Feedback on Vantage clutch upgrade?

[gibbon]

davek_964 said:

I remember I discussed clutches with BR about a year ago, and just found the update I did in my 'V8 Vantage - what's it really like' thread.

At the time, BR told me that if I didn't track the car / take part in lots of traffic light GPs / heavy clutch user then OEM was probably the right choice. So that may well sway me to OEM.

Technically, that means there is no reason that Spellbound couldn't do it, but they are £250 more than BR for OEM. I imagine that's likely to pretty much covered collection / delivery (90 miles each way) - if that's the case it will probably go to BR in March.

Ask Spellbound to price match, i would imagine they will. Quite a lot of fat in that deal i imagine.

[davek_964]

gibbon said:

Ask Spellbound to price match, i would imagine they will. Quite a lot of fat in that deal i imagine.

I might, but the cynic in me thinks they'd find something that got them the difference back.

[Manwhoneverwas]

I just got my 2007 V8VR (Sportshift I) back today from having the BR twin plate clutch and lightweight flywheel fitted by an AM specialist in Scotland.
No matter which clutch option you choose and depending on the age of your car you should consider the following points.
When my car was stripped down the transmission oil cooler pipes which run over the top of the gearbox were badly corroded at the end connection point, so it was prudent to replace these at this stage
I also had a slight leak at the gear position sensor (new gasket required) and I also replaced the gearbox oil and Sportshift ASM fluid

[davek_964]

Manwhoneverwas said:

I just got my 2007 V8VR (Sportshift I) back today from having the BR twin plate clutch and lightweight flywheel fitted by an AM specialist in Scotland.
No matter which clutch option you choose and depending on the age of your car you should consider the following points.
When my car was stripped down the transmission oil cooler pipes which run over the top of the gearbox were badly corroded at the end connection point, so it was prudent to replace these at this stage
I also had a slight leak at the gear position sensor (new gasket required) and I also replaced the gearbox oil and Sportshift ASM fluid

Thanks. I'm assuming there will be other stuff - think this years holiday is cancelled!

[HBradley]

I agree entirely, when BR upgraded my clutch they discovered significant degradation in the hydraulic lines into the gearbox, it cost approx £176 in parts, I dread to think how much it would have cost had they blown on the road!
The twin-plate & lightened flywheel are transformational!

[davek_964]

Out of interest, got a price from Aston Martin in Reading - £3,200 for a clutch including vat and flywheel. So not vastly different from the independents and less that I was expecting.

[Big Ry]

davek_964 said:

Thanks, interesting to know.

BR are probably my first choice but the practicality of getting there and back (twice) Monday to Friday means they probably are not really am option.

If you arrange it with them are they not able to do it the same day, it's not like it's a two day job to replace the clutch, flywheel and a service. Yes it would involve you amusing yourself for best part of the day, but at least it's only one trip, plus you'd get a nice 90 mile run back home to play with it.

I assume they won't do it on a Saturday by prior appointment ?

[davek_964]

Big Ry said:

If you arrange it with them are they not able to do it the same day, it's not like it's a two day job to replace the clutch, flywheel and a service. Yes it would involve you amusing yourself for best part of the day, but at least it's only one trip, plus you'd get a nice 90 mile run back home to play with it.

I assume they won't do it on a Saturday by prior appointment ?

I'd not assumed it would all get done in a day, but I suppose it's possible - although I would still prefer not to waste a days annual holiday getting the car serviced. Didn't ask about Saturday, but I guess I could ask.

I called them this morning and they are going to mail me costs for collection / delivery - from the rate per mile he gave me over the phone, it sounds like it will be approx. the difference in cost between their OEM clutch and Spellbounds. In which case, it seems like a no brainer, and it can go to BR via collection.

[davek_964]

Decision (half) made.

Collection / delivery was fine, until I realised the distance had to be multiplied by 4 to get the total cost not 2 and then it's a bit prohibitive. However, I can dump the car there one Saturday and collect the next so it's almost certainly going to BR.

Now I just need to decide which clutch. I really don't need twin plate so had decided OEM - but I do quite fancy LWF so we'll see. I think the difference in price is probably more than I want to pay - it is exactly the service cost.

Edited by davek_964 on Wednesday 1st February 17:39

[Big Ry]

davek_964 said:

Decision (half) made.

Collection / delivery was fine, until I realised the distance had to be multiplied by 4 to get the total cost not 2 and then it's a bit prohibitive. However, I can dump the car there one Saturday and collect the next so it's almost certainly going to BR.

Now I just need to decide which clutch. I really don't need twin plate so had decided OEM - but I do quite fancy LWF so we'll see. I think the difference in price is probably more than I want to pay - it is exactly the service cost.

