Yet another problem that surfaced recently was the buttons in the centre console being pushed through because the screws that hold them to the frame have come loose. I pulled the console apart and was able to identify the location of one of the missing screws as shown above.

I’ve managed to track down that the part number of the screw in question is 15900270 but it is simply identified as a ‘Screw’, which is not very helpful to me. I need to know two major dimensions, the length and the gauge. If I get a screw that is too long I’ll pierce the face of the frame with the tip. If I get one with the wrong gauge (width) then I’ll ruin the housing it screws into.

So, I’m going to have to take punt that one of these three does the trick:

4G x 6.5mm

6G x 6.5mm

8G x 6.5 mm

Turns out that the width of a screw is known as the gauge and the conversion table from imperial (gauge) to mm looks like:

Thus, what I’ll try (all in mm is)

2.9mm x 6.5mm (l)

3.5mm x 6.5mm (l)

4.2mm x 6.5mm (l)

I did my best to measure the housing that the screw will go into and i got:

4.7mm x 9mm (l)

so my best guess, at least initially will be the

3.5mm x 6.5mm (l)

but I’ve had to order 100 of all three types just so I have them on hand. Annoying that I need just one screw and have to buy 300 to try and find that one right screw. Livin’ the dream.

Hopefully, the ordered replacement screws arrive soon and I can try and fix the button mount and get the console back together. Then, I can decide what to ultimately do with the car.

It is with regret that I report that my ownership of a Ferrari F355 maybe at an end. The ‘low power’ issue continues to plague that car and the ownership experience is no longer enjoyable.

After the recent major engine out service, where the charcoal cannister was also replaced, problems started again to surface a few weeks afterwards. The car became harder to start and when it did the revs would start low and them increase. Later on the revs wouldn’t increase and the car would remain in ‘low power’ mode. There are no warning lights on the dash, just a car which struggles to get up any incline.

This all came to head over the last weekend when I headed to Bathurst for the 12 hour race. I knew there was a risk that things would fail, but given the intermittent nature of the problem I felt I needed to force the issue to see the result. Unfortunately, just after I got the car over the mountain range and into Lithgow it struggled to actually start and again had no power.

I let it cool, removed the fuel cap, reset the battery and did everything I could think of, but again now power. I therefore decided to abandon the trip to Bathurst and try and limp the car home. This meant I had to limp the car up a 1 in 8 gradient back up the mountain via Victoria pass! Painful to say the least.

Of course, half way home, the car resumed normal mode and ran like a dream. To top things off, the button on the centre console have dropped through as the screws holding them have also come loose and now the buttons hang loose inside the console near the gear stick.

In short, this ‘low power’ issue has continued now for over two years and there is no solution in sight. I am hesitant to keep throwing money at something that has no path to a reliable solution. It seems to come to randomly changing parts.

I appreciate that intermittent issues can be hard to find and resolve, especially if you can replicate issue on demand. I get it, but I don’t think I can keep going through the discomfort of taking the car out and wondering whether it will fall back into ‘low power’ mode and I’ll have to stress and get it back.

Maybe this the end of my relationship the F355?