I was about to change the F1 Relay this weekend. I went in the boot and began to look for it. I could not find it anywhere. Turns out I have to remove some of the trunk liner.
I decided to call Steve at Maserati Service at FMPA. He was very helpful and ultimately convinced me NOT to mess with the relay.
He began to site some of the half truths he has read from the internet about the F1 problems. He went on to set me straight.
In summary:
Maserati had problems with their F1 pump system in their early models, 02 and 03s. 04s and on, have the larger relays and the updated software.
They came out with about 3 updates to their F1 system, including a stronger relay and software updates.
The relay was NEVER the cause of F1 failure, it was the software that caused the relay and the pump to stay on, frying the relays tips and ultimately shorting the RELAY and seizing the pump.
Depending on when your car was made, your relay could be in several locations in your boot and must match your current installed software.
If you just order the relay and you try to plug it into your car here is what may happen:
Best case, nothing, everything works fine, not a blip because you have the most current F1 relay and software upgrades. He went on to stress that this will NOT add life to your pump.
Worst case, ELECTRICAL TROUBLE.. Due to the many upgrades in relays and software, you may get the most current relay or NOT, and plug it into your current software that may or may NOT match with it. This will cause an initial electric spike to the computer. The computer may be able to be reset and updated OR NOT. Its possible to cause damage your computer. He had a case like that and FMNA would NOT cover the damaged $2,000 computer.
The only time they replace the relay is when they replace a new pump.
I am sure everyone has their own opinions and if you have an 02 or 03 CC, it makes sense to check out your relay and see if you can get it updated. Its about a 45 minute job at the dealership.
My intent of this post was to pass on the info I got from Steve a Maserati tech with years of expertise on our cars.
CM
I decided to call Steve at Maserati Service at FMPA. He was very helpful and ultimately convinced me NOT to mess with the relay.
He began to site some of the half truths he has read from the internet about the F1 problems. He went on to set me straight.
In summary:
Maserati had problems with their F1 pump system in their early models, 02 and 03s. 04s and on, have the larger relays and the updated software.
They came out with about 3 updates to their F1 system, including a stronger relay and software updates.
The relay was NEVER the cause of F1 failure, it was the software that caused the relay and the pump to stay on, frying the relays tips and ultimately shorting the RELAY and seizing the pump.
Depending on when your car was made, your relay could be in several locations in your boot and must match your current installed software.
If you just order the relay and you try to plug it into your car here is what may happen:
Best case, nothing, everything works fine, not a blip because you have the most current F1 relay and software upgrades. He went on to stress that this will NOT add life to your pump.
Worst case, ELECTRICAL TROUBLE.. Due to the many upgrades in relays and software, you may get the most current relay or NOT, and plug it into your current software that may or may NOT match with it. This will cause an initial electric spike to the computer. The computer may be able to be reset and updated OR NOT. Its possible to cause damage your computer. He had a case like that and FMNA would NOT cover the damaged $2,000 computer.
The only time they replace the relay is when they replace a new pump.
I am sure everyone has their own opinions and if you have an 02 or 03 CC, it makes sense to check out your relay and see if you can get it updated. Its about a 45 minute job at the dealership.
My intent of this post was to pass on the info I got from Steve a Maserati tech with years of expertise on our cars.
CM
