Ford GT vs 360 Challenge Stradale vs 911 GT3

[mAdD INDIAN]

The Ford GT is probably a 100x times more reliable than a Ferrari.

Hell a Taurus is probably more reliable than any Ferrari ever made.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN
The Ford GT is probably a 100x times more reliable than a Ferrari.

Hell a Taurus is probably more reliable than any Ferrari ever made.

So true...the people that are using reliability as a reason to knock the GT obviously don't know how notoriously bad Ferraris are.

http://www.edmunds.com/used/2001/ferrari/550/100000880/roadtestarticle.html?articleId=49771&editorialpage=page003

As we continued on our way, the instruments suddenly went dead. As everything else appeared in order, we assumed it was just a fuse and continued down the road. Soon, we noticed the instrument lights perceptibly dimming; the skid control and ABS failure lights also came on, accompanied by a faint whiff of (what smelt like) overheated wiring. This was obviously more than a fuse.

Stopping the car, we tried the obvious: changing the fuse. Ferrari thoughtfully includes a tool kit with each vehicle. Inside are the usual assortment of hand tools along with a range of fuses and even a much-needed flashlight. Not surprisingly, changing the fuse did nothing. The instruments were still dead. Unfortunately, the car now refused to start. Turning the key produced the tick, tick, tick of an almost-dead battery.

Looking on the bright side, this gave us a golden opportunity to test out Ferrari's free roadside assistance. After calling the 800 number, we were assured by a customer service rep that a flatbed truck would be out within 45 minutes to return the car to the dealership for repair. Just a few minutes after the time promised, a truck arrived. The driver had obviously done this kind of thing before and knew the tricks necessary to avoid damaging the (very low-slung) front spoiler. Thirty minutes later, the 550 was on its way back to the dealership.

The next day, our curiosity in overdrive, we checked in with the dealer to learn what kind of fault could have resulted in such a catastrophic systems failure. First we were told the alternator was being replaced, but even as non-mechanics we knew this couldn't be the real problem. It took another day to get to the root of the problem: the oil temperature gauge. Don't laugh. Apparently on some cars, Ferrari's included, the electrical system is set up in such a way that if the wrong component blows, it brings down the whole system. With a Ferrari, the oil temperature gauge is just such a component. This still seems hard to fathom, so we will get more detail and report back next month.

The solution was, obviously, to replace the gauge. But as we are starting to learn, exotic cars are called exotics for a reason. In this case, it is because oil temperature gauges are not a stock part with Ferrari North America. The part would have to come from Italy, and we were told the car would be ready the next week.

We had a better idea. Past experience with out-of-stock parts had taught us that there is no guarantee when the part will arrive. And the oil temperature gauge didn't seem a "mission critical" part anyway ? especially during the break-in period. (After all, there is also a coolant temperature gauge and that was working fine.) Why not disconnect the gauge and put the car back together? We would bring the car back to complete the repair whenever the new gauge arrived.

You will recall from last month's update, we dropped our 550 off with our dealer for a series of small repairs. We had scheduled an appointment that was about a week later than we originally requested, as the dealership service department was busy. The plan was to leave the car at the dealer on a Sunday afternoon and pick it up the following Friday.

When we checked on the car's progress on Thursday, we were told that it would not be ready. Why? Two reasons: The first was that the "rubber" molding around the front windshield needed to be replaced. Apparently the windshield on a 550 is glued to the frame and is expected to be broken during this procedure. So our vehicle would require a new windshield, as well. Ferrari N.A. was suspicious that we had damaged the molding and wanted photos sent to them before they would authorize the warranty repair. (In talking with other Ferrari owners, we find that the manufacturer's reluctance to approve expensive warranty repairs is not unusual. Driver abuse is frequently assumed.)

The second reason was that our rear driver-side wheel was in the paint shop. (It looked like it received some touch-up paint ? probably to correct transit damage. With the inevitable brake dust, the repair was discoloring and needed to be redone.) We were told the wheel needed a complete repaint and wouldn't be back for another three days.

Perhaps we have been spoiled by our experiences with lesser cars ? where service downtime is measured in hours, not days. Whatever the reason, we reminded the service manager that they had promised the car would be ready by Friday, and no one had called to inform us to the contrary. Learning from our previous experience ? where a promised three-day wait for a part turned into a wait of more than five weeks ? we asked for the car to be returned while we waited for the necessary approvals from Ferrari. This was not possible, we were told, as the wheel was already being painted. And so, we resigned ourselves to another week's wait ? or so we thought.

But surprisingly, a few hours later, we received a call from our service advisor, who told us that most of the work was finished and that the car would be delivered to our door. (As we had a loaner car, we elected to pick up the 550 over the weekend.)

After the dealer's statements to the contrary, how was it possible that the car was ready? It seems the wheel that needed painting had not yet been painted. Whether it was even at the body shop, we don't know. Additionally, some of the other items needing attention had been overlooked: The rattle in the trunk lid was still there. The power for our Valentine One was supposed to be wired to a "switched" connection in the fuse box. Instead it was wired to a non-switched connection in the overhead lights. (It doesn't seem to draw much power, so we will probably let this slide.)

On the other hand, the gap in the windshield molding had been temporarily covered with black caulking.

We have commented on the "relaxed" attitude Ferrari takes to servicing vehicles in previous updates. As we gain more experience with our 550, we can finally understand what some Ferrari owners refer to when they boast about knowing the service manager at their Ferrari dealership by name. Just as buying a Ferrari often entails navigating a lengthy waiting list, servicing a Ferrari can apparently be a challenge, as well. Even with an appointment, after dropping off a Ferrari, it may just sit at the dealership, waiting for other cars (presumably owned by more influential customers) to be serviced first. We can't say this is the case at every Ferrari dealership but it is certainly true with ours.

 

[sillymofo]

And don't get me wrong, I never said a Ferrari is a reliable car either. Personally, I'd never pay any money for either vehicles. I have my preferences, and there are daily drivers that are capable of kicking the living crap out of both of these cars for much less. But then again, a fool and his money