V8 Vantage - what's it really like?
Discussion
Muffster said:
Are there any owners out there who do any of your own maintenance?
I don't mean skipping the necessary stamp in the book but, brakes, shocks, exhaust.
How realistic is it to be able to get involved yourself if you wanted to?
Same as any other car in that respect. Brakes are easiest to DIY, same with exhaust change if you have a ramp. Much is about what facilities you have at home. If you have a well quipped garage and enjoy doing it, then why not.I don't mean skipping the necessary stamp in the book but, brakes, shocks, exhaust.
How realistic is it to be able to get involved yourself if you wanted to?
You can get the workshop manual, parts, error codes etc are all online somewhere if you have a look around.
Changing consumables is easy enough, diagnosing or resetting other faults they you may need AM computer depending what it is, although a simple OBDII reader is great for putting your mind at rest and helping with simple faults.
In my last update, I said that I should stop using the Vantage so much because winter had arrived and it was time to use the Cayenne.
However, it seems I ignored my own advice because when I went to start the Cayenne this morning it turned over slowly once and then refused to do so again.
So, I either need to really start using the Vantage less or keep the Cayenne on a trickle charge when I'm ignoring it!
I also said I needed new tyres on the Vantage but that hasn't happened yet. I really want the new Michelin but would prefer to wait until Costco get them - when I priced up two months ago, the difference between Costco and cheap independents / mail order was just under £800 vs approx £950. Much larger than I expected. My tyres are still definitely legal but I want them done before the service / MOT I'll get in March so I'll start looking properly at the start of March.
I also need to decide where to get it serviced. Spellbound in Farnham have done an excellent job each time they've had the car but the service last year was a shock. Not really their fault if things have broken on the car but the suggestion that I might need brake pads did feel a bit main dealer. I'm going to visit the place near Hartley Wintney (AHM?) to see what feeling I get from them.
As far as I know, the car doesn't have too much that needs doing at the service. I don't think I've had any faults since the last update. I do appear to have a squeaking pulley - which is annoying since that was fixed / replaced at the last service. But it will need looking at again.
In theory, the car is now 10 years old and needs the bigger 10 year service. However, I had the 40k / 8 year service last year and there is too much overlap so the 10 year doesn't make sense this year. Unless I get a strong argument from the mechanics, the 10 year will wait until next year.
Overall, I'm still loving the Aston ownership experience. I sometimes think that if I'm in it for the long haul - and I believe I am - then I should buy something a bit newer. But mine does everything I want, so there seems very little justification for finding £20k+ just for a newer registration and a few less miles (at just over 40k miles, it's hardly high mileage anyway).
So, in the next few months tyres plus service are likely to cost me a couple of thousand but hopefully that will set it up for a year of trouble free motoring (and stop it squeaking!). There have been a few posts recently from potential new owners considering their first Vantage - if any of them are reading this, then my recommendation is to do it. After 18 months I have no regrets. Ironic, considering that when I bought mine I wondered if I'd get on with it.
However, it seems I ignored my own advice because when I went to start the Cayenne this morning it turned over slowly once and then refused to do so again.
So, I either need to really start using the Vantage less or keep the Cayenne on a trickle charge when I'm ignoring it!
I also said I needed new tyres on the Vantage but that hasn't happened yet. I really want the new Michelin but would prefer to wait until Costco get them - when I priced up two months ago, the difference between Costco and cheap independents / mail order was just under £800 vs approx £950. Much larger than I expected. My tyres are still definitely legal but I want them done before the service / MOT I'll get in March so I'll start looking properly at the start of March.
I also need to decide where to get it serviced. Spellbound in Farnham have done an excellent job each time they've had the car but the service last year was a shock. Not really their fault if things have broken on the car but the suggestion that I might need brake pads did feel a bit main dealer. I'm going to visit the place near Hartley Wintney (AHM?) to see what feeling I get from them.
As far as I know, the car doesn't have too much that needs doing at the service. I don't think I've had any faults since the last update. I do appear to have a squeaking pulley - which is annoying since that was fixed / replaced at the last service. But it will need looking at again.
In theory, the car is now 10 years old and needs the bigger 10 year service. However, I had the 40k / 8 year service last year and there is too much overlap so the 10 year doesn't make sense this year. Unless I get a strong argument from the mechanics, the 10 year will wait until next year.
