New 3200 owner

[Allyp]

Hello all,
As a new owner of a 3200 GT manual I thought I'd say hello, you seem like a nice bunch! (Feel free to move the thread but I thought this specific forum might be better)

Just gave her a wash but I need to figure out a routine for wax or polish - I've never really been the polishing type! I've been recommended detailing world.com

Quick question obviously water will get into the grills in the bonnet, I take it I don't need to worry too much as long as I'm not pouring it in?!

Great forum BTW, I just hope I don't need to become a mechanic to own it!

Regards

 

[daverichardson]

Hi mate
Looks a beauty
hope you enjoy it

 

[dickygrace]

It's a great car, you won't go far wrong with it.

 

[Contigo]

Welcome mate, great choice of car, 3200 is my favourite Trident of the last 20 years and until recently I had two of them. Manual is a great choice too but make sure you take it easy until warm as they are quite notchy.

As for the water going in the bonnet vents you do need to consider that on the nearside lives the ABS ECU and if that takes a direct hit then you will fry it and there are no more of them available!

Hope you read my buying guide!

 

[StuartW]

Congratulations, welcome along & enjoy the ride

 

[madmanmart]

Hello, I wouldn't worry too much about water, as long as it's garaged.

Mart

 

[RW3200]

Welcome, and congratulations on the purchase of a fine looking Maserati!

Don't worry about the vents, just wash as normal and you won't damage anything. There are plenty of detailing gurus on here with all the info you need to keep it shiny.

I'm sure you won't have to become a mechanic to keep it on the road, you'll naturally pick up a few maintenance tips if you search the forum but if you don't want to touch it yourself check out the recommended specialists list to find a friendly garage who will look after that for you.

Don't worry too much about it going wrong, they are as reliable as anything else of similar (and even less) ability. If it does get a little moody, check the forum before pulling any hair out as more often than not the experienced guys here will know what's up and advise accordingly.
My only advice is to get the wishbones checked as there have been a few cases of them cracking when - as stated by Maserati - the rubber bush has deteriorated. Maserati issued letters a couple of months ago to advise owners to check them, unfortunately at our own cost.

Given that, they do like to be run so if all is well enjoy it.

Ru

Edit: I was unaware of the ECU under the vents as mentioned above, I stand corrected and wiser for it.

 

[jluis]

Welcome mate, great choice of car, 3200 is my favourite Trident of the last 20 years and until recently I had two of them. Manual is a great choice too but make sure you take it easy until warm as they are quite notchy.

As for the water going in the bonnet vents you do need to consider that on the nearside lives the ABS ECU and if that takes a direct hit then you will fry it and there are no more of them available!

Hope you read my buying guide!

Abs ecu are available again although more expensive.
I stopped supplying them though

 

[highlander]

Welcome aboard and obviously a man of good taste going by the choice of car!
Plenty of advice on here if you hit any issues with her.

 

[Moz1000]

Welcome from a fellow 3200 owner. Drive it regularly and I'm sure it'll serve you well. Mine's a daily and a joy everyday.
Dave

 

[davy83]

welcome sir and its hard to tell but is that mistral verde (green?) or the more silver grey colour, nice wheels too, looks rather familiar ;-) hope the car brings you a lot of pleasure.

 

[dickygrace]

It's Verde Mistral, I knew the previous keeper, lovely car.

 

[allandwf]

Very nice, I think I saw it for sale recently. Look forward to hearing about it and more pics?

 

[StuartW]

The same colour I think as Dave's (Alfatwo) on here - it looks very classy and yours with the later wheels looks particularly nice - well done

 

[davy83]

The best colour and wheel combination, of course you have excellent taste sir

Sent from my E39 using Tapatalk

 

[Allyp]

Thanks for the warm welcome. It is indeed Verde mistral, assetto corsa wheels. They took bloody ages to clean!

It will be a regular runner, maybe not quite daily. I had it inspected by Marios at Autoshield, and no major issues (though still waiting for the written report.... Just a bit of rear wheel arch bubbling, and a small leak from the rear crank case I believe, but nothing to worry about apparently... Big job to sort out but will be servicing it in the spring sometime.

A couple of niggles though in the two weeks I've had it:
- a rear tyre had to be replaced to pass the mot, and I think the wheel needs rebalancing because I'm getting vibrations at 65mph and higher. Not inspiring confidence!
- I get the suspension 'error' light on after the car has done a few miles, often at motorway speeds. It didn't come on today at a slower 50 mph commute, so potentially to do with the wheel vibration... Previous owner said he never had it come on.
- nearside rear disc getting uneven wear, can anyone tell what might be the issue? The handbrake has just had attention before I got it, but maybe not properly sorted



Offside rear not so bad

 

[allandwf]

Odd how it needed just one rear. Uneven disc wear and vibration. May all be related. I would get an alignment check done too, just to be on the safe side.

 

[Contigo]

Binding pad in caliper no doubt had it on mine. Remove pads and make sure they sit properly, probably dirt in there.

Those disks have seen better days get your name down on the third group buy where you can get a set of 4 for £200 odd. BARGAIN!!!

Also order the Mintex pads at around £40 a set.

 

[Andyk]

A big warm welcome to the forum.....Lovely 3200 you have there with the right gear box as well ...... Have fun.

 

[davy83]

The pads stick in the calipers and so they don\t work properly, there are a number of after market pads that don't quite fit and unless you file them to get them right they will stick. At the age these cars are at the calipers can also have problems with corrosion on the inside making the pistons stick. it may also just need driven! They tend to gather problems when left sitting, but run well when driven. Group disks are very good and worth a thought.