Discussion
it is an absolute nonsense that an obvious manufacturing fault is not owned up to by Aston -a £100k car where the paint job lasts three years - give me a break !
that said all manufacturers have narrow shoulders . boxsters pre 2003 have a well known design fault whereby you have to karate chop the rear window half way through the ' automatic' roof stowage cycle .If you don't the rear screen cracks -and everybody knows that including the dealers and Porsche . Will they own up - not a chance - but they'll sell you a new roof for £2500 - they won't replace the plastic screen because they have such high standards !!!! Figure that one out - not that I am bitter of course.
that said all manufacturers have narrow shoulders . boxsters pre 2003 have a well known design fault whereby you have to karate chop the rear window half way through the ' automatic' roof stowage cycle .If you don't the rear screen cracks -and everybody knows that including the dealers and Porsche . Will they own up - not a chance - but they'll sell you a new roof for £2500 - they won't replace the plastic screen because they have such high standards !!!! Figure that one out - not that I am bitter of course.
F458 said:
Simond S - so basically these 2004 onwards cars were not prepared or painted correctly but being as we did not know that within 3 years because they had not bubbled up by then, then the warranty does not apply!! All this Aston Martin goodwill gesture is a load of tosh they are not 'paying' anything just adding on the quote so you pay 70% and I pay 60% of the full amount, Aston are not out of pocket in any way. You can't take the car to a non Aston Approved paint shop and you did not have a quote from them to just repair it before you mentioned the paint warranty so you have no idea how much of the 30% Aston are actually paying and how much they have just added on your bill to cover their "30%". As I said earlier whether its warranty covered or not I think its a disgrace! There is a £500 X plate Ford Ka outside my window at the moment that does not have a spot or rust or bubbling anywhere! Can't help thinking that you expect a bit more for £120k and the 'Aston Martin Experience'!!!
so the years affected are 2004 to early 2008 ie 2008my? as I understand the paint process changed for the 2009 MY DB9Edited by F458 on Friday 27th April 16:52
Edited by superlightr on Sunday 29th April 08:20
Reading this thread has made me feel so much happier, safe in the knowledge that I'm not the only one being treated like a monkey.
I bought my car from a dealer. Twelve weeks later I reported my newly found door rust to Works service, 'we will have a look and get back to you sir!'. This happened three times and guess what? They never did get back to me.
When my local dealer finally under the threat of court action decided to fix the bumper that their authorised repaired damaged previously, I decided to do the rust at the same time. They wanted 40% from me £183 + VAT. No amount of arguing helped my case at all. I'd only been in the car myself for about forty odd days before I'd reported it as it had so many problems. This didn't mean a thing to Aston Martin and they explained how very lucky I was to get such a large contribution. The original dealer did however give me £100 towards it.
So the car got fixed and the 'authorised repairer' only managed to peel the lacquer off the rear quarter just above the bumper which I'm told was probably due to an 'inferior previous repair sir' AND scratch the interior pull handle but as he demonstrated how soft the paint was by scratching it some more it obviously wasn't their fault !!!! I've honeslty given up arguing with these people.
As I was sitting broken down on the motorway on Sunday night wating for the recovery contemplating my car being taken off me to get errr fixed for the eighth time in nine months (3000miles). I realised my Aston experience has been pretty rubbish from start to finish. I stopped buying Mercs because of the service (or lack of it) and that's how I feel about AM now, I love the car but ...
I bought my car from a dealer. Twelve weeks later I reported my newly found door rust to Works service, 'we will have a look and get back to you sir!'. This happened three times and guess what? They never did get back to me.
When my local dealer finally under the threat of court action decided to fix the bumper that their authorised repaired damaged previously, I decided to do the rust at the same time. They wanted 40% from me £183 + VAT. No amount of arguing helped my case at all. I'd only been in the car myself for about forty odd days before I'd reported it as it had so many problems. This didn't mean a thing to Aston Martin and they explained how very lucky I was to get such a large contribution. The original dealer did however give me £100 towards it.
So the car got fixed and the 'authorised repairer' only managed to peel the lacquer off the rear quarter just above the bumper which I'm told was probably due to an 'inferior previous repair sir' AND scratch the interior pull handle but as he demonstrated how soft the paint was by scratching it some more it obviously wasn't their fault !!!! I've honeslty given up arguing with these people.
