[Lual]

Hi,

I have seen a 550 from '99 with interior bars protecting in case of car rolling (sorry I ignore the exact term in English).

Anybody knows if that was an option offered by the factory? I would like to avoid buying a car with some "hand made" adjustments of this kind, even if by a professional garage. This could indicate the car has been used frequently on track.

The car includes fiorano package, in case it helps.

Also, any tip on what key things to check before buying?

Thanks for any kind of comment
Lual, Germany

[tazandjan]

Lual- There was a roll bar option on the 550, available only on European cars as far as I can tell. Here is the 575M equivalent and the roll bar should look similar.

On a 550, make sure the plenum hoses under the intake manifold have been replaced with 575M hoses and that 575M motor mounts have been fitted.

Carefully check window operation to ensure they are properly adjusted.

Check the front shock absorber actuators and make sure the wires are not twisted.

Make sure you have the replacement aluminum wheels and not the original magnesium wheels, which were recalled.

Ensure the car comes with two ignition keys and three remotes, one red and two black.

Drive the car until the engine comes up to temperature and ensure the electric fans come on at 90 C.

Clutch wear can be checked with a borescope to give you some idea of how much life is left. The clutch pedal gets very heavy as the clutch reaches its wear limit.

Make sure you get the owners manual packet and the tool kit. Both are very expensive to replace. The cars also came with a red bag with a car cover, steering wheel cover, and two seat covers, but those are often missing.

[Boxer]

Per your comment about track use, as long as the car has been properly serviced, track use should not be an issue at all. These cars are designed to be used on a track. I would be much more concerned if it sat unused in a garage for extended periods of time.

[Lual]

Thanks for both comments. Very useful.
Lual

[Brian]

Originally Posted by tazandjan

Lual- There was a roll bar option on the 550, available only on European cars as far as I can tell. Here is the 575M equivalent and the roll bar should look similar.

Terry, since by Federal law cars are required to have roll over protection as an integral structural feature and so many injuries come from un-padded roll bars and bodies not properly strapped in place with no helmet to protect their head. I have never read the relevent sections but I have to think they are not allowed for crash safety reasons.

I have had street cars with cages but without a well designed racing seat and a set of racing belts I would never have done it.

[tazandjan]

Brian- That makes sense why they were not available here. The padding on the roll bar does not look that thick and would probably leave a pretty good roll bar shaped crease in a skull.

No rear fog lights here, either, and after having followed a few cars with them on in Germany in clear conditions, they absolutely blind you. Since nobody here would know whether they were on or off, it would have been a bad scene.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by tazandjan

Brian- That makes sense why they were not available here. The padding on the roll bar does not look that thick and would probably leave a pretty good roll bar shaped crease in a skull.

No rear fog lights here, either, and after having followed a few cars with them on in Germany in clear conditions, they absolutley blind you. Since nobody here would know whether they were on or off, it would have been a bad scene.

Well as long as we treat drivers licenses as a right we have to cater to the lowest common denominater.

[Boxer]

Originally Posted by Lual

H
The car includes fiorano package, in case it helps.

Also, any tip on what key things to check before buying?

Thanks for any kind of comment
Lual, Germany

Have you read the 550 buyers guide?

Ferrari Buyer's Guides - Ferrari Life

[Alessandro]

Taz hello quick question for the clutch. My car has 19.000 km on the clock and previous owner changed 4,5 and 6th gear syncros but hadnt changed clutch. How can you tell that its wearing off?

Mine feels a bit heavy even though dont really have a benchmark. Gears switch smoothlya
And feels like it has a reasonable movement even though a bit hard but not too much harder than a 997 that I recently drove

[tazandjan]

Alessandro- There are access ports in the clutch housing that will allow a technician to insert a borescope into the housing. He will see a pin in a slot inside the housing. If the pin is all the way against the stop, the clutch will need replacing. The clutch can also feel heavy because there is air in the hydraulic system, so when your tech changes brake fluid, make sure he bleeds the clutch and master cylinder when he does the change.

If the clutch pedal feels very heavy, it is a sign of the clutch wearing.

Why were those synchro rings changed? The 550 transaxle is very tough and some of the synchronizers on the 550 are shared with the F50 and are pretty stout.