QP/GT front subframes - the truth

Wack61

Member
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8,764
Just read about a guy with a 2006 mercedes SLK

The subframe is rotten but repairable , he's gone to mercedes to ask how much a new one is , the parts guy priced it then asked the service guy to take a look

They've then said they'll ask mercedes if they'll contribute , the upshot is he paid £132 to mercedes so they can confirm all the various ECUs tally so the mileage is correct , they did , so that's the end of his contribution , new subframe being fitted at a main dealer on a 15 year old car for £132 , plus any new bushes required during the fitting

What a shame Maserati don't treat their customers like that
 

makeshiftUK

Member
Messages
1,089
Just read about a guy with a 2006 mercedes SLK

The subframe is rotten but repairable , he's gone to mercedes to ask how much a new one is , the parts guy priced it then asked the service guy to take a look

They've then said they'll ask mercedes if they'll contribute , the upshot is he paid £132 to mercedes so they can confirm all the various ECUs tally so the mileage is correct , they did , so that's the end of his contribution , new subframe being fitted at a main dealer on a 15 year old car for £132 , plus any new bushes required during the fitting

What a shame Maserati don't treat their customers like that
True, but I'm not sure if there would be much of a Maserati left if they agreed to fork out for every subframe afflicted Mazzer in the field...
 

c4sman

Member
Messages
1,243
Just read about a guy with a 2006 mercedes SLK

The subframe is rotten but repairable , he's gone to mercedes to ask how much a new one is , the parts guy priced it then asked the service guy to take a look

They've then said they'll ask mercedes if they'll contribute , the upshot is he paid £132 to mercedes so they can confirm all the various ECUs tally so the mileage is correct , they did , so that's the end of his contribution , new subframe being fitted at a main dealer on a 15 year old car for £132 , plus any new bushes required during the fitting

What a shame Maserati don't treat their customers like that
Just think of the brand loyalty actions like that generates. Not saying Maserati should go that far, but some sort of nod to keeping its old stock going could make a world of difference.
 

davy83

Member
Messages
2,809
Just read about a guy with a 2006 mercedes SLK

The subframe is rotten but repairable , he's gone to mercedes to ask how much a new one is , the parts guy priced it then asked the service guy to take a look

They've then said they'll ask mercedes if they'll contribute , the upshot is he paid £132 to mercedes so they can confirm all the various ECUs tally so the mileage is correct , they did , so that's the end of his contribution , new subframe being fitted at a main dealer on a 15 year old car for £132 , plus any new bushes required during the fitting

What a shame Maserati don't treat their customers like that
you can only treat your customers like that if this sort of thing is a rare occurrence. The trouble with Maserati is that by the time the car is 15 years old they really don't care anymore. Look at all the parts that get discontinued, and all the design faults that are just ignored. The 3200/4200 suspension arms that crack after a while, its a pretty bad safety related fault, Maserati's response, the parts are no longer available, no action. End float on 3200 engines, clearly a design fault, no action. The 3200 drive by wire clearly systematically flawed, Maserati response, parts no longer available, no action. It's just the way they are, once you are not using the dealers anymore you are not their problem.
Even the convoy of true Maserati Fans who drove to the centenary celebrations from all over Europe, but didn't pay $15,000 to join the official convoy, refused entry to the factory, the museum and the track and it was Ferrari that allowed us to visit their museum. The fact we were all hard core Maserati Fans meant nothing to them, it's all about money. come to think of it why have I kept this car so long ????
 

jebroni

Member
Messages
129
I’m guessing like everyone else who loves their car we do it for the individuality of owning a Maserati.
we don’t follow the herd & have that special car that nobody else sees on a daily basis the only downside is the marque doesn’t treat its customers with the service most other car manufacturers do, however it’s nice to know there are plenty of independents/enthusiasts that can.
 

Simon1963

Member
Messages
819
Just read about a guy with a 2006 mercedes SLK

The subframe is rotten but repairable , he's gone to mercedes to ask how much a new one is , the parts guy priced it then asked the service guy to take a look

They've then said they'll ask mercedes if they'll contribute , the upshot is he paid £132 to mercedes so they can confirm all the various ECUs tally so the mileage is correct , they did , so that's the end of his contribution , new subframe being fitted at a main dealer on a 15 year old car for £132 , plus any new bushes required during the fitting

What a shame Maserati don't treat their customers like that
My wife has a Mercedes SLK and I’m on various Mercedes forums. The rear subframes on the early SLKs are being replaced in the same manner.
 

ChrisQP09

Member
Messages
2,994
An idea would be to write an open letter/petition to HQ inclusive of each of out chassis numbers. We could request a future parts supply at affordable rates and the like.
 

Wack61

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8,764
True, but I'm not sure if there would be much of a Maserati left if they agreed to fork out for every subframe afflicted Mazzer in the field...

I'm fairly sure stelantis could afford it , 300,000 employees worldwide and fingers in lots of pies 8862988630
 

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,764
I'm.not saying I'll never own another Maserati , I was really tempted with outlook's QP but it's just the rot in general and parts prices that worries me which is a pity as that's what's driving the values down.

Edited to say I didn't think for a minute the car had any rot
 
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hashluck

Member
Messages
1,515
Maserati would look good if they restocked the front subframes and sold them for £500.

This would be considered a gesture/contribution in my eyes

And then people could buy used Maseratis with more confidence, resale values would improve and thus new car sales would also iimprove. Maserati have long been blinkered and misguided regarding their heritage and customer retention. Really sad to see so many buy one Maserati and then never come back.
 