Overall, I'm still loving the Aston ownership experience. I sometimes think that if I'm in it for the long haul - and I believe I am - then I should buy something a bit newer. But mine does everything I want, so there seems very little justification for finding £20k+ just for a newer registration and a few less miles (at just over 40k miles, it's hardly high mileage anyway).
So, in the next few months tyres plus service are likely to cost me a couple of thousand but hopefully that will set it up for a year of trouble free motoring (and stop it squeaking!). There have been a few posts recently from potential new owners considering their first Vantage - if any of them are reading this, then my recommendation is to do it. After 18 months I have no regrets. Ironic, considering that when I bought mine I wondered if I'd get on with it.
I was going to give an update a couple of weeks ago, but then figured I may as well wait until the service - which is today - and update after that. So here goes - I've already mentioned a few of these things on other threads but will consolidate here :
Off topic really, but I mentioned before that I'd used the Vantage enough that I'd let the battery go flat on the Cayenne. I've solved that completely now - not so much by using the Cayenne more, but by buying a third trickle charger.... in fact, man logic is such that I'm currently seriously considering a 4th car despite the fact that I've proven I don't use 3 enough. But that's a different story....
Tyres are now sorted, Michelin PS4S. They have transformed the car - the Bridgestones were horrid (mostly due to being 6 years old I think) but I didn't realise just how much they were affecting the car. It's now much more pleasant to drive, and feels much sportier - I think the turn in must have sharpened up. Sadly, it hasn't got any faster....
The squeaking belts has disappeared again - it doesn't seem to coincide with wet or dry weather, so maybe it was only when it was very cold - or maybe I did get coolant all over it when I did the thermostat in the autumn, and that's now all got worn off!
I debated on whether I needed a clutch again a month or two back, but have concluded not. I occasionally get a slight noise when I let the clutch out slowly, but ironically when I started researching clutch costs it hasn't happened since. I'm actually not convinced it comes from the clutch so requires more investigation - paying £3k for a clutch and then finding it was still there would be a tad disappointing.....
Passenger mirror stopped folding out properly about a month ago. This is an issue I had about a year ago, and was solved by the garage lubing the moving parts. I assumed I needed a new mirror now, and asked for a quote about getting it done at the service. I was told : £630 + VAT - because it's "quite involved and means that even the door card needs to come off". I called another specialist - I was quoted £690 + vat and told almost exactly the same justification. Incidentally, I told them it was a volvo part - they told me they were sure it wasn't. I haven't bothered telling them that if you turn it upside down it's stamped "Volvo".
In any event, I removed the mirror from the arm (two screws at the end of the arm), lubed the mechanism and it's been fine ever since. I also took the passenger door card off myself just to see how hard it was - and although I acknowledge that you have to unbolt a couple of other bits to get the mirror arm off - it was the easiest door card I've ever removed and took me slightly under 10 minutes. So if / when I need a new mirror I will be doing it myself.
Yesterday I noticed that the passenger window wasn't dropping / raising when the door opened. Re-learned the positions (lower the window fully and keep the button pressed for 5s, raise the window fully and keep the button pressed for 5s) and it's fine now. I seem to recall I accidentally knocked the battery cutoff switch a few months back so maybe it forgot the positions then - although the driver side was fine.
So, I dropped it at the Indy yesterday evening for a 10 year service today with MOT - fault free. Or so I thought. I don't have it back yet, but I have been given the list of items they've found - the MOT is not until this afternoon, but let's asssume it will pass. The list is :
- Tyre sealant out of date. I was told that last year, and haven't replaced it so not surprising.
- Wiper arms are seized. Not seized as in they don't work, but "If you pull them away from the windscreen they stay up". Half an hour labour to lube, or ~£800 to replace. I'll lube them myself when I get the car back.
- There is play in the passenger side window regulator. £414 + vat fitted, but I don't believe this is needed now.
- Glove box damper has failed - apparently it should open more slowly than it does. £6 part, £196.47 fitted. Clearly I'm neglecting my car but I can live with the broken damper - although if I get bored over summer I might try and replace it myself for the cost of £6.
- Water in RHS tail lamp. This is an annoying one - by coincidence, when I cleaned the car at the weekend (I don't use a pressure washer), I noticed condensation in the RHS rear light. So at some point, this probably is going to fail. However, for now I'll live with it - I may see if I can do anything about it when I get it back - and I have wanted clear lights since buying the car anyway. So when they fail, I will be annoyed - and it will cost me £800+ - but it will look better as a result. Every cloud and all that.
