It has become a regular occurance about people contacting us regarding a car that doesnt drive or select gears and they have taken it to there local garage, who promises they can fix it without too much trouble.
This advice is inaccurate and wrong on every level.
Firstly, i know the clutches can give trouble and do require some fettling every so often BUT just because it doesnt drive or select a gear doesnt mean it is a clutch at fault. This issue has come up today from three different cars and clients. One has had a clutch fitted and it has made absolutely no difference to the car, it still wont select a gear. Because it is easy to check online for problems and the clutch issues constantly come up, everyone blames them without correctly checking the system and using the right equipment
Now, whilst i appreciate the clutches arent the most relaible things on the planet BUT under the car is a valve body, a pump, various switches and sensors and a gear selector actuator. The Transmission Control Unit (TCU) reads various information supplied to it and then it processes the actions required to assist the driver. In addition to all these components, the system does require a fluid to operate the selection actuator and clutch. ALL these components need to be working correctly for the vehicle to achieve any movement or gear selection. A simple fluid leak will stop it working.
WITHOUT the correct diagnostic equipment it is impossible to correctly diagnose the problem and fix it. The Maserati equipment is expensive, as is the training, and requires some foundation knowledge for the systems operation. A Maserati tester can select gears independently of the TCU, can read parameters, check and update software, adjust components and complete a reset procedure. No generic equipment has the capability to do this correctly to my knowledge.
The most basic question you can ask is " do you have a Maserati tester or equivilent to check the gearbox system" if they say, well no but we could get help to fix it, just dont bother, i dont mean that as a nasty rebuke to the garage and there technical abilities, its just simply you will pay for their trial and error methods, both expensive and time consumming, which you will foot the bill for.
We recently had a car from another garage blaming the clutch and it simply was low on fluid, because the reservoir pipe was leaking slightly at the bottom. Like all specialists on this website, we make the investment in the correct equipment and training to ensure you get a quality service and cost effective repairs to your car.
Whilst i appreciate the "local" garage is trying to help, supposedly saving you money but in reality they will struggle and you will foot the bill.
I hope this helped
Mathew
This advice is inaccurate and wrong on every level.
Firstly, i know the clutches can give trouble and do require some fettling every so often BUT just because it doesnt drive or select a gear doesnt mean it is a clutch at fault. This issue has come up today from three different cars and clients. One has had a clutch fitted and it has made absolutely no difference to the car, it still wont select a gear. Because it is easy to check online for problems and the clutch issues constantly come up, everyone blames them without correctly checking the system and using the right equipment
Now, whilst i appreciate the clutches arent the most relaible things on the planet BUT under the car is a valve body, a pump, various switches and sensors and a gear selector actuator. The Transmission Control Unit (TCU) reads various information supplied to it and then it processes the actions required to assist the driver. In addition to all these components, the system does require a fluid to operate the selection actuator and clutch. ALL these components need to be working correctly for the vehicle to achieve any movement or gear selection. A simple fluid leak will stop it working.
WITHOUT the correct diagnostic equipment it is impossible to correctly diagnose the problem and fix it. The Maserati equipment is expensive, as is the training, and requires some foundation knowledge for the systems operation. A Maserati tester can select gears independently of the TCU, can read parameters, check and update software, adjust components and complete a reset procedure. No generic equipment has the capability to do this correctly to my knowledge.
The most basic question you can ask is " do you have a Maserati tester or equivilent to check the gearbox system" if they say, well no but we could get help to fix it, just dont bother, i dont mean that as a nasty rebuke to the garage and there technical abilities, its just simply you will pay for their trial and error methods, both expensive and time consumming, which you will foot the bill for.
We recently had a car from another garage blaming the clutch and it simply was low on fluid, because the reservoir pipe was leaking slightly at the bottom. Like all specialists on this website, we make the investment in the correct equipment and training to ensure you get a quality service and cost effective repairs to your car.
Whilst i appreciate the "local" garage is trying to help, supposedly saving you money but in reality they will struggle and you will foot the bill.
I hope this helped
Mathew
