Just bought my first AM.

Just bought my first AM.

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Discussion

Neil1300r

5,487 posts

179 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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Ikobo said:
Guy's, hoping for a little advice already I'm afraid. I was sold the car as having the 700W stereo, but never bothered checking it on the test drives, I was just interested in how the car drove etc. I hadn't taken any CD's with me anyway, so drove it back to Scotland today with the stereo off, just enjoying the sound of the car and listening for any issues (as you do). So when I decided to start playing about with everything tonight, it would appear the system is standard, not premium. The head unit doesn't mention it being premium when powering it on as it should I believe, and I have none of the premium option like fader, equaliser etc. I'm a bit angry to be honest as the dealer has misled me with the spec, any advice on how to proceed?

Oh, and the clock won't adjust either. rolleyes

Other than that, peachy.
Can confirm it will say Premium on power up if it is. No idea how to proceed with the dealer though
Hope you are enjoying the rest of the car - who uses the stereo in the first months of ownership

Laser Sag

2,860 posts

244 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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Initially I would just contact the dealer and see what they have to say, most will want to sort something out. Have you got the car advert detailing Premium Sound System or just verbally. If you have it in writing then its a contract that hasn't been fulfilledand I guess you would have to decide wether to return the car if you feel strongly about, come to a finacial agreement if not or get the dealer to retrofit if that is possible.
Hope you get it resolved and enjoy the rest of the car in the meantime.

Ikobo

Original Poster:

511 posts

150 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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Yeah, I've taken the precaution of taking screen shots of the sold listing on their website, as well as the listing they had for the car on ebay, both listed the car as having the 700W stereo upgrade with pro logic surround. I'll speak to them in the morning and see what they say. It's tucked up in the garage now, but it definitely only says something like Vantage audio system on power up. Weird thing is that there are speaker grilles in the rear and centre of the dash, were they just in every car? Thanks guys.

Retman

848 posts

159 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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Yup, grilles are there whether or not there is a speaker behind them.

wokkadriver

695 posts

243 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
Ikobo said:
Guy's, hoping for a little advice already I'm afraid. I was sold the car as having the 700W stereo, but never bothered checking it on the test drives, I was just interested in how the car drove etc. I hadn't taken any CD's with me anyway, so drove it back to Scotland today with the stereo off, just enjoying the sound of the car and listening for any issues (as you do). So when I decided to start playing about with everything tonight, it would appear the system is standard, not premium. The head unit doesn't mention it being premium when powering it on as it should I believe, and I have none of the premium option like fader, equaliser etc. I'm a bit angry to be honest as the dealer has misled me with the spec, any advice on how to proceed?

Oh, and the clock won't adjust either. rolleyes

Other than that, peachy.
Congrats - a nice looking car! The stereo issue is a pain though! It frequently happens that dealers either copy/paste specs or tick boxes in the advert builder; I saw several advertised incorrectly when I was looking around. Clearly you need to speak to the dealer about a way forward - I'm sure having done all the hard work and picked your P&J you don't want to give it back, and the dealer REALLY won't want it back. So, they can offer some form of recompense (again they won't want to give you a cheque, but I'm sure you could work on a service, or a driver's day or something similar), or retro fit, which I believe is easier said than done. Final option (and one I'd be tempted to pursue) would be to get a local stereo specialist to do an upgrade and bill the dealer direct. That way you can get what you want in terms of performance, be it CD or iPod or digital radio, with speakers and amp to suit.

I'm not sure what the set up is in the V8, but the one in the early DB9 (the Linn system) was a proper P.O.S. and was a pain to upgrade because of the hardware. That said, a half decent specialist is capable of doing the work. I went to see some guys in High Wycombe- 'unique integrations', for a quote, who had done the work before and were happy to do another. I never got around to it, and was always disappointed with the stereo. 'Paralight' are also highly regarded. The car lasted a year before being traded up - the B&O stereo was on my 'essentials' list subsequently!

Best of luck!

Ikobo

Original Poster:

511 posts

150 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
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Well, here we go......

Went to Aston Edinburgh this morning just to confirm the spec, definitely doesn't have it. Contacted the (non main) dealer I bought it from and they apologised saying they had been told the car had it, and offered to take the car back surprisingly or asked how I'd like to proceed. Obviously I don't want to return the car just for that reason though.

Then on the drive home I get a dash warning telling me that the emissions system requires servicing, it's never easy is it.

wokkadriver

695 posts

243 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
Ikobo said:
Well, here we go......

Went to Aston Edinburgh this morning just to confirm the spec, definitely doesn't have it. Contacted the (non main) dealer I bought it from and they apologised saying they had been told the car had it, and offered to take the car back surprisingly or asked how I'd like to proceed. Obviously I don't want to return the car just for that reason though.

Then on the drive home I get a dash warning telling me that the emissions system requires servicing, it's never easy is it.
Emissions System is quite a frequent one, I believe. It generally happens when the ecu gets an out-of-limit return from a sensor. I have found that turning off the car for an hour or so tends to clear it… Plenty of guidance on this site or on amoc.org if you need it!

Best of luck with your stereo choices!

