QP/GT front subframes - the truth

Wattie

Member
Messages
8,640
So why didn’t main dealers recommend a ridiculously cheap underseal (compared to purchase price) to new owners before the cars left the showroom......given the known issues with previous models?
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,113
So why didn’t main dealers recommend a ridiculously cheap underseal (compared to purchase price) to new owners before the cars left the showroom......given the known issues with previous models?
If I was a Dealer in the UK I would be the first to be offering it for FREE and doing remedial works on the treatment in the future for FREE too.
 

Wattie

Member
Messages
8,640
If I was a Dealer in the UK I would be the first to be offering it for FREE and doing remedial works on the treatment in the future for FREE too.
Nice gesture but too expensive for them I would suggest! Prevention would have been better than cure.
I suspect most owners have no idea a problem potentially exists.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
Can always remember looking at the first 4200 I looked at back in 2011 which was a facelift so at the time would have been 5 or 6 years old. It was rusty underneath, and if you opened the boot there was rust around all the little 5mm holes in the boot pressings. Although it had less than 20K miles it must have lived outdoors and been used in the winter with no additional rust proofing protection.
It put me off buying one at that point, Italian cars they are all the same rot boxes!
Fortunately I had a second look and bought the one I have now, that could not have been different having not been used through any winters.
Unfortunately whatever model Maserati, the majority of first owners, probably more so the GT and QP models especially being daily drivers will have been used through the winter months. No additional rustproofing protection, why would you, you probably only intend to keep a few years and move on, but damage done for future owners down the line.
Unfortunately don't kid yourself that 'rust treated' and all okay now, with a coat of wax covering it up, the only true rust treat is removing the rust permanently by blasting it away, or it will come back eventually.
My Triumph Stag was a rusty pear at 16 years old when I started restoring her. The shell however was fully bead blasted clean and repaired with new panels. 30 years later still as good, but properly protected and no salty winters.
 

Matt82

Member
Messages
222
Do you happen to have part numbers? I'll get them ordered this evening!

I suspect my subframe will be OK due to it being on ramp just a few months ago due to modification work. I do get the mechanics to have a good poke around, and I painted it myself a few years back when it was definitely in good nick. I'd just obviously missed the front panels... Doh!
I wish I had a ramp at home!!

sorry it was £80, can only find the LH one but hopefully it helps
61963
 

outrun

Member
Messages
5,017
Flippin heck. How much did that set you back, or was it pretty new in those photos?

It was good before but very dirty and dusty. They took the under trays and wheel arch liners off (which may work aerodynamically but also serve as lovely water storage devices!), brushed and cleaned it all then rustproofed it. Took 2 days and cost £800. Stewart told me that if i didn’t do it, my car would look rubbish underneath within a couple of years. This thread is testimony to that!! He showed me a Testarossa that had been protected from new and looked perfect underneath. If you want to use one of these cars in winter, this is a must do.
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
When I was looking to buy a year or so ago, I saw a few that had signs of too much corrosion for my liking.
The pictures attached were from a 2009 with only 2 owners, just 21k miles, and kept in a garage. It also had full Maserati main dealer service history.
The bodywork was perfect, the interior like new, drove lovely, and until I looked underneath, I was about to part with my hard earned cash as it was otherwise like new!
Needless to say, it was the first thing I looked at when viewing after that.
View attachment 61819View attachment 61820View attachment 61821View attachment 61822View attachment 61823View attachment 61824View attachment 61825View attachment 61826View attachment 61827
That’s on the bad end of the spectrum, half an hour with Ashley and a screw driver that would be Swiss cheese.

We found another trap yesterday. If you take the chassis plates off, the chassis beneath swells. We thought it was the chassis plates delaminating but after a poke and 3 or 4 holes opened up.

08 QP
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,113
Not as bad as the one I did as its still got some black paint on.
In the old days it was oil leaks that stopped the subframes rotting out.
On a Mini you never replaced the front unless it was accident damage.
 

lifes2short

Member
Messages
5,821
it's simply gobsmacking that Maserati would sell cars that could end up with such severe rot issues, i'd be fooking p1ssed off if I bought such a pricey motor and then found out that severe tin worm takes hold in this way, reminds me of the Lancia days:eek:
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
it's simply gobsmacking that Maserati would sell cars that could end up with such severe rot issues, i'd be fooking p1ssed off if I bought such a pricey motor and then found out that severe tin worm takes hold in this way, reminds me of the Lancia days:eek:

And we wonder why they don't sell more cars.....The reputation for **** quality from the early days hasn't gone away.......When the QP5 came out and then the GT it looked like they were getting it right but clearly they will never learn. Wonder what the Ghibli and 4x4 will be like at 10 years old.....I only hope better. If the next generation of cars do not improve how can Maserati survive......?...There is just no excuse for this type of quality.....
 

lifes2short

Member
Messages
5,821
And we wonder why they don't sell more cars.....The reputation for **** quality from the early days hasn't gone away.......When the QP5 came out and then the GT it looked like they were getting it right but clearly they will never learn. Wonder what the Ghibli and 4x4 will be like at 10 years old.....I only hope better. If the next generation of cars do not improve how can Maserati survive......?...There is just no excuse for this type of quality.....

in complete agreement, its not rocket science after all
 

2b1ask1

Special case
Messages
20,220
I had an ex-police Avenga years ago, came out one morning to find it 'sagging' on the front drivers side; the front suspension bracket had pulled off the rail like that one Phil!
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,756
Alot of modern cars are built to a price, the bean counters look to save a few coppers now and kick the problem into the future - even better if they can kick it past the manufacturers warranty date
 

Bebs

Member
Messages
3,264
AV Engineering are currently busy cleaning up the underside of my 2010 GTS and painting/sealing it. I’m wondering if I should protect it further by having one of those under body processes done to completely seal it and future protect?

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ChrissGT

Member
Messages
341
Alot of modern cars are built to a price, the bean counters look to save a few coppers now and kick the problem into the future - even better if they can kick it past the manufacturers warranty date

The guy that buys the car new from the manufacturer will buy a new one before these things become a problem. Thus it is not really worth spending more time and money to make things last 50 years. They have to please the stakeholders with big profits.

My 12 year old one will get checked and protected the next service, thanks to this topic. So I hope she will last another 12 years :)

I coudnt resist researching a bit and found that Mike Sander is about the product you could use for protection (tested better then waxoyl and dinitrol). See this test: https://www.autobild.de/artikel/rostschutzmittel-im-test-35817.html (in german).
 
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