My Ferrari's *Alleged* Major Service Wasn't Actually Done - 30 Year Deferred Maintenance in my 328! 

It may be expensive, but this is the kind of guy you want working on your stuff. Man i enjoy listening to him :)

These are the quintessential conversations car enthusiasts have, and I love it. There's no overly dramatic reactions. its just pure car talk.

This is the reason why "low miles" means nothing to me. I would rather have a constantly driven and loved car in good condition than one that sat around for 30 years in "showroom" condition. Been in both boats and fixing stuff on a loved car is so much nicer even with mods i would call downgrades.

Great to hear Donny's explanation and recommendations.

What a great partner to have for any Ferrari owner. I love the idea of having an old Ferrari that you can just drive and drive without worrying all the time if it will leave you on the side of the road.

..."if you can't afford a new Ferrari...you sure as hell can't afford an old one"...

The joys of buying an old Ferrari.

That dude should have a youtube channel and teach the ferrari maintenance. Love the attention to details

Hahaha every time Matt laughs he knows it’s gonna hurt his wallet.

Donnie is one cool dude. Love how meticulous he is

Can't get enough of a real masters like Donnie, who know literally every nut and bolt on a car, going over a car and what it needs to be perfect. I think he'd be great on The Smoking Tire, would love to listen to you pick his brain on some newer cars like the Roma you alluded to, and any/all other classic F cars. We need more Donnie!

Love a genius specialist like Donny. We can all aspire to "know what we're talking about" like him.

This is the type of guy that gets pissed at everything. Lol

Best part.... Ferrari got there shit right. 🤣😂👊🏻 so cool when your mechanic is also a enthusiast. My kind of people on this channel.

Pls do videos of Donny and yourself in press ferraris, would love to see what he thinks of the new stuff as well :)

Re Gear Oil. I have a 328. I use a mix of 1 qt of Redline 75W90 & then fill it with 75W90 NS (around 3.5qts). Been doing that for 15 years + & its a pretty widely used answer. I've also tried Redline MTL which works well & is recommended for boxes with tough 2nd gears but I don't have that & it felt a bit light in my car.

Loves this mechanic - great personality. My Alfa mechanic here in CO is the same - if it needs fixed - we fix it! Excited to see Matt post videos on this car.

So great to see Drew Carey found some work during the pandemic.

Best Mechnic ever. I love these videos with him. This might be my favorite video ever on the channel. The knowledge and love of his craft is unmatched. Thanks for sharing all of this Matt.

I have always been fascinated by overly expensive Precision cars but always from a distance.... then about 2 years ago I fell head over heals in love with the 911... you demonstrate very well the potential of these cars and what a serious machine they really are.... no thanks to you the words "fuck it" "just do it" filled the room after this vid....I have set a goal for June 1st .On public record. Thank you brother for being real and just showing it like it is don't change a thing.

Lots of commenters are calling your mechanic Drew Carey but to me he looks like Otmar Szafnauer from F1 and he's doing the work of an American Iain Tyrrell! Either way you're lucky to have someone this knowledgeable in your back pocket :)

Donny on the podcast.

I love listening to someone with so much expertise.

This is now officially my favourite kind of TST content! Gotta love the attitude of both Matt and Donny.

Wish every mechanic was like this, wish every customer could be like this too. Free reign is nice, for both.

How lucky are you Matt to have an outstanding mechanic that's enthusiastic as you are in sorting out cars we all love, Great show man!

Maybe my priorities are out of whack, but I can't help notice how awesome that stainless steel toolbox @16:20 is. Hot dayum

