Oil is dripping onto my catalytic converter. Causes a little smoke at startup. I am being told Maserati denied the claim due to it being "rubber gaskets". Quote from dealer 2200.00. 12 Hours labor and 140/hr. Remainder is parts of course. I called the dealership where I bought it from (its different than where the car is now) and they said that in fact Maserati would not cover it unless "tech" approves it from them if the car is newer? Otherwise, 99% sure it is not covered. Bummer. Any thoughts on this fellas?
Weeping Valve Covers on 2013 CPO
TeFLoN
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Also I still don't see how the math works. 12 hours labor at that rate gets $1680, plus 2 $62 gaskets. Doesn't add up to $2200. I guess the specific gaskets for the GT version of this engine cost hundreds of dollars, while for the old 4.2 liter they are only $62 each?
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They can sometimes, but it's only going to be a stop gap. The gaskets seem to go hard and 'they all do that sir'
C
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+1...you can`t tighten them..There is a stop on the bolt....The gaskets simply get hard over time and seep...Jason
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Good information - thank you.
I'm surprised ( an not pleasantly ..) to read that these gaskets replacement interval is suggested at 40 k miles, not to mention Sean's car which needed it even earlier than that . Not a single car I have owned , and we're talking about at least 25 + in the last 40 years or so, has ever had a valve cover gasket fail earlier than 100 K miles. And although many of my cars have been Porsches and Mercedeses, I've had quite a few inexpensive cars also, where you'd expect the quality of the parts is substandard as well..and no gasket leaks there either . Ugh, rather disappointing to hear this about our cars .
As for the job, most definitely check with independent shops, this is not any kind of work which requires specialized or unique dealer equipment and so called expertise for which you have to pay an arm and a leg .. I checked out a highly reputable local exotic car independent repair shop ; Ferrari , Maserati , Aston Martin, MCLaren , etc.. and asked them about charges for various service and repair jobs for the Maserati GT . In almost all cases the labor time was just about half of what the dealer indicated for the same job.
As for the job, most definitely check with independent shops, this is not any kind of work which requires specialized or unique dealer equipment and so called expertise for which you have to pay an arm and a leg .. I checked out a highly reputable local exotic car independent repair shop ; Ferrari , Maserati , Aston Martin, MCLaren , etc.. and asked them about charges for various service and repair jobs for the Maserati GT . In almost all cases the labor time was just about half of what the dealer indicated for the same job.
inexpensive cars equal substandard parts? gransports are outfitted with fomoco switch gear...
expertise is so called? really brings to mind the fast, good, cheap pick only one or two debate.
valve cover gaskets, i would say, are easy as long as the half moons on the rear of the gasket are double triple checked to be aligned correctly.
as for rubber components leaking/failing... i would never voluntarily attach a mileage to a failure rate/interval. far too many variables exist for rubber/plastic. i'd consider time to be a much larger factor than mileage. i would also think heat cycles are further up the list as well due to expansion and contraction.
as for labor rates... there is a lot of variance shop to shop, dealership to independent. its also regional dependent, as well as tied right into cost of living.
expertise is so called? really brings to mind the fast, good, cheap pick only one or two debate.
valve cover gaskets, i would say, are easy as long as the half moons on the rear of the gasket are double triple checked to be aligned correctly.
as for rubber components leaking/failing... i would never voluntarily attach a mileage to a failure rate/interval. far too many variables exist for rubber/plastic. i'd consider time to be a much larger factor than mileage. i would also think heat cycles are further up the list as well due to expansion and contraction.
as for labor rates... there is a lot of variance shop to shop, dealership to independent. its also regional dependent, as well as tied right into cost of living.
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Where is the "Like" button?
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Follow up....
Yes, it is not optimal that the warranty does not cover this and it occurred so soon, but the dealership said they would cut the price in half to keep my business citing difficulties in finding the correct labor times and such. I was quite pleased that I didn’t have to go with an independent because of the three I called, not one has gotten back to me on a quote nor did the seem that enthusiastic to get my business. People just aren’t hungry these days. I will do the gentlemanly thing and provide liquor of choice to the service advisor and mechanic for their help when I pick up the car.
