DIY supercars
You'd be mad to service your own supercar, wouldn't you? Not according to these PHers!
This isn't as unusual as you might think, and we've found plenty of supercar owners willing to get oil under their fingernails. What is clear is they don't do this to save money, but because they enjoy the experience and it enhances their pleasure of owning the cars.
Ian van Reenen grew up watching his dad work on cars before graduating to fixing his own pushbikes and cars. He says: "I've yet to own a new car and so everything I have bought has always needed some level of TLC and I can happily say that I have 35 years of amateur wrenching behind me. My Ferraris are no different in that I can't imagine not opening them up to chase down a rattle or replace a worn part. To me the time spent with the car in my garage is half the pleasure of ownership, and the mechanical understanding you develop helps on the road as well. My cars still go to specialists DK Engineering once a year for their annual check and to ensure that anything that I have done myself is completely to spec."
While he's happy to tackle most jobs, Ian recognises there are limitations: "I think doing basic work on supercars has become more common nowadays due to the availability of information. It does tend to gravitate to those with older cars (10 years-plus) not only due to the complexity of newer cars and the introduction of five or seven-year warranties, but also because those who like to pick up a spanner also seem to prefer the more analogue cars.
"Working on a supercar does introduce some difficulties but probably not the ones people assume. Yes, some tasks require specialist electronic diagnostic tools but that's no different to any other modern car. Access is probably the biggest differentiator. Supercars are so tightly packaged that getting to anything often involves removing a few perfectly functional parts simply to reach the part you need."
This doesn't mean larger jobs are beyond the home mechanic, as Reeves Knyght proves: "I do all the maintenance on my Lamborghini Murcielago that doesn't require specialist equipment. To date that's only one task - a clutch change. For the e-gear car, bleeding the clutch requires the factory service computer to operate the valves of the e-gear 'box. This procedure requires the engine and 'box to be connected outside the car and special, very long cables connect the engine and transmission to the ECUs in the car while the gearbox is bled sat next to the car. After this, the engine and 'box combination can be put back in the car with a long reach engine hoist, same as was used to remove the combo. I have had a Lambo tech come to my house to do the bleed and I did the rest."
Don't think Reeves has access to a lavishly equipped workshop, though, as all of this work has been carried out in the underground car park of his apartment block in central London. So, what's the motivation? Ian says: "One of the reasons I do my own work on the Ferrari are the shortcuts on maintenance many people do. I don't know if it's at the previous owner's behest or just bad workshops. When I first went to do a clutch change, and removed the engine bay covers, I found sandwich wrappers. Not an auspicious start. Despite a book stamped for major services performed, there was evidence of parts that should have been replaced, still original and unchanged. I think part of the problem is when something goes wrong, owners often opt not to fix or replace items until they completely fail due to parts and labours costs. When you service yourself, it's only the parts price and you tend to replace things to prevent future issues."
That attitude has stood David Such in good stead. The Aston Martin Vanquish owner is now something of an expert in the model to the point his enthusiasm has grown into a part-time business. He says: "Dealers have to work to a timeframe that the cars don't always want to allow. Doing the work myself allows me to step back, think about what I'm doing and take that extra bit of care when completing jobs without racking up bills at up to £120 an hour. I can spend two hours undoing one bolt and walk away if it gets frustrating, but the sense of personal achievement at doing a great job is worth all the frustration."
All of these owners recommend buying the best possible tools and keeping meticulous records and all receipts to prove the work has been done. It also helps protect the car's future value.
So how does working on your supercar at home actually affect its worth? Aldous Voice runs AV Engineering, a Ferrari and Maserati specialist, and his view is this: "If you had four identical cars, the one with a main dealer service history will always be worth more than one that has been serviced by an independent. An owner-serviced car will be worth less but more than one with no history. Just how much less is dependent on a number of things, most importantly the model of car. An owner-serviced 458 would be a nightmare to sell but a 308 that had been maintained by a retired engineer would be favourably looked upon."