As I was sitting broken down on the motorway on Sunday night wating for the recovery contemplating my car being taken off me to get errr fixed for the eighth time in nine months (3000miles). I realised my Aston experience has been pretty rubbish from start to finish. I stopped buying Mercs because of the service (or lack of it) and that's how I feel about AM now, I love the car but ...
huggy1 said:
Reading this thread has made me feel so much happier, safe in the knowledge that I'm not the only one being treated like a monkey.
I bought my car from a dealer. Twelve weeks later I reported my newly found door rust to Works service, 'we will have a look and get back to you sir!'. This happened three times and guess what? They never did get back to me.
When my local dealer finally under the threat of court action decided to fix the bumper that their authorised repaired damaged previously, I decided to do the rust at the same time. They wanted 40% from me £183 + VAT. No amount of arguing helped my case at all. I'd only been in the car myself for about forty odd days before I'd reported it as it had so many problems. This didn't mean a thing to Aston Martin and they explained how very lucky I was to get such a large contribution. The original dealer did however give me £100 towards it.
So the car got fixed and the 'authorised repairer' only managed to peel the lacquer off the rear quarter just above the bumper which I'm told was probably due to an 'inferior previous repair sir' AND scratch the interior pull handle but as he demonstrated how soft the paint was by scratching it some more it obviously wasn't their fault !!!! I've honeslty given up arguing with these people.
As I was sitting broken down on the motorway on Sunday night wating for the recovery contemplating my car being taken off me to get errr fixed for the eighth time in nine months (3000miles). I realised my Aston experience has been pretty rubbish from start to finish. I stopped buying Mercs because of the service (or lack of it) and that's how I feel about AM now, I love the car but ...
what AM do you have and what other issues ?I bought my car from a dealer. Twelve weeks later I reported my newly found door rust to Works service, 'we will have a look and get back to you sir!'. This happened three times and guess what? They never did get back to me.
When my local dealer finally under the threat of court action decided to fix the bumper that their authorised repaired damaged previously, I decided to do the rust at the same time. They wanted 40% from me £183 + VAT. No amount of arguing helped my case at all. I'd only been in the car myself for about forty odd days before I'd reported it as it had so many problems. This didn't mean a thing to Aston Martin and they explained how very lucky I was to get such a large contribution. The original dealer did however give me £100 towards it.
So the car got fixed and the 'authorised repairer' only managed to peel the lacquer off the rear quarter just above the bumper which I'm told was probably due to an 'inferior previous repair sir' AND scratch the interior pull handle but as he demonstrated how soft the paint was by scratching it some more it obviously wasn't their fault !!!! I've honeslty given up arguing with these people.
As I was sitting broken down on the motorway on Sunday night wating for the recovery contemplating my car being taken off me to get errr fixed for the eighth time in nine months (3000miles). I realised my Aston experience has been pretty rubbish from start to finish. I stopped buying Mercs because of the service (or lack of it) and that's how I feel about AM now, I love the car but ...
Edited by superlightr on Saturday 28th April 09:05
Having read this thread it appears that my experience is similar. Let me say that the DB9 has been an aspirational car for me since it came out and being in a position to own one I took the plunge and bought from an authorised dealer safe in the knowledge that I would be OK if anything went wrong.
Well so far
So why did I buy a 2004 car. Well the condition was top notch and is still commented on now, the colour was something that I like being an older Aston colour.
Would I buy another Aston. My heart says yes but my head says no. I have owned a lot of Mercedes over the years and had any rust on wheel arches etc. dealt with under warranty from Mercedes FOC. It is a pity that Aston Martin have a policy that makes the owner feel like a chump for buying the car. They should remember that when someone like me buys an approved car then that owner can buy a newer car and somewhere down the line they may well sell a new car.
At the factory yesterday I was followed in by a 1 77 and it was fantastic in the flesh but I was thinking 1.2 million what would happen if I got paint bubbling on that. Later I was told they use a UV light to show up the contamination now so this issue is a thing of the past. Only time will tell I guess, other manufacturers dip their car bodies to clean all contamination there is no sign of that process at Aston Martin.
