At Ricambi America, we get zillions of telephone calls from prospective customers who are looking for the best 'deal' in Ferrari parts. Sometimes we're the lowest priced supplier, sometimes we're not. When it comes to engine-critical items like timing belts, I'm not interested whatsoever in price. For me, the only thing that matters is genuine, original, 100% authentic Ferrari-branded items, with the latest possible date code. Additionally, we carry a relatively small stock of timing belts, because we like to turn them fast and ensure the newest possible stock reaches our customer.
The picture in this blog post shows two different belts. The top belt, is a genuine Ferrari item - 111334 for QV, 3.2 and 328 models. The bottom belt is a 'generic' 132843 timing belt for a Ferrari 348. The top belt, sourced through Ferrari directly contains all the correct stampings and a fresh date code (early 2009). The 348 belt was sourced just last week from a different supplier in the USA, and has no Ferrari markings and was produced in early 2007. Which would you prefer in your Ferrari? The price difference? Apples to apples, they are about $20 different per belt for generic versus Ferrari-branded.
Buying 10,000 timing belts and working through them over the course of a year (or more!) seems like an odd business practice. At Ricambi America, we buy them in lots of 20-30 at a time. Sure, we lose a few dollars in currency exchange. Sure, our landed costs might be a bit higher. But when you're dealing with interference engines that can easily cost $20k to repair, why take chances? I don't take chances with my Ferrari. Why should my customers do any different?
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