Holidays at Ricambi America

For the life of me, I can't figure out why our Ferrari parts business actually gets "crazy-busy" around the holidays. I thought most folks would be busy buying gifts for their spouses, children, co-workers, etc. instead of thinking about their Ferrari in a snow-bound garage. Boy, was I wrong!! This week, Ricambi America has shipped more Ferrari major service kits than I can remember in a long time. I think it must be folks getting ready to work on their Ferrari in the New Year, and just want to have all their Genuine Ferrari parts in the right place and ready for work.

Next week we'll also be installing one the first Ferrari 348 Challenge Grill kits. It is an aftermarket item to transform the back of the Ferrari 348 into a round-taillight treatment similar to the F355 and 360. Fingers crossed, it should look great!

Rare Metals at Ricambi America?

Well, its not exactly rhodium or palladium, but we did get two very cool, very hard-to-find Genuine Ferrari parts into inventory at Ricambi America today. First, is a matched set of original 348 Competizione exhaust manifolds. I'm not quite sure what the difference from a standard 348 manifold might be (probably dimensions and sampling ports), but it's pretty amazing nonetheless that something like this still exists!

Huh? You didn't know that a Competitzione version had different manifolds? Actually, in our visual parts diagram you can see the references to the difference countries and versions of Ferrari manifolds: 348 Exhaust System (shown as part #23)

The second 'rare metal' that we received today is a wheel nut for a Ferrari 512BB. Although we at Ricambi America don't specialize in the classic Ferraris, when I saw this available for a nice price, it was too hard to pass up! We'll just pop it onto the shelf and see what happens.

Assuming everything goes smoothly with FedEx Customs tonight, I'll have an amazing Ferrari diagnostic computer in my hands tomorrow morning. :)

Wearable Ferrari Parts!

Earlier this week, I was delighted to open a box from a colleague of mine in Italy and discover two outrageously cool, genuine Ferrari parts - a Gore Tex Ferrari F1 Pit Crew jacket, and a fleece Ferrari F1 Pit Crew vest. Both items are from the 2004 season, and are in perfect condition. The jacket is currently listed for sale on eBay using our Ricambi America account, but I suspect it won't sell. That's perfectly cool with me -- I already have a version of this jacket, but the new one fits a little better. With the full Ferrari racing team logos, and complete Marlboro sponsorship, it is a gem.

On an unrelated note, I'm delighted that our holiday 2008 advertisements are now running in Prancing Horse, Cavallino, and Forza Magazine. We at Ricambi America spend a lot of time thinking about how to effectively convey the value proposition of our Ferrari Parts, and I think we've hit a home run with this current series. Stop by your local book store and check them out, or see our complete series on our website here: Our Advertisements

Two fun Ferrari parts arrived today!

It's pretty busy at Ricambi America this week, but I wanted to post up two very cool Ferrari parts that arrived from Italy and England this morning.

First, we obtained an extremely rare F40 headlamp. Not easy to get, and even harder to photograph properly, this is one of those cool Ferrari parts that makes unpacking cold boxes a whole lot more fun! Sadly, it's not for our shelf and is already destined for a customer in a different hemisphere of our little Earth.

Next, we received from Hill Engineering some fantastic re-manufactured versions of Ferrari tool 95972906 for torquing the F355 heads. The Ferrari version of the tool is a piece of junk which breaks/bends within a few uses. For a serious professional F355 technician, this is a fantastic tool to add into the bin. Custom Ferrari parts from Hill Engineering are always vastly superior to OE ones, and this is no exception. With redesigned teeth, stronger steel, and a more attractive price, we expect Ferrari shops to scoop these up quite quickly.

....and one more item arrived but I'm not posting any pictures just yet :)

Black Friday Specials?

Over the past few days, several customers have contacted us asking whether we'll do any "Black Friday" Ferrari parts specials on Friday November 28th. Here in the United States, the Friday after Thanksgiving traditionally marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Intrepid shoppers queue up for hours in the early morning at their favorite stores, hoping to get some fantastic discounts for holiday gifts.

Ricambi America has also planned a fantastic Black Friday special, but I can't comment quite yet! While we normally specialize in genuine, original Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini parts, this door-buster sale will be a particular item that all owners could enjoy, regardless of the Italian exotic they have in the garage.

