoured cable replaced as well as it needed doing.
Driver door check strap has been replaced along with new gasket and new roller pin - it is now silent and 'as new'. In the picture note the old part in the foreground and new in the background and the worn 'peak' on the old part. The strap bearing was also very tired on the old part.
Interior needs work...rear parcel shelf carpeting is loose and needs attention. Dash leather is also a little tired (esp glovebox cover). Considering a change of carpet throughout from midnight blue to beige to bring a little extra light into the cabin. Drivers seat also needs attention where bolster is worn etc.....Off to J. Mussell & Son to look at re connolising + colouring the seats and carpet options.
Slightly more ominous is the knocking from the front left wheel which was initially believed to be worn bushes....about £1k per corner to put right. On closer inspection it transpires to be the shock mounting/rose joint that has worked its way loose. Cheaper to put right but slightly concerning as the car had new springs and dampers at 84k at large expense, which leads me to believe that the job wasnt done to a particularly high standard.
Still a great looking car despite its current flaws....
Edited by PHAB on Friday 17th August 23:25
As above, great to see someone being so meticulous and taking their time.
I dare say it'll be in a much more driveable condition than one that had done a tenth of the mileage in the same time, and you wouldn't feel so precious driving it all the time given the mileage as well.
Looks beautiful in that colour combo so just enjoy it in good health!
I dare say it'll be in a much more driveable condition than one that had done a tenth of the mileage in the same time, and you wouldn't feel so precious driving it all the time given the mileage as well.
Looks beautiful in that colour combo so just enjoy it in good health!
My 355 was first owned by the same chap. He only had it 12 months before part exchanging it for the 550 but in the 12 months did 12500 miles!
Mine is also TdF blue with tan but the carpets are bordeaux which really looks the part. Might be worth considering if you change the carpets in the 550?
Mine is also TdF blue with tan but the carpets are bordeaux which really looks the part. Might be worth considering if you change the carpets in the 550?
Thanks for the photos.....red carpets is an interesting choice.
Went down to Mussells yesterday who were very helpful...have decided to keep the carpets the same colour (footwell carpets are practically as new). I am going to replace the rear shelf with a high quality navy jaguar wilton carpet (which is exactly the same colour as the current carpets but much higher quality), re connolise and colour both the seats, repair the piping to the drivers seat and re leather the passenger airbag cover. Booked in for early October.
As I was taking the interior apart I was pretty disappointed to find all sorts of evidence of poor workmanship - broken clips, wrong screws used, tape to hold down the rear carpet (which had rotted!).....coupled to items such as the brake duct not being reconnected properly underneath the car when the ABS sensor to the left front was replaced, I cant help but feel that the much touted mechanic at the much touted Ferrari specialist isnt quite all that...
In the meantime the car is going back to PanelCraft Elite who did the respray because the windscreen seal isnt perfect and the bootlid paint job isnt up to scratch! See photo.... They have been very good about it and agreed to sort it all without charge.
Rose joint is being seen to in a couple of weeks too....will report back when the work is completed.
Went down to Mussells yesterday who were very helpful...have decided to keep the carpets the same colour (footwell carpets are practically as new). I am going to replace the rear shelf with a high quality navy jaguar wilton carpet (which is exactly the same colour as the current carpets but much higher quality), re connolise and colour both the seats, repair the piping to the drivers seat and re leather the passenger airbag cover. Booked in for early October.
As I was taking the interior apart I was pretty disappointed to find all sorts of evidence of poor workmanship - broken clips, wrong screws used, tape to hold down the rear carpet (which had rotted!).....coupled to items such as the brake duct not being reconnected properly underneath the car when the ABS sensor to the left front was replaced, I cant help but feel that the much touted mechanic at the much touted Ferrari specialist isnt quite all that...
In the meantime the car is going back to PanelCraft Elite who did the respray because the windscreen seal isnt perfect and the bootlid paint job isnt up to scratch! See photo.... They have been very good about it and agreed to sort it all without charge.
Rose joint is being seen to in a couple of weeks too....will report back when the work is completed.
W111AAM said:
My 355 was first owned by the same chap. He only had it 12 months before part exchanging it for the 550 but in the 12 months did 12500 miles!
Mine is also TdF blue with tan but the carpets are bordeaux which really looks the part. Might be worth considering if you change the carpets in the 550?
Mine is also TdF blue with tan but the carpets are bordeaux which really looks the part. Might be worth considering if you change the carpets in the 550?
You sir have my perfect car, well done that man!
Update.....
Work carried out so far (in addition the above).
