11x05 - Maserati 3200GT

[bunniefuu]

This time on Wheel of
Dealers, I'm looking to

bag an Italian supercar
for under ten grand.

This car, whoa, it's
quick. Can I find a Maserati


cheap and in good Nick?

That means there's obviously
loads of things wrong with it.

Why has there always
got to be stuff wrong with it?

Because you always bring me
cars with loads wrong with them.

But does a cheap supercar mean
super-sized problems in the workshop?

It turns out we've actually
got errors at both ends.

I do the legwork looking for
unloved motors. Fantastic.

And Ed does the donkey
work fixing them up. And

then we sell them on,
hopefully for a profit.

In 1993, Maserati was
bought by Fiat and by 97 it was

taken under the wing of sister
Fiat group company, Ferrari.

The first car to come out of this
relationship was the 3200 GT.

This super-stylish
coupe has a 3.2-litre

twin-turbocharged V8,
kicking out a stonking 365bhp.

Enough to propel it to 60mph in under
five seconds, with a top speed of 174.

But unlike most Ferraris, it also offers
a full four seats and a causative ride.

Today it represents
incredible value for money.

But how long can something so beautiful and
so charismatic languish under ten grand?

If we want one, now is
the time to start looking.

Maserati GTs are genuine
supercars on a shoestring.

They're amazing value these days.

Can you imagine they cost the best
part of £70,000 when they were new?

Nowadays you just open up your laptop and
you can find one for less than 20 grand.

But I'm not just looking
for something under 20k.

What I'm looking for is something
really ambitious, a sub-ten grand car.

It's a tall order.

But if I'm prepared to
travel from the south-east

of England as far as
Edinburgh in Scotland,

there is one car that's
really got my attention.

Now this is a bit of a fine.
There's a 3200 GT for just £7,500.

And that's seriously cheap for a Maserati.

And at that price, let's give it a call.

Hello there. I'm ringing about your car.
Is it still for sale?

The good news is the
price has dropped to £7,300.

What about the engine and the gearbox?
Are they good?

The engine's excellent.
Fuel service has to do with it.

A Maserati 3200 GT for
a little bit less than £7,500.

I'm going to go and see
this car straight away.

Buying second-hand cars, it
really can pay to go the extra mile.

Or in this case, the extra 400 miles.

It's a long way for me to travel to
Scotland to go and see this Maserati.

But then, because of the distance involved,
it might put a lot of other people off.

So I might be able to nab
myself a bit of a bargain.

But then saying that, a
cheap Maserati with problems

could very quickly turn out
to be an expensive Maserati.

So with this one, I'm going
to have to keep my eyes open.

Well, there's no mistaking the
unmistakable lines of a Maserati 3200 GT.

What a straight-looking car.
Are you the owner?

Yes, I am.

Are you Jamie?

Pleasure to meet you, sir.

It's a real pleasure to meet you, too.

What do you think, then?

What a great-looking car.

Well, it's all been cleaned
up, ready for you to see it, Mike.

Any accidents, any damage at all?

None whatsoever, Mike.
There's never been any accidents.

So tell me, why on earth would
you want to sell something like this?

We started off, my cousin
and I, we started with

a kit car and we traded
up to what you see now.

Fantastic.

He's a submariner.
He's off under the water just now.

We didn't see much
of each other, so a little

hobby for a bit of family
bonding, you know.

Right, so this guy that's
currently at the bottom of

the ocean, does he know
that you're selling off his car?

He does. That's a good question. He does.

First of all, then, I think
for me, the business end.

Let's have a look under
the bonnet, shall we?

Okay, well, there it is.

So that's your 3.2 litre
twin-turbo, 365 brake horsepower.

That's the one, Mike.

It looks like a pretty tasty engine to me.

Any problems with it?

I had a recall with the
steering rack it's been in.

That's all taken care of and done.

Lovely.

But a big worry with
these is the timing belt

and whether they've
been serviced correctly.

I've actually got the timing belts here for
the past two services and they're like new.

Okay, well, it looks great.
I'd love to hear it. Can we fire it up?

Yeah, certainly can, Mike.

Very nice.

Okay, yeah, that sounds brilliant.

It feels like an absolute train.

Does it really?

So far, I'll tell you what, you're
making all the right noises. So good.

Let's have a good look inside.

Yeah.

So what have we got here?
We've got a six-speed gearbox.

Yeah, that's right, Mike.

The gear knob's looking
a bit worse for wear.

Well, it just looks like the previous
owner's been wearing a ring.

Okay, the steering
wheel's a bit funny as

well. That's got a bit
threadbare, hasn't it?

It just needs a bit of glue, Mike.
You'll be able to sort that out.

You sound like me. Does everything work?

It's funny you'd ask.
There's just a slight

problem with the air
conditioning in the vehicle.