The actual car is awesome to drive and really comes alive in Sport mode and using the flappy paddles. It is comfortable with the best heated seats ever invented.
Maybe we could construct a map of common bubble points on the cars so people know where to look when they are considering buying.
Well so far
- Had the car supplied with the rear tyres of borderline quality even though I thought I had agreed with them to get them replaced. They paid for one and I had to pay for the other.
- A rear light failed due to moisture which apparently is my fault as I must have directed a jet wash at it. When I removed the light to take a look the seal was showing which would allow water in. Got my local dealer to change it FOC so thanks to Hagley for that.
- The CD Changer does not read discs and is not covered on the Warranty which is a third party piece of crap dressed up in AM clothes. So when you go to buy one take a cd with you and check as it is buyer beware.
- Have had the corrosion around the passenger door lock, rear wheel arch where it meets the sill and a couple of small bubbles around the rear screen. Have had it done but it came back around the door lock so had it done again. It cost me £1200 (30% contribution 7 year old car) but I did have the sills done as they had chipped behind the doors and I had the film fitted (I never saw this chipping at the showroom but noticed a few weeks later with the light just in the right place). I also fitted the front mud flaps to deflect road crap away from the sills.
- The car also had corrosion on the seam where the roof meets the rear quarter panel on the drivers side but I spotted this at the dealers and this was fixed before delivery.
So why did I buy a 2004 car. Well the condition was top notch and is still commented on now, the colour was something that I like being an older Aston colour.
Would I buy another Aston. My heart says yes but my head says no. I have owned a lot of Mercedes over the years and had any rust on wheel arches etc. dealt with under warranty from Mercedes FOC. It is a pity that Aston Martin have a policy that makes the owner feel like a chump for buying the car. They should remember that when someone like me buys an approved car then that owner can buy a newer car and somewhere down the line they may well sell a new car.
At the factory yesterday I was followed in by a 1 77 and it was fantastic in the flesh but I was thinking 1.2 million what would happen if I got paint bubbling on that. Later I was told they use a UV light to show up the contamination now so this issue is a thing of the past. Only time will tell I guess, other manufacturers dip their car bodies to clean all contamination there is no sign of that process at Aston Martin.
The actual car is awesome to drive and really comes alive in Sport mode and using the flappy paddles. It is comfortable with the best heated seats ever invented.
Maybe we could construct a map of common bubble points on the cars so people know where to look when they are considering buying.
Edited by SLacKer on Saturday 28th April 07:48
Just found this topic http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/GASSING/topic.asp?h=0...
on amoc they have this thread
http://www.amoc.org/forum/index.php?action=printpa...
http://www.hsv.org.uk/topic.asp?t=870621&f=70&...
It does seem that we are seeing the issue in similar areas, rear pillar, front wings, bonnet edge, door handle areas.
The only question would be if the warranty could be fought as not fit for purpose as it specifically excludes anything that could actually happen.
Interestingly Auto Express have just chased Ford for a similar issue
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/...
We probably need a pretty lady owned to get in the mag, but is it worth trying to get a mainstream paper / magazine / watchdog involved. Lets be honest, Aston Martin is number one in the coolest brand awards, something they are keen to promote. http://www.astonmartin.com/news/news-archive/aston... and I am sure someonelike watchdog would enjoy thre irony of testing Aston's metal.
Is it because as owners we allow them to ride roughshod over their customers and ignore cmplaints with a swift "computer says no" attitude.
superlightr said:
what AM do you have and what other issues ?
07' V8 Edited by superlightr on Saturday 28th April 09:05
It seems every other day there is a problem. Since day one when I collected the car I had loads of issues, my local dealer then repaired these and I've had problems ever since. It breaks down on a regular basis (starts with a stutter then the limiter kicks in and puts me into limp mode, evrything has been changed but still it does it), I then go into a hire car but have to pay the £11.00 a day for the insurance cover (if you don't, Im led to believe even a small dink will cot you £500 excess!) I've probably been in a Merc type hire car for about 40 days. The bodywork was damaged then repaired, then damaged during the repair then subsequently repaired, then damaged during that repair... you catch my drift. During those episodes i was in a lovely Fiesta for about three weeks.