Big savings? Yeah, we've got you covered. (wink)

Will the real Fur Parts Step Forward?

At Ricambi America, we field almost 100 telephone calls per day, from all corners of the world from customers looking for genuine Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini parts. Although I have some nice windows in my office, it seems I'm often tied to my computer and unable to get outside and enjoy some fresh air...

Well, the answer has arrived! Remy, my new Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever is like a 1-hour countdown clock. The process of potty-training him forces me to put down a cool steering wheel, or clutch assembly, and get outside for a potty break every 60 miuntes. At first, I thought I might miss "something important" being away from the desk. The truth is, it's nice to just feel the fresh air!

Should we rename the company Fur Parts ? Or Furry Parts? I think we'll stick with Ricambi America. After all, the name is already synonymous with the quality, passion, integrity, and the most knowledgeable Ferrari parts staff in the business.

I'm sure Remy will be trained soon enough. Then, our breaks will involve fetching tennis balls and perhaps even an occasional Challenge Stradale wheel or other Ferrari part that rolls away (just kidding).

*** On a more serious note, we're in the process of working with Hill Engineering on a clutch thrust bearing for the Lamboghini Gallarado. It'll be a geat way to save some money, and get a fantastic Lamborghini item that is vastly superior to the factory version. Watch this space for more information.

Sticky No More? Is this really a Ferrari Parts Blog?

Anyone who owns a modern Ferrari (348, 355, 360, 430, 456, 550 and so on!) shares a mutual frustration with the sticky, gooey, melting of their interior trim parts. Ferrari, in their incredible wisdom, chose to coast most plastic items with a textured rubber coating for purely aesthetic reasons. Yes, it looks great when brand new. However, within a matter of months and a few hot days in the sun, the rubberized coatings begin to melt and stick everywhere. Yes Virginia, even a $250,000 Ferrari is prone to this mess.

Some people claim the mess is because of cleaners like Armor All. Others claim its the result of damaging UV rays on the interior. Regardless, it is just amazing that Ferrari owners tolerate this gunk. Simply touch your A/C vent to redirect air and blammo! the gunk is on your hands. Touch the rear-view mirror switch and blammo! the gunk is on your hands. To make matters worse, if you then touch the nice leather seats, the black goo is easily transferred to the seats and makes a horrible mess. Ferrari knew about this problem with interior parts as early as the 348 (1989), but in their incredible blindness to customer pleas, they continue to use it on the latest 430 Scuderia and California.


So, what is a person to do? For several years we at Ricambi America have been selling replacement plastic panels (genuine Ferrari parts) which indeed look great and fit perfectly. But sadly, they are also coated with the same messy rubber which degrades and turns to goo. For F355 owners, we have offered a brilliant HVAC overlay to ensure the air conditioner panel never goes sticky again. But those original plastic pieces? What's a Ferrari owner to do? The answer is here!


As long as you're not planning to enter an FCA sanctioned concours, a new company has emerged to professionally refinish the panels with an extremely strong black paint. The coatings are strong enough to survive in a mass production Honda, but gorgeous enough to fit perfectly in a Ferrari. The company , www.stickynomore.com is run by a true Ferrari enthusiast who can also professionally install our HVAC panels.

Last week, I tore my 348 apart and sent all my interior Ferrari parts for professional refinishing.

Although I certainly could have pulled new ones from the shelf at Ricambi America, I really wanted to see the results from Stickynomore. Within 3 days my panels were returned -- and in a nutshell, I was absolutely speechless. The quality of the finish is superb. The color match is excellent. The durability -- I can already sense -- will be outstanding. Here is some of their handiwork: Ferrari Parts Refinishing

Really -- as much as we'd love to sell new plastic pieces to every Ferrari owner on Earth, I must strongly recommend the services of www.stickynomore.com. As an owner myself, I know the plight of these interiors, and do think (for non concours cars), this is the ideal solution.

Fun and Useful Lamborghini and Ferrari Parts Coming Soon!

As the team at Ricambi America expands our business beyond the primary Ferrari parts world, we are becoming deeply involved in Lamborghini parts as well. A prime suppliers of ours in England, Hill Engineering has been instrumental in helping us develop custom Lamborghini parts which allow owners to personalize their cars, improve their cars, and just have fun in their garage.