It doesn't work.

What? Okay. Well, that's not a
little fault with the air conditioning.

That's a problem with the air
conditioning if it doesn't work.

I just want to see
what it feels like out

on the road. Can I
take it for a test drive?

Of course you can, Mike.

Oh, it's quick!

It's really quick.

I may have just slowed down a bit.

Now this car was built in conjunction with
Ferrari and it certainly feels like it.

On the road it's nervous,
it's fidgety, it's alive,

and inside I'm surrounded
by lashings of leather.

It feels very, very nice indeed.

There's no slouch either, this motor. It
can get from 0 to 60 in under five seconds.

And that's quick by any standard.

It's a challenge to drive this car because
the throttle response, wow, it's rapid.

I mean, these cars were designed
with a quick fly-by-wire throttle,

but this one seems to
be working too quickly

because as soon
as I touch the throttle,

the twin turbo's spooling up, you
nearly get 400 brake horsepower on tap,

there's a big whoosh,
and then it all happens.

And I'll tell you what, I'm
finding it rather unnerving.

Also, although Jamie's confessed
it's had a new steering rack,

I think there's something
wrong with the suspension

because it bangs and
it crashes all over the

place, and this car's
got active dampers.

It should be nice and smooth and aggressive,
especially in and out of the bend,

but at the moment, I'm fighting it.
It's like riding Wild Bill.

Now, I'm about to take my jacket off
because inside this car, it really is hot,

and it is a problem that
the air conditioning ain't

working, and the interior
does let itself down.

I mean, the gear knob
and the steering wheel,

which is the thing
you face in the car,

it's looking a bit threadbare,
and it really does need changing.

And in a car with a Maserati
badge, it ain't going to come cheap.

So the big question is,
do I want this Maserati?

Well, my face is probably saying it all.
Of course I do.

This is a cracking motor. It's not
without its problems, but I do like it.

This car is ticking all the
right boxes for me, and

I think Jamie's been
really fair with the price.

He's not asking too much money for it.


But if I can get it just that little bit
cheaper, maybe around seven grand,

well, it'll feel like I've nicked this car.

Looks like you enjoyed that then, mate.

Yeah, I've got a big smile on my
face, but it's not without its problems.

Okay.

I know you said that the
steering rack was sorted out,

but there's something amiss
because the car's all over the road.

Not only that, the throttle is like a
digital switch. It's either on or it's off.

That's what you want, you know. Boom.

Well, it takes some getting used to, but
I think there's something wrong with it.

And the other thing is the
air conditioning's not working.

With a luxury car like
this and a sports cruiser,

you do need to have the
air conditioning working.

Listen, I'm not saying that I don't
like the car. I like the car and I want it.

I actually think you've advertised
it at a fairly reasonable price.



Usually I'd try and
start you really low,

but I just want to be a
gentleman about this.

And why don't I say I'll give you


You promise you'll find a good home?

I'll find it a great home.
Come and have a deal with me.

Yes? Fantastic. Thank you so much.

I'm just going to have
bought myself a Maserati.

But with Maserati performance
comes Maserati prices.

And with an oversensitive
throttle and wayward handling,

there could be some
expensive issues to sort out.

If we're not careful, we could be
kissing goodbye to any chance of a profit.

The Maserati 3200 GT has
charisma by the bucket load.

This car, whoa, it's quick.

And its 365 brake horsepower
twin-turbo V8 gives it the frills to match.

But with an oversensitive throttle,
unpredictable handling and dead air-con,

we're going to have to
be very clever because

with tight margins and expensive parts,
this is a car that could really bite us.

Oh, well, what about that then, eh?

Our very first Maserati
on Wheel of Dealers.

And it does feel really special, this car.

Those gorgeous lines, that
lusting, wonderful engine.

All right, it's looking a bit tatty inside.

But I've got all this car for
seven grand at 7,000 pounds.

Feels like I've robbed it.

Now, the more miles I do
behind the wheel with this

car, the more I'm enjoying
this amazing engine.

So, what's the plan?

Well, good 3200 GTs, they
sell for around 12,000 pounds.

Now, I know I've got
this cheap at seven grand,

but we need to be really
clever how we go and

source those very
expensive Maserati parts.

Plus, Ed is going to have to
exercise that enormous brain of these

to make sure we don't
lose our shirt on this.

But if we get it right,
we could return this

Italian supercar back
to its former glory.

It's a Maserati.
This car deserves rescuing.

Hey, look at that, a Maserati.

Hey, this, my son, is a 3200 GT.
How are you?

I'm good.

See, I bring you all the
best presents, don't I?

Clearly this is an
expensive car. I'm guessing

that means it was an
expensive car to buy.

Well, go on then, have a guess.

