AutoItalia – August 2019

66 auto italia

Doug Watkinson's 2010 California has done just

20,000 miles and its V8 has suffered from a leaky cam

cover. He told us: “The work was done by an official

dealer and a lack of use was cited as the key reason

for the glitch. To fix things and get the covers

repainted at the same time came to almost £1500.”

Engine mounts can be a weak spot, especially on

early cars, leading to vibrations through the steering

wheel. Expect to pay around £1500 to have the mounts

replaced; it's an easy job once the car is on a ramp.

Just about all Californias come with a seven-speed

dual-clutch transmission (DCT) – only a tiny number of

special-order cars had a six-speed manual gearbox. The

DCT ’box on early cars can suffer from chafed wires

inside, or faulty sensors, leading to the gearchanges

becoming erratic, so check how smoothly the cogs

swap on a test drive. Complete failure is possible,

leaving the car stranded; repairs cost between £3000

and £7000 depending on the exact problem.

This is the bit that often sends potential owners

running for the hills. When they discover that just an oil

change runs close to four figures the dream

evaporates – but the California is not like that. That's

for two key reasons: firstly the engine has a timing

chain rather than a belt, so it should never need to be

replaced. Also, servicing costs are more manageable

than you might think.

All Californias need to be serviced every 12 months

or 12,500 miles. Cars registered from April 2011 came

with a seven-year servicing package which covers all

routine maintenance including fluids and labour

charges (undertaken by official Ferrari dealers). There is

no mileage cap on this, so if your mileage is such that

the car needs more than one service in a year, this

would still be covered.

For earlier cars which don't have a factory

maintenance package in place, you can expect to

pay £600-£1000 for an official dealer service. An

annual service plus fluids would be £1200-£1300, and

one including fluids and pads more like £3500. At an

independent specialist such as The Supercar Clinic in

Bolton (supercarclinic.co.uk), an annual service is

£599, while the major service that's due every

18,750 miles is £1620.

The fitment of ceramic brake discs means only

track-driven cars are likely to need replacements,

which is just as well because new ones cost £2663

each for the rears and £3385 for the fronts. These

prices are from Scuderia Car Parts

(scuderiacarparts.com). As for front brake pads,

Superformance (superformance.co.uk) charges £813

for a set, while Scuderia Car Parts charges £594-£820

for rear pads depending on the year of the car.

Since 2007, all Ferraris have come with a standard

Later California T (in

photos) benefits from extra

power, sharper suspension

and a more focused shape

“

Servicing costs are much more

manageable than you might think

”

RUNNING COSTS