Finally my turn to have some issues

[Coxy13]

There are two parts to the Drive By Wire System. The throttle body which is at the engine end. The tracks wear inside and that causes all sorts of issues. The other end is the pedal end. This potentiometer translates your throttle input into a voltage and sends it to the ECU which in turn determines how much movement is in the butterfly of the throttle body thus increasing fueling/air etc...

Your diagnostic sheet mentions DBW issues but fails to say exactly what the errors are. Without specific codes it is a stab in the dark.

And yes the upgrade to contact less on the engine end throttle body is well worth the upgrade. There is also a pedal sensor which replaces the pedal potentiometer. Contact forum member Davy83 for more detailsz

Well some good news, after getting onto the dealer, they said they would send the actual report through so I won't be punching in the dark…..Should clear quite a few things up I hope.

Will PM Davy for some info shortly!

 

[Contigo]

Well done, get the report and send it to me in scan form and can see if I can assist with any of the bits. Most of the stuff on there is the "usual" problem stuff and we will all have it at one time or another. Once you upgrade to contactless you are making real improvements to the overall reliability of the car.

 

[dem maser]

Go contactless....i did and had no trouble

 

[StuartW]

Yes, Davy will help you with the pedal pot sensor and the throttle body can bought through David Askew, a forum sponsor on here, or Mike @ The Maserati Shed.

Good luck

 

[Rex B]

Lots of good advise being given but I would suggest that once you get the report you will still need to speak to the technician who worked on the car to pick his brains and identify clarify any uncertainty in fault code description. There is a lot of expensive items on the list so you don't want to waste money doing unnecessary items. I have contactorless TB for 4 years( from Bill on the forum) and Pedal pot for 3 years(from Davy) with no problems so these are good fixes. The comments on the invoice you had that said ECU won't learn DBW parameters needs clarifying, lets hope the report does this.

Keep with it once these issues are sorted you will have done most of the common problems and will find the car transformed.

Rex B

Manual 3200

 

[Fair2]

Tim, if you contact Davey83 for a pedel Pot Sensor I am interested also. It may be more cost effective for 2 for freight etc.
My car is a GS .I don't have a problem at moment but it is better to have ready!
Robert F

 

[jluis]

The GS has a different pot I think

 

[Coxy13]

Lots of good advise being given but I would suggest that once you get the report you will still need to speak to the technician who worked on the car to pick his brains and identify clarify any uncertainty in fault code description. There is a lot of expensive items on the list so you don't want to waste money doing unnecessary items. I have contactorless TB for 4 years( from Bill on the forum) and Pedal pot for 3 years(from Davy) with no problems so these are good fixes. The comments on the invoice you had that said ECU won't learn DBW parameters needs clarifying, lets hope the report does this.

Keep with it once these issues are sorted you will have done most of the common problems and will find the car transformed.

Rex B

Manual 3200

Tim, if you contact Davey83 for a pedel Pot Sensor I am interested also. It may be more cost effective for 2 for freight etc.
My car is a GS .I don't have a problem at moment but it is better to have ready!
Robert F

The GS has a different pot I think

Ok so I just got off the phone to Maserati Brisbane WHAT A BUNCH OF WALLY"S!!!!!!!

First they tell me that the Engine ECU is fried and needs replacing, along with coil and shock absorbers….thats priority #1.
They also tell me the car is a Grey Import according to the VIN…..The car has Australian delivered 05/10 badge on the glove box, assetto corsa rims, assetto Corsa on the kick sills. I some how doubt what he is saying…..is there anyway of telling if this is truth or not?

They have also told me they're not allowed to release information set out by the diagnostic tool, just give me the very basic information on the invoice…..is this true or false?

As you could probably tell I am not all that impressed at the moment!

Hi Rob, I will do a circular on Aus Maserati before I order anything.

Tim

 

[jluis]

With that attitude I would not trust my car to be serviced by them.
A fried engine ECU is a jackpot for the dealer. I'm sure they will also throw an immobilizer to the mix

Find a good Indy over there and report this dealer to your local consumer watchdog.

 

[jluis]

As for being a grey import, mail maserati Italy and ask them.
Provide the chassis number and a copy of your proof of ownership and you will see where the car was sold when new.

 

[mjheathcote]

Ok so I just got off the phone to Maserati Brisbane WHAT A BUNCH OF WALLY"S!!!!!!!