Maybe 20?

Seven.



No, 7,000 pounds for all this car.

OK, that's actually quite
a lot of car for your money,

but that means there's
obviously loads wrong with it.

Why has there always
got to be stuff wrong with it?

Because you always bring me
cars with loads wrong with them.

Oh, fret not tall one.

Shall we look at the good stuff first?

Why not?

The engine.

You'll like the look of this engine.

There you go.

Look at that.

Oh, that is impressive.

Do you want to hear it?

Go on then.

Listen to that.

Wow, that is very revvy, isn't it?

It is a little bit revvy, and that's a
kind of bit of a problem with this car.

You see, underneath there you've got


but I'll tell you what, the
throttle is like a switch.

It's either on or off, and
then the turbos spin up.

You get that lag, and then,
whoa, you're off down the road.

It's a bit of a wild ride.

I have heard that these
cars do sometimes suffer

from this kind of
snappy throttle problem,

so obviously that's going to be something I
have to fix, but what does it handle like?

It's actually a wild beast.

It sort of skips down the road.

It's all over the place, this car.

See, that's what I knew
was going to happen.

I've got all these
things I now need to fix.

It's racking up a great big expensive bill.

Oh, you always look at the negatives.

Think of the positives.

Wait until you see inside.

It's like Bella Scodi's bedroom.

Lash-ins of leather.

It's wonderful.

Look at the state of
the steering wheel, the

gear stick, even the
switches look a bit tired.

Details, just details.

That's the problem,
it's all about the details.

I mean, does anything work?

There's an issue with the
air conditioning in this car.

Well, it gets really hot
in here, but stuff like

air conditioning there,
you can do in your sleep.

Yeah, sure I don't
get any though, isn't it?

Okay, I'll give you that.

You've got quite a list of
things to sort out on this car.

Tiny list.

Fair enough.
Well, no, it's quite a long list.

Tiny.

But it's only seven grand,
and it is a pretty cool Mark,

but, you know, I think I'm
beginning to get round to the

idea of the exuberance of
the Italian nature of this car.

Yeah, look, here it comes, here it comes.

I'm glad I'm firing up
your Italian passion.

Let's get it in the workshop.

See, I knew you'd come round in the end.

We've had a fair few legendary
marks in the workshop, but

never a Maserati, so it's
great to finally get one in now.

But before we get too busy celebrating,

there's a fair few niggles
to sort out on this car, too,

and the first thing I know or
tend to is the dodgy throttle.

Mike says this car is hard
to drive because the throttle

doesn't seem to respond to the actions
of his foot, and I need to find out why.

Our Maserati's accelerator
is a drive-by-wire system

where the physical
movement of the accelerator

pedal is turned into
an electronic signal,

which is sent to the engine
where a computer reads

the signal and opens
the throttle as required.

So I need to work out which part of our
drive-by-wire system isn't working properly,

and the best way to do that on a modern car
is to plug it into a diagnostic computer.

And that is connected to the car via
a multi-plug hidden under the dash.

So it turns out we've actually got
errors at both ends of the system.

So this error here is just showing us
we've got a problem with the throttle body.

If I go back to the
previous page, we've

actually got two errors
showing at the pedal end.

So I think that is where I'm
going to start my investigation.

The system uses a pair of
potentiometers at either end.

They convert position
into an electronic signal.

They're used in pairs
so that if the two signals

don't match, the computer
knows there is a fault.

I'm going to start by removing
the potentiometers at the pedal end.

And unfortunately, it seems as though
somebody has been trying to fool the computer.

OK, this is the offending article.

I can't actually see inside
here, but what I have noticed,

we've got these two chocolate blocks
that are connected up to the wiring loom.

Now, the reason there are two
wires that have been tampered with

is that those go to each
of the two potentiometers

that are inside this
little device here.

A way of actually fixing
this, albeit in the short term,

is actually to cut these
wires, join them together,

and then you kind of
get an average signal.

And then you'll kind of get away with
it until the thing is actually fully worn.

But clearly, that's not an ideal solution.

And unfortunately, this
isn't something we can

service. We are going
to have to replace it.

A new pair of potentiometers is
four hundred and seventy five pounds.

No one said fixing up a
Maserati would be cheap.

Refitting the part is not
complicated, but it is fiddly.

So having now fitted our new
accelerator position sensor,

we need to make sure that
it's actually set up correctly.

OK, so the first thing I have to do is
actually set the idle speed condition.

That means basically tell the
car, or tell the brain at least,

that this position right now is
where the car is going to be idling.

So what I have to do is turn the ignition
to MAR, which basically turns it on.

So it's got to be there, left,
nothing happening for two minutes.

The voltage of the signal coming from the
pedal needs to be within a specific range.

