By typical automotive standards, reaching 187,000 miles is significant for an engine. However, it’s worth noting that it’s not unheard of. Personally, I’ve owned three vehicles with even higher mileage, including an E36 BMW 3 Series that went up to 248,000 miles before it was retired. For YouTuber Sreten, though, his 2013 Maserati Quattroporte’s journey reached a breaking point at 187,000 miles.
Fans of Sreten’s YouTube channel, M539 Restorations, know that he usually focuses on restoring older BMWs, transforming them from abandoned projects into reliable daily drivers. Recently, however, he embarked on a different endeavor—reviving a high-mileage Quattroporte riddled with engine problems. While Sreten has experience with engine rebuilds, his expertise primarily lies with BMW models, making this Maserati a unique and exciting challenge.
Throughout several episodes, Sreten’s attempts to work on the Quattroporte’s twin-turbo V8 proved to be largely frustrating. Nevertheless, using a service manual and a determined mindset, he managed to address its timing issues, replace the turbochargers, and ultimately restore the Maserati to working order. Sadly, this revival was short-lived.
During its very first drive post-repair, the car issued a low oil pressure warning. After checking the pressure, everything appeared normal, so he replaced the oil pressure sensor, which temporarily resolved the problem. However, just under 20 miles later, the Maserati’s powerful V8 emitted a devastating sound—rod knock. This unmistakable noise indicates severe engine failure, a nightmare scenario for any car owner, especially after dedicating roughly six months to the rebuild.
Curious as always, Sreten wasted no time in dismantling the engine to uncover the source of the issue. To no one’s surprise, he discovered that one of the rod bearings had failed and another was on the brink of doing so. Although the precise cause of the bearing failure is unclear—possibly due to insufficient oil or the use of subpar bearings—it became evident that the Maserati’s connecting rods struggled to withstand 530 horsepower for nearly 200,000 miles. Upon closer inspection, he found that the connecting rods were cast rather than forged, which is suboptimal for an engine of this power. This revelation, along with other questionable design choices in the Quattroporte’s engine, raised serious concerns.
Sreten’s challenging experience serves as a cautionary tale for anyone contemplating the purchase of a high-mileage Quattroporte..
