Welcome Nadz

[CatmanV2]

Welcome to a new member, Nadz.

She's recently had some battery issues with her GT, and asked for help in the transatlantic place, which wasn't much use.

With some guidance, she's apparently back on the road yesterday, and has (she's told me) signed up here to see what this bunch of reprobates are really like.

Still need some photos of the car, Nadz, but most welcome

C

 

[conaero]

She certainly did sign up Kitty, not posted as yet:

http://www.sportsmaserati.com/member.php/3897-Nadz

Welcome Nadz, tell us about yourself?

 

[Andyk]

A big welcome Nadz...Come and say hello....

 

[Nadz]

hi everyone!

Hi everyone! Thank you catman for introducing me to this page, it def seems a lot more responsive than the other website i was on before!
I am having quite a few problems with my maserati unf! i jumpstarted my car for the second time yday (first time i didn;t drive it for long just a few mins), and i drove it for about 2 hours. When i went to check it today the battery was dead again, the electrics seemed to be working but when i tried to turn the car on it was making clicking noises and not starting up at all. I called up the maserati dealers and they said that maybe the battery is not connected properly/might need a battery replacement or that it needs charging which can only be done by them…since this car was imported (i have been the only owner of it, but had a lot of help before from my family) it took a few months to get it through clearing and uk registration. However it was with the dealers the whole time and they said that before they handed it over to me in the beginning of dec 2013 they only looked over the health of the car and cannot confirm that they checked the battery (tho it had to go through the whole mot and other uk tests so they must have known as they did it all?! I don't really know much about cars and am feeling quite helpless as i hardly got to drive it, have spent a fortune already and its causing a lot of problems already! how do i check whats wrong with my battery? plz bear in mind I'm a female and hardly know about cars so i need step by step instructions. Also, i live in central lon and don;t see myself driving a lot..any help would be much appreciated!

 

[Nadz]

catman, i put up a pic of my car but its not showing up on my profile :/

 

[BennyD]

The simple solution; take it to Halfords and explain the problem. Ask for a battery voltage 'drop' check and that will tell you if the battery is duff. If it is duff, get the highest amp/hour battery they stock and get them to fit it. Start it up and ask them to check the charging voltage across the terminals as that will show if the alternator is charging properly (It should be charging at about 14 volts). Pay the man and drive off. Problem solved!

 

[TridentTested]

Hi Nadz,

Welcome to the forum from another London owner.

These cars are notorious for killing their batteries. Do a search on here and you'll see many have suffered from the same problems. Mine managed to completely flatten its battery when left for only two weeks. I've often parked cars for a month or more before without problem but Maseratis don't like being ignored; they demand attention.

As others have pointed out before there seems to be three phases of a dying battery:-
(1) Weird error messages on the dash but car starts and runs okay.
(2) Car unlocks, interior light and dashboard come on but only a clicking sound when you try starting.
(3) Completely dead, won't even disarm the alarm.

The thing with jump starting, or even fully charging a drained battery, is once it's been fully drained like that it will never recover. Batteries are not particularly dear and at least if you put a new one in you know you have a healthy one - and they come with at least one-year's warranty. So I would be thinking of a new battery.

If your Maserati is garaged I would recommend a battery conditioner. This is a modern battery charger which is designed to be attached to your battery without the need to remove the battery. When my Quattroporte is parked in my garage it is always plugged into the mains. Ctek are well known, there are other brands too.

 

[Nadz]

Thank you Benny and Micheal!
Micheal, my car has gone through all of the 3 phases you have pointed out the first time after it died..today when i went to check on it after days drive it did sound the alarm but it didn;t lock the doors and wouldn't start. So I'm guessing that i do have to change my battery after all…i cannot ring the RAC/insurance right now as i have a couple of documents missing- the british ppl at the port kept the originals and the insurance need those so that will take a few days/weeks to sort out as i now only have copies….
can someone please recommend how i can go about this now? Is there someone one of you can recommend to me to change my battery and possibly check the car?

Micheal I don;t have anywhere i can charge my battery unfortunately and nor do i know any place around here…unf noone i know can tell me these things either, everyone just tells me to go online!

 

[CatmanV2]

catman, i put up a pic of my car but its not showing up on my profile :/

You mean in the bit by your name?

C

 

[CatmanV2]

Nadia, where abouts in town are you? I'm sure someone will know a mechanic nearby. You shouldn't need any documents either!

C

 

[Nadz]

yes under my name..on my settings its showing a pp but not when i look on this page..i live around baker st/St Johns wood…I've even asked another maserati owner here, who has never had a problem with his one and freaked out when he saw mine didn;t start..not much help as i got more worried after seeing his reaction!

 

[CatmanV2]

So guys, who's the closes indy to St John's wood? Marios in Golder's green worth a punt?

Have you set the photo on the 'My Avatar' in settings, not 'My Profile?'

C

 

[TridentTested]

Nadia,

Battery problems can be frustrating because obviously the whole car becomes unusable once the battery dies. But take heart they are simple to fix - a new battery usually solves all.