Our first “custom” item is an oil filter tool which allows the simple removal of a Gallardo oil filter housing. Although Lamborghini makes a similar tool, it is ridiculously overpriced and really of marginal quality. Similar to Ferrari tools, the manufacturer produces these tools for workshops, but gives little thought to how they’ll be used over the years. Now, with Hill Engineering at our side, we have released tool OFT-05 for the Gallardo.

Next up, will likely be an item very similar to a popular Ferrari part we sell — skid plates! The skid plates are made from either extremely strong plastic, or billet aluminum. Mounted to the lower side of the front bumper, they are basically invisible to a passerby, but do an outstanding job protecting a Ferrari or Lamborghini front bumper when the car crosses a concrete parking lot apron. Rather than the ‘crunch’ sound of a $4000 bumper scratching the ground, the skid plate gives itself up and protects the bumper. In terms of popular Ferrari parts, the Hill Engineering skid plates have been a huge success. Now, we’re designing them for the Lamborghini Gallardo, with an expected release date in early 2009.

Get out of the office!

Owning your own business is a 24/7/365 proposition.  There is absolutely no downtime, and the idea of a vacation is sometimes comical, at best.   For Ricambi America, in the Ferrari parts environment, there is always a car desperately in need of something -- whether its a new clutch for a track day, fresh wheel center caps for a concours, or even a major service kit, customers always want their items fast.  Although Ricambi America is spread across three time zones and have inventory strategically placed in several locations, its still difficult for me (as the business owner), to actually rest and leave the "office" behind.

Happily, Ricambi America is more than a job. Selling Ferrari parts is more than a career. It is really a 100% obsession/passion that surrounds all things related to Ferrari.   So for me, the greatest possible escape from the telephone and computer, is simply a day at the track in my Ferrari.   This week our local Ferrari Club of America chapter hosted a track day at VIR (Virginia International Raceway).  The 3.7 mile rolling road course is, as once described by Paul Newman, "heaven on earth".  

In addition to stretching the legs of my Ferrari at 7500 rpm and hearing the outrageous scream of my car, I get to hang around with my great friends in the local Club.  They're equally obsessed with Ferraris, but haven't yet managed to ditch their medical, legal, or other 'professional' careers in order to surround themselves with Italian exotic cars all day.  I did!  And I'm never looking back.

Anyway, it was a great day with cars and friends.  Next track day?   Not until March.   :(

New Tools from Hill Engineering!

The folks at Hill Engineering are always coming up with new and exciting tools for the professional Ferrari mechanic.   

Today, we are excited to finally receive the VST-01 Valve Seal Tool, and SOC-05 Gearbox Sump Plug socket.   Although it might seem esoteric that Ferrari parts like these can even find a market, they indeed have widespread appeal in the Ferrari community.   Professional Ferrari mechanics often require very specialized tools -- they make the job go faster, and more importantly, they protect the integrity of very expensive and hard to source parts.   Chiseling off a ring nut on a Ferrari just doesn't make sense when the ring-nut itself can cost upwards of $100. 

So, here are today's goodies:

VST-01: Valve Seal Tool

This tool was designed to overcome the problem of correctly installing valve stem seals. The seal is simply inserted onto the tool (see picture below) and the tool is then inserted into the valve guide. The seal is now perfectly square to the location diameter and with a small amount of pressure on the end of the tool, the seal is installed effortlessly, without damage.  Do it right the first time, with professional tools from Hill Engineering. (This tool is for Ferrari F355 and LATER valve seals)

SOC-05 Gearbox Sump Plug socket

42mm flank drive socket for gearbox sump nut (100826) 1/2" Square Drive

Suitable for:
365 GT4 2+2
365 GT4 Boxer
400
412
512
Testarossa

How to Forget About the Economy (for a moment)

With so much miserable economic news in the US these days, it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the negativity heard/seen/read in our media.   This morning, instead of turning on the news and looking at how the Asian markets performed overnight, my 3-year old son had a better idea:  take the Ferrari for a drive (top down!) to go get breakfast pastries!

