Can you Leave the Services you've had to do

If you guys ccould maybe leave the services you've had to do and what condition the car was in before you had to do them. I am really really interested in getting one, but have only gotten alittle info on service related topics. The diablo seems better in later years, I want a two wheel drive one, sooooooo just let me know what you guys expect on every year on your cars......THANKS

cameron

Sounds like a good Idea. This forum needs more tech related stuff not only from the owners side but some input from the shops would be more than appreciated.

I hope this thread gets a lot of replies.

Maybe a tech-related subforum, many of them are unused, and a lot of great topics and questions ends up in General only

2wd get the sv

Cameron;

This can really be a specific tough question to answer. The reason is most of the cars depend on how they have been taken care of, and what years. Heres an example. If you want a 2WD, then your choices are either an early 91-92 or a later SV. Lets say you opt for the earlier car because you found what appears to be a nice one. The early cars had a few known issues. Chain tensioner failure, ring and pinion failures being two bigger ones plus other normal things that creep up on 13-14 year old cars. If you can find out service record history, you'll know more going in. There is a gentlemen that posts here :roll: ,you can chime in dave, that ended up having to do some major work to his car to get it sorted out. Early car. Its not the "factory schduled maintaince" that gets you. Its the things that break. Any Lambo you are looking at to buy, make sure it is looked at by someone qualifed and knows these cars. Then at least you'll know what your getting into.

Newer cars like an SV will likely have less problems. They are #1 a more refined car, plus they are just newer. I've still put clutch's in 99 and 00 year cars with very low mileage. A lot of people just do not know how to properly drive these cars and smoke the clutch early in life. If your looking at a car that has had a new "carbon fiber" clutch just put in, plan on redoing that clutch , soon. Again the best thing you can do is find out everything you can about the car you are interested in buying.

Hope this has helped :mrgreen:

Later car problems are shock failure from the lift system, usually the front right one , idle surge which is common but easily fixed and not considred an actual problem, and clutch rods breaking. All of these items can be taken care of and a lot of cars never endure any of these problems but a lot of them do so just be prepared to take care of them if it occurs. Other than that, change your yearly fluids and ride! They are really pretty reliable and what care you do have to do to them doesn't touch the fun and enjoyment you will get out of being behind the wheel.

I have a 92 and it's rock solid and easy to work on. The early cars are very fast. Some things to watch for: Chain tensioners. They did an upgrade mid-92, so if the car does not have the upgrade, you can have it done and it's not very expensive. The early cars (some) had a faulty head gasket from the factory. This could be discovered during PPI and would be a one-time fix.

 

I bought mine a year ago with 9K on clock and have put 6K on it this year with very minor repairs.. Door light switch, power window switch, coolant temp switch. Had a minor running issue that turned out to be a broken vacum hose. Again, nickle and dime stuff.

 

Later models, as previously stated, have been know for shock/lift problems, which can be pricey because the shocks are proprietary and there is no cheap replacement alternative.

 

I wish Dave would chime in and don't wish to speak for him, but his problem was due to previous bad mechanical work where they dropped a foriegn object down into his intake... that's all she wrote and trashed the motor... not the car's fault.

 

I like the early cars - no lift system, no ABS, no cupholders... fast and serious. The only drawback is that they also lack power steeering and that may be an issue for you.

 

Try to drive both to compare. As mike said, it depends on how well the car was taken care of by the previous owner. They both can be bullet proof. But whatever you do, make sure you get a PPI by someone who knows Lambo's before you purchase.

This may help...

http://www.lambo-power.com/phpBB2/viewtopi...+year+ownership

These cars, all of them, can be very reliable once sorted out. A majority of the cars I do major work to were just purchased and most of the time the buyers knew what was going to be needed. I will never quit understand how previous owners could let them get in the shape some of them are in. I think some of it was not being able to afford a car like this and letting routine problems become big and finally dumping the car. I have also seen a lot of cars that whoever had been working on them obviously didn't know what they where doing. I can't stress enough to have a recommended qualified person look at the car before being bought and maintianing it afterwards.

I talked to Motorcars International today and they said alot of the same stuff you guys have said. I like the diablos for what they are. I understand they have problems, as DO ALL CARS.....So I think that the majority of things was that I wasnt going to be spending 22K a year on service. I could send a kid to college for that price.....but some would still be willing to pay for that instead, I guess its just the way I was raised. Thanks for the info guys, I apprecaite it alot. I think I might go with a later SV or the Roadster. Although I just love 2wd cars. The roadster is a naked and sexy beast........and I love her.

Thanks

Mike - well said. I respect your knowledge from former posts and know members here who's car you worked on - nothing but good stuff reported. Back to topic - seems they skimp on maintenance or it's someone who just ran into a lot of money (bling bling) and don't understand these cars.

 

Sugarfoot - Roadster and 6.0 will always demand top dollar. Roadsters have unique issues with warping of the rear deck lid due to heat - your mechanic should be able to spot this. I'm keeping the 2WD and will be adding a Roadster within the next few months. For me, with the roof is down - it is the ultimate exotic

 

Noticed your in Naples.. if you do a PPI down here I have a lead for you. They guy who did NOS to Allen's lambo is in Ft Laud and he's one of the best. PM me if u need info on him.

Best

FL

Right now as it seems I believe if I get a car it will be though the motorcars people. I liked the staff and they actually showed a great deal of intelligence, unlike many dealerships. Thanks you for the concern about ppi. the roadster seems good but I have heard of guys who put in twin electric fans to help. I dont know if it helps but it was a good idea to me. Does it only warp when the top is off or just all the time. Where does the top go. Whats the deal about more money in the roaster and 6.0.

I think that this car is going to be my next purchase and will be for the fact that it is an overall amazing car. Thanks for the help I will pm you if a need comes up.

My car is actually a good car and all of the problems are directly related to some very basic early model failures (timing chain tensioner) and some nimrod mechanics completely cocking up the repair. My advice to you would be to pay Mike and fly him down to look at your car before you buy it. I paid a shop in virginia called Import Autohaus to inspect my car before I purchased it and they told me it was a good solid car. I guess the owner paid them more money than I did to say that. That is why a PPI does not mean shit unless you know the guy that is doing it. Also I think that the ultimate guys are pretty good too. As far as problems with my car they were all internal engine issues. The rest of the car has a few 15 year old problems but has held up surprisingly well. A few electrical connectors with small amounts of corrosion and cleaning up interior bits, but all very liveable. If I were allowed when inspecting one I would want to cut open the oil filter and inspect for debris. Then pull all the spark plugs and look at how they are burning. Then a compression check, or even better a leakdown check. Pull the rubber intake tube off of the passenger side intake runner, open the throttle plate and see how much oil is laying in the runner. Does it smoke? Does it grind going into any of the gears? Drive it for at least 30 minutes. If they have service paperwork, call the place that worked on it. Lambos are so few the mechanic will remember the car. These are my 10 cents

good luck

dave

Dave - Good to see you're alive and well. Have not seen any posts recenlty.

BTW - In a nuteshell, what's the deal on the pax side intake runner? Open throttle and look for oil... lost me there... why or what issues are you looking for?

The passenger side intake runner is where the oil breather system is plumbed back into the intake. If there were a lot of oil in there it could indicate that there was a lot of blowby past the rings. What was wrong with your ac anyway?

dave

Dave -

One wire in a harness from ECU to sensor was not grounding... All is well now.

Thanks and you have mail.