550 may have to go - opinions
Discussion
Looks like I am just about to be hit with a 7-8k service bill for the 550, which coupled with the £1.5K already spent this year means we are approaching the £10k mark. These are scary numbers and I have asked the dealer to give me a quote for the car i.e. I am seriously considering never setting foot in it again. If I really had the confidence that these sorts of bills were very rare I would probably stomach it, but somehow I just don't think this will be the case.
Are there any other 550 owners on PH who have experienced similar costs ?
I guess the reality is that running a Ferrari is proving too expensive and even though I do budget sensibly ( £3 - 4k per annum ), this year has just gone too far.
Do you think I'm mad to sell ? Would my costs be cut considerably if I bought a Porsche instead ?
Frostie
>> Edited by frostie on Wednesday 10th August 21:43
Are there any other 550 owners on PH who have experienced similar costs ?
I guess the reality is that running a Ferrari is proving too expensive and even though I do budget sensibly ( £3 - 4k per annum ), this year has just gone too far.
Do you think I'm mad to sell ? Would my costs be cut considerably if I bought a Porsche instead ?
Frostie
>> Edited by frostie on Wednesday 10th August 21:43
F355GTS said:
blimey what are they doing to it?
Known Items
===========
Anuual Service
Freeing up sticking handbrake - light permanently on.
Things found
============
New Discs + Pads
Oil leak which they say is 24hrs labour to fix - can't remember exact details as written down at work.
Track rod ends
Couple of other minor things, again written down at work so not to hand.
Trouble is one bill like this would be ok'ish but I'm no millionare and whilst I have a contingency fund for events like this I always told myself that if I had to use it, then it was time quit ownership.
Frostie
>> Edited by frostie on Wednesday 10th August 22:01
NO!!!!!!!! Can a good independent do the oil leak repair cheaper. Have you taken a second opinion that the oil leak warrants a repair, or do many cars experience the same problem and get around it by topping up the oil a bit more frequently?
The other stuff sounded like normal servicing and niggles.
DAZ
when i had the ferrari I had large bills like this from a main dealer.
Looking back now I wish i woould have saved the huge sums paid for what was fairly routine work and given the car to a god independant like verdi or similar.
Its a car after all - an associate of mine had a bill from a main dealer for £7K for a service and other items on a 348!! whats that all about!
The 550 is known as the best f car in terms of reliability and finish. Keep the car and take it to a guy that will charge sensible money to fix what is actually not that complicated a car!
Looking back now I wish i woould have saved the huge sums paid for what was fairly routine work and given the car to a god independant like verdi or similar.
Its a car after all - an associate of mine had a bill from a main dealer for £7K for a service and other items on a 348!! whats that all about!
The 550 is known as the best f car in terms of reliability and finish. Keep the car and take it to a guy that will charge sensible money to fix what is actually not that complicated a car!
She stays - I couldn't do it 
Managed to do a deal with them to include the 31k service plus all other work for a fixed price. I was going to delay the 31k until next year as currently at 27k. Hopefully ( fingers crossed, touch wood etc ) with all this work done the costs should be back to reasonable levels for the next year or two.
Frostie
>> Edited by frostie on Friday 12th August 08:27
Managed to do a deal with them to include the 31k service plus all other work for a fixed price. I was going to delay the 31k until next year as currently at 27k. Hopefully ( fingers crossed, touch wood etc ) with all this work done the costs should be back to reasonable levels for the next year or two.
Frostie
>> Edited by frostie on Friday 12th August 08:27
If this is with a main dealer, my advice would be to walk away and get a good relationship going with a decent indie (I can't rate Verdi highly enough, but if they're not close enough to you, I'm sure others will pipe up with recommendations).
Main dealers charge over 100 quid an hour typically (+VAT - I believe HR Owen are something like 110+VAT), so your 7.5k bill doesn't go very far if engine out and back in is 24hrs on its own (nearly half of it!)...
The other thing is, how long have you had the car (seem to recall you've had it a while now) and how many miles have you done?
What's your total outlay been? Did your 3-4k p.a. include insurance and tyres etc or not?
Seriously though, if you're not already using an indie, do so. It'll bring back that warm glow again - won't stop you having to open your wallet mind. But it will stop you having to bend over with a pot of vaseline when you do.
Main dealers charge over 100 quid an hour typically (+VAT - I believe HR Owen are something like 110+VAT), so your 7.5k bill doesn't go very far if engine out and back in is 24hrs on its own (nearly half of it!)...
The other thing is, how long have you had the car (seem to recall you've had it a while now) and how many miles have you done?
What's your total outlay been? Did your 3-4k p.a. include insurance and tyres etc or not?
Seriously though, if you're not already using an indie, do so. It'll bring back that warm glow again - won't stop you having to open your wallet mind. But it will stop you having to bend over with a pot of vaseline when you do.
maclf01 said:
One word: Sagaris.
What an excellent piece of advice.
NOT.
If you want a high performance car you can actually drive now again a TVR is the last thing you need! The only thing about their new 3 year guarantee is that they can guarantee your car will spend most of its 3 years in the workshop.
Signed
A scarred former TVR owner
>> Edited by hazy on Sunday 14th August 21:01
Thanks for everyones comments...
Have used indies for everything until earlier this year, but have swapped back to the dealers for various reasons.
Have had 3 TVR's so even if I was going to sell it certainly wouldn't be another one. I love them to bits but couldn't stand another year where the car was in the garage about 1 week in 4. I am yet to be convinced that NS has really improved the quality of the cars coming out of blackpool
Waiting until end of year to decide what I am going to do going forward.
Frostie
Have used indies for everything until earlier this year, but have swapped back to the dealers for various reasons.
Have had 3 TVR's so even if I was going to sell it certainly wouldn't be another one. I love them to bits but couldn't stand another year where the car was in the garage about 1 week in 4. I am yet to be convinced that NS has really improved the quality of the cars coming out of blackpool
Waiting until end of year to decide what I am going to do going forward.
Frostie
frostie said:
which coupled with the £1.5K already spent this year means we are approaching the £10k mark.
.. and that's before depreciation has bitten which could see that number doubled.
I do wonder how many dealers get new business by quoting owners high maintenance costs causing them to panic-offload their cars.
gt2man-2 said:
which coupled with the £1.5K already spent this year means we are approaching the £10k mark.
.. and that's before depreciation has bitten which could see that number doubled.
I do wonder how many dealers get new business by quoting owners high maintenance costs causing them to panic-offload their cars.
Doubled ? More like trebled. Probably also the reason why people keep them for such a long time. For most models the depreciation curve doesn't slow down considerably until they are at least 10 yrs old.
I suppose if you thought about it too much you would never buy one in the first place.
Frostie
This is quite alarming as I have just bought a 550. Have I just made a very expensive mistake?? May be worth having a look at the Warranty Works Platinum policy - £2500 for 3 years for the 550. If you contact them they will increase the single claim limit to a more sensible level for a bit more money, and believe it or not this warranty includes one clutch if required per warranty period! Well worth a look and I will probably go down this route when my Power One Approved Warranty expires.
Thoughts/comments???
Roger
Thoughts/comments???
Roger
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