Maserati Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Outside mirror control knob broken

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 40 Posts
J

jw38

· Registered
Joined
·
1,017 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
I took my 2013 GT to the dealership in San Antonio today to have some minor maintenance items taken care of and to have 3 issues taken care of under the CPO warranty.

One of the warranty items I've asked the dealership to look at is a broken outside mirror adjustment knob that's located on the driver's side door. It appears that the clip(s) holding the knob onto the door are broken, so when I use it to adjust the outside mirrors, it wants to fall into the inside of the door. The service advisor at the dealership said Maserati might not cover the repair because they will think the knob was damaged by my knee pushing against it. Apparently, Maserati recently declined to cover a similar repair on a 2017 Quattroporte. Apparently, it will most likely cost ~$850 to repair the knob. The service advisor did say that she will advocate for me if Maserati says they won't cover the repair.

My knee doesn't come anywhere near the knob and I know I've never hit it with anything. It's not my fault that Maserati put the knob in such a dumb location! Aaaargh!!!

What do you guys think about this? I'll follow-up after I get the car back from the dealership.
 
#5 ·
Jason@ Enzo`s Atlanta said:
I think that mirror switch is about the worst part on the car...Jason
Click to expand...
Could not agree more ! Every time I use it it feels so feeble and wobbly, as if it's ready to fall apart at any moment. I live in fear of ever adjusting the mirrors, fortunately I almost never need to, nor do I ever fold them in, so at least that reduces the risk, but it's probably only a matter of time. Yes, it's also idiotically located where your knee can easily hit it.
Second worst part: the seat controls' cover plate ; easily breakable off of the three cheap plastic fasteners that hold it in place, if you hit it with your foot getting into or out of your seat to exit the car. Another "what were they thinking" design, IMHO.
Third worst part which many members here experienced first hand, is the cheap seat folding lever lever which has a tendency to break very quickly .

As for the warranty, I'm sure it's easy for Maserati to decline coverage because they allege you may have hit it with your knee, and that would be a shitty approach to take, so hopefully the service manager's advocacy should compel them to make things right .. if not you can always threaten them with a small claim court claim..
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Dave: If Maserati doesn't cover it, there's no way I'm paying $850 for a freaking mirror switch! I'll figure out how to do it myself so you'll most likely be hearing from me.

DSGT: You are absolutely correct. While we love our GT, we'll never purchase another Maserati. Several months ago, my wife was looking for a small SUV and when I mentioned the Levante, her immediate comment was "No f**king way!". That pretty much sums up how she feels about Maserati as a company, and I actually feel the same way. "Passion through Excellence"...I think not.
 
#7 · (Edited)
It's always disappointing to see ANY cheap, fragile components in cars like these, but Maserati is not alone ..I've seen crappy interior parts in Porsches and Ferraris as well ( not so much Aston Martins but I have not driven many of them long enough to test how well the parts are made ) so we're in good company when it comes to expecting the price of a car to reflect top quality in 100% of everything associated with it, only to end up with buttons whose faces fade or peel off, other switches , levers and accessory pieces that break easily, and so on... Funny you should mention SUVs , we have a '15 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the quality of that car's interior and all the buttons, switches, etc feel not just luxurious but indestructible , almost rivals a Rolls Royce or a Bentley ( ok, that's an exaggeration, but still..) So I would not even give the Levante a second look, no matter how fast it may be , or that it carries the Maserati name .. Why would you need a super fast SUV, anyway ?! You want a bulleroof , solidly built , reliable car with quality coachmanship and decent lines . Bit I digress, this is about our GTS.
 
#8 ·
jw38 said:
It's funny you say that because my wife has repeatedly said, "Who the f**k designed that thing!" LOL!!!
Click to expand...
…..uh, crazy Italians?

 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#10 ·
I just want to share my experience with the outside mirrors. One day the glass of the mirror dropped hanging by the defreeze wires. I discovered that the mirror glass is fixed to the support ONLY with double sided tape ����.
I suggest a regular check of your outside mirrors as when the double sided tape will get old the mirror glass will drop....

Roooore
 
#12 ·
jw38 said:
Dave: If Maserati doesn't cover it, there's no way I'm paying $850 for a freaking mirror switch! I'll figure out how to do it myself so you'll most likely be hearing from me.
Click to expand...
I didn't provide a price but I know it won't be anywhere near $850. If you want me to get you a price, send me an email (not a PM) and I will be happy to. We bring an order in weekly from the Ferrari / Maserati factories.
 