- Passenger seatbelt is slightly frayed - bit surprising since most journeys don't involve a passenger but they didn't think it was anything that needed doing yet - which is just as well since the only quote for that was "very expensive".
- Front pads are 70% worn, Rear are 80%, handbrake is 60% (how does that happen considering you only use it on a stationary car?). I checked the pads when I got new tyres a month ago, and I'm a little surprised the figures are as high as 80% - but in any case, it's something I can do myself when they need doing and not something I'm willing to pay ~£1k for somebody else to do.
None of this needs doing now / by the Indy so I've told them to simply carry out the scheduled service and get the MOT. Obviously it may fail the MOT but I see no reason why it should given that they've just checked the car over so carefully.
It's a double edged sword though. It's great that they check the car over in so much detail - many places wouldn't, and you might then get a shock later when something fails. And they call with a list and prices, so it's my choice whether I get things done or not.
On the other hand, I took in a car which I believed had absolutely nothing wrong with it, which has only done about 3k since the service last year (which cost me £3k) - and now, I'm amazed the pile of scrap even gets me to work and back!
I will have a proper look over the car myself at the weekend if the weather is OK - I'll at least lube the wipers, but may wait for slightly nicer weather before taking wheels off and checking brake pads etc.
So - overall, since the last update I have been very happy with the car. At this precise moment in time, I'm rather less happy - but I think that will probably pass, and if it bothered me that much I could simply start taking it somewhere that does the basic oil and filter change, and gives it back to me telling me how lovely it is - which isn't really the better idea.
ETA : MOT passed. Guess they bunged them a £50 to get that pile of scrap road legal for another year.
Off topic really, but I mentioned before that I'd used the Vantage enough that I'd let the battery go flat on the Cayenne. I've solved that completely now - not so much by using the Cayenne more, but by buying a third trickle charger.... in fact, man logic is such that I'm currently seriously considering a 4th car despite the fact that I've proven I don't use 3 enough. But that's a different story....
Tyres are now sorted, Michelin PS4S. They have transformed the car - the Bridgestones were horrid (mostly due to being 6 years old I think) but I didn't realise just how much they were affecting the car. It's now much more pleasant to drive, and feels much sportier - I think the turn in must have sharpened up. Sadly, it hasn't got any faster....
The squeaking belts has disappeared again - it doesn't seem to coincide with wet or dry weather, so maybe it was only when it was very cold - or maybe I did get coolant all over it when I did the thermostat in the autumn, and that's now all got worn off!
I debated on whether I needed a clutch again a month or two back, but have concluded not. I occasionally get a slight noise when I let the clutch out slowly, but ironically when I started researching clutch costs it hasn't happened since. I'm actually not convinced it comes from the clutch so requires more investigation - paying £3k for a clutch and then finding it was still there would be a tad disappointing.....
Passenger mirror stopped folding out properly about a month ago. This is an issue I had about a year ago, and was solved by the garage lubing the moving parts. I assumed I needed a new mirror now, and asked for a quote about getting it done at the service. I was told : £630 + VAT - because it's "quite involved and means that even the door card needs to come off". I called another specialist - I was quoted £690 + vat and told almost exactly the same justification. Incidentally, I told them it was a volvo part - they told me they were sure it wasn't. I haven't bothered telling them that if you turn it upside down it's stamped "Volvo".
In any event, I removed the mirror from the arm (two screws at the end of the arm), lubed the mechanism and it's been fine ever since. I also took the passenger door card off myself just to see how hard it was - and although I acknowledge that you have to unbolt a couple of other bits to get the mirror arm off - it was the easiest door card I've ever removed and took me slightly under 10 minutes. So if / when I need a new mirror I will be doing it myself.
Yesterday I noticed that the passenger window wasn't dropping / raising when the door opened. Re-learned the positions (lower the window fully and keep the button pressed for 5s, raise the window fully and keep the button pressed for 5s) and it's fine now. I seem to recall I accidentally knocked the battery cutoff switch a few months back so maybe it forgot the positions then - although the driver side was fine.
So, I dropped it at the Indy yesterday evening for a 10 year service today with MOT - fault free. Or so I thought. I don't have it back yet, but I have been given the list of items they've found - the MOT is not until this afternoon, but let's asssume it will pass. The list is :
- Tyre sealant out of date. I was told that last year, and haven't replaced it so not surprising.
- Wiper arms are seized. Not seized as in they don't work, but "If you pull them away from the windscreen they stay up". Half an hour labour to lube, or ~£800 to replace. I'll lube them myself when I get the car back.
