Variator actuator

Not sure if there's another thread on this subject or not but my 2007 Auto QP V has done 73k and I had the variators replaced at 40k. Last night I had a familiar rattling sounds from the LHS cam cover......

Fearing the worst I went to my brilliant local independent guy who plugged in the SD3 to discover the variator actuator is at fault. Could be worse as it's only £105 for the part and a few hours labour. I don't see any point in doing the the other side but would welcome the thoughts of anyone that's experienced this.

Anyone else had this problem?

I've had the car since new and drive it pretty hard all year round and have to say that it's been faultless apart from this and the variator issue.

Marco07

Marco,

I can't comment on your question, sorry. What made you get them fixed at 40k?

Thanks.

Michael

I've just sent my QP in to get the variators sorted out. It has 77k km and they started rattling at 40-odd thousand km.

It was an intermittent thing initially, then sometimes in the morning an has got progressively worse so that now if the car is hot and has stood for an hour or so, it rattles when starting.

Replacing the variators was going to cost a fortune when I reported this first three years ago, but in the interim a stage 1 modification has been developed to modify the rattling variators with a one-way valve in the oil line of the caps (from what I understand) to always keep the pressure up. I was told that they had had an almost 100% success rate with this, except the only car that it didn't work on was where the variators were too far gone.

I have been told that they did the stage 1 modification on a particular car that now has 120k km logged up without any issues.

This variator modification is done through the local Maserati agents (can't find an independent to work on my car) and costs half of what new variators will cost.

Variators are currently in Italy getting modified, so I'll let you guys know how this all pans out.

Michael said:

Marco,

I can't comment on your question, sorry. What made you get them fixed at 40k?

Thanks.

Michael

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A bloody horrible rattling sound of them failing! In truth, although it was intermittent I didn't like it so bit the bullet and had them done. I got a big discount as the independent wanted to do them for the experience (so they knew what was involved and could do others) so it was only £2k which, although eye-wateringly expensive isn't as bad as I had been quoted elsewhere.

If you had them done at 40k surely they shouldn't go again....Could this be a warranty thing.....

It's not the variators that have gone Andy. It's the actuator.

Ah...OK ... Had wine lunch time so that's my excuse....

Lucky B*gger! I'm salvaging what I can for my businesses from the Carillion fiasco and could have done without my car picking this precise moment to let me down. That's gratitude for you. I pamper that car and this is how it's repaid me. Still, once sorted I'll be in love again.

Marco07 said:

Lucky B*gger! I'm salvaging what I can for my businesses from the Carillion fiasco and could have done without my car picking this precise moment to let me down. That's gratitude for you. I pamper that car and this is how it's repaid me. Still, once sorted I'll be in love again.

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I find Italian cars are like cats... they will take as much attention as they see fit.. Purring happily along, lulling you into a false sense of security, then when you least expect or need it, sink their claws in and hurt you! but like the sadists we all are.... we keep the cycle going!

Offending article. Staggered that sufficient oil can pass through those tiny fine filters.

Just wanted to report that the variators on my car have been quiet since the modification was done at the beginning of the year. Having said that, I've only done about 7000km since then.