Maserati Prepared for Sale

A Maserati brought in by a friend of Paul -- one of Gary's long-term customers. He wanted to tidy it up for sale, spend as little as possible, and get the car into VGC against the price guides. Gary talks through every decision with him as the work progresses, on camera.

The Rear Bumper and Light

The rear bumper had taken a hit at some point and had visible damage. Gary sent it to Kraftwork for repair with a clear caveat: they would get it as straight as possible, but a perfect result without putting it on a jig would not be achievable. Kraftwork did a good job -- the bumper came back straight to within a couple of millimetres. The boot lid was still slightly tight on one side; putting it on a jig to get it perfect would have been another estimate. Gary's call: he found a piece of PPF material, made a neat strip himself to prevent paint rubbing, and left it at that. The customer accepted the compromise.

The rear light needed replacing. A new one was £1,350 plus fitting. Gary searched for a secondhand left-hand unit -- found plenty of right-hand ones at attractive prices, nothing for the left. He suggested the customer try sourcing one directly; if it arrives damaged or the brackets do not fit because it is the wrong year, that becomes a problem. In the end a new light was sourced and Gary fitted it himself. "Was a nightmare, but never mind -- never mind, I've done that myself so that's all good."

Wheels, Headlights and Interior

The two nearside wheels had scuffs. Gary's approach: do not strip and redip -- the wheels are in good enough condition that the wheel specialist came on-site and addressed just the rims and spokes on the affected ones. Budget on the estimate was £80; likely to come in a touch under. The other two wheels matched in once these were done.

The headlights were mismatched -- one had clearly been replaced at some point and was in much better condition than the other. Gary polished the bad one in six stages and the replacement one in three stages, so they came out matched without over-working the better lens.

The interior was clean enough that Gary included the leather conditioning and vacuum for free. Normally £250 on a car like this. The customer was a friend of Paul, who had been coming to them a long time. "We always do that."

The Finish and the Decision

Four-stage machine polish, stone chips touched in, new number plates fitted properly so they stay on. Eighteen-month polymer sealant rather than a longer ceramic -- the car is going to a new owner, and the budget was being kept tight. The headlight that came in barely visible through the tarnish came out looking like new.

Gary's closing note: "The fella that owns it -- he's not sure whether he's going to sell it. He said oh, I don't know. I think he's going to end up keeping it. When he sees it, I think he'll realise what a mistake he's made, having it looking pretty scruffy when it came in."

It happens often. See our modern car restoration service.