- There is play in the passenger side window regulator. £414 + vat fitted, but I don't believe this is needed now.
- Glove box damper has failed - apparently it should open more slowly than it does. £6 part, £196.47 fitted. Clearly I'm neglecting my car but I can live with the broken damper - although if I get bored over summer I might try and replace it myself for the cost of £6.
- Water in RHS tail lamp. This is an annoying one - by coincidence, when I cleaned the car at the weekend (I don't use a pressure washer), I noticed condensation in the RHS rear light. So at some point, this probably is going to fail. However, for now I'll live with it - I may see if I can do anything about it when I get it back - and I have wanted clear lights since buying the car anyway. So when they fail, I will be annoyed - and it will cost me £800+ - but it will look better as a result. Every cloud and all that.
- Passenger seatbelt is slightly frayed - bit surprising since most journeys don't involve a passenger but they didn't think it was anything that needed doing yet - which is just as well since the only quote for that was "very expensive".
- Front pads are 70% worn, Rear are 80%, handbrake is 60% (how does that happen considering you only use it on a stationary car?). I checked the pads when I got new tyres a month ago, and I'm a little surprised the figures are as high as 80% - but in any case, it's something I can do myself when they need doing and not something I'm willing to pay ~£1k for somebody else to do.
None of this needs doing now / by the Indy so I've told them to simply carry out the scheduled service and get the MOT. Obviously it may fail the MOT but I see no reason why it should given that they've just checked the car over so carefully.
It's a double edged sword though. It's great that they check the car over in so much detail - many places wouldn't, and you might then get a shock later when something fails. And they call with a list and prices, so it's my choice whether I get things done or not.
On the other hand, I took in a car which I believed had absolutely nothing wrong with it, which has only done about 3k since the service last year (which cost me £3k) - and now, I'm amazed the pile of scrap even gets me to work and back!
I will have a proper look over the car myself at the weekend if the weather is OK - I'll at least lube the wipers, but may wait for slightly nicer weather before taking wheels off and checking brake pads etc.
So - overall, since the last update I have been very happy with the car. At this precise moment in time, I'm rather less happy - but I think that will probably pass, and if it bothered me that much I could simply start taking it somewhere that does the basic oil and filter change, and gives it back to me telling me how lovely it is - which isn't really the better idea.
ETA : MOT passed. Guess they bunged them a £50 to get that pile of scrap road legal for another year.
Edited by davek_964 on Tuesday 7th March 15:46
mikey k said:
Davek which indy is that?
Spellbound in Farnham.Just sorted out the wiper - they were right that the pivot point was fairly seized, although only on the drivers side. 5 mins with wd40 and then lithium spray grease and it's now as good as new.
ETA : Actually, I need to clarify something here. At the base of the wiper arms, they are clearly a bit corroded / pitted under the paint, which I guess is why I got a price for lubing and a price for replacement.
At some point in the future I may get any stone chips at the front blown over, and will simply get the arms stripped and painted then.
ETA 2 : Having slept on it, very happy with the car again - and with Spellbound too, since I know the car has been checked over thoroughly. I have a long drive at the weekend - 600 mile round trip, 300 miles each day. Currently debating whether to take the nice comfy Cayenne or the Vantage. Think a long run will do the Vantage the world of good.
Edited by davek_964 on Wednesday 8th March 08:39
davek_964 said:
Spellbound in Farnham.
Just sorted out the wiper - they were right that the pivot point was fairly seized, although only on the drivers side. 5 mins with wd40 and then lithium spray grease and it's now as good as new.
ETA : Actually, I need to clarify something here. At the base of the wiper arms, they are clearly a bit corroded / pitted under the paint, which I guess is why I got a price for lubing and a price for replacement.
At some point in the future I may get any stone chips at the front blown over, and will simply get the arms stripped and painted then.
ETA 2 : Having slept on it, very happy with the car again - and with Spellbound too, since I know the car has been checked over thoroughly. I have a long drive at the weekend - 600 mile round trip, 300 miles each day. Currently debating whether to take the nice comfy Cayenne or the Vantage. Think a long run will do the Vantage the world of good.
The Aston or the Porsche not really a contest is it........... Aston is the right answer if there was any doubt.Just sorted out the wiper - they were right that the pivot point was fairly seized, although only on the drivers side. 5 mins with wd40 and then lithium spray grease and it's now as good as new.
