550 Maranello Cambelt Change Frequency?

[roygarth]

Is it 3 years regardless of mileage?

[johnnyreggae]

Three years or 30 000 miles

[mon the fish]

Although allegedly 5 years in the US...

[phib]

Yes three years regardless of mileage

Phib

[roygarth]

Thanks guys, you've confirmed my worst fears. Big bill next year

[phib]

I only know this as I had to have mine done this year .... thinking it was next year !!! £1,500 all in for major and belts which I didn't think was too bad relatively !!

All I can think is its gone up by more that £1500 this year as a positive !!

Phib

[Anjum]

Every three years. Mandatory. But I would change mine every other year - as there is a cooling hose that runs down the middle of the V - which perishes from the inside. If this fails, you'll have a bigger bill. I got this done by an independent Ferrari service agent. The bill wasn't too bad (£1,500ish) - but is definitely worth thinking about.

[johnnyreggae]

The replacement factory hose is an upgraded item and probably should be done at next major if no evidence of previous fitment

[barnato]

I have a 612 which has a recommended belt change schedule of 5 years according to the service book. The basic engine in the 550 is the same, and the belt part number is the same for the 550 and 612. I believe the latest kevlar belts are somewhat improved compared to original 550 unit. Of course it depends on how hard you drive and what mileage you are doing, as well as time, and nobody wants the consequences of a broken belt, but a 3 year cycle is probably overkill for these cars. For more opinions, this topic occasionally raises it's head on ferrarichat, where majority of contributors are US based, where the recommended schedule has always been 5 yrs.

[johnnyreggae]

barnato said:

the recommended schedule has always been 5 yrs.

This is not entirely accurate - the TSB from May 2008 gives a 575 assembly number after which the five year rule applies but is clear it does not apply to earlier cars - whether you accept that is another matter...

[Drclarke]

I had one of these new in Dec 1997 and I quite clearly remember we were without the car to drive to a friends for New Years eve in 2000 because it was away having its belt service. So it was three years back then, but I wanted to keep the warranty intact hence why it was done even though i had only done a few thousand miles in it.

[Ferrariboy575]

550 requires belts every 3 years

575 requires belts every 5 years (updated belt design)


Changing the water hoses in the "V" of the engine is a must on these big Bruts, I've had both done on the 550 & the 575 & it's only a £500 all in.

Rardley Motors Ferrari Specialists in Grayshott, Surrey will replace with Samco silicone hoses.