I hope the Royal Purple gear oil serves you guys right. Redline is good, but there is a specific combination of Redline MTL and Redline MT-90 that is known as the Redline cocktail that people use in various transmissions as it smooths up the shifts, provides great protection against gear shock, and provides much smoother engagements at cooler temperatures. A lot of DSM/Evo guys run this on the five speed GSR transmissions as it is much better than the stock fluid provided by Mitsubishi. If Royal Purple doesn't work out well on that Ferrari gearbox go back to Redline but look up the specific weights needed for the 328 and try the cocktail approach. It certainly won't hurt the transmission and might be exactly what you are looking for. When I had my supercharged Elise, there was always a tough engagement in colder temperatures from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd and sometimes a bit of grinding if you didn't rev match perfectly or try to double clutch. Now if the car sat and warmed up for 20-30 minutes and was driven gingerly for another 15-20 minutes until the transmission and its fluid came up to temp then there were no issues. You could shift like an absolute imbecile/maniac and it took it no problem but you had to spend plenty of time warming everything up. I drained the fluid and ran the Redline cocktail in it and I never had an issue with any of gear changes even in colder temperatures. Like you said, you had tons of anecdotal submissions from people who didn't own Ferrari's and this is another one, but I don't know anyone who went away from running the Redline cocktail once they gave it a try and felt how much better the syncros were engaging and the lack of grinding or shock if any mistakes were made at any temperatures. Best of luck and its nice to see the car in full running order. Donny is a one of a kind guy who really pays attention to the details and doesn't skimp on anything. It shows that these are more than just cars to him, he understands they are works of art and engineering that require the same attention to detail and dedication when it comes to maintaining these cars. That same amount of effort must match the amount of pride and effort the guys over at Maranello poured into this thing to design it and get it on the road. Donny is certainly an inspiration to me because it reminds me of how passionate I used to be when it came to vehicles and maintaining them which has slipped over the years due to work, life, etc. taking priority over my life for automobiles. Hopefully he has an apprentice, family member, or coworker who will be able to carry on his legacy when he finally decides to step away from rebuilding everyone elses cars so he can enjoy his own.

A Two Take with Donny would be awesome!

Wish I could find a mechanic who cared about the little things the way this guy does.

Its awesome and cathartic to see everyting get replaced. Also I'd love to hear a rundown of all the stuff replaced and the cost, I bet its not much overall. 35 hoses 56 hose clamps 36 fittings etc etc

Most of the issues were old car issues and not Ferrari issues, that’s pretty impressive on Ferrari’s part!

Love the production on this, with the high-res photos and the 4k goodness. Didn't think it'd add as much, but it does!

That wealth of knowledge that guy has is amazing. What I would give to be able to work under a person like that and just learn.

Donnie is awesome to watch - a common sense approach combined with so much Ferrari specific knowledge. Like so much other stuff, the 308 simply fell victim to being too cheap for too long. Totally stunning in black over black!

The tan lines on Matt’s face are amazing 😂

Hello Matt Don’t worry I just did the major service on my 328 myself and realized the local dealer never did any of the work either I have owned the car since 1993 The fuel filter was never replaced, timing belts dated from 2004 etc. Dealer wanted 20K for service I did in 3 months for 700 bucks. Good thing you found Donny. Best Scott

This guy is great! The correct mechanic for your Ferrari👍 I’m sure I am not the only one who thinks he needs his own channel.

My son has an E90 6MT. Redline D4 ATF seems to be a popular choice among the community. But we went with Amsoil synchromesh manual transmission fluid. Since we live in a warm climate, it can handle more viscosity without having to worry about how it performs in really cold weather. Get a bit better protection without sacrificing performance/smoothness. Been very happy with it.

These are great videos Matt. Keep it cranking. It’s a really satisfying thing to just listen to someone that knows how to make things right.

This is the gentleman you want working on your classic Ferrari! You can tell he eats, breathes, and dreams everything Ferrari!

This guy sounds, talks and looks like someone who would take the time and effort to figure out how to make a classic Ferrari work properly. Just the right mixture of passion and geekiness.

I absolutely love this kind of talk. Need more

On the next episode of Bottom Gear, Donnie's payday grows, Matt robs an art museum to fund his Ferrari service, and the 328 reveals even more hidden issues!

@TheSmokingTire We used Ford XT-M5-QS in my uncle's 308 and my boss' 328 for multiple fluid changes. I'm a technician at Doc's Garage in Lexington SC where we specialize in Porsche but also do some vintage Italian car service/repairs. We tried Redline, Royal Purple, GM Synchromesh, and back to Royal Purple before trying Ford's MTF. It's worth a shot if you don't like the Royal Purple.

Bravissimo! This artigiano deserves an honorary Italian citizenship 👏🏻 🇮🇹 🍝 🍷 ☕️

I hope you get your Ferrari completely sorted, but at the same time I selfishly hope that it needs more work or regular maintenance because I enjoy these videos with Donnie so much.