So going back to our computer
again, this little window here,

we need to have this
sitting somewhere between

three hundred and fifty
and six hundred millivolts.

And we've got three hundred and seventy
five, which is bang on, which is fantastic.

The next window down here, that
needs to be between two thousand

nine hundred and three
thousand seven hundred millivolts.

So if I now put the throttle to fall down.

So that's now saying three six
two three, which is also bang on.

So now at least we know
that this end is sorted.

Well, having sorted out the first
two errors we found on the computer,

I now need to deal with the third.

And that's to do with this
little chap, the throttle body.

Now, the potentiometers in question are
here and here, the black bit either side.

We can't really see any sign of
anything wrong from the outside.

I need to get inside to do that.
I need to take this off.

Removing the throttle body
from the car is nice and simple.

All I need to do is undo
the air intake pipe work,

disconnect the electronic
cable and remove four bolts.

Now, unfortunately,
there are a few problems

with taking one of
these little units apart.

There's no obvious way in.

You've got the potentiometers
bolted on either side,

but they are connected
to a circuit board inside

there and they're
actually kind of hardwired.

Now, you've got this little cover
that goes over the circuit board.

In that circuit board
there's also a whole

load of resin to protect
it from the elements

and also to stop people
from messing around with it.

But luckily, there is a man
who can refurbish them.

So really, you need to give this
to Mike and get him to sort it out.

You can still buy brand new throttle
bodies from Maserati, but they ain't cheap.

Two thousand pound plus that.

And I ain't paying that.

So I've come to see a man called
Mike who reckons he can help me out.

This may look like an unlikely place to get
a key part for an Italian supercar fixed,

but inside is a man
who's forgotten more about

Maseratis than most
of us will ever know.

Hello?

Oh, mind me, Ed.
Under the lotus, you must be Mike.

I am.

Mike, nice to meet you.

Hello, Mike.

Looks like I'm in the right place
and the reason I've come to see you

is because of the sticky throttle
body on my Maserati 3200 GT.

What is the problem with these?

There's a fundamental
design problem with them,

which is the throttle position sensor,
which detects where the throttle is.

Unfortunately, they're
two little carbon tracks

and there's these claws that
scrape up and down the carbon track

that tells the computer
where the position is.

The claws wear away the carbon tracks
and then the throttle gets a bit sticky,

the potentiometer doesn't work anymore,

and the computer can't tell what
position the throttle plate is in.

Which is exactly the
symptoms I've got with the car.

So what you're going to
do will cure that, will it?

Yep, absolutely.

Replace the sensors and it'll be fine.

Fantastic. How much does that cost to do?

£399 all in.

That'll be a £1600 saving on the price
that Maserati want for a replacement unit,

so I'll definitely have it done.

First thing is to open it up,

and that isn't easy because Maserati really
didn't want anyone to fiddle with it.

After all, this is the only
thing between your foot

and 365 brake horsepower
of twin-turbo V8 grunt.

Getting the lid off the
throttle body is just the start

because the inside is
flooded with anti-tamper

material, which all
has to be drilled away.

The contact cap needs to be sawn open.

and the contacts disconnected.

Finally, the old potentiometers
can be removed from the unit.

There you go. Oh, how are you getting on?
Looks and bits.

The part you have problems with is this.

So that one little bit.

So that's the carbon track.

As the throttle opens, the claws
will scrape along that carbon track,

and as you can see, it's
quite heavily scored and worn.

Oh yeah.

So what do we do?
Do you have to replace that then?

What we do is we need a permanent solution.

And what's that?

We have a contactless system.

So what we have here
is a detector that detects

the polarity of the magnet
and the magnet moves.

So as the throttle body
rotates, the magnet rotates,

the sensor detects the rotation of the
magnet, and then that sends a signal.

There are a few other
modifications that need to be made

to the throttle body to make
sure it works as it should.

But Mike is keeping these
trade secrets to himself.

What I do learn is that it's a
very time-consuming process.

How are you getting on?

Looks like you're setting fire to it.

Yeah, I'm pretty finished actually.

Are you? Wonderful.

All that remains is for the
contacts to be soldered back on.

and the contact cap replaced.

Well, what a great job.

And what a great way of
saving money recycling a part.

Mike is so confident in his work,
he gives it a 12-month guarantee.

The great British tradition of
men in sheds is alive and well.

Talking of which, let's
get this back to Ed.

We're doing our best to keep
the lid on the cost of our Maserati,

but with dead air con...
This is so frustrating.

And some worrying
handling issues to still look at.

Oh, that's bad.

And there's a long way to
go before we know for sure

whether our Italian
supercar really was a bargain.

or an expensive mistake.

The Maserati 3200 GT
was once a £65,000 car.

It gets down the road really nicely.

But we managed to bag
one for just seven grand.