First they tell me that the Engine ECU is fried and needs replacing, along with coil and shock absorbers….thats priority #1.
They also tell me the car is a Grey Import according to the VIN…..The car has Australian delivered 05/10 badge on the glove box, assetto corsa rims, assetto Corsa on the kick sills. I some how doubt what he is saying…..is there anyway of telling if this is truth or not?

They have also told me they're not allowed to release information set out by the diagnostic tool, just give me the very basic information on the invoice…..is this true or false?

As you could probably tell I am not all that impressed at the moment!

Hi Rob, I will do a circular on Aus Maserati before I order anything.

Tim

What does 05/10 imply? if 2005 October, that could be the import date, thus not when sold new, for they stopped making the 3200 in 2001. Unless your car remained unsold for 4 years maybe.
Not that I makes any difference of course!

 

[davy83]

GS is a variant of the 4200 and so yes has a different pot. I have been working on a contactless pot for the 4200 but first prototype was not right and i ran out of time, will get back to it (it can be done)

The GS has a different pot I think

 

[Contigo]

05/10 is the number of cars ie 5th of 10 just like we have 75 UK AC's etc.... There were 259 made in total.

Outside of the UK you could order the AC in any colour combo.

They are BS you Coxy, ring them up and tell them to sort it out. You can even identify the car with chassis info etc.... Measure thickness of front ARB too.

Anyway, back to the ECU, if it was indeed dead I would expect the car to be pretty much dead. What issue are they saying is the side effect of the ECU being dead? ABS light on? I hope that's not the case as it sounds like mine could also be fried but as said I don't believe that at all as the ABS has a separate ECU.

 

[Contigo]

The VIN of each AC should correspond to a factory designated code HDL1 which confirms the car is an AC. If you supply the VIN to the Maserati/Ferrari customer service department at your country's head office, they maybe able to check this for you.

 

[jluis]

Prior to buying my AC I contacted Maserati Italy to be sure I was buying an AC and not a fake
I have the non standard argentine azurro (blue) with cream leather(Seems that only 2 were made judging from the numbers posted by member Danny).

Even without proof of ownership they told me it was a genuine AC.
With proof of ownership they give you more information.

 

[StuartW]

The VIN of each AC should correspond to a factory designated code HDL1 which confirms the car is an AC. If you supply the VIN to the Maserati/Ferrari customer service department at your country's head office, they maybe able to check this for you.

I've done the same and got a response over the phone at the time without delay. They should be able to tell you the car spec, if it had any options from the factory and also if it's up to date with all recalls & campaigns. The most important for the 3200 was the sub-frame recall around 2004 I believe

 

[Coxy13]

Hi Guys,

It's been an interesting afternoon and after a VERY animated discussion with the General manager this is the email I've just received….


Good evening Tim,
Please find attached the quote we spoke about over the phone today.
You will be please to know I have spoken with my manager about the print outs for your faults and due to the age of the vehicle my manager has agreed to release the forms to you,
These scans will be forwarded to you as soon as I can get my foreman to retrieve them for me.
As mentioned on the phone in regards to the ecu we do need the car here before we go any further with the concerns due to the age and the vehicle being a grey import we need to confirm some serial numbers on the ecu.
Possible ecu 1
$3000 usd
Possible ecu 2
$2500 usd
02 sensor
$400 usd
Lh and Rh suspension actuators
$2450 usd
Rh suspension actuator gear
$1500 aud
Labour
$1400.00 aud

Please note the prices in usd are us dollars as the market fluctuates and duty can affect the prices of these parts on a day to day basis.
As you are aware the car req further diagnosis in regards to a few other concerns the car has however my foreman is confident that these items are defective and req replacement with out further investigation.

Kind Regards



I don't know about the Computer, as you said Contigo, if the ECU was fried, so would the rest of the car…..just seems to be a bit silly. Will await the report and go from there!

Tim

 

[Coxy13]

And yes I will probably end up sending Maserati an email with vin etc……See what they can tell me

 

[jluis]

It hurts just by looking at that quote.
$1500 for the actuator gear is just laughable...

I still cannot figure out why they say the engine ECU is fried when your car seems to be working perfectly with the exception of the ABS and the misfire already attributed to the faulty coil.
I also find amusing that they say that the ECU is fried yet they rely on the diagnostic data generated by that very same ECU that says an O2 sensor and a coil is required.

In short, you are dealing with thieves there.
Run away fast.

 

[StuartW]

That sounds very knee jerk to me & hugely inflated figures too, for me a second & third opinion is a must - good luck Tim