revs flaring

[damianke]

^^^^^

Yes, when I was buying mine I was told by both Sales and Service at Wilmslow that they had literally never replaced a V12V clutch. Combination of generally low mileages and relatively robust clutch. You must have been v unlucky and I'd expect AM to help out in this one.

[damianke]

^^^^^

Yes, when I was buying mine I was told by both Sales and Service at Wilmslow that they had literally never replaced a V12V clutch. Combination of generally low mileages and relatively robust clutch. You must have been v unlucky and I'd expect AM to help out in this one.

[jonby]

There's no answer right now until we see the factory's next response - their current response is that unless it's taken apart and a fault is found, they won't cover the cost

My issue is that if I ask Wilmslow to take it apart, I effectively have to use them to replace the clutch, regardless of whether the factory agree to pay some/all/nothing.

I can get a clutch fitted for far less money at BR/DAE/assume some other independents too. But if I go to an independent and they find a fault, it will be far more difficult to get a factory claim. It's a real dilemma

Now of course my argument is it doesn't matter what they find when they take it apart - it shouldn't go at this mileage - I've had the car since new so I know how it's been driven and it's been looked after well. I don't abuse my car and am light on tyres & brakes. The question right now is whether the factory can be convinced and whilst I'm in those discussions, nothing is happening to fix the car which is incredibly frustrating

But it's good to get your feedback damianke, which supports everything I hear elsewhere, namely that the clutch is strong and should last for far more miles

[mikey k]

jonby said:

My issue is that if I ask Wilmslow to take it apart, I effectively have to use them to replace the clutch, regardless of whether the factory agree to pay some/all/nothing.

I can get a clutch fitted for far less money at BR/DAE/assume some other independents too. But if I go to an independent and they find a fault, it will be far more difficult to get a factory claim. It's a real dilemma

I know your pain!
I had similar issues with my ASM2 gearbox
I doubt you will get the full cost of the clutch whatever they find, they will wriggle on the mileage
Is there a "performance" benefit to going indie on a V12V manual?
If not you might want to stick to Wilmslow just for the AM history on a collectable car?

[jonby]

mikey k said:

jonby said:

My issue is that if I ask Wilmslow to take it apart, I effectively have to use them to replace the clutch, regardless of whether the factory agree to pay some/all/nothing.

I can get a clutch fitted for far less money at BR/DAE/assume some other independents too. But if I go to an independent and they find a fault, it will be far more difficult to get a factory claim. It's a real dilemma

I know your pain!
I had similar issues with my ASM2 gearbox
I doubt you will get the full cost of the clutch whatever they find, they will wriggle on the mileage
Is there a "performance" benefit to going indie on a V12V manual?
If not you might want to stick to Wilmslow just for the AM history on a collectable car?

I'm erring towards your thoughts, but haggling on the price first so that if there is no contribution or only a small one, the pain/differential is less

Having talked it through with BR who were very helpful, the performance benefit of going indie is marginal on the V12V manual - it is a little 'better' but not like on the V8. I've not contacted DAE but their price is visible on their website

[jonby]

mikey k said:

jonby said:

My issue is that if I ask Wilmslow to take it apart, I effectively have to use them to replace the clutch, regardless of whether the factory agree to pay some/all/nothing.

I can get a clutch fitted for far less money at BR/DAE/assume some other independents too. But if I go to an independent and they find a fault, it will be far more difficult to get a factory claim. It's a real dilemma

I know your pain!
I had similar issues with my ASM2 gearbox
I doubt you will get the full cost of the clutch whatever they find, they will wriggle on the mileage
Is there a "performance" benefit to going indie on a V12V manual?
If not you might want to stick to Wilmslow just for the AM history on a collectable car?

I'm erring towards your thoughts, but haggling on the price first so that if there is no contribution or only a small one, the pain/differential is less

Having talked it through with BR who were very helpful, the performance benefit of going indie is marginal on the V12V manual - it is a little 'better' but not like on the V8. I've not contacted DAE but their price is visible on their website

Edited by jonby on Wednesday 29th April 23:11

[jonby]

An update for those who may be interested

Clutch is now replaced - combination of Stratstones Wilmslow & AML customer services led to very speedy despatch of new clutch and then the fitting - it was ordered on Friday morning, arrived on Tuesday (after the bank holiday Monday) and fitting was finished the day after, on the Wednesday

I haven't seen the clutch but I am told it definitely is wear rather than a failure, although it's being sent to AML for further inspection

Meanwhile the initial quote of £4.9k was discovered to be wrong - it was based on 15 hours however that is a code supplied by AML in relation to the chassis number - apparently when Stratstones started the work, they realised that the factory had given them instructions based on a sportshift - they think that's connected to roadster chassis numbers being slightly different to coupe numbers and a resultant mistake in the data. Not sure what the correct price should be, but think it's c. £4.2/4.3k

The reason I'm not quite sure what the correct full price should be is that I was to an extent 'looked after' in terms of price, for a wide variety of reasons, however it is obviously not appropriate to provide any specific details here - it was still a fair amount of money, but I was very happy with the attitude and outcome

Now to get back to the business of putting some more miles on the car !

[superlightr]

perhaps buying the car from new/good customer in the past?

[jonby]

superlightr said:

perhaps buying the car from new/good customer in the past?

both were strong factors and there were others too

Also, I've no idea how influential it was in this instance, but when reading the threads about shopping around for service prices, I've always been a believer that building up a relationship with just one or two dealerships for both supply of cars & servicing/parts has to be of benefit in instances such as these, as it is when it comes to discounts on cars, allocations when cars are in short supply, assistance with warranty claims, invitations to events, etc

[mikey k]

good news
Glad you got a good result

[Jon39]

Sorry you have encountered this (expensive) problem, Jonby.

If I have read correctly, I think 19,000 miles was the life of your clutch.

You described your mechanical sympathy. I assume your journeys are not always in congested areas, and that you don't have to reverse up a steep driveway, and surely you are not resting your foot on the pedal. If the failure does not involve a fault, then what do you think might have caused the greater than average clutch plate wear?

With the comments regarding no V12V clutches being changed, it is most odd.

At this rate, you will be looking for your next car (hopefully Aston Martin) soon after the next 17,000 miles.

Edited by Jon39 on Thursday 7th May 20:56