Can you help? Please!

Can you help? Please!

Any owner having a problem with their Maserati can send me details and I will publish these, together with any subsequent advice I receive, on this page. Just drop me a line at maserati123@btopenworld.com



Paul from Hong Kong writes:

"Hi Enrico, I wondered if you could provide me with some words of wisdom, I have a lot of questions for you I hope you don't mind! I have a Quattroporte IV 2.8 V6 (1995) and would like to spruce it up a bit. - Some 18" alloys from modena will be a start, do you have any ideas for other suppliers? - Lower stiffer suspension, it's real sloppy right now and I get a rubbing noise if I hit a dip when cornering hard but can't see what it is ... I suspect the inside cowling under the wheel arch. - I'm gonna add some free-er flowing air filters and straighen the path of the intake pipes in the engine area. - Any benefit to adding an adjustable blow of valve, can I increase boost with no adverse affect? Is it better to blow in the engine bay? Or is that just to get that cool sound when throttling off? - free-er flowing on the exhaust. Seems like you suggested on your web site to remove the baffles, but I could only see the other guys email, not your response ... Any ideas here? I was thinking to replace the catalytic converters with straight pipes? Will that help? - My model is an auto, if I was to start making mods' to increase power, I'm pretty sure the engine as standard can cope with over 400bhp, what do you recommend? And how about the transmission/diff? Sorry it's very general but the car is amazing and I've never customised such a car. Many thanks and an excellent website also, really really helpful to me as I'm here in Hong Kong and no-one knows anything about Maseratis out here. Regards, Paul."



Reply from Andy:-
Re: Quattroporte Conversion.
"Hi, For tuning parts for these cars, the best company to use is Postert in Germany. (www.postert.de or tel; 0049 0201 86250). They can certainly do wheels, exhausts and probably air filters and road springs. Regarding tuning the engine, although it is possible to tune the engine to the 400 bhp you suggest, you are severely compromising the life of the engine. The Ghibli Cup race cars were tuned to around 335bhp and were still reliable but any more will cause you problems. I have seen a number of tuned engines that have broken connecting rods as a result. These usually exit through the side of the engine block. You have been warned!!! Andy."





Sharokh from Dubai writes:

"Hi, I hope I am not disturbing you. I just bought a 1999 but 2000 end, registered Maserati V8 Evoluzione with 10000 miles on the clock. It is stunning, metallic burgundy with black interior. The agent here has evaluated the car for damage and suggests a full cam belt service (very expensive) because the car was idle for about 18 months. The tyres have flat spots and I am ready to buy new Michelin tyres. They say there is a bit of an oil leak but it is not major. The compression test etc are fine and the car drives beautifully. My questions to you as an experienced veteran of these cars is - should I trust the agent? Have you heard of a cam belt service at 10000 km? I live here in Dubai and there is no waranty absolutely from the manufacturer that can be purchased, that I have been informed of - what are the major things that can go wrong with this car? I will not drive the car during the day time in summer as the temperatures are between 39 and 45 degrees. I have had a 3200 GT for 2 years and I had loads of problems with the check engine light and another yellow light and went broke changing the sensors every month and eventually sold the car. I have bought this car very cheap and have a budget to spend on it. I have been asked to replace the rear muffler as it is rusted, but since there is no waranty I have also been told that I can weld a stainless steel pipe in place of the rear silencer. Is this OK? Also I would like to put a new ECU in the car and some other modifications to take it up to about 400 horsepower. What are your suggestions. I apologise for troubling you but have no one else in Dubai to answer my questions honestly. Thanks and best regards, Sharokh."



Reply from Andy:-
Re: Quattroporte Evoluzione.
"Hi, The agent is being cautious in suggesting a cam belt service, but I have to say I would agree. The normal interval is 40,000kms but if the car is now four years old and has never had it done before, I think it would be money wisely spent. I would not however, suggest upgrading the power output of this engine as you will reduce the life of the engine enormously. Welding the exhaust is OK I suppose, but why? Maybe you should look at changing the rear silencers for complete stainless steel items now and then you never have to worry about them again. Regards, Andy."



Follow-up from Sharokh:- Hi Enrico and Andy, Thanks for the advice. I have removed the rear muffler and put a straight through exhaust - surprisingly it sounds just like an A** M***, a bit softer but the tone is amazing. I won't upgrade the engine as per your suggestions. The suspension seems strange as with 3 people in the car, the wheels scrape the arches or undercarriage (dont know what but its touching somewhere) at highway speeds when any unevenness in the road is encountered. They also scrape while braking and turning simultaneously (for example to slow down and make a sharp turn). If I have to change the shocks would you recommend any sports shocks and springs and if this would be ok with the car. The roads are very smooth here in Dubai and I dont mind a stiff suspension. Thanks again and best regards, Sharokh."





Kenny from ? writes:

"I have a Quattroporte Series IV and the engine check light comes on for a while now. I had changed all the plugs and all system seems to be normal. Oil pressure, battery voltage, temperture. What else could I check? Many thanks, Kenny."



