Maser 4200 gearbox problems.....
Discussion
Hi All
I've an 03 plate 4200 coupe cambiocorsa. Great car...although I've had a few problems here and there (new hydraulic actuators for the paddleshift at 19k miles, new clutch at 19k miles, catalysts at 17k miles....)....but now the gearbox has failed at 24k miles. A real shock. :mad
I had the 3 yr service at Stratstones north of Birmingham at the end of September last year, and they put the new clutch in. Since then there has been a rumble and vibration from the rear...first at high speeds (70-80 mph) and then increasingly at lower speeds until now you can feel it at around 50-6 mph. It still happens with the gears disengaged. I emailed them early January to complain about it and then took it in 3 weeks ago for them to check it out. They are saying that the gearbox is probably the issue and have estimated £5k+ for strip and repair and £7k+ for a new gearbox. They are also saying that this is not covered in any way since the vehicle is now 6-months out of warranty. :shoot
My view is that this is absolutely unbelievable, that at 24k miles and 3 1/2 yrs the gearbox can go. I'd read these boxes are poor but this really takes the biscuit IMHO.
Does anybody have a view on this? Ideas on how I can pursue this with Maserati UK or with Stratstone? Surely they should take some share of the responsibility/cost? Should I pursue legally? :judge
Alternatively, does anyone know where I might get the job done more cheaply?
I'd hate to return to Porker's, but I can feel it coming.....
I've an 03 plate 4200 coupe cambiocorsa. Great car...although I've had a few problems here and there (new hydraulic actuators for the paddleshift at 19k miles, new clutch at 19k miles, catalysts at 17k miles....)....but now the gearbox has failed at 24k miles. A real shock. :mad
I had the 3 yr service at Stratstones north of Birmingham at the end of September last year, and they put the new clutch in. Since then there has been a rumble and vibration from the rear...first at high speeds (70-80 mph) and then increasingly at lower speeds until now you can feel it at around 50-6 mph. It still happens with the gears disengaged. I emailed them early January to complain about it and then took it in 3 weeks ago for them to check it out. They are saying that the gearbox is probably the issue and have estimated £5k+ for strip and repair and £7k+ for a new gearbox. They are also saying that this is not covered in any way since the vehicle is now 6-months out of warranty. :shoot
My view is that this is absolutely unbelievable, that at 24k miles and 3 1/2 yrs the gearbox can go. I'd read these boxes are poor but this really takes the biscuit IMHO.
Does anybody have a view on this? Ideas on how I can pursue this with Maserati UK or with Stratstone? Surely they should take some share of the responsibility/cost? Should I pursue legally? :judge
Alternatively, does anyone know where I might get the job done more cheaply?
I'd hate to return to Porker's, but I can feel it coming.....
ScottyDog said:
Hi All
I've an 03 plate 4200 coupe cambiocorsa. Great car...although I've had a few problems here and there (new hydraulic actuators for the paddleshift at 19k miles, new clutch at 19k miles, catalysts at 17k miles....)....but now the gearbox has failed at 24k miles. A real shock. :mad
I had the 3 yr service at Stratstones north of Birmingham at the end of September last year, and they put the new clutch in. Since then there has been a rumble and vibration from the rear...first at high speeds (70-80 mph) and then increasingly at lower speeds until now you can feel it at around 50-6 mph. It still happens with the gears disengaged. I emailed them early January to complain about it and then took it in 3 weeks ago for them to check it out. They are saying that the gearbox is probably the issue and have estimated £5k+ for strip and repair and £7k+ for a new gearbox. They are also saying that this is not covered in any way since the vehicle is now 6-months out of warranty. :shoot
My view is that this is absolutely unbelievable, that at 24k miles and 3 1/2 yrs the gearbox can go. I'd read these boxes are poor but this really takes the biscuit IMHO.
Does anybody have a view on this? Ideas on how I can pursue this with Maserati UK or with Stratstone? Surely they should take some share of the responsibility/cost? Should I pursue legally? :judge
Alternatively, does anyone know where I might get the job done more cheaply?
I'd hate to return to Porker's, but I can feel it coming.....
I've an 03 plate 4200 coupe cambiocorsa. Great car...although I've had a few problems here and there (new hydraulic actuators for the paddleshift at 19k miles, new clutch at 19k miles, catalysts at 17k miles....)....but now the gearbox has failed at 24k miles. A real shock. :mad
I had the 3 yr service at Stratstones north of Birmingham at the end of September last year, and they put the new clutch in. Since then there has been a rumble and vibration from the rear...first at high speeds (70-80 mph) and then increasingly at lower speeds until now you can feel it at around 50-6 mph. It still happens with the gears disengaged. I emailed them early January to complain about it and then took it in 3 weeks ago for them to check it out. They are saying that the gearbox is probably the issue and have estimated £5k+ for strip and repair and £7k+ for a new gearbox. They are also saying that this is not covered in any way since the vehicle is now 6-months out of warranty. :shoot
My view is that this is absolutely unbelievable, that at 24k miles and 3 1/2 yrs the gearbox can go. I'd read these boxes are poor but this really takes the biscuit IMHO.