ETA : Actually, I need to clarify something here. At the base of the wiper arms, they are clearly a bit corroded / pitted under the paint, which I guess is why I got a price for lubing and a price for replacement.
At some point in the future I may get any stone chips at the front blown over, and will simply get the arms stripped and painted then.
ETA 2 : Having slept on it, very happy with the car again - and with Spellbound too, since I know the car has been checked over thoroughly. I have a long drive at the weekend - 600 mile round trip, 300 miles each day. Currently debating whether to take the nice comfy Cayenne or the Vantage. Think a long run will do the Vantage the world of good.
Edited by davek_964 on Wednesday 8th March 08:39
This is a great thread Davek. Keep it up.
I also own (amongst other things) a 997.1 TT and a Cayenne S Hybrid, so I have been enjoying and agreeing with your AM ownership comments (I have a MY12 V12 CBE). I also sympathise with you on service costs.
The Turbo is in for a big service today (80,000km). That should set me back +/- 2500 euros. The dealer called and said:
- extinguisher has expired and needs to be replaced : 32 euros
- wipers need replacing : 96 euros
- front radiator pipes are corroding and need replacing : 1500 euros
- rear shocks are starting to leak oil : 2785 euros
- rear tyres are wearing on the INSIDE : 1500 euros
So we are looking at roughly 8400 euros on a big service. I told the dealer to replace the first two items. I will take the car to a trade friend of mine who has good contacts who can get me a better deal on the rest.
Just goes to show that these Porsche dealers have no shame...
I also own (amongst other things) a 997.1 TT and a Cayenne S Hybrid, so I have been enjoying and agreeing with your AM ownership comments (I have a MY12 V12 CBE). I also sympathise with you on service costs.
The Turbo is in for a big service today (80,000km). That should set me back +/- 2500 euros. The dealer called and said:
- extinguisher has expired and needs to be replaced : 32 euros
- wipers need replacing : 96 euros
- front radiator pipes are corroding and need replacing : 1500 euros
- rear shocks are starting to leak oil : 2785 euros
- rear tyres are wearing on the INSIDE : 1500 euros
So we are looking at roughly 8400 euros on a big service. I told the dealer to replace the first two items. I will take the car to a trade friend of mine who has good contacts who can get me a better deal on the rest.
Just goes to show that these Porsche dealers have no shame...
Another update, which is much quicker than usual but this weekend has seen two events that are relevant to the Vantage.
The first is the 600 mile round trip I mentioned, 5 hours in the car each way. I did take the Aston, and it's by far the longest trip I've done in the car - think I've done about 200 mile round trips before.
Obviously the car had only just been serviced so it performed faultlessly. I've always felt that the Vantage sits half way between my 360 - which is obviously a sports car - and the Cayenne. But on a 5 hour motorway jaunt, it felt much more 'Cayenne' than I expected. In fact, I must confess about 100 miles in I even thought : may as well have brought the Porsche. Overall, I'm glad I didn't though - I enjoyed the long run in the car and I'm sure a decent run did it some good.
Curiously, I visited a friend before getting home and went a little quicker when close to his house - and although it was still motorway, the exhaust growl suddenly got much more noticeable and it no longer felt quite so Cayenne like. So maybe I should have stayed in 5th for the journey Note that I have fuse 22 removed.
Fuel consumption was a pleasant surprise. I usually fill up when the gauge is down to about quarter of a tank - which on repeated short journeys means about 180 miles. At motorway speeds (a good 10‰ of which is 50mph roadworks) that quarter of a tank mark conveniently occurred after 300 miles. I didn't reset the averages before the journey but checked the instant reading a couple of times and it looked like it was managing mid twenties mpg, compared with the 15 it seems to do most of the time.
Sat nav was.... Well, it got me close to the hotel but I had to switch to my phone at the end.
Overall, a successful 600 miles although not quite as I expected. And this 600 miles rolled the mileage over the 42k mark.
However, the other weekend event is likely to reduce the amount of mileage I clock up by using the Vantage for things like work. It clearly wasn't working out trying to use the Cayenne more so I decided I needed a more interesting / fun run around car. So tomorrow, I collect a 2007 Alfa Spider. The Cayenne stays - it is the only practical car I own - but will spend even longer on the trickle charger. And the Vantage will still be used for work but probably only a day or so a week. At least that's the plan.
So it's intended / possible that my usage will drop a bit going forwards - we'll see if that's the case next time I update!
