New to Maserati & Forum - Somerset

[JonH]

Hi Guys,

Quick intro. Have been looking for a 4200 for over a year and finally purchased a beautiful example 6 weeks ago, having looked at numerous others.
2007 Blu Nettuno with Beige interior, Cambiocorsa. Previously owned by another forum member(hodroyd) I believe.
What a lovely car. Serious smiles in our household........suddenly Dad is cool!

Two new tyres & battery but unfortunately major problem with handbrake. A common problem(according to forum) with shoes 'welding' to inside of discs and getting ripped off. That is exactly what happened.....lots of terrible noises, immobile car and then a slack brake. All is not lost however. Lots of info in technical section and help from forum members has enabled a very speedy repair. All stripped down last weekend, cleaned up, brake shoes in post on Monday, relined Tuesday, sent back on Thursday and arrived this morning. All n a bank holiday week! Now all back on, adjusted, cleaned, greased and mobile again. Couldn't have done it without the forum. Relined shoes for about £40 as opposed to 4 new ones for £240(4x£60) plus £lots/hr to fit at dealer. Plus huge satisfaction.

Just waiting for floods to subside and we're out.

Mind you not quite sure why I went through tidying up the brake(apart from for MOT) as clearly shan't be using it much from here on.

Anyway, looking forward to joining in the forum. Still working my way around it, have posted some pics.
Happy to meet up with other enthusiasts locally and at local events.
Anyone off to Le Mans this year(usual or classic)?

Jon

 

[Parisien]

Well done JonH in both your choice and industry in getting the 4200 ship shape again...........thank for joining, post lots, pics obligatory...........and yes lots of trips and meetups planned


P

 

[CatmanV2]

Well done, sir. And let that be a lesson to you!

C

 

[2b1ask1]

Welcome Jon, Rob's previous car is a lovely example and I guess it must have been at the dealers with the handbrake on as that could be enough to do it sadly... I think most of us have had to do the shoes at some point even if it is only for the MOT!

 

[hodroyd]

Hi Jon,
A warm welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about the issues and I do find them strange..!! I never had a problem with the handbrake, but it was always garaged and I never left the handbrake on whilst parked, it always worked very well. The battery was brand new a few months ago and had a 5 year warranty, are you sure it was no good..?? The car had NavTrak fitted, under the rear parcel shelf, I asked Dickie to contact NavTrak and get the units battery disconnected, as this is a major issue for flat batteries on these cars..!! If that has not been done, you can get it done yourself by NavTrak, usually for free if you tell them it is flattening the battery on your car, they are based in Manchester..!!
Regarding the rear handbrake shoes, I used to drive at a slow speed and apply the handbrake a few times, every few weeks, this keeps the brake facings clean and they should not stick..!!
Enjoy the car mate, she is a good one and served me very well, it was a no expense spared relationship, just like a mistress..!!
Cheers
R

 

[zagatoes30]

Welcome sounds like you found a good one despite the handbrake issues but not too painful a fix by the sound of it.

The forum has a trip to Le Mans (24hr) they have a place off site where they stay but they were already booked up before I joined back in October. I go every year with a group of friends so will be taking the Spyder this year. We are poor so camp, it all adds to the atmosphere (well we keep telling ourselves that).

 

[JonH]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the welcome and also the info. I think the hand brake would have been fine if I hadn't left it on for a few days after very wet weather. (I'm learning quickly). Still for £40 not too bad replacing them. Shame about the battery, but I'm not going to loose sleep over it and thanks for the info on NavTrak......I had no idea it was there.
I certainly hope to offer her the same loving care and attention as previously and will keep you posted on the relationship.

Jon

 

[hodroyd]

Hi Jon,
OK sounds good, but you don't have to disclose any intimate details if you don't want to..!!
I believe the battery for the NavTrak is on the nearside rear quarter, but don't quote me on that. What happens is the main battery is trying to charge a potentially fried NavTrak battery all the time, even when switched off. You come out and have a flat battery, it's not actually the car battery that is the issue..!! Also note that the SIM Card is not in the NavTrak, so it's not doing anything unless you want to pay for the service and get a new SIM..!!
Cheers
R

 

[Maser Sod]

Welcome to the forum!

Getting rid of Navtrak is the best thing you can do, I got fantastic battery life out of my last GS simply by having the Navtrak removed by an indie. It also cured some odd and very annoying beeping, which I can only assume was the Navtrak's internal battery reaching EOL.

Handbrakes will get badly stuck if the car is not getting used.

 

[BennyD]

Welcome to the forum JonThe best plan with the handbrake is, leave her in gear with the handbrake off. Every time you take her out, pull the handbrake on for about 5-10seconds as that keeps the friction surface in good order for the MOT. I never put her away after washing her as the water that gets into the handbrake through the inspection holes will start to corrode the insides and the longer you leave her, the worse the corrosion will get. Mine works very well and has just whizzed through the MOT with no brake related snags. Nice avatar, I've done a bit of that in my youth.

 

[conaero]

Hi John and welcome.

It seems that the others have answered your technical issues, they are very good at that.

Re Le Mans, yes we have 3 Gites booked this year for about 30 people and we are full as it stands.

The problem is that once you go, its addictive and places are taken by previous years participants.

We have the centenary trip to Italy in the Autumn, see the ad on the homepage.

All the best

 

[hodroyd]

Jon,
You don't have to get rid of the Navtrak, just leave it in the car for any future owner as a selling point. Make sure the duff battery for the NavTrak is disconnected though, or replaced, that is the issue..!! Pity you chucked the new car battery out, I would have bought that back off you as a spare..!!
Cheers
R

 

[Mr.Cambio]

Hi Jon and welcome.

 

[Andyk]

A big warm welcome to the forum Jon......Lots going on in 2014.....How about getting your name down for the Llandow (Cardiff) track day...We do this twice a year and its not far from yourself...........

 

[JonH]

Thanks for all the welcomes and info. A few lessons learnt pretty quickly and I'm sure there will be more to come.
Thanks also for the info on Le Mans and the Centenary Trip. There's a group of us from here tend to go to Le Mans, but have just booked up Goodwood FoS instead. Would love to go on Centenary trip, not sure I can get the leave, though I am in Tuscany in August so a trip to Modena is planned anyway.
Anyone been before?

 

[hodroyd]

Not done Modena before, but one or two on here have. It would be a good trip if you could make it, but it's the best part of 2 weeks to be realistic..!!

 

[Parisien]

Yup, Jon, will be back there in April, done Modena, Maserati factory tour, Pannini museum......all fabulous


P

 

[hodroyd]

Jon,
Tuscany is excellent..!!
Cheers
R