Servicing schedule

Your F355 will need servicing on an annual or mileage basis, depending upon how much use it is getting. The recommended minimum is an annual service, but if your car is covering sufficient mileage it may require servicing due to miles covered rather than time.

There are several types of service that the car will need:

 

  • A annual 'lube' service - which includes changing of the usual fluids such as oil, brake fluid etc
  • An annual plus additional work that requires doing every two years or at certain mileages whichever comes first
  • A major service - Cambelt replacement every 3 years or 50,000km whichever comes first.

The detail about what is required when is included in the table below. This information was transcribed directly from the back of an F355 owners manual. Distance covered is shown as kilometres with miles in brackets.


Main Operations 10,000 30,000 50,000 70,000 90,000 110,000
1 Change engine oil and filter ● ● ● ● ● ●
See annual service
2 Change gearbox/differential oil ● ● ● ● ● ●
Every two years
3 Check tension and wear of alternator/water pump, A/C compressor and power steering control belts (change if necessary) ● ● ● ● ● ●
Replace in any case every 3 years
4 Check sparking plugs (replace if necessary) and ignition connections ● ● ● ● ● ●
5 Change timing belts Every 50,000 km and not over 3 years
6 Blow-by connection integrity check     ●     ●
7 Check cooling system connections and hoses ● ● ● ● ● ●
8 Check injection system connections and piping ● ● ● ● ● ●
9 Inspect air injection system, pump, pipes and connections ● ● ● ● ● ●
10 Replace filter charcoal     ●     ●
11 Replace fuel system filter   ●   ●   ●
12 Replace oxygen sensors       ●    
13 Check air cleaner elements (replace if required) ● ● ● ● ● ●
14 Check carburation, exhaust level and suction tank sealing ● ● ● ● ● ●
15 Gasoline circuit pressure sealing check     ●     ●
16 Check exhaust system bypass valve efficiency     ●     ●
- Tighten screws, nuts and bolts (including those on the exhaust system), connections, clips and strips in general ● ● ● ● ● ●
17 Check level of brake/clutch fluid (possible bleeding) ● ● ● ● ● ●
See annual service
18 Check level of fluid for power steering (possible bleeding) ● ● ● ● ● ●
Replace every 2 years
19 Inspect brake system: pipes/hoses, calipers, connections. Check efficiency of warning lights on dashboard. ● ● ● ● ● ●
20 Inspect wear of braking surfaces (discs, pads). Change if necessary ● ● ● ● ● ●
See annual service
21 Check brake pedal free travel and handbrake operation (Adjust if necessary) ● ● ● ● ● ●
22 Check suspension part tightening ● ● ● ● ● ●
23 Check steering components, joint protection and boots on the steering rack, steering levers and on the axle shifts ● ● ● ● ● ●
24 Check car setting (adjust if necessary) ● ● ● ● ● ●
25 Inspect air conditioning system (replace coolant  and filter every 2 years). Check oil level in compressor. ● ● ● ● ● ●
26 Check and lubricate controls and adjusters in general, hinges, doors, bonnet and engine cover ● ● ● ● ● ●
- Check correct operation and securing of the seats and seat belts ● ● ● ● ● ●
27 Battery: check connections, loading conditions and absorption ● ● ● ● ● ●
28 Check generator absorption and charge     ●     ●
- Check headlight aiming ● ● ● ● ● ●
- Check chassis and box-type panels (possible new treating) ● ● ● ● ● ●
Every two years
- When the work has been carried out, check tyre pressure and their condition, inspect wheel rims (for possible scratches), check the indicators on the dashboard, the lights and stop lights and then road test the car. ● ● ● ● ● ●
- After the road test  make sure that the wheels are tightened. ● ● ● ● ● ●

Annual Service
The annual service consists of the following checks and changes:


  • Change engine oil and filter
  • Replace brake/clutch and power steering fluid
  • Inspect wear of braking surfaces (discs and pads)
  • Battery: Check connections, loading conditions and absorption.
  • Check tyres and rims condition
  • Emission level check at exhaust
  • Road test

European versus US servicing schedules

For an unknown reason, US F355's have a different servicing schedule to European F355's. The main difference centres around the cambelt change frequency. For US 355's it is stated as every 5 years, whereas in Europe it is stated as every 3 years (both must be done at the same mileage if this is reached before time). For later cars, Ferrari changed to follow the European recommendations but this has left F355 owners unsure as to what is required; after all there is nothing different between the materials used between US and EU cars.  If in doubt, do what it says in your user manual.