The first is the 600 mile round trip I mentioned, 5 hours in the car each way. I did take the Aston, and it's by far the longest trip I've done in the car - think I've done about 200 mile round trips before.
Obviously the car had only just been serviced so it performed faultlessly. I've always felt that the Vantage sits half way between my 360 - which is obviously a sports car - and the Cayenne. But on a 5 hour motorway jaunt, it felt much more 'Cayenne' than I expected. In fact, I must confess about 100 miles in I even thought : may as well have brought the Porsche. Overall, I'm glad I didn't though - I enjoyed the long run in the car and I'm sure a decent run did it some good.
Curiously, I visited a friend before getting home and went a little quicker when close to his house - and although it was still motorway, the exhaust growl suddenly got much more noticeable and it no longer felt quite so Cayenne like. So maybe I should have stayed in 5th for the journey
Note that I have fuse 22 removed.Fuel consumption was a pleasant surprise. I usually fill up when the gauge is down to about quarter of a tank - which on repeated short journeys means about 180 miles. At motorway speeds (a good 10‰ of which is 50mph roadworks) that quarter of a tank mark conveniently occurred after 300 miles. I didn't reset the averages before the journey but checked the instant reading a couple of times and it looked like it was managing mid twenties mpg, compared with the 15 it seems to do most of the time.
Sat nav was.... Well, it got me close to the hotel but I had to switch to my phone at the end.
Overall, a successful 600 miles although not quite as I expected. And this 600 miles rolled the mileage over the 42k mark.
However, the other weekend event is likely to reduce the amount of mileage I clock up by using the Vantage for things like work. It clearly wasn't working out trying to use the Cayenne more so I decided I needed a more interesting / fun run around car. So tomorrow, I collect a 2007 Alfa Spider. The Cayenne stays - it is the only practical car I own - but will spend even longer on the trickle charger. And the Vantage will still be used for work but probably only a day or so a week. At least that's the plan.
So it's intended / possible that my usage will drop a bit going forwards - we'll see if that's the case next time I update!
justin220 said:
Enjoying this thread, thanks for the updates. I am also running a Vantage so it's interesting to read 
I ran a similar thread when I bought my Evora but felt the Vantage was a bit more common so there would be less interest in an ownership thread.
Any mods planned?
No. A year or so back I did go through a phase of wanting it to be faster so considered either moving to a 4.7 or doing BR type upgrades. But I realised that I don't actually want it to be that kind of car - I have a sports car so why try to turn the Vantage into one. Better to leave it at what it's very good at already.I ran a similar thread when I bought my Evora but felt the Vantage was a bit more common so there would be less interest in an ownership thread.
Any mods planned?
If / when the rear lights fail, they'll be replaced with clear but that's about it.
As I mentioned at the end of the last update, a new addition has been made to my car collection which takes the total up to 4 - a 2007 Alfa Spider. I've had it for about 4 weeks now I think, and am pretty impressed with it - seems a well put together car, nice to drive and surprisingly quick (only ~180bhp) with a lovely exhaust sound.
It has proven one thing about the Vantage though - I've always felt the Vantage made a perfectly good car around town - I even remember commenting a thread saying so. In the company of a 360 and a bus-sized Cayenne, that might be true. Compared to a much smaller car like the Alfa - it's definitely not! It's still the honeymoon period I guess, but the signs are there that the Alfa is a much better town car than the Vantage. The most obvious is that when I leave home, I have to pull out from a small one-way single track road at a T junction - and it's usually quite blind because people park right up to the corner. Although it's fortunately not onto a main road, it's still the case that if traffic is coming you really can't see it until you've pulled out in front of it - that's true of both the Aston and the 360. But in the Alfa, you can!
I predicted that the Aston use would drop when I bought the Alfa, and sure enough it has. I know I filled up the Aston with petrol about 10 days ago - I used it for work today (first time this week) and it seems I had done 7 miles since filling up. The Alfa has become the work commuter car, which is what it was planned for - although given that I don't generally go very far at weekends it is making me wonder what I need the Aston for - let alone the other cars..... but I'm ignoring that thought.
I've carried out a little home maintenance on the Vantage in the last few weeks, but not with much success.
First, I decided to address the problem of water in my RHS tail light. Removing the light was a bit of a surprise - I've taken rear lights off a number of cars, so I am kind of familiar with the process. But seriously - three 19mm nuts to hold a rear light on? Really?
After finding a much bigger spanner than I'd predicted I'd need, I stuck the light in the airing cupboard for a couple of days. Which achieved absolutely nothing.