Does anybody have a view on this? Ideas on how I can pursue this with Maserati UK or with Stratstone? Surely they should take some share of the responsibility/cost? Should I pursue legally? :judge
Alternatively, does anyone know where I might get the job done more cheaply?
I'd hate to return to Porker's, but I can feel it coming.....
Bad news.....but why didn't you go for a warranty? I need to make that decision in about 4 months and Maserati tell me their 4th year warranty is unavailable but they can recommend a third party one.
Worth trying to pin it on the clutch change? - have you asked the dealer to talk to Maserati?
I contacted WarrantyWise direct - they do the same deal as Greypaul but about £150 less. Their number's on their website here - www.warrantywise.co.uk/
I couldn't book it over the internet as it said the Maserati wasn't covered but when I phoned them, there was no problem.
I couldn't book it over the internet as it said the Maserati wasn't covered but when I phoned them, there was no problem.
Just to provide the current situation...for anyone interested 
Maserati GB finally cam back to me with an offer of a 1/2 price gearbox (so circa £3k + VAT), and have worked with Stratstone for them to provide the labour at warranty rates (again, 1/2 price, so circa £400). So I've instructed them to proceed since this seems fair given the circumstances.
Hope to have it all repaired in time for a trip down to Le Mans. Assuming a Maserati is capable of getting there and back without recovery
The learning points for me are;
- book in for work at the end of your warranty period in very good time. Dealers are always busy and this will avoid any near-end-ofwarranty panics like I had. Stratstone told me that warranty work had to be identified and completed inside the warranty period not just identified...
- always thoroughly road-test any major repair, and immediately inform the dealer of any issues rather than just sit on them for a while hoping they'll go away (even if the dealer is a 50 mile journey away and the issue only seems to be at the envelope...it will inevitably become worse not better)
- always escalate anything major you feel unhappy about to the UK OEM HQ, finding the highest possible people to communicate with (easy from the internet nowadays)
I really hope the new Maserati Gran Tourismo is more reliable than the outgoing coupe. Its a fantastic brand, an awesome vehicle....really special. But you have to be prepared for significant expense and 'downtime'. The latter is the more frustrating and uncalled for.
Maserati GB finally cam back to me with an offer of a 1/2 price gearbox (so circa £3k + VAT), and have worked with Stratstone for them to provide the labour at warranty rates (again, 1/2 price, so circa £400). So I've instructed them to proceed since this seems fair given the circumstances.
Hope to have it all repaired in time for a trip down to Le Mans. Assuming a Maserati is capable of getting there and back without recovery
The learning points for me are;
- book in for work at the end of your warranty period in very good time. Dealers are always busy and this will avoid any near-end-ofwarranty panics like I had. Stratstone told me that warranty work had to be identified and completed inside the warranty period not just identified...
- always thoroughly road-test any major repair, and immediately inform the dealer of any issues rather than just sit on them for a while hoping they'll go away (even if the dealer is a 50 mile journey away and the issue only seems to be at the envelope...it will inevitably become worse not better)
- always escalate anything major you feel unhappy about to the UK OEM HQ, finding the highest possible people to communicate with (easy from the internet nowadays)
I really hope the new Maserati Gran Tourismo is more reliable than the outgoing coupe. Its a fantastic brand, an awesome vehicle....really special. But you have to be prepared for significant expense and 'downtime'. The latter is the more frustrating and uncalled for.
I had similar problems with mine. Only it was a GT and the 'box went at 13k miles and 2 years old... Replaced under warranty. Stratstones told me that the bearing whine my 'box was making wasn't actually the 'box itself but because it's a sealed system that had to swap out the whole 'box...
tricky 100 said:
Out of interest if it makes the noise with the gears disengaged like you said in the first post , how can the gearbox be at fault because theres no power going through it ?
I'm no expert but they told me there are 2 options; (1) open it up and replace whatever's failed. They priced up for what they thought it might be (no gears, just bearings, etc) and it was estimated at £5.2k minimum. (2) Get a new box at around £7.5k I think it was. Neither option appealed given the age and mileage ;-)Some of the gearbox is still rotating of course even when not being driven isn't it (eg. the wheel end of the box)? So I'm assuming the noise is from that side of the box. I did personally think it was maybe the diff, but Stratstone say its the box and I don't feel qualified to argue with them over that one!
Still waiting for Stratstone to let me know when it will be ready. As normal their ability to reply leaves a lot to be desired which is a real shame. Hoping it may be back on the road for a trip down to Le Mans before I put it up for sale and get something more reliable. Foolishly thinking about a Noble M400 (silly ol' me).
Edited by ScottyDog on Saturday 26th May 00:55
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