2002 Q45 F50 125k repairs so far: headlight ballast, starter solenoid, tie rods

[randygraham62]

I have driven my 2002 q45 from 80k ro 125k over almost 4 years. Repairs have been minor (if you do them yourself), and thought some new owners might appreciate the list and how I addressed them:

Starter Solenoid: the car intermittantly would not start without numerous key turns. After determining the likely cause as the starter, bought a used starter on the net for $130. The bolt on the top of the starter is blocked and I never figured out how to get it off. Took the solenoid off the starter instead, betting on the problem being there. It was! A plastic guide in the solenoid had disintegerated, causing it to intermittantly not engage. Looked like heat caused the plastic to break down. Replaced solenoid, problem solved.

headlight ballast: driver HID light went out. First replaced the bulb, which didn't fix it. Then verified there was 12 volt power to the ballast unit and there was. The only choice left was replacing the ballast. Bought pair of ballsts on ebay for $225. You will need the manual and some patience to replace the ballast. The ballast feeds high voltage to the bulb via a narrow tubeb inside the headlight unit. It is complicated enough to have been engineered by NASA (or SAAB). I bought the original equipment hid bulb for about $35 on ebay, don't spend $100 plus at the dealer. The ballast has been fine since doing this job 3 years ago, and I sold the spare ballast on ebay for about $140.

Inner tie rod ends - Just did these in March 2009 at 125K. Wished I'd done them sooner, as they really tightened up the steering feel. They were $105 for the pair at Autozone. A pro mechanic told me to count the turns out as I disassembled the tie rod from the ball joint. Then carefully count thread turns back in for the new tie rod. Uureka, the car still goes straight!

Brake rotors - these are an achilles heel on this car, but can be made to work ok. In my opinion, the rotors are too small for the Q45 behemoth, and they are susceptable to uneven wear. I just replaced four rotors (my second replacement) with the drilled slotted type you see on ebay, with coating to resist rust. So far, these have seated the best and work the best. I am warned they will wear the pads faster, but so far so good.

I think a contributing factor to the warping is that rust on the caliper channels builds up and doesn't allow the caliper to completely release. I live in salty Western NY, and have noticed the brakes work much better after descaling the rust.

My Q45 has been very economical so far to own, especially for a car of it's caliber. Real luxury, real fast! Randy

[marksport]

I've done some of the repairs that you have as well and just posted how to remove the starter. I think the starter's proximity to the exhaust manifold causes premature failure as it wraps around nearly half of the starter. I'm going to insulate mine with the starter blanket kit.

[paranoidjack]

I have driven my 2002 q45 from 80k ro 125k over almost 4 years. Repairs have been minor (if you do them yourself), and thought some new owners might appreciate the list and how I addressed them:

Starter Solenoid: the car intermittantly would not start without numerous key turns. After determining the likely cause as the starter, bought a used starter on the net for $130. The bolt on the top of the starter is blocked and I never figured out how to get it off. Took the solenoid off the starter instead, betting on the problem being there. It was! A plastic guide in the solenoid had disintegerated, causing it to intermittantly not engage. Looked like heat caused the plastic to break down. Replaced solenoid, problem solved.

headlight ballast: driver HID light went out. First replaced the bulb, which didn't fix it. Then verified there was 12 volt power to the ballast unit and there was. The only choice left was replacing the ballast. Bought pair of ballsts on ebay for $225. You will need the manual and some patience to replace the ballast. The ballast feeds high voltage to the bulb via a narrow tubeb inside the headlight unit. It is complicated enough to have been engineered by NASA (or SAAB). I bought the original equipment hid bulb for about $35 on ebay, don't spend $100 plus at the dealer. The ballast has been fine since doing this job 3 years ago, and I sold the spare ballast on ebay for about $140.

Inner tie rod ends - Just did these in March 2009 at 125K. Wished I'd done them sooner, as they really tightened up the steering feel. They were $105 for the pair at Autozone. A pro mechanic told me to count the turns out as I disassembled the tie rod from the ball joint. Then carefully count thread turns back in for the new tie rod. Uureka, the car still goes straight!

Brake rotors - these are an achilles heel on this car, but can be made to work ok. In my opinion, the rotors are too small for the Q45 behemoth, and they are susceptable to uneven wear. I just replaced four rotors (my second replacement) with the drilled slotted type you see on ebay, with coating to resist rust. So far, these have seated the best and work the best. I am warned they will wear the pads faster, but so far so good.

I think a contributing factor to the warping is that rust on the caliper channels builds up and doesn't allow the caliper to completely release. I live in salty Western NY, and have noticed the brakes work much better after descaling the rust.

My Q45 has been very economical so far to own, especially for a car of it's caliber. Real luxury, real fast! Randy

Glad to hear it Randy!

I like the f50's. At first, I wasn't too fond, but they've grown on me and I no longer find them akin to a Lexus.

I should change my inner tie rods....hmmm....

[solidglobe]

i know this is an old thread. but randy would you have any pics of the solenoid? i have currently started having the starter prob. guessed it would be solenoid. because i hear clicking like it is closing a circuit but no turning or engaging. i only had another option that the key wasnt working but didnt find anything about that. so i am sure it has to do with the starter.