So, I decided to take the more direct approach and drill a couple of holes in the light housing - at diagonally opposite ends - and left it in the airing cupboard for a few more days. Which also achieved absolutely nothing.
So, I bought a hair dryer, made up a tubed funnel and blew warm air into the light. I had to do that for an entire evening - about 3.5 hours - but at the end of it I had a lovely dry light. Fabulous.
I then used some epoxy plastic glue to seal the two holes, and to seal around where the lens meets the light. I used a lot of glue - I reckon I added at least 1Kg in weight to the car just in glue alone. Confident that this would solve the problem, I refitted the light.
A few weeks later, it's become clear that when I wash the car and rinse with the hose, there is condensation in the light again. How it's getting in, I have no idea - but I guess the lights are on borrowed time which is very disappointing. Still, now I have a hairdryer and I'm pretty sure my new hair style is turning heads.......
Second task was to check my brake pads, since I've been told they need replacing at the last two services. To be fair to the mechanics, their estimate of wear is pretty reasonable - the front pads have about the same thickness left as the backing plate thickness, and the rears are slightly less - so they definitely do need doing soon. However - I do relatively few miles - and now it seems am doing even less - so I made a note of my mileage and will check again at the end of summer. I will either replace then or - more likely - in Spring next year after the service.
Brake pads are a bit of a sore point with me at the moment anyway, because I was told the 360 needed them at the service it had a few weeks ago - and although I would prefer to do them myself it was implied I needed them for the MOT being done at the same time. I don't think that's true with hindsight - the 360 has wear sensors for one thing, and there were no warning lights - but you live and learn. Unfortunately, in this case I learned by paying a £2.5k service bill (the brakes were not the only issue) - which means I am now absolutely focussed on keeping my car expenses within my allowed budget for the next 12 months. I've even started a spreadsheet to track costs from the start of 2017 to the end of the year - although it makes scary reading. Vantage tyres + Vantage service + 360 service + Alfa service + two lots of road tax and a few other incidentals means I've spent rather a lot and we're only into April!
Anyway - apart from my inability to fix the lights the Vantage has been fine for the last month. I used it for work today, and last night I was really looking forward to it - but I must admit that on a 15 minute journey to work it was a bit of an anti-climax - hopefully with summer here it will get some longer weekend trips, although that obviously needs to be balanced with the 360 when the sun is shining. I've given up pretending that I use the Cayenne - it's now purely for when I need a big car (e.g. when visiting a garden center or a tip) - but ironically I think that buying the Alfa might mean the Cayenne gets used more next winter. By then, I'll be used to using the Alfa as the commuter car and the Aston as a more occasional car, but I'm quite sure that when it gets properly cold the Cayenne with it's proper roof, heated seat and heated steering wheel - not to mention framed windows which don't superglue themselves closed when it's below freezing - will look a lot more appealing!
Hopefully, my lights will last at least the summer and ideally into next year. Much as I'd like clear ones - I'm very budget conscious this year and absolutely don't need an £800 bill for rear lights....
It has proven one thing about the Vantage though - I've always felt the Vantage made a perfectly good car around town - I even remember commenting a thread saying so. In the company of a 360 and a bus-sized Cayenne, that might be true. Compared to a much smaller car like the Alfa - it's definitely not! It's still the honeymoon period I guess, but the signs are there that the Alfa is a much better town car than the Vantage. The most obvious is that when I leave home, I have to pull out from a small one-way single track road at a T junction - and it's usually quite blind because people park right up to the corner. Although it's fortunately not onto a main road, it's still the case that if traffic is coming you really can't see it until you've pulled out in front of it - that's true of both the Aston and the 360. But in the Alfa, you can!
I predicted that the Aston use would drop when I bought the Alfa, and sure enough it has. I know I filled up the Aston with petrol about 10 days ago - I used it for work today (first time this week) and it seems I had done 7 miles since filling up. The Alfa has become the work commuter car, which is what it was planned for - although given that I don't generally go very far at weekends it is making me wonder what I need the Aston for - let alone the other cars..... but I'm ignoring that thought.
I've carried out a little home maintenance on the Vantage in the last few weeks, but not with much success.
First, I decided to address the problem of water in my RHS tail light. Removing the light was a bit of a surprise - I've taken rear lights off a number of cars, so I am kind of familiar with the process. But seriously - three 19mm nuts to hold a rear light on? Really?