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Yes, it is not optimal that the warranty does not cover this and it occurred so soon, but the dealership said they would cut the price in half to keep my business citing difficulties in finding the correct labor times and such. I was quite pleased that I didn’t have to go with an independent because of the three I called, not one has gotten back to me on a quote nor did the seem that enthusiastic to get my business. People just aren’t hungry these days. I will do the gentlemanly thing and provide liquor of choice to the service advisor and mechanic for their help when I pick up the car.
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Sounds like a great compromise all around. I know that in California, most decent car shops are swamped with business, so they don't need to be hungry. I'm lucky I found one in San Jose where the owner is just super nice and committed to the upkeep of cars, so even though he doesn't "need" my business he just sees yet another fine car worth saving and rehabilitating.
Save yourself some money, I did mine on an 05 coupe gt. Less then $190.00 parts 3 1/2 hours and I was done, pretty sure I can bring that time down to 2 hrs. it's really not hard at all. If you have at least a basic tool kit and know how to change you own oil, you can do this job.
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It`s a lot easier on a M138 as the engine is not back under the cowl...it requires removal on a QP...Jason
There's two kind of car owners - those who work on their car, and those who take it to the shop. The OP sounds like the second kind. Plus, if you have limited mechanical experience, should you really make a valve cover job on a warrantied vehicle your first assignment? Talk about voiding the warranty!
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I agree with you. I took a closer look at the valve covers and although it looks somewhat intimidating, it is really not that difficult. You have 10-12 small bolts on the valve cover itself and a whole bunch of stuff like ignition coils, screws etc to remove. The most difficult part is removing the 2 valve cover bolts near the engine wall cause the GT engine is lower and sits deeper inside...but with a little patience and smaller hands like mine, it should be no problem...use socket extenders etc...the bolts are visible. I am no expert mechanic but I guess 1.5 hours at the most for each cover. The pro mechanic will take about 1 hour each side but must bill by the book. I checked the Maserati official workshop manual...calls for 5.5 hours each side...hahaha...now I know the manual must assume that the mechanic has only one hand, not 2 hands, hence 5.5 hours/each...haha. But again this is how dealers survive through the service department, not sales. Besides special diagnostic computers, when needed for other repairs are very expensive tools...easily $20-50K. My Aston and Lambo dealers all operate the same way and I understand. Sometimes i do things myself but other times I send to dealer, if busy or need the computer. We need the dealers as much as they need us. Paying top dollar or 2000% markup for service on these cars is normal. And so yes, at $180/hr for 11 hours and parts, it is about $2200 for 2 covers, even if the tech only spends 2-2.5 hours on the job.
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Actually I have a significant amount of experience working on cars as a young man turning wrenches [emoji373] on American cars replacing motors, trannies, wheel bearings, brakes, etc etc, but with limited time and “correct” tools I prefer just to hand it off to the pros. Plus, I’m old haha [emoji38] However, like anyone else, I don’t like getting BS’d or ripped off and I know enough to pretty much prevent that with my experience. I really appreciate all of you guys chiming in and helping out with your knowledge. That’s the beauty of this and many other boards. A lot of good advice out there.
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Respectly, I must laugh at the short time estimates. Just getting prepared for the job can take time. When I wrench, it's no time race. I take my time and do the job properly.
My 2013 Granturismo was just serviced a couple of weeks ago at 40k miles for the exact same problem. Dealer fixed for around $1800. CPO declined coverage.
I agree it's not a time race, it's just the amount of time it takes. Some jobs take longer some not so long. Some folks have to ease there way into a job some just look at it and go to it. I also have to remember most people don't do these things very much. I've been doing it all my life so when I look at a job I can pretty much figure out what I need and how much time it's going to take me. it doesn't take me long to roll my box up to the the car and get started.
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Oh yeah, certainly not a time race. You took 3.5 hours for both covers, which is close to my estimated 1.5 hours per cover (maybe 2 hours) at normal speed. I can't see myself taking 5.5 hours/cover to remove 25 bolts and I'm no expert. I take 20 mins per wheel to replace brake pads only (no rotor change cause don't drive much) but I have seen a pro do it so much faster and relaxed, not that it matters. But again I have changed Brembo pads 15-20 times. There's no right or wrong. Everybody do whatever they feel comfortable.
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