Astons in the Emirates

Author
Discussion

Stylus

Original Poster:

154 posts

173 months

Tuesday 10th January 2017
quotequote all
Any one got any information to share on used Aston ownership in the Emirates?

Any particular pit falls to look out for, any hidden gems for servicing, maintenance or insurance etc?


James72911

189 posts

197 months

Tuesday 10th January 2017
quotequote all
Hi, speak to the AMOC - they are very active here, and know many of the cars in the region.

http://www.amoc-uae.com/

Paracetamol

4,225 posts

244 months

Tuesday 10th January 2017
quotequote all
Been there..done that..won't do it again. As nice as the staff at the Dubai dealer is , they are incompetent. In 10 visits they failed to fix a battery drain that was diagnosed when the car went back to Europe.

They also wriggled out of a warranty claim on my mirror that leaked our the lcd whilst the car was left for 20 days outside in dubai heat waiting for parts.

There is simply very little real support for the cars..

Edited by Paracetamol on Wednesday 11th January 09:42

Jules360

1,949 posts

202 months

Sunday 15th January 2017
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To be fair, I don't think this is limited to Astons.

Stylus

Original Poster:

154 posts

173 months

Sunday 15th January 2017
quotequote all
Yup info isn't exactly falling into my lap. Speaking with the AMOC guys to see what generic info I can gather.

Stupidly had a test drive at the weekend and now trying to split the head/heart decisions.

Paracetamol

4,225 posts

244 months

Sunday 15th January 2017
quotequote all
Jules360 said:
To be fair, I don't think this is limited to Astons.
For sure..but when a car is known to be expensive and complex to repair the issue is compounded.. Even Ferraris and Porsches etc, whilst bit troublesome, are nothing in comparison to low volume cars that have individual as opposed to common faults.

My troubles have put me off the brand for life..sold by a fellow PH'er who I suspect lived through the same issue for the entire time he owned the car too..

C997

529 posts

166 months

Friday 3rd February 2017
quotequote all
Not in the Emirates but I had a V8 Vantage in Doha for 2.5 years. Had absolutely no issue with the dealer, they even replaced the clutch under warranty. Try getting that done in the UK. Front pads were the same price as in the UK and so was servicing.

The only issue was the AC in summer and it wasn't the capacity of the system, it was that you can't point the dash vents low enough to be directly on you, which is what you need in mid-summer as you all know.

Apart from that, I had zero issues, which can't be said for the 997 I had before it.

cheers,


Randompunter74

642 posts

144 months

Sunday 5th February 2017
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I had a Vanquish here for around 3 years. The chaps who run the workshop are nice but the parts are a fookin rip off. Before it was owned by Al Habtoor but then Aston took back ownership directly for one reason or another.

The parts when Al Habtoor ran it were 350% more expensive than in the UK, on everything. I bought everything from brake pads to discs, rubbers, suspension parts/wishbones, bushes, switchgear, you name it, all 350% mark up. My front disc on the vanquish was 900 quid (After 20% Discount for export) and here it was around 3,500 GBP. The chaps who worked there knew this and kindly let me bring parts in from the UK and they fit them (Not standard of course for the UAE or any main dealer..but they appreciated the situation).

Since Aston took back ownership they have keep the prices high, or at least that was until about a year ago. I dont imagine this high cost for parts has come down either, especially given the level of investment they have put into the workshop here and adding in the warranties. They have also refused to cover American spec car under warranty, not that this was an issue for me, but interesting to know. They were coming under competition from imports.

They had a fly a chap in to take a look at the gearbox issue I had, so whilst he was over he sorted it, but as some others have said, there still isnt the depth of knowledge here which only comes with experience of working on Astons for years. They just dont pay workshop bods the money here as we know.

Would I buy another Aston? Sadly not. I like to use main dealers and will be taking my Audi in tomorrow for a service at the main dealer, but the simple fact it I dont want to be bent over and have a rod shoved up my hanoos every time I want to get something fixed on the car...which will happen on an Aston.

Its a shame, they are beautiful cars.

Stylus

Original Poster:

154 posts

173 months

Monday 6th February 2017
quotequote all
Thanks for all the advice that I've had... and ignored. Happy owner of an early Vantage.

It's already out of the dealer servicing chain so I should avoid Aston's excess service costs, but maintaining a reliable indy will be key to (relatively) pain free ownership.

The AMOC in the UAE are really helpful and some hints and tips were taken on board in the decision process.

I'll let you all know the first time a "we told you so" is needed!




Rich_AR

1,960 posts

204 months

Monday 6th February 2017
quotequote all
Stylus said:
Thanks for all the advice that I've had... and ignored. Happy owner of an early Vantage.

It's already out of the dealer servicing chain so I should avoid Aston's excess service costs, but maintaining a reliable indy will be key to (relatively) pain free ownership.

The AMOC in the UAE are really helpful and some hints and tips were taken on board in the decision process.

I'll let you all know the first time a "we told you so" is needed!
Ha! Nice. Did you pick up that 2006 manual that came up for sale last week?

IanUAE

2,930 posts

164 months

Monday 6th February 2017
quotequote all
Stylus said:
Thanks for all the advice that I've had... and ignored. Happy owner of an early Vantage.

It's already out of the dealer servicing chain so I should avoid Aston's excess service costs, but maintaining a reliable indy will be key to (relatively) pain free ownership.

The AMOC in the UAE are really helpful and some hints and tips were taken on board in the decision process.

I'll let you all know the first time a "we told you so" is needed!
Deutches Auto Service Centre (Heiki) or Saluki Motorsport would be 2 recommended garages for servicing.