Granturismo Mc Shift noise

todea20

Junior Member
Messages
198
Hi guys! Strange noise on start up and from what we have seen on youtube videos looks like to be another variators problem.Where is the best place to get them done and what's the cost involve?
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
Depends where you are really. I'd go to a specialist like Voicey or Giallo for that sort of work. They are sent to Slough anyway...
 

todea20

Junior Member
Messages
198
Giallo is about 60 miles from me so i should give them a call tomorrow.Many thanks
 

Dyer3200

Member
Messages
569
Hi guys! Strange noise on start up and from what we have seen on youtube videos looks like to be another variators problem.Where is the best place to get them done and what's the cost involve?

Hi Phil

Slough what's that all about ?
 

FF1078

Member
Messages
1,123
Hi guys! Strange noise on start up and from what we have seen on youtube videos looks like to be another variators problem.Where is the best place to get them done and what's the cost involve?

How long does it last?
If it's only for a split second it's nothing to worry about.
 

todea20

Junior Member
Messages
198
It is bad..quite bad.Sometime the car is struggling to start and it does last more than a second..i would say 4 5 seconds. I have been on the phone with Aldous today and they are very busy..booking in advance for 6 weeks and they won't do it.Giallo would do it but it's a 4.5k bill.Wanna know the best part?I have just bought the car yesterday and now i'm facing with a 4.5k bill.It was a private sell and of course the seller is not keen to help me out as official Maserati statement is that won't cause any damage to the engine or the car!
 

outrun

Member
Messages
5,017
Call Phil Harmer at Stormcatcher Law and set him on the seller. Return it or get him to pay for it.
 

todea20

Junior Member
Messages
198
I did say that i'm returning the car if he's not keen to help out on this but he said it was a private sale and bought as seen.The engine was warm and in fact he picked me up from the airport with the car so the engine was running fine and i've had no chance to see that something is wrong.2 hours later i have stopped in the petrol station and 15 mins later when starting the car i have heard the noise.I can understand that when you buy a 10 years old car there's wear and tear but to be facing with 4-5k bill right away is not acceptable.If it was a 1-2k bill i would have just do it and forget about it.I'm trying to be reasonable and i have told the seller that if he's not keen to help me out with half of the cost then i will have to do it myself and then try to recover the cost in court.I believe that i'm very reasonable asking for half of the cost and not the full amount.He seemed like a nice guy so i'm hopping he will understand my situation...but so far he said the official statement is that the engine won't be affected and won't help with the cost unless someone tell him that is something that needs to be done.
 

D Walker

Member
Messages
9,827
IMO, he new what he was doing, he has sold the car knowing it was at fault, did you pay cash, stop the cheque / transfer, if transfer, you can still stop it, doesn’t matter imo if Maserati says it won’t harm the engine, did he sell it stating, their is a fault which Maserati says.... he has been dishonesty and falsely sold a vehicle,
On the flip side....I take it you know where he lives....
 

todea20

Junior Member
Messages
198
Paid by bank transfer so once the money has gone there's not much you can do.To be honest i would like to get it sorted and not taking the car back if he's willing to help out with half of the cost.He said that he heard some small noise coming from the engine sometime but nothing major and he's been driving the car like that for years.That might explain why the noise is so bad now..how can you not hear it?I have sent him a video with the noise by email.I would never sell a car with such problem but it's my fault that i still have faith in people and think that everyone is honest.The problem is there and was there when i have bought the car..is not something that you would discover 1-2 months later.It was 2 hours later!! I know where he lives but i'm not that type of guy.I would rather take the legal way and even if it was a private sell i do believe that every judge can see my point.The only downside to that is the time and money..in the end some of us would lose more than the cost we are facing now but if that's the way he want to go...
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
From Which... but your options are significantly limited.

Second-hand car bought privately

You have fewer rights when you buy a used car from a private seller, and key parts of the Consumer Rights Act don't apply.*For example, there is no legal requirement for a car to be of satisfactory quality or fit for purpose.