That's a supercar at supermini money.

But we've taken a big gamble.

The air con doesn't work and
the suspension is all over the place.

Our bargain might be
about to cost us a packet.

Now, while I wait for the throttle body
to come back from the refurbishment,

I thought I'd have a quick look
at the air conditioning on this car.

Now, Mike was complaining
that our Maserati's

air conditioning just
doesn't work at all.

And on all systems, there's
a little pressure switch

which actually stops
the system from working

if it's actually run
out of charge of gas.

Now, 90% of the time,

that gas is actually just vented
out into the atmosphere over time.

So normally what you do is you plug it up
to a special machine and just recharge it.

Air con refrigerant is nasty stuff.

It can blind you and knowingly venting
it into the atmosphere is highly ill*gal.

So you're not allowed to handle it
unless you have a special qualification

in refrigerant recovery
and handling, which I have.

The first thing I'm
going to do is try to safely

recover any refrigerant
that's still in the system.

And straight away I can
see what our problem is.

There's supposed to be some
pressure showing on either of these dials.

And you can see they're both
very comfortably sitting at zero.

So there is actually nothing inside
our air con system whatsoever.

But despite that, I'm still going
to recover as much as I can.

But immediately it becomes apparent
that the machine seems to have a problem.

Basically the machine is
trying to pull down a vacuum

to try and boil off any
moisture that's left in the system.

But unfortunately it can't.

And that's because
air is leaking back into

the system so therefore
there must be a hole.

Which means I've now
got to try and find that hole.

Obviously I can't put
refrigerant into a leaking system.

So I'm going to use
nitrogen mixed with a dye

that will show up under UV
light to try and find the hole.

So the nitrogen is now
connected up to the air con system.

I've also got myself some
very natty glasses here.

They're going to protect
my eyes from the UV light

that will be coming out
of this magical torch here.

And the idea of course is that

is going to make the dye in
the system fluoresce beautifully.

So by pressurising the
system with the nitrogen

that's then going to force out
all of that dye through the leak.

I should hear a hiss first and
know roughly where to look

and then I can use the
torch to hopefully narrow

down exactly where
that leak is coming from.

Well that's the theory anyway.

The hissing tells me
there's definitely a hole here

somewhere but finding
exactly where it is isn't easy.

This is so frustrating.

I can hear a number of leaks.

The loudest is coming from this
side of the car right at the very front.

And the only air con component I
can imagine that is is the condenser.

It is kind of open to the elements a bit

but I just can't see any
of this fluorescent dye.

But I'm pretty sure the
condenser is at fault.

So it's going to have to come
out and that looks like a huge job.

The condenser is hidden
away behind the radiator,

the oil cooler and a heap
of ancillary components.

It's extremely hard to get to

but if that's where the air
conditioning gas is leaking from

the only way to fix our leak
is to get that condenser out.

There we go, turn our UV light on.

Oh hello, look, straight away you
can actually see some damage.

You can see there is
clearly that gas was getting

out but that was well
hidden inside the car.

So there's a few places.

So basically this is scrap.

Because the condenser has a hole in it

it's likely moisture will
have got into the system.

And by now the dryer that's
designed to remove any

water from inside the
air con will be saturated.

And so while I'm here, that
needs to be replaced too.

There we go, finally got it out.

Well there you go, that's
how much water is in our dryer.

Now obviously because
these aren't exactly cheap parts

and also the labour
involved in getting them out

people are often reluctant to actually
change their dryer when they need to.

And if this is actually
maxed out with water

then your air con system
just isn't going to work

at maximum efficiency
so it's well worth doing it.

As I've already taken off the oil filter
for access I'll replace it with a new one.

And of course I'll replace
the engine oil while I'm at it.

I can't believe it's taken
this much time and effort

just to get halfway through
our air conditioning job

and it's going to take exactly
the same amount of time

to put our brand new
condenser and dryer into position.

All this work helps explain
why cars like this Maserati

may be cheap to buy but can
be very expensive to look after.

A main dealer would have
charged £1500 to do this job.

Now obviously I can't actually test
the air con until the engine is running

and that's not going to
happen until our newly

refurbished throttle body
is actually back in position.

Once everything's been refitted

the modified throttle body goes
in and I reset it with a computer.

Finally I can regas the air con system.

Now all that's left is to test it.

Here we go.

Crank up the blower, crank
down on the temperature.

Nice bit of chill already.

Leave it be a bit longer,
it should be nice and cold.

So, job done.

Ed, you alright son?

I'm alright sir.

How are we doing?

Very good.

As our Italian legend,
I still can't believe

we have a Maserati in the
workshop for under 10 grand.

It was definitely a good price
but it's not without its challenges.

Obviously you did well
finding that throttle body

but actually it was
both ends of that rather

mad fly-by-wire system
that needed to be sorted.