- complete undertray off clean and touch up of the underneath and wheel arches out. 100,000 miles had taken its toll on the trays and arches and there was quite a bit of build up of crud etc on suspension etc etc. New clips/fixings from europarts (fantastic) (36 in total for the trays + numerous for wheel arches). All areas that needed it were stripped, kurust'd and re painted - suspension components etc.
- All interior clips/fixings replaced. Totally rattle free now.
- New "designo Pininfarina" wing badges
- New shiny chrome gearknob and air con control surround
- Knocking from front left was indeed a badly worn rose joint - there was no rubber left on it just the locating pin rattling around inside the metal bush. Replaced @ Rardley Motors (excellent)
- Slight (very very slight) vibration coming through the steering column.....was due to the fact that the engine rubber mountings had sunk and the engine was partially resting on top of the steering rack - common problem with 550s. New mounts with 'ears' ensure that the engine cannot sink again. Fixed. (Rardley again) Worth noting the car has already had the uprated steering rack installed at great expense. (leaking racks are another common problem on 550s - original rack was superceded to fix this I believe).
Car now running like silk, totally rattle/knock free. Engine and gearbox are absolutely A*. Need to strip down drivers door again as there is a fix for drivers window leaning too far forward and not sealing fully. Will strip it down and take down to Rardley to sort in due course.
Car is now due in at Panel Craft Elite (for boot paint/laquer correction and windscreen resealing) and Mussells for leather restoration and new carpets.......getting there!! Experience is proving to be extremely enlightening.....especially if I ever come to buy another 550....anyone know where an Azzuro Blue RHD might be hiding??!!
Work carried out so far (in addition the above).
- complete undertray off clean and touch up of the underneath and wheel arches out. 100,000 miles had taken its toll on the trays and arches and there was quite a bit of build up of crud etc on suspension etc etc. New clips/fixings from europarts (fantastic) (36 in total for the trays + numerous for wheel arches). All areas that needed it were stripped, kurust'd and re painted - suspension components etc.
- All interior clips/fixings replaced. Totally rattle free now.
- New "designo Pininfarina" wing badges
- New shiny chrome gearknob and air con control surround
- Knocking from front left was indeed a badly worn rose joint - there was no rubber left on it just the locating pin rattling around inside the metal bush. Replaced @ Rardley Motors (excellent)
- Slight (very very slight) vibration coming through the steering column.....was due to the fact that the engine rubber mountings had sunk and the engine was partially resting on top of the steering rack - common problem with 550s. New mounts with 'ears' ensure that the engine cannot sink again. Fixed. (Rardley again) Worth noting the car has already had the uprated steering rack installed at great expense. (leaking racks are another common problem on 550s - original rack was superceded to fix this I believe).
Car now running like silk, totally rattle/knock free. Engine and gearbox are absolutely A*. Need to strip down drivers door again as there is a fix for drivers window leaning too far forward and not sealing fully. Will strip it down and take down to Rardley to sort in due course.
Car is now due in at Panel Craft Elite (for boot paint/laquer correction and windscreen resealing) and Mussells for leather restoration and new carpets.......getting there!! Experience is proving to be extremely enlightening.....especially if I ever come to buy another 550....anyone know where an Azzuro Blue RHD might be hiding??!!
- will try to get some more pictures up when I can. Anyone have any tips on polishing headlight lenses.....front end is concours but let down by the stone chipped lenses, have been told simple wet'n'dry paper up to very very fine grades and then a polish but really...sandpaper?!!
Edited by PHAB on Friday 31st August 11:14
Fabulous PHAB !!
My best pal was seriously thinking of buying the ex Clapton Giallo Fly 550 a while back and I very nearly took the plunge too !
Grigio ( Bad Boys ) with Red is the Only colour for me, but to finance one would mean the CSL , the Griff , the 3000E etc would all have to go , it took me all of 28 years to get my CSL and I just can't part with her yet , but one day .....
What's the performance like ? Handling ? Etc etc .
Last week I stumbled across a blue 550 that Doesn't apear to have moved for some time...... And I just Can't stop thinking about it ......
My best pal was seriously thinking of buying the ex Clapton Giallo Fly 550 a while back and I very nearly took the plunge too !
Grigio ( Bad Boys ) with Red is the Only colour for me, but to finance one would mean the CSL , the Griff , the 3000E etc would all have to go , it took me all of 28 years to get my CSL and I just can't part with her yet , but one day .....
What's the performance like ? Handling ? Etc etc .
Last week I stumbled across a blue 550 that Doesn't apear to have moved for some time...... And I just Can't stop thinking about it ......
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