I love Donnie's work. You are going to have a brand new 328, no doubt about it. I can't wait to hear how it goes.

I really like the 328 GTSi, the only Ferrari model I've driven in ~ Late 1988 I believe. The car had like 3 or 5k on the odometer. It's just timeless cool. Congrats on buying and owning each of yours, gentlemen.

Donnie is a legend. Great to see all of the detailed pictures as he works through the car

Again, so important to get a pre-purchase inspection from an expert before pulling the trigger especially if you're only moderately mechanically inclined and know your make!

The insight into fixing one of these cars is so beautiful

Man everyone who doesn't work on their own stuff needs to find someone like Donny period. I think you couldn't have found a better physical therapist for your Ferrari, Matt👌 Plus the piece of mind aspect of this rehab shouldn't be undervalued. Because driving something old that you know has been gone through very very thoroughly is just so nice. I´m

Nice work getting it sorted, Matt. Next step: the Italian tune-up!😅

Not sure if this is gonna be worth looking at on this, but ask him to check the distributor and the distributor cap on the next service as a precautionary. as Harry Metcalif of Evo took his vintage testarossa, which probably has the same parts on it, all over europe and even had it put on the grand tour, only to find after having to do a major service, found that the thing was basically on half power, and had been that whole time thanks to the rotor on the distributor like rusting up and damn near falling off. like it needed a new Rotor and the points to be cleaned up that whole time it had been on the GT, and if it has parts that old on it, you could be in for a load more power if it simply hasnt had that done on it.

I have a Ferrari 308 and a Dino 246GT. In both I tried Sweepco, Mineral Gear Oil, Red Line, Shell, Agip, and Royal Purple. FAR AND AWAY the best gear oil in these transmissions is Red Line MTL. I also tried MT 90 and 75W 90NS. Without a doubt MTL is the best fluid and the difference is considerable over the others. The 328 gearbox is almost identical to the 308 one so this information carries over.

Donny reminds me of my trusted P-car guys. When they give that pause or look you know what they mean, because they don't want to talk ill of someone else's work...but you know exactly what they're thinking. Also being former track day guys they know they need to survive their beating/baseline session. Sounds like you found a good guy to work on it! Still looking for an Audi guy that's the same, but the pool of people keeping older Audis isn't as large as air-cooled P-car guys. I've got good enough for now, but that extra little attention to detail would be great.

Magnum P.I. had an entire episode where they had to do scheduled maintenance on the 308 and tried to do it on their own...

Only OGs know that intro song was a hella THROOWWBACKK

This dude is a riot! Great video

I was with this guy until he suggested drinking water in the coolant system... No my guy that’s a one way ticket to limescale in there. Distilled water only in your coolant mix, especially on engines with aluminium heads or blocks. The gearbox having a sump that comes off and lets you inspect the gears like that is such a nice feature.

Sweet 328 you're bringing back to life. And I love your offer of the Roma @ the end, "You can have a go in the Roma." Excellent use of a press car.

This is absolutely fantastic content for any car guy. Great questions from you Matt and I could listen to Donnie all day.

interesting hypothesis about the timing belts losing their writing. When he removes the covers he'll know immediately whether the bearing tensioners were overtightened (hard to imagine b/c the procedure is so simple). If the tension is correct, how much you wanna bet that Donny will replace them anyway, along with the bearings and God knows what else. This video shows why I work on my own cars. I can do the belt change on my Mondial 3.2 for less than $200.

Matt I enjoy your content very much. Always have for years. Thank you for posting this video. I don’t own super rare or expensive cars but I do own a Porsche and THIS is the scariest, most devious and disingenuous act of a so called mechanic. There is a special place in hell for shops who charge for work they don’t actually perform. Appreciate your attention to what I hope is a rare phenomenon.

All the hoses look like he bought them At Home Depot

20 minutes of nerding out over the 328 in Donnie's garage in beautiful 4k? YESSS

Donny seems like quite the guy to have a beer with

Bosch CIS; Aye yeee...... That system, also known as K-Jetronic, works wonderfully. Right up until the first time you get any sort of dirt or water into the system, and then it turns into a raging monster and is a complete nightmare to deal with. I know it wouldn't be "correct" and as such may indeed lower the value of the car, but installing a Megasquirt or maybe a Holley Sniper system would be a major improvement. I'm a true and true Porsche man, but that 308/328 body style is one of the best looking cars ever built. Great video!

