Made a hard right under braking today and the car started beeping at me with "suspension control failure." Drove the last few blocks home and shut it down. Upon restarting, the check routine comes up clean. Something intermittent? Is the faulty sensor easy to find and replace?
Suspension control failure
SeanFulop
1 - 20 of 112 Posts
Made a hard right under braking today and the car started beeping at me with "suspension control failure." Drove the last few blocks home and shut it down. Upon restarting, the check routine comes up clean. Something intermittent? Is the faulty sensor easy to find and replace?
Joined
·
93 Posts
I wouldn't even bother. If you actually had a suspension issue you'd 1) hear and feel it 2) the light would remain illuminated
It's prolly just another maserati gremlin
It's prolly just another maserati gremlin
Yes I have had a few of those; occasionally she beeps at me for a second without even showing a lighted alarm or message, just like "beep beep, how's it going?" Last week the TPMS system went crazy on startup telling me that a tire had low pressure, showing me a chart with 3 tires at 34 PSI and one at 31 PSI. I ran the mode button through the settings to get back to the tire pressure chart, and all was calm with all four tires at 32 PSI, and the alarm went out. Whatever was the first TPMS reading was a complete falsehood caused no doubt by some current surge from the start-up.
However I am loathe to discount such intermittent warnings. When I first got this car in November I was confronted with an intermittent "transmission failure" that would completely prevent the car from running. A minute or two later it would start and run fine. But ultimately this escalated to where the car did not run at all, and required a fresh transmission control unit.
However I am loathe to discount such intermittent warnings. When I first got this car in November I was confronted with an intermittent "transmission failure" that would completely prevent the car from running. A minute or two later it would start and run fine. But ultimately this escalated to where the car did not run at all, and required a fresh transmission control unit.
Joined
·
93 Posts
Was it raining? I find if a gremlin is gonna present itself it's with incensed humidity and rain. These cars don't like it
This gremlin has come back a few times since and seems to be getting more frequent. Yet each time, the warning comes on for no apparent reason, and is gone again when the car is re-started.
Today, however, the front suspension began to softly rattle on the driver side, which is only audible at low speed. Years ago I had something similar in an old Porsche, which turned out to be a harmless "bubble" in a front strut, and it just eventually went away on its own. The noisy suspension did not set off any warnings yet.
So this is Maserati stuff: a warning with no outward signs of a problem, and then a sign of a problem with no warning.
Today, however, the front suspension began to softly rattle on the driver side, which is only audible at low speed. Years ago I had something similar in an old Porsche, which turned out to be a harmless "bubble" in a front strut, and it just eventually went away on its own. The noisy suspension did not set off any warnings yet.
So this is Maserati stuff: a warning with no outward signs of a problem, and then a sign of a problem with no warning.
Joined
·
37 Posts
Most likely a sensor that is with the shock you can't just replace the sensor you have to replace the whole shock from what I'm told the shock is about 1500.00 each and if you replace one you usually replace both sides front or rear so 2 shocks cost 3000.00 without labor if I was going to do that I would replace with 4 new FD coilovers I think they are like 4200.00 but that is just me
Oh boy! This will be added to the tally of repairs for my first year, already over $8,000 so far and we are still 4 months away from the full 12! Meanwhile my daughter's Hyundai had dealer service done for $150 last month and all good 
Ah but what else have I got to do with all that money right?
Ah but what else have I got to do with all that money right?
Joined
·
83 Posts
Not sure you could sum that up better!! I did see some better prices than suggested out there on shocks, however, they are definitely expensive no matter how you slice. Since I know you are pretty heavily invested in yours, you might keep your eye out for a used set. Although I wouldn't normally suggest that, with the cost and availability of low mileage units, might be worth a shot.
OK now, still having this thing acting up sometimes, and when the alarm comes on, it almost feels like the car starts riding awfully hard. Is this possible? Like, if the suspension computer just "gives up" on doing its thing, what does that feel like?