The car's had problems since day one but that's not the issue, it's the constant begging to get things done, it's the regular 'we'll get back to you...' they rarely do.
The QC check for lots of what I've had done have been non existant and dare you complain...
I love having an Aston Martin but at the same time I hate it.
Simond S said:
Just found this topic http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/GASSING/topic.asp?h=0...
on amoc they have this thread
http://www.amoc.org/forum/index.php?action=printpa...
http://www.hsv.org.uk/topic.asp?t=870621&f=70&...
It does seem that we are seeing the issue in similar areas, rear pillar, front wings, bonnet edge, door handle areas.
The only question would be if the warranty could be fought as not fit for purpose as it specifically excludes anything that could actually happen.
Interestingly Auto Express have just chased Ford for a similar issue
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/...
We probably need a pretty lady owned to get in the mag, but is it worth trying to get a mainstream paper / magazine / watchdog involved. Lets be honest, Aston Martin is number one in the coolest brand awards, something they are keen to promote. http://www.astonmartin.com/news/news-archive/aston... and I am sure someonelike watchdog would enjoy thre irony of testing Aston's metal.
Is it because as owners we allow them to ride roughshod over their customers and ignore cmplaints with a swift "computer says no" attitude.
Is it worth getting names/vin numbers and the associated bubbles/rust areas and pictures together and presenting it to Aston/car mags/Watchdog as a package? I reckon we could get 20 to 30 cars more or less straight away!!!on amoc they have this thread
http://www.amoc.org/forum/index.php?action=printpa...
http://www.hsv.org.uk/topic.asp?t=870621&f=70&...
It does seem that we are seeing the issue in similar areas, rear pillar, front wings, bonnet edge, door handle areas.
The only question would be if the warranty could be fought as not fit for purpose as it specifically excludes anything that could actually happen.
Interestingly Auto Express have just chased Ford for a similar issue
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/...
We probably need a pretty lady owned to get in the mag, but is it worth trying to get a mainstream paper / magazine / watchdog involved. Lets be honest, Aston Martin is number one in the coolest brand awards, something they are keen to promote. http://www.astonmartin.com/news/news-archive/aston... and I am sure someonelike watchdog would enjoy thre irony of testing Aston's metal.
Is it because as owners we allow them to ride roughshod over their customers and ignore cmplaints with a swift "computer says no" attitude.
Also why do Aston offer different percentages of goodwill gesture? How on earth do they say that I get a 40% contribution but you only get a 30% contribution and someone else a 20% contribution? Its the same shoddy painting so they should make the same contribution to everyone!
The more I discuss this the more annoyed I get, Aston must treat their customers like this becaise they know that 90% of them will pay up (they probably presume that we are all multi millionaires) and go away with their tail between their legs. I wonder how many customers or groups of customers have really had it out with them? Not many I bet, shall we be the first? (or shall I just sell the car and therefore get rid of the problem and the stress and live a few years more...?)
Problem is all the manufacturer's are at it ( see my post above ) so selling does not necessarily solve the problem. Not sure a nationwide story 'Astons Rust'. Would do much for our residuals ?
I have got the rust in a small way by the door handles but aside from that I have had 6 years happy ownership with no other problems so I think some of you guys have just been unlucky and got a bad car.
I have got the rust in a small way by the door handles but aside from that I have had 6 years happy ownership with no other problems so I think some of you guys have just been unlucky and got a bad car.
F1 NDW said:
Is it rust? I thought it was a paint defect and that was why they were worming out of the warranty.
If it's not rust it's not going to eat your car like the bad old day's. Still needs to be dealt with though!
try explaining that to a tabloid journalist - think of the headlineIf it's not rust it's not going to eat your car like the bad old day's. Still needs to be dealt with though!