Laser Sag

2,860 posts

244 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
Well as they seem to be being sensible about it I would come up with the sort of premium (pun intended) you think you paid for the premium audio and see if they will refund you that amount of money. I always work on the don't ask don't get principle.
Alternatively speak with your local dealer and see what the cost of retro fitting would be and try to negotiate that as a refund.

With many manufacturers the wiring loom is the same whether an item is fitted or not, if Aston Martin are the same then you may be able to get the necessary equipment from one of the breakers and get it all done quite cheaply.

Hopefully the emissions warning light is as said above a glitch that turning on and off will clear if not suggest to the selling dealer that they get AM to look into it on their behalf.

Hope you do get sorted out as they are a lovely car really.

sukh_m

1,325 posts

193 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
Ikobo said:
Well, here we go......

Went to Aston Edinburgh this morning just to confirm the spec, definitely doesn't have it. Contacted the (non main) dealer I bought it from and they apologised saying they had been told the car had it, and offered to take the car back surprisingly or asked how I'd like to proceed. Obviously I don't want to return the car just for that reason though.

Then on the drive home I get a dash warning telling me that the emissions system requires servicing, it's never easy is it.
I know it's tricky but I would return it, there are plenty more vantage's out there. For me personally, the 700w sound system is a must but why dont you go listen to one with and compare it to yours - then decide?

HTH smile

Ikobo

Original Poster:

511 posts

150 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
Left the car or for nearly an hour but my brother came for a look, so I broke and switched it on to go for a drive. The emissions warning didn't come on instantly, but did soon after. We both went for a 'spirited' drive each and there were no issues, to be fair the guy at AM said that it could be driven without worry unless the car came up in home safe mode or there was any reduced power. Similar to what's been said, I was told just to expect it to be a glitch with a sensor. If it doesn't clear I'll take it back to AM for a diagnostic. Will now let it sit for a couple of hours without touching it before making any decisions, which isn't easy when all I want to do is to get in it and drive the thing!

Not keen to return it as I'm otherwise very happy. It's a two previous owner car, 24k on the clock with a fully stamped main dealer service history, late '06 with the '07 revisions. Looking around I feel the price I paid was better than what I can find elsewhere on comparable cars by a fair chunk.

Laser Sag

2,860 posts

244 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
I haven't heard one with the standard audio in it, how does it sound? is it good enough that you could live with it? especially if you manage a bit of compensation from the selling dealer.

BravoV8V

1,858 posts

175 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
Ikobo said:
If it doesn't clear I'll take it back to AM for a diagnostic.
TADTS.

Buy a £20 OBDII reader from eBay to clear the message. (That's what we've all done!)

nw28840

986 posts

180 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
BravoV8V said:
TADTS.

Buy a £20 OBDII reader from eBay to clear the message. (That's what we've all done!)
I have the U480 OBD2 code reader :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diagnostic-Scanner-CAN-Bus...

I get the esmissions warning come up every few months or so , I just make a note of which bank (??) and reset.

Enjoy the car !

Must say i had a vantage coupe with the normal stereo in and for the last 2 years I have a roadster with the premium stereo in it - definitely a better sound, but wouldn't be a deal breaker for me - remove fuse 22, window down and enjoy the sound - it sounds better than any stereo smile


Ikobo

Original Poster:

511 posts

150 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
Thanks guys, you are a mine of USEFUL information as opposed to the opposite!

Fuse 22 is already out and being massively enjoyed, the car's just immense really. My previous weekend car was an Evora S so it's a completely different driving approach which I've now settled in to.

Stereo situation has now been amicably agreed with the supplying dealer with no drama, so fair play to them.

It's a beautiful night so going to grab some food then get her back out the garage for a drive.

Thanks for the info given.

BravoV8V

1,858 posts

175 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
Ikobo said:
Stereo situation has now been amicably agreed with the supplying dealer with no drama, so fair play to them.
Great news. Out of interest, how did they resolve it?

Ikobo

Original Poster:

511 posts

150 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
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Partial refund agreed. smile

downr

3,803 posts

129 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
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top bananasmile

AdamV8V

1,380 posts

157 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
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Good result.

I also had a 4.3 coupe with standard audio, then 4.7 roadster with Premium. Whilst the difference is clear, I never, ever thought "I wish it had a better stereo" when driving the 4.3.

Funnily enough, in the later car I did think more often "I wish the 4.7 sounded as good as my 4.3". First world problems and all that.

You've got the car you want and a few pennies to go into the fuel tank for some more "spirited driving", so pleased for you.

justin220

5,347 posts

205 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
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Great result!

How are you finding the car compares to the Evora? I also came from an Evora

Ikobo

Original Poster:

511 posts

150 months

Thursday 4th September 2014
quotequote all
I know you did Justin, we spoke a few times over on TLF and I think here? smile

To be honest, I think I'm more suited to the characteristics of a V8, I've long missed my last one, an RS4. I know you were feeling a lot of regret over the change, any happier yet? I was going to go Lotus again, but my back has been giving me a few issues and the prospect of continuing to clamber in and out of one has become less and less appealing. Absolutely love the Vantage interior, it feels special. Are you using Edinburgh for your servicing? Spoke to Kenny in there today, seems a decent guy, even if he did near give me heart failure when he told me the cost of the next due service. biggrin