Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Ferrari fear and other myths

[Hans E. Hansen (FList]

Re:  Reliability, breakdowns, etc.

I suppose the myth stems from peoples' experience with early Fiats,
etc.  Justified.

My 308GT4 never once broke in the 13 years I had it.  Sure, stuff
needed maintenance, like a water pump that started seeping a bit, and
a couple of relays that decided to cycle on and off for no reason.
And the usual belts, brake pads, etc.  Also, a preventative overhaul
of the fuel system/carbs.  But it always started, never let me down.
All the repairs were more or less expected.  The A/C worked OK, but it
leaked freon from around the shaft seal on the compressor requiring an
annual top-up.  The compressor is a York unit, made under license in
Italy.  It was crap back when Chrysler used it in the 1960's.

Now I'm in a Maserati Quattroporte.  With the exception of having to
reset error codes on the TPMS module every couple of months, it has
been absolutely flawless.  Uses the 4.7L variant of the F136 family of
motors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_F136_engine) that
include the 4.3L in the F430 and the 4.5L in the 458.  Maserati uses
(or did ...  now they use a turbo V6 mostly) 4.2L and 4.7L versions.
When I was in Maranello a few years back, I saw the various versions
being assembled on the same production line.  Early ones had variator
issues - as did some F430s - but after 2010 they came up with a
permanent fix.

So, yes, another Italian car that starts, runs, blows cold A/C, and
has had no issues (except TPMS...) at all.  Oh, ah, well, it seems to
be an absolute magnet for rock chips.....

Hans.