What a splendid idea.  With a few quick snaps, his Recarro Sport kid seat was secure in the Ferrari.  Two quick pops on the targa latches and the roof was off.    In the brisk October morning, it was a bit chilly in the car, but once into the sunshine we were perfectly warm.   We have two great bakeries nearby -- a European style bakery "Ollies" and a Moravian style bakery "Dewey's".  We like them both -- but since Dewey's takes a few minutes longer to reach (and we can scream through some freeway underpasses), we opted for it instead.    While I like the ambiance of Ollies better, I think my son prefers the big glass cases of pastries at Deweys.  

As the owner of Ricambi America, my day starts cranking by 5:30am with calls to England and Italy to secure purchases of necessary Ferrari parts (for instance, we have some incredible tools in the pipeline with Hill Engineering.  And, another big batch of those cool wheel caps is somewhere over the Atlantic too).  But as the economy slows, there's a little more breathing time each day.  Its nice, because spending the early part of the morning with my son before he goes to pre-school and my phone starts ringing is a GREAT way to start any day!

He chose some type of choclate covered thing-a-ma-bob for his treak.   I opted for a decadant pain-au-chocolat.   We popped 'em in a box, raced home, and enjoyed them with Mommy (yes, we did get some cinnamon rolls for her!).   

While our drive was only a few miles, there were plenty of smiles from both of us.  And our tummy aches were largely gone by lunchtime.

Stock market?  What stock market?

Rain, Rain, Go Away... Come Again Another Day!

From the title of this blog post, you probably thought this would be some gloomy depressing post, right? Actually no.

Today we at Ricambi America received (not for sale!) one of the very last Ferrari 328 GTS rubber roof gaskets available. In fact, this might be the last "new" one on earth -- we've been looking for these silly things for a looong time. There are some Ferrari parts which, as simple as they appear, have gone extinct. When they wear out, Ferrari owners are faced with some unpleasant alternatives, such as finding a used/salvage item (yuck!), making their own version (ewwww!), or just running their car in a "less than original" state (yikes!).

In the case of this particular gasket, it is a critical rubber seal that forms an air and water seal at the front of the windscreen where the removable targa roof is fitted. (It is shown as Ferrari part #24 in this diagram) As the gasket wears out over time, water begins to leak into the cockpit. Sure, nobody really plans to drive their Ferrari in the rain, but it does happen. Getting wet in the process is pretty miserable. More common however, is that washing the car becomes a big hassle, because with a failed gasket, a reasonable amount of water suddenly finds itself on the leather seats, carpets, etc.

OK, so now that I'm holding the last brand new rubber gasket on earth, should I sell it for a nice price? Nope. I'm frantically contacting custom rubber manufacturers to investigate re-manufacturing. At first, I thought "oh this should be simple stuff" -- it doesn't need to be disclosed as a rare Ferrari part (thus avoiding the "Ferrari tax") we often to suppliers who think we just rolling in money.

Sixteen telephone calls later (yes, sixteen), I have finally reached a manufacturer who can likely handle this job. Why so complex? It looks simple right? Well, the original, Genuine Ferrari part is a rubber extrusion with odd foam molded end caps. The combination of rubber and foam is simply not a 'common' occurrence in the custom weatherstripping world, and it took several different avenues to find a capable manufacturer.

When will this be complete? There is absolutely no ETA... maybe 90 days, maybe 120 days.... or maybe never if the costs of re-manufacture come back to us too high. We're aiming for the sub $500 retail price point, but simply have no idea what the manufacturer will quote back.

More goodies and great Ferrari parts to come!

Video Killed the Radio Star!

Customers often ask us about installation tips or advice when installing their Ferrari parts from Ricambi America.   Although we can't exactly describe the process of cam timing in a Modena or PIS setting in a Scuderia, we do our best to pass along whatever information we have.   The newest member of the Ricambi family, our Lamborghini parts specialist, Mike, has decided to try his hand at YouTube video installation guides.   So, here's the first installment!

If you drive anything from an early 308 to a brand new Scuderia with stock wheels, you likely have the wheel center cap 108947 on your car. The caps, while nice when they're new, are really pretty crappy plastic and often crack, craze, and fade. Sometimes, the damn things fall right out. Other times, they get stolen by tifosi-crazy kids. The quality control on the old caps has been absolutely horrible. I used to hand-polish each and every cap, prior to shipping. Sometimes the yellowing was a bit odd; sometimes they had deep scratches in them, etc. etc. The only good thing about 108947 is that they are pretty darn cheap (compared to a dealer) at only $99/box. 

