[RomansRoad]

2006 QP F1 style (duo-select) now with ~29,000 miles. MULTIPLE quality issues, and has had the clutch replaced twice, last one 3 months ago. Car is NEVER horsed around, and always in AUTO mode, and we're in Texas (read very flat). Wife stranded (again!) by this sorry piece of sheet metal again, and LCD said "transmission failure". We have seen this nice little message multiple times, have had the car in Park Place's garage more than it's in mine, and now PP hinting I will be paying for the problem. They were "nice" enough to low-ball me at $50K to trade up to the non F1 style tranny.

Anyone with good contact info in Italy for this situation?

Owned only German until now, and have never seen anything like this (except for maybe a Pinto or other such).

Any help would be appreciated very much.

 

[squid]

Sadly the clutches do wear out that fast. Auto mode is especially hard on clutches as it slips it a lot. Hard driving is better for it, as the system releases the clutch faster and slips less.

 

[RickBullotta]

I can sense your frustration, but to be blunt, I think the bulk of your problems are due to the use of "Auto" mode. I view auto mode as "valet mode", and nothing more. I think the new automatic tranny is designed more for the "ladies" and will show better reliability in this type of usage. The current CC's are for drivers who want to drive, not ride.

Also, I had a Pinto and never had any problems with it (until I tried running it on pure nitromethane model airplane fuel, but that's a different story).

That price isn't bad to upgrade - you refresh your warranty, get a brand new car, and a drivetrain much better suited to your wife's driving style. I'd seriously consider it.

 

[RomansRoad]

Thanks!

I appreciate your help...just very unhappy with this situation and the rapid devaluation of the car. Not accustomed to over 50% loss in under 2 years with a car that has been at the dealer so much. There have been several other mechanical issues, none of which I've ever seen in MB/Porsche

As a "driver" myself of Porsches, I've never had an automatic, but would have thought the dealer would have rec we use the shifters. Instead, they have linked this to the well known poor design of the transmission and on the last clutch, reported Maserati had a fix in place, and the problem would not recur. That was 3 months ago, just before the total failure of the tranny. We don't have the service diagnosis yet, but I'm worried it may be more serious than just clutch alone.

Along that line, am hoping MNA may realize the gravity of the situation and provide some incentive to resolve the situation. Anyone ever had to involve them?

Again, thanks for the insight. Your group here is super just like the bunch at the P-car forums!

 

[F. Yu]

Auto mode does indeed wear the clutch rapidly, although it is a bit surprising to destroy a new clutch in 3 months even with auto mode usage. 50k does seem a bit low to me although you do have quite a bit of mileage on a 1-2 year-old car. The new ZF-sourced automatic transmission (used in many "German" cars) should give your wife much fewer problems. See if you can talk the trade-in value up a bit with your dealer; if you are serious about trading up to an automatic QP they may be willing to negotiate.

 

[squid]

That depreciation is kind of steep for a QP. Shop around--they hold their value, unlike the coupes.

 

[M!]

...Car is NEVER horsed around, and always in AUTO mode...

really sorry to hear about your poor experience.
the driver should always try to drive it in manual mode (as many mentioned already),
and horsing it around is almost necessary.
consider flexing a muscle for the car.

the duo-select is a roboticized manual gear box.
it should be driven like a manual gear box.
the computer is trying to play nice and just compromising.

perhaps going for the trade in is a good solution.

 

[RickBullotta]

I think you'll find some room for negotiation in this process. With the QP and GT, Maserati is working hard to re-establish itself as a "mainstream" marque, and I think that dynamic could work in your favor.

 

[007]

Strike while the iron is hot!

