aehaas

Currently we own (from New) a 2011 Bentley Flying Spur Speed and a 2012 RR EWB Ghost. Bentley has 30,000 and Ghost has 11,000 mi. Neither cars has had any service other than routine. Great cars. Thinking of trading in the Bentley on the 2017 speed with a different set of options in another 6 months but not a must, just a thought. Very happy with both. aehaas

My garage a few months ago: aehaas

Valentino was very familiar with the Enzo. We discussed the use of my thin (vegetable based) oils in these cars. He had no problems sighting the fact that the oil never gets hot. The cars are not driven at a constant 200 MPH. Later, over a few glasses of red wine, he told us stories of the development of Lamborghini cars he was involved in. It was very interesting. He was not just a driver but contributed to the development of these cars. He was staying at our neighbors house during the Sarasota Car Fest but came over our house to help use up some wine. aehaas

This is the answer for storage as the wheels have to be on the ground. And it is no big deal to get your grarage door to go all the way up hugging the ceiling. aehaas

Here is another recent guest at our house, guess who:

Shipping, tax, installation = around $4,500. Do not pay any attention to the "list" prices, get a quote from a certified installer. aehaas

The new Rotary lift is particularly interesting for those considering a two post lift system. My 23 year old Bear Automotive lift was fine but needed new seals. I actually got a trade in allowance on the new one. The Rotary lift has many installation options to customize it for your needs. I purchased the 10,000 lb. lift designed for an asymmetrical installation. By tilting the columns out 30 degrees it moves the center of gravity of the car in front of the lift. Since you do not have to pull into the lift as far you can open your doors wider. It was nearly impossible to get out of the Ford Expedition when properly positioned in the old lift. Because the columns are tilted outwards you also get additional space to open the doors of you car. The lift had a standard lift height and opening width. You can place the columns up to six inches wider. I chose to make them 4 inches wider than the standard setting. Also, the maximum height is variable. I went with a foot higher than standard as I had the available vertical real estate. I later added 120v receptacles to each column. And I added pegs to hang things from the columns. I am very delighted with the installation of this lift. aehaas

People often ask me what I recommend for oils, lifts, tools and the like. I always give them reasons as to why I choose each item. I started the thread to introduce several things. I did have the owner of RLI come by the house. An honor in my opinion. If I posted a picture of the president of Exxon or Ferrari or RR in my garage, that would generate some discussion. Also, many know I have been using RLI oils for the last few years. There may be some questions about that, especially since I am running a 30 grade oil instead of the OEM 60 grade oil in the Enzo. There may be questions about the new Rotary brand lift. I have answers. Next up was the picture of Valentino in my garage. How many get a visit from Mr. Balboni. We had a discussion of my use of thin vegetable based oils in my Italian cars as well. And then we drank some wine as we listened to many stories that Valentino offered us on car development. One can say we were advertising RLI, Rotary or Ferrari or Lamborghini products. Others may say we are just advocating things we admire and would like to share. You can make the call. ali

I was also going to post this picture of another guest at our house:

I think we all have opinions as to what we like to use in our cars. 'Could have spawned some discussion about oils and viscosities. A loss in my opinion. ali

Please tell me why my RLI post was removed. I had more to add to that in development. aehaas

Bill Garmier and his wife were at the Granger International Conference in Orlando. They were not exactly close by but took the time to stop by my house for a few hours. I have been using the 0W-30 in my Enzo for years and have the 0W-20 in the RR ghost right now. Also, I traded in my 23 year old Bear Automotive 8,000 lb. lift for the new improved Rotary, customized for my uses. It is the asymmetrical 10,000 lb. lift. aehaas

You are doing the correct thing by sending the car to the authorized USA Lamborghini dealership in Columbus. You may want to point out to them what was said in this thread. Let the dealership know that they are your lifeline now, that they will be doing your service. But the car must be better than new when you take possession of it. It must have all the updates. Make sure the door locking mechanism updates with protective water shields are there as well. See if they can put on the newer spark plug/fuel injector water cover as well. aehaas PS Just to be sure, that dealership is in Dublin Ohio just outside of Columbus on Perimeter Loop Road, 614-889-2571.

Yep, your location would help us help you better. aehaas

We really loved the Maybach until they decided to discontinue the line. The regular Ghost is no substitute. The EWB is a good replacement. It is lighter, just as fast as the 57s AMG and the creature comforts are there. My dealership made the transition seamless. aehaas

I traded in my 2011 Ghost for the 2012 Extended Wheelbase version. There are marked improvements this year. The side view mirrors are no longer off the Phantom, they are smaller, more approproate in size. The seats are better looking and softer. They use the same Run Flat tires but have larger brakes I am told. Also, the rough ride that is often associated with RF Tires is gone now. And the car is more quiet riding. It is still a sportier suspension, nice and tight, but no longer rough. They spec. 0W- or 5W-30 or 0W-40 oil. I will use 0W-20 as usual when it gets time to change the oil. aehaas

I do not like the Phantom at all. I do not like the appearance. It is too slow for us and drives like a boat on water. My wife has a Flying Spur Speed right now. She likes it the best of all the cars she has ever owned. If you have not tried one of these you must do so ASAP. aehaas

Even replacing a cat with just a straight pipe is not simple. If that new pipe is just 1/8 inch wider or narrower it will change the tuning. If it was put in and resulted in 1/4 inch longer or shorter overall length of the pipe the tuning is changed. Most people modify the exhaust because they want a louder sound. If there was 20 more BHP they wound not notice it anyway. Louder may be caused by the exiting of multiple pressure ways at the same time. This can only mean they were stacked somewhere in the exhaust and Increased back pressure. Also, a dyno reading of more peak BHP does not mean anything. You need the better part of the curve to be higher at more RPM ranges. The only real test is road testing as a 0-60 or 1/4 mile run. Making modifications and then tracking each one is time consuming and not possible most of the time. And I doubt these aftermarket companies have dynos anyway. Most “seat of the pants” gains in BHP are a result of intake tuning for low RPM gains, rather than exhaust tuning. Few sell intake improvements as there is no increase in exhaust sounds to “prove” the added power. And who volunteers their car to be chained to a dyno machine and then tracked a few dozen times for this research? It would mar and tear up the car quite a bit. aehaas

Braille Battery makes one that uses a constant current to keep the battery at 13.15 volts, the best floating voltage I have seen to keep the battery from drying out. I think it charges at a few amps at first before it automatically drops to the trickle rate that is voltage based rather than current based. This is a much better way of doing it. I think it was around a hundred dollars. I may get another as we have so many cars. aehaas

I looked at the S65. It is just too small a car to be the traveling, family, going out to dinner with the Jones' type of car. I actually think the size is just right of this Ghost and it is a lot easier to park than my old 57s. That said I could also live with the 6-7 inch longer LWB Ghost. I am just not willing to lose the different in trade in now. aehaas

Here is our Ghost:

Sometimes my wife and I carpool to and from the office. When she drove, I sat in the back. aehaas

I disagree. The Maybach looks nothing like the S-Class Mercedes. It is also much longer, taller and wider. The seats are bigger, softer and plush. Everything is leather and wood of my choosing. One may want to take a closer look, side by side. aehaas

My six years of Maybach ownership was exceptional, one of the best cars I ever owned. I miss my 57s even though the Ghost is a good handling and fast car. It just does not have the interior luxury of the Maybach. I would have stuck with the Maybach if they were not discontinuing the line. aehaas

Replace the tire inflator can periodically. aehaas