[sergiuvlad]

Hi everyone

As I stated in another thread, I just bought a 2006 Maserati Quattroporte with 22K miles on it. Naturally, I am in love!

A couple of items came up in my pre-purchase inspection and wanted to get everyone's opinion on them:
- there is a faulty bearing in the clutch that is covered under the warranty. Has anyone had that and is the car really safe to drive (as they told me)? I am planning on bringing it in next week but, so far, I find it hard to part with the car
- the one not covered by the warranty is a broken shift lever (the tiny one that puts the car in reverse and drive). The techs are saying someone pulled it the wrong way (or actually probably did not lift it right) and now you do not have to lift the lever when putting the car in reverse. It all works fine, you can shift it between reverse and forward with no problem except that you do not have to lift it up before putting it in reverse. Is this something I shoudl worry about? I wasn't planning on fixing it, it seemed really silly and not worth $800. But then again, who knows.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Sergio

 

[BigA3723]

.

I too just purchased my first Maserati 2 weeks ago. I purchased a black 2006 QP with 19k miles (great deal at $55,980). I have a similiar problem with shifter , but the actual lever itself is missing a little chip on bottom, a small cosmetic issue. It works fine and need to be lifted for reverse. You should let them change under warranty if they will cover it. One thing you should do immediately is to find out where the car was serviced and get them to fax you a copy of all work done on car. Mine was serviced at Ferrari of Atlanta. It had a complaint from salesman that car wouldn't go into reverse prior to sale. Originally no problem was found but after 2 more complaints by owner in first 2 months, they replaced the module and solved issue. It's interesting that in the first 4 months and 3500 miles, they replace reverse shifter, the entire gearbox and F1 system ($12K), Instrument cluster, and sunroof. There is an issue with 05 and 06 with the linkage breaking inside doors and only being able to open door from outside. My car has had all 4 doors linkage replaced already. Luckily, my car has gone 16,000 miles and 2years 2 months with no problems since original major issues. The only 4 times the car came in was for first major service at 6k miles and this past August for 18.5k mile service where they change all fluids. The last ticket for service was from a month before my purchase, so I haven't been rushed about having the car checked out by my local mechanic. The last service ticket also said that they recommended rear brakes, but customer declined. So now I know I needed brakes. I ordered the pads, spark plugs, springs, and a DBW module all from Jeff at Formula Dynamics. I am waiting for my package of necessities to arrive hopefully today, so that I can get them installed friday by my local Ferrari\Maserati guy and at the same time have him check out the car. I installed TUBI exhaust Monday night with just the stock car jack and a 1/2 inch socket! So easy and sounds SO great! The last plan for near future is to have a used clutch core I purchased rebuilt with Kevlar by one of the companies mentioned in the thread "kevlar Clutch" last week. I like the idea that the clutch will last longer, work better, and be rebuilt with a much stronger throw out bearing and for less money ($600).

 

[paradon]

A few comments:

1. The pilot bearing is covered under warranty. The pressure plate, flywheel, throwout bearing, etc are not. At 22K you probably need at least some of these items replaced as well if they have not been previously. Nevertheless, the warranty can reduce a $5 - $6K repair by a few grand.

2. I have commented on the door handle issue previously. If you can get the handle replaced under warranty (ie it breaks) then great as it is a bit of a pain to do yourself.

3. My experience with the pads is that they tend to wear the rotors quickly. Make sure that you check the rotors properly before you do just a pad slam. I have been unable to find an aftermarket source for the rotors yet.