If it has an Auto button then it should be able to drive in Auto Mode!Otherwise whats the point of having an Auto button? Maserati are trying to re-establish in the most important market (US). They are spending a lot of money to promote the brand now especially the new GT. Maserati will not want any unwanted publicity. I would advise you to create as much stink as possible NOW so that they do something about it. What you have is virtually a new car with warranty. Dont get fobbed off! Use a law firm to draft a strong letter to the dealer and Maserati NA. Tell them that you want a new car and say that you will write to Newspappers/magazines and the internet auto sites and youtube regarding the trouble. I'm sure you will get a result. Leave your car at the dealer and say that you want a comparable loaner and dont accept anything less. If you live near the dealer visit them often and say the same stuff so that they get fed up. Also start talking to prospective new buyers of the new GT at the dealership and the dealer will be forced to sort out your problem!
Good Luck!!

Also write to Trading standards Agency and write to Maserati Italy directors. Their names can be found on the new GT website. Keep copies of all correspondence and keep a diary of times/dates and who you spoke to.

 

[BeeYouZeeZee]

2006 QP F1 style (duo-select) now with ~29,000 miles. MULTIPLE quality issues, and has had the clutch replaced twice, last one 3 months ago. Car is NEVER horsed around, and always in AUTO mode, and we're in Texas (read very flat). Wife stranded (again!) by this sorry piece of sheet metal again, and LCD said "transmission failure". We have seen this nice little message multiple times, have had the car in Park Place's garage more than it's in mine, and now PP hinting I will be paying for the problem. They were "nice" enough to low-ball me at $50K to trade up to the non F1 style tranny.

Anyone with good contact info in Italy for this situation?

Owned only German until now, and have never seen anything like this (except for maybe a Pinto or other such).
Any help would be appreciated very much.

Very few of us have ever gotten our clutch replaced under warranty. They wear out, we pay for them. Some in as few as 10k miles. The transmission failure (which is probably the F1 pump) on the other hand will be fully covered under warranty. My guess is the pump was starting to fail early and smoked the clutches. A new F1 pump may cure the clutch problem once and for all.

Are you going to Park Place in Dallas? I had a warranty issue that they weren't going to cover so I called MNA. They sent their area service tech to PP to look at my car. He deemed it a failure and ordered it covered. MNA will take care of you if your wheel is squeaky enough. Buzz

 

[maseratifan]

While you are having troubles with your QP, it sounds as though PP isn't exactly being all that helpful. I agree with the recommendation of seeking an alternate trade-in price, consider getting the car fixed and trade for a true automatic QP....if you still want a Maserati that is. You might consider private messaging "maserati of Minn" here on this site, he is extremely helpful. Maserati make great cars. I'm biased with my GS since it is no longer my daily driver and the "pressure" has been taken off of it. But is has just over 10K, just had it's service and the dealer says that the clutch only has 25% wear. It literally has been in auto mode once for about 5 min just to check out what it was like, and has been in sport mode 98% of the the time.
Hang in there. Look around before giving up on Maserati altogether.....it is worth it.

 

[M!]

Strike while the iron is hot!

If it has an Auto button then it should be able to drive in Auto Mode!Otherwise whats the point of having an Auto button? Maserati are trying to re-establish in the most important market (US). They are spending a lot of money to promote the brand now especially the new GT. Maserati will not want any unwanted publicity. I would advise you to create as much stink as possible NOW so that they do something about it. What you have is virtually a new car with warranty. Dont get fobbed off! Use a law firm to draft a strong letter to the dealer and Maserati NA. Tell them that you want a new car and say that you will write to Newspappers/magazines and the internet auto sites and youtube regarding the trouble. I'm sure you will get a result. Leave your car at the dealer and say that you want a comparable loaner and dont accept anything less. If you live near the dealer visit them often and say the same stuff so that they get fed up. Also start talking to prospective new buyers of the new GT at the dealership and the dealer will be forced to sort out your problem!
Good Luck!!

Also write to Trading standards Agency and write to Maserati Italy directors. Their names can be found on the new GT website. Keep copies of all correspondence and keep a diary of times/dates and who you spoke to.

i doubt anyone would have that much free time to go to the dealership and try talking someone out of buying a GT.

not very nice to hold maserati hostage on this. at least they did not deny fixing the issue. the guy had his car for more than a year and 29k miles already, and you ask him to ask maserati for a new car? get real.