Wack61

Member
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8,764
. Really sad to see so many buy one Maserati and then never come back.

Unfortunately that's probably me , much as I love them I doubt I'll own another

Stupid things like my 4200 rubber door seal had a split so I thought I'll get a new one , I was thinking £100 or so , think it was about £900 so I bought a puncture repair kit from Halfords

I'm just an ordinary bloke with a passion for cars but even though you can buy a Maserati for 8k running one with the crazy parts prices is well out of my comfort zone.

I like driving cars not spending money fixing them if at all possible :D
 

Scaf

Member
Messages
6,512
I'm.not saying I'll never own another Maserati , I was really tempted with scaf's car but it's just the rot and parts prices that worries me which is a pity as that's what's driving the values down.
lol - no rot on my car o_O
 

ratbag

Member
Messages
135
And then people could buy used Maseratis with more confidence, resale values would improve and thus new car sales would also iimprove. Maserati have long been blinkered and misguided regarding their heritage and customer retention. Really sad to see so many buy one Maserati and then never come back.
Totally agree. Maserati GB wipe their hands of their cars once they are over 3 years old. Things that I have had to pay thousands for which were clearly design faults on the GT over the years: Peeling interior trim on a 5 year old GT? Maserati not interested. Rattling variators at 25,000 miles ? £3.5k....Don't even ask us (unless you live in the US and we'll pay for it)....Oil filled engine mounts that last a couple of years? Nope. Front subfame rotting away? Front suspension bushes every 20k?? NIT unit going blank? £2000 please. I have owned modern Maseratis for 18 years now, loved the experience but not the huge bills/crazy parts prices, sadly about to replace the old girl with either a F-type R V8 or Lexus LC500. Very sad to leave but as above Maserrati GB do nothing to retain loyal owners.....Rant over.
 

bigbob

Member
Messages
8,952
Totally agree. Maserati GB wipe their hands of their cars once they are over 3 years old. Things that I have had to pay thousands for which were clearly design faults on the GT over the years: Peeling interior trim on a 5 year old GT? Maserati not interested. Rattling variators at 25,000 miles ? £3.5k....Don't even ask us (unless you live in the US and we'll pay for it)....Oil filled engine mounts that last a couple of years? Nope. Front subfame rotting away? Front suspension bushes every 20k?? NIT unit going blank? £2000 please. I have owned modern Maseratis for 18 years now, loved the experience but not the huge bills/crazy parts prices, sadly about to replace the old girl with either a F-type R V8 or Lexus LC500. Very sad to leave but as above Maserrati GB do nothing to retain loyal owners.....Rant over.
It’s a shame that people are moving on but it is fully understandable as these cars get older and the maintenance costs just get silly relative to capital values.

I’ve thought of both the cars you mention. Today I saw four mark II Jag XKRs (no idea why that many) and they all look much more attractive than the F Type IMHO. The Lexus is interesting but there are few for sale unless you go new of course. Let us know what you get.
 

hashluck

Member
Messages
1,515
Totally agree. Maserati GB wipe their hands of their cars once they are over 3 years old. Things that I have had to pay thousands for which were clearly design faults on the GT over the years: Peeling interior trim on a 5 year old GT? Maserati not interested. Rattling variators at 25,000 miles ? £3.5k....Don't even ask us (unless you live in the US and we'll pay for it)....Oil filled engine mounts that last a couple of years? Nope. Front subfame rotting away? Front suspension bushes every 20k?? NIT unit going blank? £2000 please. I have owned modern Maseratis for 18 years now, loved the experience but not the huge bills/crazy parts prices, sadly about to replace the old girl with either a F-type R V8 or Lexus LC500. Very sad to leave but as above Maserrati GB do nothing to retain loyal owners.....Rant over.
Watch the subframes on the F-Type but at least Jaguar will pay for them!
 

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,764
What I find utterly amazing is why they aren't hot dip galvanized , look at a galvanized steel trailer , mine was 10 years old , no rust on it anywhere even after 50k a year on the motorways
 

MaserMike

Member
Messages
329
Totally agree. Maserati GB wipe their hands of their cars once they are over 3 years old. Things that I have had to pay thousands for which were clearly design faults on the GT over the years: Peeling interior trim on a 5 year old GT? Maserati not interested. Rattling variators at 25,000 miles ? £3.5k....Don't even ask us (unless you live in the US and we'll pay for it)....Oil filled engine mounts that last a couple of years? Nope. Front subfame rotting away? Front suspension bushes every 20k?? NIT unit going blank? £2000 please. I have owned modern Maseratis for 18 years now, loved the experience but not the huge bills/crazy parts prices, sadly about to replace the old girl with either a F-type R V8 or Lexus LC500. Very sad to leave but as above Maserrati GB do nothing to retain loyal owners.....Rant over.

It is a shame Maserati don’t future proof their supply chains or spare parts, Ferrari are just as bad. Even trying to get a Satnav update recently for my 2010 GranCabrio - no chance. To put things into context I can pretty much get most things for my 1956 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and parts are very cheap, full gearbox seals and gaskets for example are a couple of hundred quid and Monroe shock absorbers all 4x corners recently cost me £125 delivered! My Testarossa, many parts are NLA or stupid prices such as starter motors are £1000... But saying that, it’s probably why these Italian exotics will command a higher classic car prices than relatable American or British cars...