Well, a few weeks ago we were running low on the 108947 and I fired off a Purchase Order for replacements. The reply from Ferrari? "NLA. Superseded to 226245". I thought, "Oh great, Ferrari found an even CHEAPER manufacturer for these....". Nonetheless, we needed to replenish our shelves so I bought a very small quantity of them for evaluation. This morning, my friendly DHL dude brought the new caps. I opened the box with extremely low expectations.

I was wrong. Ferrari has absolutely made a significant leap forward in the quality of these caps. The yellow is much 'tamer' and has a deeper tint; the plastic edges are much smoother and more consistent. And most importantly, the crappy press-fit plastic tabs are gone -- replaced with a very stout integrated steel circlip (like the early F355 caps). In a word, I'm VERY impressed.

Mike and I shot some YouTube video of the installation process.  Easy as pie!

Good to the last drop?

Selling Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini parts is all about speed. Generally, the customers of Ricambi America want their items quickly -- within a few days at most, but oftentimes overnight. Through our deep inventory and supply network, that's usually not a problem.  But today, something new happened.

I needed to visit Sport Auto, the local shop where my Ferrari gets serviced, to pick up the car after a track inspection.  (Our Ferrari Club of America chapter requires profession inspections of each car before a track day).  On the drive to the shop, I noticed that none of the local gas stations had any customers.  Huh?  That's odd.   Then I remembered that folks in Charlotte, 70 miles south of me, had been complaining for about three days of long gas lines and no premium fuel to be found.    The fuel shortage has not spread to the Piedmont of North Carolina and appears to be a direct result of hurricane Ike.   Pipelines, although not damaged during the storm remain shut-down, and the fuel flow to our area and trickled off to almost nothing. :(

It was an odd sensation driving my 348 away from the shop, knowing that the fuel in the tank was all I'd have for a few days until the trucks/pipelines get running again.  While a 348 doesn't exactly sip fuel economically, it's not as fuel hungry as a big-12 like the 550's or TR's.  Nonetheless, the 40 mile drive made me happy to know that my daily driver is an extremely efficient MINI Cooper. 

(edit:  talk about a rambling blog entry!! WTF.  Time to stop typing, and start selling more Ferrari parts and accessories)

Cookies, so yummy!

Over the past few months, we've had several customers of Ricambi America inform us that the online Ferrari, Maserati , and Lamborghini parts catalogs and exploded parts diagrams on our website weren't properly displayed.  Huh?  Although I absolutely believed their description of the problem, I was never able to properly reproduce the error, than therefore unable to solve the problem.  Afterall, we really believe our on-line parts diagrams are a great addition to the Ferrari parts world, and make for a richer shopping experience on our site.

Anyway, after installing the new Google Chrome browser, I began playing with some security settings.. then checking out how our site looks.   BANG!   I suddenly saw the exact same error that our customers had reported.  Oddly, when attempting to see the diagrams, the site would redirect to a "Error 404, page not found" error.   Egads!   

As it turns out, our site places a cookie on the vistors computer for standard shopping cart functionality and to determine the vistors screen resolution.  Why screen resolution?  The on-line diagrams attempt to resize themselves for each unique vistor to ensure as much of the image is presented on a single screen without those annoying scroll bars.  Without that cookie, the site wouldn't know what size picture to draw.    Our site, which runs Apache, was slamming customers to a 404 error when the cookie couldn't be set, and therefore the site couldn't redirect to the correct image sizing programs.   Blah blah blah... it was frustrating to customers for sure!!

Now, vistors seeking original, genuine Ferrari parts on our website will be presented with a nicer 'notification' page if the cookies aren't set, and gently ask them to adjust their browser settings. 

The good news is that with some simple browser settings, now everyone can enjoy the Ricambi America site.