007, perhaps you have a secret agenda to crush the resale value of the QP so you can get one cheaply too?

 

[maseratifan]

i doubt anyone would have that much free time to go to the dealership and try talking someone out of buying a GT.

not very nice to hold maserati hostage on this. at least they did not deny fixing the issue. the guy had his car for more than a year and 29k miles already, and you ask him to ask maserati for a new car? get real.

007, perhaps you have a secret agenda to crush the resale value of the QP so you can get one cheaply too?

Agree with M!
007 is way out of line. 007, your advice is wrongheaded.

 

[007]

well?

M and Maseratifan must work for PP. I was just trying to help roman. Yes his car does have 29k miles on it but it has had several?/2 new clutches. I ask you if you loved your wife and you spent a lot of money on a Maserati, would you be happy with her being stranded on the roadside in the middle of nowhere? Roman asked for our help and is understandably upset at his treatment from PP. I AM real about the situation and I dont think I 'm out of line trying to help another fellow enthusiast/owner.

Being on PP side or missunderstanding what I have said seems like adding insult to injury to Roman at his hour of need. Hope Roman sorts out his problem.

Car dealers bend over backwards when they want to sell you a car but the minute you drive out the forcourt they dont want to know unless you have big bucks and are stupid. If Roman thinks I am out of line then let him say so and I'll shut up. We should all stick together and perhaps Maserati can improve their product/service/dealerships. Lets leave it at that!

 

[M!]

M and Maseratifan must work for PP. I was just trying to help roman. Yes his car does have 29k miles on it but it has had several?/2 new clutches. I ask you if you loved your wife and you spent a lot of money on a Maserati, would you be happy with her being stranded on the roadside in the middle of nowhere? Roman asked for our help and is understandably upset at his treatment from PP. I AM real about the situation and I dont think I 'm out of line trying to help another fellow enthusiast/owner.

Being on PP side or missunderstanding what I have said seems like adding insult to injury to Roman at his hour of need. Hope Roman sorts out his problem.

Car dealers bend over backwards when they want to sell you a car but the minute you drive out the forcourt they dont want to know unless you have big bucks and are stupid. If Roman thinks I am out of line then let him say so and I'll shut up. We should all stick together and perhaps Maserati can improve their product/service/dealerships. Lets leave it at that!

sorry, double o seven, i do not work for PP.

how exactly is Roman mistreated by PP? by low balling him at $50k for his year old QP? or by hinting that he might have to pay for the clutch?

perhaps if you want to help him, you can go to PP and talk people out of buying maserati's as you suggested. that would really help Roman get a new clutch, or get a better trade in towards a QP-A.

 

[squid]

If it has an Auto button then it should be able to drive in Auto Mode!Otherwise whats the point of having an Auto button?

My truck has a 4wd low button, that doesn't mean I should be able to hit it at 70mph.

The existence of auto mode does not mean it's good for it to be driven that way 100% of the time. Wear parts wearing out does not make a car a lemon, it means you are being hard on the car and wearing out parts too fast.

Tradein values are always terrible since thats' where dealers make all their profit. You should be able to get far more than 50k in a private sale.

 

[Steve Jenkins]

Ditto on the "Auto" button. It's the first thing I press when I start the car... to turn it OFF. I wish there was a way to program it so that the car could start in manual mode.

To see (feel) the difference between manual and auto in the duo-select, start from a dead stop with the same amount of accellerator travel in both modes. Notice how when in D you move away slower, even with the same amount of pedal? That's the clutch "slipping" to make your getaway a smooth one.

Sorry to hear about your problems, but it sounds like the true automatic transmission is what you need. I drove both back to back before making my decision to go with duo-select. But then again, I've owned a F1-transmissioned Ferrari, so I knew what I was in for.