So, working on your supercar at home isn't impossible and won't adversely affect its value. As Reeves Knyght says: "Supercars are just cars, and with a factory manual and some useful links on the internet, anyone can work on them."
Anyway, I only work on my own st boxes but would happily work on a Ferrari or likewise if I owned one, all part of the experience IMHO
OK, a cambelt change needs the engine to come out, but it drops out on its own cradle and, once out, access to everything is obviously great. If only I had the garage space to do it...
For an excellent DIY Ferrari thread, head over to Club Scuderia and search for long threads by Terry.
Today 50 years later there is no way I would let most "experts" work on any of my cars. The only area I use an expert is in electronic stuff, which keeps advancing so quickly I have never been able to catch up, let alone keep up with it.
Fortunately my son is pretty good with that stuff, & we have a real expert to go to when in doubt, [fairly often with the modern stuff].
I am the most critical member of this towards the other members who dont take any interest in the mechanical side of their cars in my view you are not an enthusiast if you dont take a mechanical interest .
So i was very impressed reading about these PHers working on their supercars It proves they are real enthusiast. This is the sort of person an enthusiast should be These are the real heroes of the site . If I wanted to know something about one of these cars these are the people I would be talking too .
I know the 1.9 Citroen Berlingo engine inside out but I am keen to lean about supercars !
Today 50 years later there is no way I would let most "experts" work on any of my cars. The only area I use an expert is in electronic stuff, which keeps advancing so quickly I have never been able to catch up, let alone keep up with it.
Fortunately my son is pretty good with that stuff, & we have a real expert to go to when in doubt, [fairly often with the modern stuff].
That said, there is no technical reason at all why a competent home mechanic can't service and do basic repairs on a supercar in the same way they can any other car. I think there's a lot of unjustified mystique around supercar engineering. Yes you might have eye-wateringly expensive, exotically constructed components, and more recently some hideously complex electronics, but the fundamental principles are no different to any other car.
There is also a vibrant club/ownership scene with a huge background of knowledge.
I have had a couple of jobs done at dealers though due to complexity/time.
The car is used year round not just summer but wintertime usually means pre-planned jobs. This autumn/winter has a few lined up.
A house move is planned this autumn and the garage there is under"planning", a scissor lift being on the list.
Over the years a good toolkit has been built up, many being my dad's tools.
So, my views are do what you are capable and confident to do. It is surprising what is pissible.
I've always wanted to be able to do the mechanics myself but never been brave enough - the fear of my car not working again scares me.
Perhaps this will motivate me to get an old car that I can do the works on - trouble is which car ?
I do the same but on my bikes (pedal powered). I get satisfaction from doing stuff myself and I genuinely enjoy the majority of it Plus I know if I do it myself that it’s done right: I lack confidence in the majority of bike shops. And I like learning more about how increasingly complex mountain-bikes work. I taught myself to build wheels from scratch despite pre-built off-the-shelf wheels usually being cheaper than buying the separate components, so it’s not about any £££ saving –inevitably anything I might save ends up being spent on ‘upgrades’.
Vehicles however, perhaps I’ve not owned anything special enough or just lack the skills/confidence, but I view maintenance as a necessary evil and can’t wait to get it finished. Or in most cases just pay a garage to get it done.
Have changed the oil twice and installed an exhaust on my R8 V10, quite satisfying as both jobs are labour intensive, but along with brake discs and pads is about the limit I would take it.
I have little trust of the main dealer though.
To be honest, I enjoy the spannering more than the driving, that's why I get sheddy
Alfas and rebuild them.
Sadly, my daily cars tend to be newer (I had Company cars for years until I managed to get paid off from the scheme) and like many I get them dealer serviced to maintain their resale value, having got crucified on a selling a youngish Subaru that I'd looked after myself.
The quality of work from dealers can be extremely poor - I'm servicing my daughter's Fabia now after a protracted run in with the dealer over faults that I found post service.
I'd love to read some more detailed articles by the people mentioned in the original post, it would be great to get a feel of what challenges supercar servicing and maintenance consists of.
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