#13 ·
I should also state that we are working to add more capabilities to reproduce parts as we repair many parts that are no longer available. We are getting close to the purchase of additive manufacturing equipment and other molding equipment.
 
#14 ·
Dave Rocks said:
I should also state that we are working to add more capabilities to reproduce parts as we repair many parts that are no longer available. We are getting close to the purchase of additive manufacturing equipment and other molding equipment.
Click to expand...
Dave that's great news, the " no longer available parts " syndrome is scary, so it's always good to know there are sources working on developing and manufacturing replacements . Or, improvements to the occasional cheap parts Maserati put in some of these cars ..
 
#15 ·
I've had the backing plate/tabs that hold the mirror controller in place fail twice already in the first two years, and I'd take serious issue with Maserati not covering this under warranty- the knee excuse is absurd. Frankly some of the trim is simply too fragile- I'm meticulous with my interiors, and I have to detail my Maserati far more gently and prioritize longevity versus deep cleaning, because certain areas (the vinyl in particular) just aren't durable enough.
 
#16 ·
newGTS said:
I've had the backing plate/tabs that hold the mirror controller in place fail twice already in the first two years, and I'd take serious issue with Maserati not covering this under warranty- the knee excuse is absurd. Frankly some of the trim is simply too fragile- I'm meticulous with my interiors, and I have to detail my Maserati far more gently and prioritize longevity versus deep cleaning, because certain areas (the vinyl in particular) just aren't durable enough.
Click to expand...
Agree with you completely. I'm actually missing the piece that adjusts the drivers seat forward and back. I guess it just "fell off"...
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #17 ·
DSGT said:
As for the warranty, I'm sure it's easy for Maserati to decline coverage because they allege you may have hit it with your knee, and that would be a shitty approach to take, so hopefully the service manager's advocacy should compel them to make things right .. if not you can always threaten them with a small claim court claim..
Click to expand...
My wife and I had dinner with several of our neighbors last night and one of them happens to be an attorney who represents clients with product defect claims. I was talking to him about the mirror knob and after he was done laughing, he said that if Maserati doesn't cover the repair, I definitely should take it to small claims court. Not only does he think that the court will require Maserati to pay for the repair under their CPO warranty program, he thinks they'll pay for it out of the embarrassment of being taken to court over such a dumb design.

I'm getting ahead of myself because I have a lot of faith in the service department at the Maserati dealership in San Antonio and I'm confident that they will advocate as much as possible on my behalf.

Dave Rocks said:
I didn't provide a price but I know it won't be anywhere near $850. If you want me to get you a price, send me an email (not a PM) and I will be happy to. We bring an order in weekly from the Ferrari / Maserati factories.
Click to expand...
If Maserati won't pay for the repair, I'll be in touch. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to remove the door panel? I've done it on lots of cars in the past, but I'm guessing that Maserati has "special" plastic clips that secure the panel...and that cost about $1500 each! :smile2::smile2:
 
#18 ·
jw38 said:
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to remove the door panel? I've done it on lots of cars in the past, but I'm guessing that Maserati has "special" plastic clips that secure the panel...and that cost about $1500 each! :smile2::smile2:
Click to expand...
I just replaced my head liner and had 80% of the interior out but not the front door panels (had the rear out). None of it was difficult except actually getting the new headliner back in the car - that's fun :)
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Well, the dealership service advisor called me today and said that Maserati will not cover any portion of the rear mirror adjustment knob repair under the CPO warranty that I have. Maserati says the adjustment knob is a "wear item" and wear items aren't covered under the CPO warranty. The service advisor said that it's a $950 repair. While the car has been in for service, I also had them repair - under warranty - the turn signal lever, as it won't return to the off position after making a left turn. Let's see...the mirror adjustment knob is a "wear item" yet the turn signal lever isn't. Hmm, which one gets more use?

Time to start making some telephone calls. If I don't get resolution from Maserati NA, I'll look into small claims court.

Most likely, I'll just buy the part from Dave Rocks and will install it myself. :furious2::furious2:
 
#20 ·
950.00???? Do they drug test there? Best I remember the mirror switch is like 90-120 bucks..You do not even have to take it all apart on a M145 car...It's easy...Jason
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 20 of 40 Posts
About this Discussion
39 Replies
14 Participants
Last post:
jw38
Maserati Forum
posts
447K
members
45K
Since
2003
We’re a forum to discuss the Maserati Coupé, Spyder, GranTurismo, Ghibli, Quattroporte and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
GranTurismo Coupe, Spyder, GS QP5 2003-2012 Modern Maserati New Member Introductions