 

[Briik]

There is great adivise in this thread and, having driven more than 5 maseratis, some of them for tens of thousands of miles, I would say that your only options are to 1) trade in at 60 or sell for the fully auto QP or 2) sell the QP and buy your wife another german car with a small automatic engine, An E320 maybe. Frankly, and I mean no insult, the CCs need to be pushed. If you don't plan on testing the power of the car, and you just want it because its beautiful, then you need to get an automatic or a mercedes. The Maseratis are not built to switch between first and second gear all day at 35mph, and this is probably contributing to your tranny's trouble: The auto mode, at low speeds, will quickly down-shift at the slightest release of pressure on the throttle, in order to keep the rpms up and ready for you to leave the turn and accelerate. This being because the Maseratis are built for dynamic driving, which is why even the automatic QP is advertised as "the highest reving automatic on the market." I just put 764 miles on my CC tranny, on a race track, switching gears every five seconds, and there is no problem. I have also put nearly 10k miles on my other CC and have never had to replace the tranny (knock on wood). IMO, the problems you are experiencing are either due to a mis-matching of driver with machine, or a technical problem which has yet to be uncovered. I hope that Buzz is right and that the problem was with the F1 pump, but I have known many people who bought the car for the wrong reason and did not have good experiences. Also I have to advise against taking 007's advise, as he is obviously an agent of subterfuge for the British!

 

[maseratifan]

M and Maseratifan must work for PP. I was just trying to help roman. Yes his car does have 29k miles on it but it has had several?/2 new clutches. I ask you if you loved your wife and you spent a lot of money on a Maserati, would you be happy with her being stranded on the roadside in the middle of nowhere? Roman asked for our help and is understandably upset at his treatment from PP. I AM real about the situation and I dont think I 'm out of line trying to help another fellow enthusiast/owner.

Being on PP side or missunderstanding what I have said seems like adding insult to injury to Roman at his hour of need. Hope Roman sorts out his problem.

Car dealers bend over backwards when they want to sell you a car but the minute you drive out the forcourt they dont want to know unless you have big bucks and are stupid. If Roman thinks I am out of line then let him say so and I'll shut up. We should all stick together and perhaps Maserati can improve their product/service/dealerships. Lets leave it at that!

Nope....don't work for PP (don't even know who PP is).
We know you were trying to help Roman, the point is your weren't giving sound advice that would actually accomplish that mission.
Screaming at dealerships and using threatening tactics doesn't usually get one very far. Of course MNA wants their clients to be happy....but they're not fools. If the clutch/tranny is truly dysfunctional they should replace it, and they would again. My guess is either PP is being deliberately unhelpful, or they have determined that the tranny isn't mechanically at "fault."
I took my GS in for it's 5K mile service and politely mentioned that a strange "whirring" sound was coming from the tranny. They put on "tranny headphones" and took it for a roadtest, contacted MNA that the tranny was indeed making a strange noise, and MNA ordered them to immediately put in a new tranny without question. This took 4 days and they gave me a QP to drive during that. They apologized for the inconvenience several times. MNA will try to make you happy....if they feel their car has been constructed erroneously.
He bought the "wrong" car for his wife's driving tastes....and everyone knows it.
Get her an MB or BMW, get him a GS and have fun!

 

[maserati of minneapolis]

For what it's worth, you guys know I'm always happy to help any way I can, but I generally try to stay out of lemon law conversations, because of the possible legal implications, etc.

However, the 70mph 4wd low button is a good example.

10k miles on a clutch in a QP that is always driven in auto, and especially if its generally softly driven could be entirely normal wear. He said his wife drives the car, it's never 'horsed' around, and always in auto. We know the best advice you can give someone with the DuoSelect \ Cambiocorsa transmission is - drive it like you stole it. These cars need to be 'horsed' around from time to time.

I really don't want to take sides in this issue at all, but I think saying lemon without supporting information - dates \ mileage \ and what was actually performed service wise \ how the car was driven etc; jumping to the lemon law label is irresponsible and does more harm than good for everyone involved including every other owner out there. Theres more than one side to every story, and while auto dealerships are an easy target, they aren't always to blame.