So that's done at least.

Okay, anything else?

Oh yeah, the air con, I
had to sort that out as well.

Now I had to end up replacing
the condenser, it was full of holes

but changing it out
wasn't really the problem.

It was actually trying to find the leak

and actually getting to
it was a real nightmare.

Well done, I can see it's been hard
work but I've not been twiddling my thumbs.

I've been sweating over a computer mouse
and I've been buying this a couple of bits.

First of all, I've found
somebody who can refurbish.

the centre boss on the steering wheel

with an airbag and I give
£50 for that, it's nice and shiny.

And I also got us a gear knob as well,

second hand but shinier
than the one we had in the car,

just £30, so a cheap
way to lift the interior.

Well I'm really glad that you're
looking after the purse strings

because a car like this
could get wildly out of control

and I've still got to sort
out all the handling issues.

Well, we do need to get it finished

but please bear in mind
we still need to earn a profit.

Our Maserati is fitted with a twin-turbo V8

that develops 365 horsepower.

and for that reason
it's absolutely critical.

that the handling is just as it should be.

But Mike's been complaining that
it doesn't actually feel safe to drive,

it kind of skits all over the road
and so therefore that is my next job.

There are lots of things that
can mess up a car's handling

but sometimes it's the most obvious
thing that's causing the problem.

I'm just checking for
play in the ball joints

because that can
obviously affect the handling.

And that's bad.

Now the other side wasn't
great but this is terrible

and that movement I can
feel, in fact you can hear,

is a ball joint and in fact in this case

I'm pretty sure it's going
to be the track rod end.

So that's going to have to be sorted.

But far more worrying actually for me

is the fact that there's three
different makes of tyre on this car.

What is an absolute no-no
is having different makes

or compounds of tyre
on either side of one axle

and that's exactly what
we've got on the front and

the rear so that's almost
certainly going to add

to this horrible feeling with the driving.

So what I'm going to have to do

is get a whole set of
new tyres for the whole car

and while they turn up I need to deal.

with this track rod end problem.

Once the wheels are off and I can take a
closer look my suspicions are confirmed.

So what you've got is
a ball obviously sitting in

a socket and in between
those two bits of metal

there is a kind of a plastic
surface to take out any of the noise

and of course over time that wears away
and then you can hear this movement here

and that knocking is basically the
ball bouncing around inside its socket.

Now because this one's failed
chances are the other one will

have done as well so you should
always change them in pairs.

To do that I simply unbolt
the top of the ball joint.

push it out with a puller
and remove the track rod end

taking note how many
turns I need to remove it.

As long as the parts are identical

by using the same number of
turns screwing the new one on

I make sure it's in exactly
the same position as

the old one so the steering
geometry isn't changed.

That job done, it's on to the tyres.

Now we know tyres are made out of rubber

but they also have things like
nylon and steel inside them as well

and perhaps the most important
bit of steel is actually the bead.

It's kind of like a rope of steel

that actually goes all the way
around the very inside of the tyre

and actually helps hold the tyre in
the right position on the rim itself.

Getting the old tyre off the rim

starts by releasing the air
using a tyre valve core remover.

Once the air is out of the tyre the
bead which keeps the tyre onto the rim

is broken off the wheel
by pushing on the side wall.

Finally the wheel is clamped to a rotating
table and with a bit of lubricant applied

a hook is slid under the bead of the tyre
to remove the whole thing from the rim.

A brand new set of tyres
has cost me 400 pounds

so I want to be sure
they're fitted properly.

So our tyre is all soaped up
and ready to go onto the rim

and you think you could just bung it on in
any position because they're both circular

but actually, like everything,
they're slightly imperfect

and there is actually a heavy point when
it comes to thinking about the balance.

Handily the manufacturers let
you know where that heavy point is

with this little red dot just here and in
the same way, normally a rule of thumb

is that the valve will be the
heaviest point on the rim.

By placing the spot
and the valve directly

opposite each other any
imbalance is minimised.

With the new tyre on the rim
I can inflate it remove the old

weights from the wheel and
put it on our balancing machine.

So now what we need to do is spin it
up and see what our problem might be.

The machine detects an imbalance
that's going to require a 10 gram weight

on the inside of the rim
and 25 grams on the outside.

And now I've got a little laser

going on down here to show
me exactly where to put the weight

so all I have to do now is clean the wheel
and place the weight in the right position.

The only problem is that
as it stands the weights

need to be between the
spokes and so would be visible.

However, I can ask the
computer to recalculate

and so hide the weights
behind the spokes.

And now what we've got is the computer's
worked out how many spokes are on the wheel

and what it has to split the
weight into to get one either side.

So we've now got 5 grams on that
spoke and then 15 grams on that spoke.

