The report on the F355 is that a number of HT leads are faulty and need to be replaced. The parts have been ordered and are on their way.

The leads, like the spark plugs, are something you never know how old they are when you buy a car. Are they original? Or maybe they were replaced at some stage, but when? Something interesting to consider if you are buying any car.

I did have a car many, many years ago that exhibited similar problems to the current stuttering problems on the F355. It got so bad that I have driving up hills using the choke (yes, it was that old it had a manual choke).

The day that it was scheduled to go in for repair it wouldn’t start, So I had to get towed being another car across town, which as an experience and a half. The funniest thing, only on reflection now of course, was that upon arrival we parked the cars outside the location to work out where we needed to go. Upon returning to the car to move it, I failed to insert the ignition key into the steering column and unlock the steering. As soon as I turned the wheel the steering lock kicked in and I began spearing across the road like a sling shot at maximum velocity.

I jammed the brakes on and luckily didn’t hit anything but I certainly gave the driver of the towing car a severe case of whiplash and no doubt made their car a few centimetres longer! Talk about panic stations.

So, fingers crossed that the leads resolve the problem and in any case it is about time that they are changed given the distance I have travelled since purchase. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel.

I think many people have had the experience of spying an unfortunate soul by the side of the road having their car being towed. A smaller percentage have had the experience of seeing a supercar being towed. Well today I added a few points to those percentages by having the F355 loaded on a trailer to be dispatched to Racing Red for repairs.

Unfortunately, the stuttering issues have turned out not be to resolved by the replacement of the crank sensors. The problem materialises when the engine gets hot, typically after about 30 minutes of driving. So, rather than attempt to get the car across town to Racing Red and risk an embarrassing break down in a strategic location (read the harbour tunnel) I decided that the best thing was to get it transported there instead.

A contact in the Club referred me to a Carlingford Towing who responded very quickly to my request via email. I arranged for the pick up to be a short distance away to allow enough space to manoeuvre the car onto the tilt tray. Interestingly, I got to drive the car onto the truck, which is another first for me!

With the car secured, I waved farewell as it headed off to see the doctor and I await an update on its condition.

I had always known that somewhere down the track, after buying the F355, that it would end up on a tilt tray being trucked somewhere because of mechanical issues. Overall, I think I’ve been pretty lucky to avoid that situation until now and I will also say that this virgin experience was a lot better that I feared it was going to be. I didn’t cop any abuse, nasty or sarcastic remarks or rubber necks. Just a normal day in the city with a car being towed I suppose, which I’m totally fine with.

I’m sure the F355 will enjoy the ride atop the tilt tray, taking it easy on the journey across town to see the doctor. I suppose that a trip in the  first class seats is warranted now and then eh? When someone else does the driving while you sit back and watch the world go by from high above the traffic. What novel concept that is eh?