A friend of mine had a similar thing happen on his '05 QP a while back – the "suspension control failure" message would appear and the ride would get very firm. After it happened for a second time he took it to the dealer, and it turned out that it was just the first symptom a dying battery
I learned on another forum that suspensions will default to the firmest setting if there's a sensor malfunction, the idea being that the car should default to the settings that give it the best handling. Not sure if Masers do this, but it would make sense
I learned on another forum that suspensions will default to the firmest setting if there's a sensor malfunction, the idea being that the car should default to the settings that give it the best handling. Not sure if Masers do this, but it would make sense
OK, that seems likely here. My problem is definitely not battery-related, but could be from a faulty shock sensor. It always happens when the car is in motion, so the shock sensor is the most likely culprit. Will probably ride this out until I can get new shocks in the Fall.
When you need shocks, you can get them at scuderiacarparts.com for $993: https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/di...2005-42/mechanical-and-drivetrain/front-shock-absorber-devices/75-149-8279.html
Or if shocks for a 2006 QP will work, they're $770 each: https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/di...6-42-f1/mechanical-and-drivetrain/front-shock-absorber-devices/77-153-8561.html
Have you had the codes pulled?
Or if shocks for a 2006 QP will work, they're $770 each: https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/di...6-42-f1/mechanical-and-drivetrain/front-shock-absorber-devices/77-153-8561.html
Have you had the codes pulled?
It still works fine most of the time, and my shop is 140 miles away so I tend to put things off when possible... this is the nearest shop I trust to pull codes with the correct diagnostic tools. I will ask their shock prices; one thing though is that Scuderia lists all kinds of parts that they don't actually have. It is like "theoretical" parts. I've ordered parts from Scuderia before, however I have never actually paid for any or received any, because they didn't actually have them and could not get them.
Hmm that's an interesting business strategy: "we'll list parts at very competitive prices, then neither stock them nor order them when customers decide to buy them". Were you trying to buy uncommon parts?
Also, do you bring your car to Roselli by any chance?
Also, do you bring your car to Roselli by any chance?
Roselli, yes! They saved this car when the transmission electrics went all haywire in January. I ordered a new transmission computer for it from Scuderia, but they contacted me and said that the specific computer needed for my VIN is on "permanent backorder" from Maserati. This is also what dealers said about it, which means that in practice they are no longer made. Roselli found me a used one in a week.
Wow you've gotta be shitting me, I can't believe that they'd stop making a critical component like that for a car that's only 13 years old!
And yeah, I've never heard anything short of glowing praise for Roselli, glad he was able to bring your baby back to life so quickly! I'll be bringing mine to him soon for the valve cover gaskets (tried to do them myself yesterday, but after spending 1.5 hours removing one of the secondary air valves, I sort of stopped enjoying myself)
The other good thing about going to Roselli's shop is seeing all the other cars being worked on – when I took my car in to get smogged, there was a Diablo, a 3rd gen QP, a Lagonda, a Phantom, a Testarossa having the engine-out service done, and a couple F430s.
And yeah, I've never heard anything short of glowing praise for Roselli, glad he was able to bring your baby back to life so quickly! I'll be bringing mine to him soon for the valve cover gaskets (tried to do them myself yesterday, but after spending 1.5 hours removing one of the secondary air valves, I sort of stopped enjoying myself)
The other good thing about going to Roselli's shop is seeing all the other cars being worked on – when I took my car in to get smogged, there was a Diablo, a 3rd gen QP, a Lagonda, a Phantom, a Testarossa having the engine-out service done, and a couple F430s.
Dude, I got lucky. Roberto showed me a box of dead QP transmission computers they have taken out of our cars over the past couple of years. He said that due to the vagaries of the used parts business, some QPs waited 6 months before they could be brought back from the dead.
Those F-136 valve cover gaskets just keep on leaking. My large one (passenger side) was done a few years ago but it is seeping pretty badly again.
And yes I definitely share your fascination with the Roselli Foreign Car visiting experience. It's better than an automotive museum, with dream cars from every era stacked up all around.
Here's a few pics I took last time.
Attachments
1 - 20 of 112 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