Reply from Enrico:-
Re: Quattroporte IV "CHECK ENGINE" warning light.
"Hi, If you are in the UK, my advice is to take it to your nearest Maserati dealer to have it checked out. It may be nothing but it is best to make sure. I am leaving for Italy in the morning for two weeks vacation, so I'm sorry I can't be of more help. The "CHECK LIGHT" has a tendancy to 'light up' from time to time and can reset itself if there isn't a problem. If it comes on continuosly it is best to have it checked out. Regards, Enrico."



Reply from Kenny:-
Re: Quattroporte IV "CHECK ENGINE" warning light.
"I have resolved the problem by changing two sensors. The air temperature sensor and the cat. sensor (Ed: "I think he means Lambda probe."). Cheers, Kenny."





Marc from Holland writes:

"Dear Maserati lover, By reading your web-page I noticed that ou are an experienced Maserati lover and owner. I would like to ask you some advice on buying such a car. I was thinking of buying a Quattroport IV for everyday use. Which one would you recommend: 2.0, 2.8 or 3.2 litre or even the evo version. I live in Belgium and on first sight I would prefer the 2.0, since taxes are more favourable. But would this be a good choice? Are there things that I have to be aware of? Thanks, Marc."



Reply from Andy:-
Re: Quattroporte IV.
"Any of the QPIV cars could be used as daily transport. Which engine size you buy is really dependant on the budget you have. The 2.0litre and 2.8litre are cheaper to buy and cheaper to run. The V8 and EVO are newer, more sought after and have more electronics which require servicing at a main dealer. All have problems with the alternator, the radiator and the window lifts but otherwise are proving to be reliable cars. Servicing costs are high, especially for the 40,000kms cam belt change and the 80,000kms timing chain change - the latter involving removal of the engine. As far as performance goes, the 2.0litre is really no slower than the 2.8, it just has less torque. The V8s are of course much faster. If you choose a 2.0litre it is more likely to have a manual six speed gearbox, a 2.8 or V8 will more likely be automatic. I would always advise buying the best, lowest mileage car that your budget allows, regardless of specification. Hope this helps, Regards, Andy."





Philippe from Switzerland writes:

"Hi! I want to buy a Quattroporte 2.0 from Italy. So I have some questions about that car: 1. It's a Quattroporte from 1995 with 110000km on the clock. Is it a high risk to buy such a car with so many kilometers? 2. Must the clutch, the differential or other parts have been replaced? I don't want to buy a car with so much kilometers and replace all the expensive parts after a short time. 3. Which are the weak parts of the early 2.0 Quattroporte? Which part I have to check and how? 4. When the garage gives me a guarantee for the car. Is it possible to drive to Modena to let check the whole car, and after that to return to the garage where I bought the car to let repair or change some parts if necessary? What do you think? Thank you a lot! Philippe."



Reply from Andy:-
Re: 2-litre Quattroporte.
"Hi Philippe, 1. Difficult to answer this without more information. The price for instance. I would assume that the car should be around £10,000 (Euro 16,000) or less considering the mileage. There are many 2-litre Quattroportes in Italy that have covered this amount of mileage. This is not a problem as long as the car has been properly maintained and has a Maserati service history with receipts for any work carried out. Check in particular that the major service at 80,000 kms has been done including changing the timing belt and camshaft chains and that this was carried out by a Maserati service agent. 2. There is no particular need to worry about the clutch or axle. The clutch could need replacing at any time as this is largely dependent on the driver's left foot! The diff on this car is the heavier Ferrari Ranger diff and should not need replacing but again it depends on how hard the car has been driven. 3. Quattroporte V6s have two main problems that afflict all of them - the alternator stops charging and the radiator leaks - check for evidence of repairs to both of these areas. Also carry out the usual checks on items such as the shock absorbers (is the red warning light lit on the key pad?) because these are expensive things to change. 4. Otherwise the cars seem to be pretty reliable and great value! As long as you are buying from a reputable dealer, there should be no problem about getting work done under the warranty. If you speak and understand good Italian you will be able to read the 'small print' in the warranty. Not all warranties are the same and some do not cover what they consider to be fair 'wear and tear'! Watch out!!! I presume you are recommending Candini in Modena to check it out? Regards, Andy."





M from ? writes:

"Hi, My heart tells me to by a Quattroporte but my mind says no. Is it true that they are not reliable? I have a budget of about GB £17000 what can I get for that? Thank you for the advice. M."



Reply from Andy:-
Re: Quattroporte IV.
"Hi M, The late Quattroportes are pretty good on the reliability front. I would have to say that the V6 cars are probably better than the V8s and also cheaper and easier to repair. £17K should buy a very good low mileage V6 or even a V8 if you are lucky. The only consistant problems with them have been leaky radiators and duff alternators - both of which can be repaired rather than replaced. Servicing costs are of course high but the V6 is no more than a Ghibli. The V8 uses a lot more electronics and is more like a 3200GT. Hope this helps, Regards, Andy."