In your position I would take Benny's advice. If you can get the car jump started again by a friendly neighbour then drive it to www.Halfords.co.uk - you have two near you on Kilburn Road and a little further up the same road near Edgware.

Another solution would be to get any local mechanic to order and fit one. They don't need to be a Maserati specialist, swapping a battery should be a ten minute job for any mechanic.

Another solution would be to join the AA. Correct me if I'm wrong folks but you don't need to show any vehicle's documents to become a member. Although if you are already a RAC member (you mentioned it in your insurance comment) then it would be a waste to have two policies giving the same cover and you might prefer to wait for your insurance company's RAC policy to become usable. Actually thinking about what you said above I don't understand why you can't ring the RAC again. I'm assuming your insurance policy is providing RAC membership as part of the policy. If that's the case, once you've paid your premium you can call on the RAC with or without the documents. Give it a try.

Also check your bank account. Many bank accounts these days come with mobile phone insurance, travel insurance and breakdown insurance. If you are paying ±£20 per month for your banking you might have these policies already.

Another solution would be to order a new battery online - I'm sure some kind people here will give you links to the correct specification from a recommended supplier. It will be delivered to your home and it gives you the problem of disposing the old one (you'll find details somewhere on your local council's web site). You can swap the batteries yourself. It's not normally that hard and I'm sure others here will be willing to give you a step by step guide.

 

[zagatoes30]

Welcome, this is the oat helpful Maserati forum I have found and the advice is normally good - other than BennyD view on what loud is in relation to exhaust sound (My ears are still ringing after Silverstone tunnel before Christmas)

 

[CatmanV2]

Nadia,


Another solution would be to join the AA. Correct me if I'm wrong folks but you don't need to show any vehicle's documents to become a member. Although if you are already a RAC member (you mentioned it in your insurance comment) then it would be a waste to have two policies giving the same cover and you might prefer to wait for your insurance company's RAC policy to become usable. Actually thinking about what you said above I don't understand why you can't ring the RAC again. I'm assuming your insurance policy is providing RAC membership as part of the policy. If that's the case, once you've paid your premium you can call on the RAC with or without the documents. Give it a try.

I'm totally positive you don't need any documents, however, I'm not sure that RAC insurance = RAC breakdown....

C

 

[MasNewbie]

Welcome nadz good to see another london member. What car did you buy? Sorry to hear your having issues looks like your getting a lot of help here

 

[hodroyd]

Nadia,
Get a new battery and have it fitted, Halfords is a good option, they will do it for you..!! Then contact Cobra-NavTrak in Manchester, give them your car UK registration, or the original registration of the vehicle where it was first registered if not in the UK and they may even ask for the VIN which is on your registration document..!! they can then tell you if the car has a NavTrak system fitted, if it does, that system has a battery which eventually fails and subsequently drains the car battery..!! NavTrak will take this system out for free, if it is flattening your car battery all the time, or you can opt for them just to disconnect the system battery..!!
I would not worry, a battery is a very simple fix and not expensive..!!
Cheers
R

 

[Chrisbassett]

Nadz, welcome, and Hi to another north London member. My car is currently in Manchester so I can't be much help with a jump-start, but the advice about halfords is good. Let me know if you need help picking a battery.

 

[JonH]

Hi Nadia,

Welcome, I'm pretty new to this forum as well, but these guys are really helpful, tons of knowledge and experience. I have had similar problems with battery etc. Take there advice. Once you've got the battery sorted and sounds like you do need a new one(£116 for Yuasa with 5 yr warranty from Halfrauds). If you don't use the car every day consider getting a CTEK MXS5 trickle charger which can be left connected to your battery whilst in the car and keeps it charged, ready to go.

 

[Nadz]

Thank you so much guys! you all have been so helpful and i don't feel as helpless before, phew!
Micheal, I just found out today that my insurance is getting cancelled on the 14th but it will restart once i submit the originals, which i hope the uk port will finally give me asap..i;m just contemplating ringing rac on monday (i'm paying them through the insurance co already) and telling them to fit the battery (tho i don;t know if they'll come n my situation?- do i just buy it trrow and tell them to fit it on mon).. or i do have a friend who can jumpstart my battery again and i'll go to the nearest halford store… and as hydroyd is saying they will have the battery and will fit it too.
I don;t trust myself to fit the battery myself without someone who tells me i'm doing it correctly or not so I don;t know if ordering and fitting it myself is a good idea
I don't know much about RAC etc as i've never really dealt with them before so i don;t know what to say to them- do i tell them about the previous jumpstarts etc.. and I don;t even know what kind of response time they have..

Mas and Chris, hello to u both i have a 2008 grandturismo..i did put up the pic of my car on profile not avatar but its just not showing up!

Jon- i will research on trickle charger tho if it has anything to do with connecting to a power source I won't be able to do it as i don;t have that facility where i park.

Once again thank you all so much for the great advice!!