From what I understand a lot of the newer gear lubricants have a lower viscosity "feel" but the performance is the same, if not better, because of newly engineered synthetic polymers. The older "thicker" type of oil keeps the grime suspended in the matrix that just gets run over the surfaces again and again, whereas the newer fluids are easier to filter and they dissipate heat more efficiently.

I use royal purple in the gearbox of my E39 M5 and it shifts so great. Makes a world of difference, especially once temps raise a bit. You're lucky to have a guy that'll experiment like that to find what actually works best.

I'd love to hear his thoughts on the Roma, was really sad that the video ended there.

Very educational and that Donnie guy is interesting in the best way possible - seems to know his stuff 😀

There are many gear boxes that run ATF,… high viscosity isn’t always what transmissions like. Differentials yes. Thinner fluid can make shifts smoother and warm up quickly. If you’re jamming gears hard ya keep it heavy.

I appreciate the camera movement at 16:57 to get better light. It's the little things that make the difference!

engine bay looks awesome. Donnie is a detail freak; the best type of mechanic for a quality car.

Love your 328 saga

Royal Purple is the shit. I've been running it in all my manual gearboxes for over 5 years (4 different cars) and it improved every one of them - better shift action (especially when cold) and my current trans runs at least 20F cooler (during similar 3 hour summer spirited drives in 90-ish F temp).

I love the face Matt makes as he keeps realizing he didn't buy as nice of a car as he thought lol

its so refreshing to load up your video. the picture is so high quality compared to everything i previously watched.. I still use a go pro for all my youtube, even after 13 years.

Wow someone who does their job and is proud of their work. Why can't people be like this everywhere? Oh because they aren't appreciated and paid poorly and overworked.

I bought a 308 GT4 on BaT with paper work showing a major service with upwards of 25k of work. Turned out the transaxle had major issues. I sent it on its way with the local expert's analysis of the issues he uncovered. The new owner had a clearer picture of what he was getting into that I had. Live and learn/Die and forget it.

That’s a pretty cool snap on box on the wall you showed when you first got to his shop

Love that you are taking this on Matt in the world of new machines. Keep it alive

It's hilarious that people believe that a timing belt on a Ferrari will explode after 5 years but a timing belt on a honda will last 200,000 miles. I have over 80,000 miles and 14 years on my 360 timing belt and it's still just fine.

Wish I could drop my 308 off at Donnie’s. Long transport from Florida tho. Have done most of the same things myself over the years. Nice to just leave for a few weeks, write a check and drive it in confidence though. Nice to see the 3X8 getting mainstream video exposure. Been getting info almost exclusively on Fchat for many years now. The more info the merrier. Enjoy the ride Matt.

I'm not a royal purple person and probably never will be, but I have heard many good things about it for manual transmissions in the BMW and miata circles I'm in.

14:35 who knows if he was comparing 0w20 to 10w40. Oils of the same weight should have the same viscosity

I thought coolant had to be mixed with distilled water and Not drinking water? Because drinking water has minerals or impurities in it..

Alfa GTV6 Transaxle... had Redline Smurf Blood. Switched to Penrite 75W 90 on the advice of the 75y.o Alfa mechanic who rebuild these transaxles. Worked a treat.

I love these types of vids, but man I just can't believe how fast the disappointment at every shortcut washes away. That's the real life goal.

Great information! Thanks, Donnie!

This just makes me want to buy a Ferrari, so this guy can be my mechanic. I love these old school mechanics.

nice guy great mechanic

Oh my god where do I find someone with this same attitude to work on my cars? He’s just like me lol

You're gonna have a lot of fun when it's done. I'd drive it like Donny after he's done with it!

Loving the updates on your cars. Good way to break it all up.

The amount of times Matt’s eyes look down thinking to himself “please stop rubbing your hand and sweatshirt on my black car” is priceless. I would’ve lost it.

7:29 "you gave me free reign" = Matt thanks for your checkbook ;)

Amazing how many "car guys" don't know what's under the bonnet.....