With the wheels fully balanced the tyres
now need to be set to the correct pressure

in this case, 2 bar, as
listed in the handbook.

Now with any car you want to maximise

the amount of grip that
you have at any one time

which means you need
to have all of the tyre

actually in contact
with the road surface.

Now the problem is if you either
over-inflate it or under-inflate it

you lose some of that contact patch
but also you get undue tyre wear.

So it's critical that the pressure
in your tyres is absolutely spot on.

The trouble is as air heats up
the water vapour in it expands.

Using pure nitrogen with no water
vapour minimises this problem.

Filling your tyres with
nitrogen will cost a little extra

but particularly on a performance car
it's surely worth it for the peace of mind.

Tyres are such a vital
part of any car but with a

high performance car
they're even more important.

But now we have brand new tyres

and brand new track rod ends.

we're going to have a car
that's going to have handling

to match its awesome
engine and its supercar looks.

Now our Maserati goes
and handles like it should

but we're nearing the limit
of our budget and there's

a new problem that's causing
Ed some serious concerns.

That means I now have to take the
binacle out and see what's wrong with that.

We've managed to land a legendary
Italian supercar for just seven grand.

Our very first Maserati on Wheeler
Dealers and it does feel really special.

With a revamped throttle and fully
working air-con our cheap Maserati 3200 GT

is starting to look
like serious value for

money and that means
potential profit for us.

Now we're pretty much
there with our Maserati

but there is one last niggle
that needs my attention.

Now in normal operation
you turn on your ignition

and a whole load of warning lights come
up on the dashboard and then go off again

just to let you know that they
are there and they are working

but unfortunately the engine
warning light doesn't seem to come up.

And the problem is
that means if there was a

serious fault with the
engine we wouldn't be told.

Now it could be something
as simple as a blown bulb

but obviously either
way I need to sort it out.

The problem is that getting
to the bulb is a major effort.

The trim on the inside of
the A pillar needs to come off.

the central heat event needs to be removed

and the whole dash
top needs to be taken off.

I'm hoping that the bulb is blown

because if it is, this is just
a simple fix of a new bulb.

Oh dear.

So because it does work
that means I now have to

take the binnacle out and
see what's wrong with that.

Taking out the instrument binnacle only
requires simple tools but plenty of Patience.

Well, straight up I can see there's
a very spurious wire just here.

Looking at this actually a bit closer

you can see there's a
broken part of the circuit

board so clearly
somebody's tried to rig this up

so that engine management light
would actually work when it's supposed to

and that perhaps has
led to an intermittent fault

which is maybe why Mike
didn't see the problem at first

because probably it was actually working
and maybe it's an intermittent problem.

So obviously somebody's tried to
repair it it hasn't really worked out

so I'm going to have to
either replace the binnacle.

or fix it.

A brand new binnacle from
Maserati would cost 587 pounds.

but luckily I've managed to find a
second hand unit for just 128 pounds.

This is our new replacement unit it's
already looking much better on the back

the circuit board's
all intact there are no

funny wires anywhere
that's a bit of a shame

got a bit of a crack in the binnacle but I
have got a good one on our original unit

so that's fine but also going to
have to change over the speeder

to make sure that the mileage
actually matches the car.

I could just swap the circuit boards

but they are quite brittle and I could
easily end up causing more damage

so the best thing to do is
change the dials over instead

and leave the circuit board
as untouched as possible.

Switching the cracked cover
the speedometer and rev

counter is fiddly but actually
quite a simple process.

And before the binnacle
goes back in the car

now is a great time to
check all of the other bulbs.

Can you imagine refitting all
of this only to find a blown bulb?

Very embarrassing.

Ok, so now everything is back together
but before I can turn on the ignition

and see whether our little engine
light is going to come on and off

I thought I might just
finish the job properly

and put on these little
bits that Mike found for us.

The bargain 30 pound gear knob
fits on easily with three grub screws

while the airbag is just
one electrical connector

and a couple of screws
on the back of the wheel.

Ok, so now we get our moment of truth we
turn on the ignition we should see a light.

Oh, look at that so we've got
a little engine picture up there

and then, hopefully, it
goes off again which means

we've got no problems
with anything else on the car.

Result!

So that's it.

Now this is a sub 10,000 pound
Maserati because it's still a Maserati

and that means that if things
go wrong spending could

go wildly out of control but
by doing some smart fixes

we've actually managed to
keep the costs rather sensible so

we've now got a 3200 GT
that's in fine fettle and in budget.

Maserati is a legendary
name and for good reason.

The 3200 GT packs a huge punch
from its 365 brake horsepower V8

and it's got the looks
and the class to match.

We paid just seven grand for ours.

Yes, fantastic.

Thank you so much.