But contractual rules about misrepresentation do apply. So, legally, the seller must:

accurately describe the second-hand car. For example, an ad must not say 'one owner' when the car has had several, not misrepresent the second-hand car, ie tell you something about it which isn't true. For example, if it's been in an accident, the owner mustn't tell you it hasn't.

If you're buying from a private seller, the onus is on you as the buyer to ask all the right questions before making the purchase. The seller doesn't have to volunteer extra information so, if you don't ask questions, you may not have the full picture of the car's history or be aware of any potential faults.
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
He’s a **** if he doesn’t pay out or take the car back. I’d take Athol’s
Advice and call his mate for legal advice if he doesn’t play ball. Show him the variator bulletin!!!! This is why we should all do due diligence on any car before buying.
 

D Walker

Member
Messages
9,827
I’m with you, to my fault, and I have learnt the hard way, faith in people’s honesty counts for nothing!
I’m sure you can still recall a bank transfer @ 48 hrs,
The stance you have to take, he is relying on the fac5 that you, as a good guy, won’t try to hard, he’s counting on it...I’ve a bit of history here.. leave that there, my advise, apply all the pressure you can legally...
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
There is no legal redress here I'm afraid. The only legal redress with a private sale is if the issue is a safety or serious safety issue and the seller knew about it. The variators is not a safety issue so unless you take some heavies round there I'm not sure there is much you can do legally.

I hate to say this now but you really must get a PPI done prior to parting with your cash especially on a car like this. Or pay 5k more & get one from a reputable dealer like Dicky.

A PPI on a specialist car is worth the several hundred quid you will pay without question. Unless the car was silly cheap & needed to be bought quick...then some you win some you lose. It isn't life or death do chalk it down to experience.

I thought the variator mod was more like 2.5-3k tops though. It had been done on my QP just before I bought it @ Migliore & I'm sure it was 2 something.
 

todea20

Junior Member
Messages
198
I understand what you're saying but personally i wouldn't sell a car with such problem.Yes it's not an safety issue but again it's not something cheap or something to deal with later.The noise is there and is quite bad.I've had a Bmw S1000rr with a noisy engine but would do it just on a cold start and even after fitting the upgraded chain tensioner from Bmw would still do it sometime.When i have sold the bike i did mention about that in the advert and that it had the upgraded part fitted but still would do it sometime and anyway the noise was there just for a split of a second..not something like 4-5 seconds.I'm in touch with the buyer even now after almost 2 years as it was very happy with the condition but if he would have called the next day that is not happy with the bike i would have offered him the full amount back plus my apologies.I can understand that is not really possible to give the car back on a private sale but all i have asked is a gesture of goodwill from his side and help out with the situation.I have phoned Graypaul and told them that i'm the new owner of the car and i would like to know about this car if it was in recently with variators issue or if they know something about it but the workshop guy told me that he needs approval of the previous owner to disclose any information about the car?!Why would you need that from the previous owner?
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
Frank, FCZ360 who is a moderator on here has a guy called Vic who only dies the one bank as it’s the furthest one from the oil pump that goes. I believe he charges more like £2k so might be worth giving Frank a PM.

As for the sale, well he’s done you there I am afraid. Sold as seen is sold as seen. You could PM me his details, email, address and reg and I’ll see if he’s a member on here and see if we can shame him into taking some responsibility?
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
I'd start with a polite email to him explaining that the car has developed a rattle, explain you wouldn't have had chance to hear it when he picked you up as the engine was indeed running at the time and you hadn't started it. Tell him you have since found that there is a potential variator problem which is documented with a Maserati Tech bulletin. Explain that it will cost a few grand to fix and see what he says.

Also get us the engine number please.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
The fact is you have no recourse in law and suggestions of sending heavies round will potentially get the OP in more bother than the seller and just escalate the issue.

If he has not said he will pay/exchange etc then save up and get it fixed... any cash or time spent chasing this will be wasted. So use it towards the car.

It's a real s h i t t y way to start you ownership experience and I hope you get it sorted for as little as possible and enjoy the car when you can.