I still don't get it. If its a paint issue the paint isn't fit for purpose and it's a DuPont issue. If its process of applying the paint - contamination prior to painting then it's an Aston issues . Whichever way you look at it the finish isn't fit for purpose unless the life expectancy of a cars finish is circa 3 years which we all know it isn't. I understood most of these types of issue were reactions caused by different materials eg aluminium reacting next to steel. I am amazed that Aston don't stand by the cars especially as most have charmed lives regularly washed and then garaged. I have had two claims against Aston over 4 cars and in both cases they came good. Both paint related but not this 'bubbling' that is the current issue.Its not in Astons interest to have cars with bad paint nor threads on forums like this. Whether its paint, process or material the contract is with the supplier of your car but ultimately that contract leads back to Aston.
Edited by silverspeed on Saturday 28th April 17:38
My god, it says >something< on the internet that you specifically searched for!
There are about 25,000 Gaydon cars in the world (ish), I'd like to know what percentage have had the paint fault? 1%, 10%, 50%? We'll never know from a straw poll on here/AMOC and I'm sure we'd never find out from AML themselves.
My car is a 30,000 miles 2006 DB9, THERE SHOULD BE NO PAINT LEFT ON IT AT ALL!!! But it's perfect. Weird one, eh?
I genuinely feel for you guys with the bubbly paint, the only thing that can be done is watch out for it at pre-purchase and try and catch it early.
And find a good local body shop rather than AM top-dollar ones, taking advantage of having the stone chips removed at the same time. Silver lining if you look hard enough...
There are about 25,000 Gaydon cars in the world (ish), I'd like to know what percentage have had the paint fault? 1%, 10%, 50%? We'll never know from a straw poll on here/AMOC and I'm sure we'd never find out from AML themselves.
My car is a 30,000 miles 2006 DB9, THERE SHOULD BE NO PAINT LEFT ON IT AT ALL!!! But it's perfect. Weird one, eh?
I genuinely feel for you guys with the bubbly paint, the only thing that can be done is watch out for it at pre-purchase and try and catch it early.
And find a good local body shop rather than AM top-dollar ones, taking advantage of having the stone chips removed at the same time. Silver lining if you look hard enough...
yeti said:
My god, it says >something< on the internet that you specifically searched for!
There are about 25,000 Gaydon cars in the world (ish), I'd like to know what percentage have had the paint fault? 1%, 10%, 50%? We'll never know from a straw poll on here/AMOC and I'm sure we'd never find out from AML themselves.
My car is a 30,000 miles 2006 DB9, THERE SHOULD BE NO PAINT LEFT ON IT AT ALL!!! But it's perfect. Weird one, eh?
I genuinely feel for you guys with the bubbly paint, the only thing that can be done is watch out for it at pre-purchase and try and catch it early.
And find a good local body shop rather than AM top-dollar ones, taking advantage of having the stone chips removed at the same time. Silver lining if you look hard enough...
Now Now Lewis, not so long ago all Vanquish were being painted as having a few problems by a certain someone until a bit of sense prevailed and we decided that maybe they werent all knackered. If I was buying a Gaydon bubble car I would appreciate the information on this thread.There are about 25,000 Gaydon cars in the world (ish), I'd like to know what percentage have had the paint fault? 1%, 10%, 50%? We'll never know from a straw poll on here/AMOC and I'm sure we'd never find out from AML themselves.
My car is a 30,000 miles 2006 DB9, THERE SHOULD BE NO PAINT LEFT ON IT AT ALL!!! But it's perfect. Weird one, eh?
I genuinely feel for you guys with the bubbly paint, the only thing that can be done is watch out for it at pre-purchase and try and catch it early.
And find a good local body shop rather than AM top-dollar ones, taking advantage of having the stone chips removed at the same time. Silver lining if you look hard enough...
) but brilliant nonetheless 
F1 NDW said:
Now Now Lewis, not so long ago all Vanquish were being painted as having a few problems by a certain someone until a bit of sense prevailed and we decided that maybe they werent all knackered. If I was buying a Gaydon bubble car I would appreciate the information on this thread.
You make a fair point! That's the problem with the internet and forums, people rarely post to tell you their gearbiox works really well or their paint is perfect. Can certainly skew perception. I have read twice today that peoplehave been put off buying DB9s due to being told they are unreliable. Oh well, if you believe what you read, perhaps you deserve what you get. I was put off a Vanquish without having done enough research. Shame on me
Chortling at 'Gaydon bubble car', though a less than laughing matter for the poor souls involved
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