A New Ride, A New Day

The daily driver in our family, a BMW wagon is getting a bit long in the tooth, and with 91,000 miles on the odometer, it is probably about due for a new home.   With so few choices of 'distinctive' cars to pick from, I thought perhaps we should investigate a Maserati GranSport.    Because we sell Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini parts all day long, it occured to me how few Maserati customers actually need maintenance items.  Are these cars really reliable as daily drivers?  Could they be that 'civilized' in city driving?  Could my 3-year old son actually pop into the back seat comfortably?  What about a teenager?

Well, with a beautiful white/black GranSport at a local dealership, we decided to take it for a little test drive.   The child seat fits easily into the back, using ISOFIX/Latch mounts, the fron seats are incredible comfortable, and the F1 transmission is actually smoother than I expected at low speeds in traffic.   Of course, the real fun of a GranSport is out in some twisty roads with nobody else around.   Suffice it to say, this car was a blast!   With the a Ricambi America license plate frame, this Maserati would be right at home next to my 348.   

Obviously, a Maserati is a higher maintenance car than a Honda -- but its a lot more enjoyable on the road too, eh?  In addition to our deep inventory of Ferrari parts, we have plenty of Maserati clutches, brake pads, and other goodies which is car might consume.  And because our Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini parts catalogs are on-line it'd be even easier to ensure we keep the car running day-after-day.   15,000 miles per year?  That's the plan!  So, it is a real contender for the next bay in our garage.  Now, we just have to find a good home for the BMW.

Stops on a Dime, Part 2

In Tuesday's post I commented on a customer in the Middle East who recently bought some cool Hill Engineering slotted brake discs for his car.  Well, maybe there is something in the water this week, because another customer has just purchased a complete set of Brembo Big Brakes for his Ferrari too.    This are a significant step up in braking power from the stock system with massive 4-pot calipers and 332mm discs.  Nicely fitting inside the OEM 18" wheels on an F355, these are the ultimate in stopping power. 

There are lots of Ferrari accessories which might make a car look distinctive, but there are only a limited number of Ferrari parts which dramatically improve the daily performance and track capabilities of these cars -- braking components such as these are a great choice.

... now about that overnight shipment from Italy which was stopped in FedEx customs.... uggg...  maybe that'll be a post for tomorrow.

Zoinks!

Every day is a new adventure at Ricambi America. Just when you think you've seen all the really cool Ferrari parts you can imagine, we get something in the door that just really trips your trigger. Today, it was an original, genuine F40 tool kit. The pictures really tell the whole story. We actually got a few of them, so for some lucky F40 owners, here is a chance to have a brand new tool kit with all the goodies!


We also got an absolutely beautiful batch of custom slotted 348/355 brake discs into inventory. Actually, they were destined for my personal Ferrari 348 because of an upcoming track day. But, before I could even open the boxes, a customer in Oman gave us a call and purchased them for his car. Back across the Atlantic ocean they go... along with several other performance brake items to make his car stop on a dime (or is that an Omani rial?)!

Casual Friday?

I'm not sure if casual Friday has caught on at Ricambi America. Today we received a beautiful set of Wedgewood espresso cups, with the Ferrari cavallino in silver. Although we deal with Ferrari parts all day long (bearings, belts, hoses, wheels) sometimes its nice to stop and enjoy some over-the-top Ferrari branded merchandise.

Since we got several sets into inventory, I just had to use one myself and see if my proper Italian espresso (we have a nice Lavazza machine) tasted any better.... the verdict? YES!

This weekend looks to be nice weather and a chance to stretch the legs of my 348. I'll be attending a small car show in the Raleigh area, then watching a 'certain victory' (!!) of the Scuderia Ferrari at Monza on Sunday.

Ciao!

Day 1 - A Coffee Table from Ferrari Parts?

Actually, I'm not even sure what a blog is!! But, everyone has been telling me the things we're seeing and experiencing in the Ferrari parts world are interesting enough that I should write them down for the world to see.

Well, as my first post, I can simply say: I'm glad the US Dollar is finally gaining some strength against the Pound Sterling and Euro! This morning's outbound wire transfers to our suppliers were at the most advantageous rates we've seen in months.

In other news of the day, Ferrari parts do sometimes get lost in the world of FedEx shipping. Here's a Challenge Stradale wheel that came back to us (see above). Ooops... that'll make a nice coffee table one day! Luckily, it was only 1 of 4 wheels, and the gorgeous titanium lug nuts were unaffected.