How many Maseratis sold as new have been on dealer lots for several years with no oil change?

Maserati's total sales were cut in half in 2024, and sales numbers for the Levante had been declining for several years prior to the model's final year in 2024. This resulted in a surplus of cars that have been on dealer lots and in port warehouses for several years. One way for Maserati and its dealers to staunch their financial bleeding is to not perform scheduled maintenance on those cars.

The 2022 Levante Modena S (the "car") that I bought new in 2025 has an F154 V8—a high-performance Ferrari-designed, twin-turbo that delivers 550 horsepower. (Upload the Grok3 query, "Does Ferrari design, build, or finish the Maserati F154 V8?"). The engine was designed to generate high temperatures and pressures. Timely oil changes are critically important to avoiding problems that can range from early power loss to catastrophic engine failure. (Upload the following Grok3 query: "Is the longevity of the Maserati F154, a Ferrari-derived 3.8L twin-turbo V8, adversely affected, including having problems such as spun rod bearings, by a delay in oil change interval for several years?").

Before I bought the car, the dealer promised verbally and in writing that, while the car was on the dealer's lot from 2022 to 2025, they had changed the oil in conformance with Maserati's recommended maintenance schedule. The dealer also gave me a February 3, 2025-service invoice stating that the oil had been changed with 10w-60. I learned later that 10w-40 is required for the V8. When I contacted Maserati Customer Care ("MCC"), they had the dealer's service manager leave me a recorded voice message claiming, "I do have a green or a fresh pair of parts guys that accidentally assumed it was 10 60 … but anyhow there is definitely a typo on that invoice." That lacked credibility because car dealers have for decades scanned UPC codes that print viscosity directly on the invoice.

Accepting the claim that the oil had been changed, and was good for another year or 12,500 miles, could have serious consequences. So I sent oil samples to two tribology labs for a used oil analysis ("UOA"). Both labs reported elevated concentrations of wear metals and silicon (i.e., dirt) and recommended an immediate oil change. An engineer with lubrication expertise reviewed the UOAs, stated that reported viscosity, metals, and silicon indicated degraded oil that had been in the engine for several years and that, since service records showed no oil changes from 2022 to 2024, the oil was the factory fill from June 2022.

MCC was corresponding with me, and we were copying the Director of Maserati N.A., Andrea Soriani, and the President of Maserati Worldwide, Santo Ficili. Then, on April 7, 2025, I wrote directly to Soriani and Ficili to document the bad news delivered by the UOAs and lubricant engineer. Maserati then went silent. So I wrote a May 27-letter requesting that Soriani and Ficili provide me with material assurance that this expensive engine would be covered by a warranty, where I cited the Owner's Manual, Section 8, which states that under no circumstances should oil change interval exceed 1 year, "to protect your vehicle warranty."

As Maserati acknowledged with their silence, they could legally deny any warranty claim for the engine citing the dealer's failure to perform an oil change for 2 years and 7 months. I was sold a car with no enforceable warranty to cover an expensive V8, which is known for developing problems when the oil is not changed, and where my only recourse for an engine failure would be to sue a dealer that may close its doors under the weight of declining sales, as other Maserati dealers have had to do in Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Utah, and New York.

It seems obvious that Maserati's piteous sales' decline can be explained with the answer to one question: "Why would anyone buy a car from a manufacturer that would stick a customer with an improperly maintained engine that has no warranty?"

 

Fair question Froggie. The short answer is that the degraded viscosity and many stops and starts for test drives were responsble for the excess wear and high metals. With about 600 miles, the engine was not exactly "unused." A more apt decription for a car that is used for test drives by people that do not own it and owned by dealership that does not care about it is "abused.'

The longer explanation is this: The car had a little over 600 miles from test drives when I purchased it. The oil was filled at the factory with 10w-40, and the UOAs showed a viscosity of 30w (because the multi-vis additives degraded). The car was probably started many times over 3 years, and the degraded oil did not lubricate well on start-up causing excessive wear. Then, a car sheds metals during break-in, especially if driven hard which would be expected from people driving a car with 550 horsepower which makes it fun to press the gas pedal. The metals' concentrations indicates wear on the valve guides and bearings (probably rod bearings) which could foreshadow a serious problem later, but there is no way of knowing until the car is driven. I have not driven the Modena S since I bought it in February because it has no engine warranty, I am working through that, and I have other cars.

Maserati engineers and builds some nice cars in Italy. It is unfortunate but their sales have suffered because they are being managed by bean counters and marketing people who seem to have some misguided idea that people who buy Maseratis want, "Luxury," whatever that is. Most of the people I know (I live about 10 miles from Barret-Jackson in Scottsdale) that own nice cars may be engineers or some other profession but have, like me, been working on cars since they were teenagers, they have nice garages, know how to use tools, and and have only used the word "Luxury" ironically.

The reason I wrote this post was as heads-up for anyone thinking of buying a Maserati. Because of Maserati's declining sales numbers, many cars currently for sale have been on dealer lots for several years. Making matters worse, the recent posts I have read show a pattern of Maserati using its ironically named "Customer Care" to evade financial responsibility for every problem no matter how large or small because they are in financial trouble.

My advice is that the Levante is one of the finest crossovers made. But DO NOT BUY a Levante because the company is being horribly mismanaged. They do not support their customers or their cars. A Porsche Cayenne is an alternative with good factory support, and the Turbo GT model is extremely quick (0-60 mph in 3.1 s). Everyone I know loves their Porsche Cayenne, and at "Coffee and Cars," they are all getting the last laugh at my going ahead with the purchase of a Levante.

 

Good information. Thanks.

I am impressed that you were able to find and eliminate the rattle in your 2022 Modena S. Rattle diagnosis seems to require three things: (1) patience, (2) a good ear, and (3) luck. I had a 1972 Datsun 240Z that I restored, and it developed an intermittent rattle that I never could find. It was somewhere in the back adjacent to the strut tower in the left rear quarter panel. I even rode in the back laying down a couple of times while a friend drove. It would only rattle when I was not looking for it. I had patience and a pretty good ear. Just no luck.

 

Yes. I agree. A couple of months ago, I bought a 2024 RAM 2500 Laramie (6.2L Hemi) to pull my enclosed car trailer. The dealership, Cavender Ford, did a complete pre-sale maintenance including changing the oil. Their caring about the cars and treating customers well apparently pays dividends because they have family-owned dealerships all over Texas.

 

@staatsof, maybe the luck was contagious. Yesterday, on my way to the carwash (touch-free, no contact with rotating brushes) in the 2020 Levante S I am getting ready to sell, it was rattling in the back. By the time I got home, I was thinking, "Great, no one will buy a car with a rattle. People always ask, 'What is causing that?' " As I backed into the garage, I jokingly thought, "Well, this'll be easy. I'll just look at the spare tire." I did, and no dice. The spare tire was locked down tight,. I do not keep anything in the plastic tray that covers the spare, but the tray itself rocked when I put it back in place. The black foam stripping was compressed and breaking down along one side. I had some almost-identical weatherstripping I was able to use. Drove around after, and, voila, no rattle.