After finding a much bigger spanner than I'd predicted I'd need, I stuck the light in the airing cupboard for a couple of days. Which achieved absolutely nothing.
So, I decided to take the more direct approach and drill a couple of holes in the light housing - at diagonally opposite ends - and left it in the airing cupboard for a few more days. Which also achieved absolutely nothing.
So, I bought a hair dryer, made up a tubed funnel and blew warm air into the light. I had to do that for an entire evening - about 3.5 hours - but at the end of it I had a lovely dry light. Fabulous.
I then used some epoxy plastic glue to seal the two holes, and to seal around where the lens meets the light. I used a lot of glue - I reckon I added at least 1Kg in weight to the car just in glue alone. Confident that this would solve the problem, I refitted the light.
A few weeks later, it's become clear that when I wash the car and rinse with the hose, there is condensation in the light again. How it's getting in, I have no idea - but I guess the lights are on borrowed time which is very disappointing. Still, now I have a hairdryer and I'm pretty sure my new hair style is turning heads.......
Second task was to check my brake pads, since I've been told they need replacing at the last two services. To be fair to the mechanics, their estimate of wear is pretty reasonable - the front pads have about the same thickness left as the backing plate thickness, and the rears are slightly less - so they definitely do need doing soon. However - I do relatively few miles - and now it seems am doing even less - so I made a note of my mileage and will check again at the end of summer. I will either replace then or - more likely - in Spring next year after the service.
Brake pads are a bit of a sore point with me at the moment anyway, because I was told the 360 needed them at the service it had a few weeks ago - and although I would prefer to do them myself it was implied I needed them for the MOT being done at the same time. I don't think that's true with hindsight - the 360 has wear sensors for one thing, and there were no warning lights - but you live and learn. Unfortunately, in this case I learned by paying a £2.5k service bill (the brakes were not the only issue) - which means I am now absolutely focussed on keeping my car expenses within my allowed budget for the next 12 months. I've even started a spreadsheet to track costs from the start of 2017 to the end of the year - although it makes scary reading. Vantage tyres + Vantage service + 360 service + Alfa service + two lots of road tax and a few other incidentals means I've spent rather a lot and we're only into April!
Anyway - apart from my inability to fix the lights the Vantage has been fine for the last month. I used it for work today, and last night I was really looking forward to it - but I must admit that on a 15 minute journey to work it was a bit of an anti-climax - hopefully with summer here it will get some longer weekend trips, although that obviously needs to be balanced with the 360 when the sun is shining. I've given up pretending that I use the Cayenne - it's now purely for when I need a big car (e.g. when visiting a garden center or a tip) - but ironically I think that buying the Alfa might mean the Cayenne gets used more next winter. By then, I'll be used to using the Alfa as the commuter car and the Aston as a more occasional car, but I'm quite sure that when it gets properly cold the Cayenne with it's proper roof, heated seat and heated steering wheel - not to mention framed windows which don't superglue themselves closed when it's below freezing - will look a lot more appealing!
Hopefully, my lights will last at least the summer and ideally into next year. Much as I'd like clear ones - I'm very budget conscious this year and absolutely don't need an £800 bill for rear lights....
Edited by davek_964 on Friday 7th April 12:55
Edited by davek_964 on Friday 7th April 18:16
Shnozz said:
How do you access the bolts for the lights? I had a nose the other day and unscrewed the two metal circular bolt covers but it was clear how the carpet came away?
You don't need to touch the carpet. You remove the domed covers, and then you should see the nuts - so you simply undo the nuts.The driver side one has the added complication that the third domed cover is behind the panel where the fusebox / tyre sealant etc are. And it's very easy to drop the socket you are using to undo the nut.... which then drops behind the fuse box.......
Fortunately, those magnetic pick up tools really do work (although there was one exact angle I had to get the socket at to be able to get it out - quite remarkable that it managed to find that angle when I dropped it!)
Ah thanks - that is the nut for the light beneath the domed cover - odd then. My drivers side one feels slightly lose when you touch the light on the outside yet that nut felt as though it had no play in it when i removed the cover (and appeared stationary when I "wobbled" the light on the outside of the car.
Shnozz said:
Ah thanks - that is the nut for the light beneath the domed cover - odd then. My drivers side one feels slightly lose when you touch the light on the outside yet that nut felt as though it had no play in it when i removed the cover (and appeared stationary when I "wobbled" the light on the outside of the car.
Did you check all 3?Odd that it's lose - given the size of the nuts, it really should not move!
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