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Emblem Sports Cars Tech Tips - Winter
A sunny but cold winters' day can be a perfect time to use your
Ferrari. There is nothing like it on a crisp morning.
Whether you plan to hibernate or use your car through the winter, here
are three important Top Tips to ensure the long term health of your
prized possession;
1. Dynol - This is the protective treatment that Ferrari
use on the under side of the cars to prevent corrosion. Sadly this does
not last forever and regular inspection and top up of the coating is
highly recommended. Check your service book. In the back is a section
devoted to the under side treatment and this will give you some
indication of when it was last topped up or redone. Remember, if you are
using the car in the winter this is your last defence against salt, road
grit and ultimately against corrosion. Although the cars are fitted with
large plastic under trays, these can act as a water trap and often make
matters worse. We recommend removal and cleaning of under trays as well
as a top up of the Dynol treatment on a regular basis to prevent
corrosion and rust eating away out of sight.
In Summary;
Remove under trays yearly for cleaning
Check and re-apply Dynol every 2-3 years or as required
2. Wax - The exterior
paintwork of the car is just as important as the underneath and the
part we all admire. It’s therefore worth investing in a good quality
wax treatment with a high content of Carnauba, a natural plant based
wax. For cars used through the winter we apply a Swissvax product
called "Shield" which has a 40% Carnauba content and also contains
PTFE (Teflon) which prevents any winter road dirt from sticking to the
car. Wheel arches are always a vulnerable area liable to stone chips.
Ferrari has addressed this issue using a 3M plastic tape and generally
this lasts for a couple years before going yellow or peeling back at
the corners. It is inexpensive to replace and well worth keeping on
top of. Once the paint gets chipped here and the moisture gets in
corrosion soon follows.
In Summary;
Apply a good quality wax every three months
Replace 3M tape every two years or as necessary
3. Coolant - It’s important
to have your coolant checked. Pop in and we will check it for you.
It’s a myth that the stronger the Anti Freeze content the better,
giving less chance of possible damage to the engine with freezing
coolant. A content that is too strong can cause just as much damage.
It can decay the head gasket material causing the gaskets to leak and
in extreme cases the anti freeze can eat into the aluminium heads and
engine block causing more permanent damage.
In Summary;
Have your coolant content checked every winter
Replace coolant every 2-3 years