Edited by davek_964 on Wednesday 1st February 17:39

What's your reasoning behind not wanting to go for the twin-plate, the cost ?

Even if you don't find it "better" than the OEM, the fact that it should last a lot longer is reason enough alone I'd have thought. Plus no BBQ when you reverse up an incline

Edited by Big Ry on Wednesday 1st February 18:12

[davek_964]

Big Ry said:

What's your reasoning behind not wanting to go for the twin-plate ?

As I mentioned, BR told me last year that the twin plate was definitely the best choice if I give my clutch a hard time - I.e. track days, traffic light GP etc. - and if I didn't, then OEM was the sensible choice.

I really don't use my car that way, so although the LWF is tempting it does mean adding ~£750 to what is going to be a pretty large bill already. It's a case of deciding whether I really think it's worth the extra - I suspect I'd be quite happy with OEM which would be immediately lighter and not make odd noises!

ETA : BR told me last year that their estimate of clutch life was about 30% more for twin plate, although it's difficult to make accurate predictions. So given the cost difference, I'm not sure it lasts that much longer £ for £.

Edited by davek_964 on Wednesday 1st February 18:13

[davek_964]

I used the Vantage today - not really the ideal weather for it, but I decided I needed to use it for a few days and really conclude whether it does need the clutch.
In fact, I'm now not so sure. For the first half of the journey, I couldn't get any strange noises at all despite intentionally letting the clutch out slowly. I then had a brainwave - I often have a slight squeak from my rear wheels which I think is the handbrake binding slightly - need to sort that out on the summer. So, based on that I put the handbrake on just one click and tried pulling away slowly. Got the noise straight away.
It's possible that it is still the clutch and the extra load due to the handbrake pushed it over the edge - however, I'm not convinced and wonder if it's something as simple as a binding brake. I'd be quite upset if I paid for a new clutch and still got this noise occasionally!
I will need to do some more investigation - a nice steep hill start might help indicate whether it's the clutch or not. But it means I may delay the clutch decision until after the service - there seemed to be no discount offered for doing the two together, and it means I can get a second opinion at the service of whether this noise indicates a clutch problem or something else (if I haven't reached a conclusion myself).

[davidexige]

Could I ask who you used for the work, would be of interest as it would add another option apart from Leven for getting work done.

Manwhoneverwas said:

I just got my 2007 V8VR (Sportshift I) back today from having the BR twin plate clutch and lightweight flywheel fitted by an AM specialist in Scotland.

[Manwhoneverwas]

davidexige said:

Could I ask who you used for the work, would be of interest as it would add another option apart from Leven for getting work done.

Manwhoneverwas said:

I just got my 2007 V8VR (Sportshift I) back today from having the BR twin plate clutch and lightweight flywheel fitted by an AM specialist in Scotland.

http://www.martinsastonservices.co.uk

[davidexige]

Thanks.

Manwhoneverwas said:

http://www.martinsastonservices.co.uk

[davek_964]

Used the car again today, and still unable to reproduce any strange noises despite trying to (even pulled away in second on a hill).

So, although there is something that needs fixing, the strange noise it causes doesn't happen as often as I thought, and it may or may not be the clutch.
I will book in for the service in March and if I discover it is the clutch then that will be done later.
Today though, it is having a brand new set of Michelin PS4 S fitted

[fvert]

fvert said:

So, I finally got my V8V back last week-end with a brand new twin plate clutch.
First, the mechanics told me that the old clutch was worn at 85%, so anyway fitting a new clutch would have improved the situation
Then when I first pressed the clutch, my foot almost got through the floor At last I have a clutch as light as in any "normal" car!
I did not really notice the improvement brought by the lighter flywheel, but I need to drive it more to see if the engine revs more freely.

In conclusion, I am very please with the new clutch and now I can enjoy driving the vantage, which was not the case previously.

So, after less than 3000 km, it appears that the clutch release bearing is dead! Bad metallic noise in neutral with the clutch disengaged, this has been confirmed by the garage.
I contacted AHM to see whether there was any warranty...
Does anyone know if it is possible to change the bearing only or do I have to change the whole slave cylinder?
I will keep you posted...

[telum01]

That's most likely clutch chatter.

If it's an OEM V12 clutch, chatter seems to be a hit-or-miss problem. I had it twice when I first had my clutch installed, and haven't had it a single time since. A lot of people have no issues, but some do. Not sure if there's a common factor or if it's a manufacturing issue.

[fvert]

Thanks, I'll have the garage check it out.

Here is the video of the noise: https://youtu.be/Hq1JLj_4mW4

[telum01]

Did they change the throw-out bearing when they did the clutch? They're incredibly inexpensive so there's no reason not to replace it while doing the clutch as preventative maintenance.