A steal, but that has
meant some serious issues

to sort out a snappy
drive-by wire throttle.

lots of engineering taking
place, I like it, it's good

an overheating air con
system nice bit of chill already.

wayward handling and a damaged
instrument binnacle oh, look at that

so we've got a little engine
picture up there Result!

But the effort's been worth it
and should bank us a decent profit.

On top of the seven grand we paid
for the car we spent £399 on the throttle.

£463 on the air con, oil and filters.

£562 on tyres and suspension
and £208 on the interior

now our 3200 GT owes us 8,632 quid still
an awful lot of Maserati for the money

so before we sell it on we need to
take it on our very own grand tour.

Where exactly are we?

Well, we're on the west coast of England
we're in the seaside town of Malcolm

that's very nice any particular
reason why we're here?

Yeah, you have to think about
this car, Ed this car is a GT Cruiser

it was made to cross continents if I
wanted to I could put my right foot down

in just a few hours time me and
you could be down in Monte Carlo

in the south of France sipping
champagne in a casino that

would be a fantastic idea
let's do it, that's awesome.

but you also have to think when I
bought this car I bought it on a shoestring

so I think the final test
drive should be, you know, on

a shoestring what does that
mean you're thinking then?

OK, well what I'm thinking is
rather than cross a continent.

maybe we should just cross the
country say from here in Malcolm

all the way to Scarborough and
if we get there before midnight

I'll do a deal with you
I'll buy you some chips.

I'm guessing they're not
going to be gambling chips.

It does have that
roughness car, doesn't it?

Ed, do you know what we may not be cleaning
up on the roulette tables in Monte Carlo

but I've got a funny feeling the
gamble on this car is going to pay off

Mate, I think they had
a bit of a narrow escape

to be honest What do you
mean a narrow escape?

This car feels epic from behind the wheel
it's got its va-va-voom back this motor

and I've got a warm, fuzzy
feeling while I'm driving it

That's because the
heated seat is on Oh yeah.

Well Ed, we're two thirds of our way on
this journey from Malcolm to Scarborough

and it brings us through the wonderful
city of York and this is great, isn't it?

The walls have just
gone under or just gone

through been here for a
thousand years Wicked.

Power It's got presence
luxury What else do you need?

It's got everything in this car Well I
think we were very lucky because you know

this is a wonderful car, sure but if it
had gone wrong it could have cost us

thousands and thousands of pounds
and we'd have been completely stuffed

Yeah but this is us, Ed We
are lucky We're always lucky

Okay, if you're feeling so
lucky what are you going to

try and chance your arm when
it comes to the asking price?

A car like this Ed, this feels like a
£65,000 Italian supercar so in my opinion.

it's got to be worth 13 grand.

Power Well Ed, look at this.

Coast to coast
We're in Scarborough.

I must admit this is a great car

for crossing vast continents or
even tiny countries It's got power

pedigree and performance and all at a
very reasonable price Certainly is, yeah

and do you know what our
luck is definitely holding out

Now what do you say
Ed, do you fancy chanting

your arm in one of
these fruit machines, eh?

I'll get you some chips Nice.

Well, it's not quite Monte Carlo, is it?

No, I'll give you that but we did turn
up in a Maserati and that's got to be

caught anywhere on the planet
and you did get your chips I suppose.

Now remember I gave so
great for the car and I'm asking.


a potential customer he's not smiled yet

but let's see if I can
put a deal together.

You do like the car
don't you, James?

I think she's a beauty I can tell
you've put a lot of time and effort

into bringing her back to herself There's
been a lot of work and a lot of effort

gone into not only making it look pretty
on the outside but also the engineering

And that's I think the big fear
for me was buying a secondhand

supercar that's going to go wrong and
obviously the hard work you guys have put in

I'm really interested
to do a deal if we can

Excellent So, it is a
supercar but I'm only asking.

supermini money for it I
want 13 grand I think 13,000

is just a little bit too much for me Kind
of looking to pay around the 12 Mark.

I wish you weren't I was just looking
to spend a bit more because I can't let

this car go for 12 grand there's
been so much work gone into it.

Reluctantly.

I'll give you a little bit of
money off but 12 and a

half grand Can we do 12,300
and we'll do a deal today?



Cash?

Cash Hold out your hand You just bought
yourself A Maserati Well done Fantastic

Thanks Mike We set out to see if we
could land ourselves an Italian supercar

for less than 10 grand without getting
burnt In the end we got away with it

and it's been absolutely brilliant
to have a Maserati in the workshop

for the first time
Do you know what?

I'll be happy to carry on driving this
car but then I'm also happy to be banking

the huge three and a half thousand
pound profit If you want to see

more precious metal
being rescued from the brink

then join us again soon
on Wheeler Dealers Ta-ta!