Bi-Annual Servicing
Discussion
I'd quite like to drive mine a bit more, but it's not always that easy. For starters I wouldn't risk taking it to work during the week as it's a massive shared car park with narrow spaces and very few people using it seem to know how to open their doors without dinging the car next to them. It's also only 1.5miles down the road from home, so would actually be quite damaging for the car as it'd never get fully warmed up.
So that leaves weekends. I've got two small kids, a one acre garden and I also run, cycle and swim a fair bit so available time to spend hooning around in the Aston is limited. I really love my car, but motoring is just one of the things I like to do. As it's not a daily driver, I actually quite like the sense of occasion when I do get to take it out. Each to their own!
So that leaves weekends. I've got two small kids, a one acre garden and I also run, cycle and swim a fair bit so available time to spend hooning around in the Aston is limited. I really love my car, but motoring is just one of the things I like to do. As it's not a daily driver, I actually quite like the sense of occasion when I do get to take it out. Each to their own!
Edited by blade runner on Thursday 30th March 13:56
Before I start, this isn't aimed at any individual it's just me talking, so nobody start getting defensive or crying 
A previous poster said something about not being £100k cars but being £25k cars (or something similar). For me that exactly where the problem starts. In my mind it is still a £100k car regardless what it costs today. People need to factor this in when they play the "Aston/Porsche for the price of an X" game. Everything about these cars is expensive, servicing, parts, insurance etc, it's what you buy into when you sign the V5. I think some people get starry eye'd when they see what they can get for their money and then have no choice but to cut corners when reality hits (like £700 for a service). At brake replacement time you're still buying discs and pads for a £100k car, the fact you paid £25-30 is irrelevant. They don't reduce the parts prices in line with current market value do they.
Now i'm not rich, far from it. Like most on here I've worked hard and done OK. The cost of running an Aston does make me wince when I think about (tend not to think about it), but I knew that when I signed up to the club.
I guess what I'm saying is that all the questions about lengthening out service intervals or DIY servicing etc smack to me of not really wanting to accept or pay the actual running costs of these toys, which really is the polar opposite of what owning one of these (or similar) is about.
A previous poster said something about not being £100k cars but being £25k cars (or something similar). For me that exactly where the problem starts. In my mind it is still a £100k car regardless what it costs today. People need to factor this in when they play the "Aston/Porsche for the price of an X" game. Everything about these cars is expensive, servicing, parts, insurance etc, it's what you buy into when you sign the V5. I think some people get starry eye'd when they see what they can get for their money and then have no choice but to cut corners when reality hits (like £700 for a service). At brake replacement time you're still buying discs and pads for a £100k car, the fact you paid £25-30 is irrelevant. They don't reduce the parts prices in line with current market value do they.
Now i'm not rich, far from it. Like most on here I've worked hard and done OK. The cost of running an Aston does make me wince when I think about (tend not to think about it), but I knew that when I signed up to the club.
I guess what I'm saying is that all the questions about lengthening out service intervals or DIY servicing etc smack to me of not really wanting to accept or pay the actual running costs of these toys, which really is the polar opposite of what owning one of these (or similar) is about.
This is my second Vantage and I'm under no illusions that they are expensive cars to own/maintain. I have no problem with comparatively high running costs and I know spares are always going to be expensive. For me, the expenses are worth it to have my dream car in the garage. I'm by no means well off, but when I decided to buy last year I worked our worst-case scenario costs and figured it was affordable. I've a lump sum put away to cover any large expenses such as a new clutch and I save a fixed amount every month to cover annual service, tyres, insurance etc.
My only reason in asking about lengthening the service intervals was based on my low mileage and whether this negated the need for religious annual servicing. Even though I do have the available money to take to my main dealer every year if I wanted to, I don't see the point in wasting money if there's no 'mechanical' argument for an annual service. I think it was a reasonable question to ask, and I haven't heard one practical reason (only lots of emotional ones) why this would be detrimental to the well-being of my car.
My only reason in asking about lengthening the service intervals was based on my low mileage and whether this negated the need for religious annual servicing. Even though I do have the available money to take to my main dealer every year if I wanted to, I don't see the point in wasting money if there's no 'mechanical' argument for an annual service. I think it was a reasonable question to ask, and I haven't heard one practical reason (only lots of emotional ones) why this would be detrimental to the well-being of my car.
Embarrassingly Im the same ......due to Gould towers having the East wing being built on I lost my garage 10 months ago and my DB9 has been at my elderly Mother and Fathers house. Ive clocked up 200 miles in the past 10 months and only 450 miles in the past 14 months. Im leaving my service until the summer which will be an 18 month gap
bogie said:
Zod said:
I do about 500 miles per year, have it serviced annually and tend to have to top up the oil two or three times a year.
where is all the oil going ?If I do 6K miles in mine I maybe top up once or twice and put 1-2L in
If you top up full, in 500 miles you shouldnt really be using much oil surely ?
Service Manager at Stratstone says it's normal for the V12.
@ Blade Runner
Remember I said it wasn't aimed at anyone, just a general ramble.
I do understand and can appreciate the questions, but for me the book says 12 months, so that's what I'll do. Do I think it's b
ks, absolutely I do, it should be 18 or 24 i'm sure, but it isn't 
It may well be that i'm just being a chopper about it (wouldn't be the first time), but I actually LIKE the idea of having an absolutely impeccable maintenance history.......
Remember I said it wasn't aimed at anyone, just a general ramble.
I do understand and can appreciate the questions, but for me the book says 12 months, so that's what I'll do. Do I think it's b
ks, absolutely I do, it should be 18 or 24 i'm sure, but it isn't It may well be that i'm just being a chopper about it (wouldn't be the first time), but I actually LIKE the idea of having an absolutely impeccable maintenance history.......
Shnozz said:
bogie said:
Upperworks said:
I know it's a different point, but if I drove mine as much as you guys, I'd sell them.
I've done over 2000 miles in my Vanquish since Xmas, as well as some miles in my V12V and that's just without trying.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I never aspired to own Aston Martins. I aspired to drive them.
Same here, I cant justify owning any vehicle to do 500 or 1000 miles in...just does not seem worth the hassle insuring/taxing/servicing ...I do more than that on a push bike each year I've done over 2000 miles in my Vanquish since Xmas, as well as some miles in my V12V and that's just without trying.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I never aspired to own Aston Martins. I aspired to drive them.
I judge how nice a year Ive had, by how many pleasure miles Ive driven in the Vantage and on my motorcycles .....if I drive 15k on business, I like to do another 10-15k miles for pleasure too spread across the "toy" vehicles
In my case I would happily do more miles but simply have no need to. I live and work in a city so a month can pass me by without any real reason to get behind the wheel other than simply for pleasure. When I do need a car its usually for a 600 mile round trip back to where I am originally from so Yorkshire to Hampshire and back. Mileage wise it means I probably do 2.5k - 3k pa and its been that way for 8 - 9 years now!
And yes, when I add up the cost of a city centre parking space, insurance (and city centre doesnt help that either!), road tax etc even the fixed costs to just park up each 12 months are extreme, let alone when you add some consumables, a service, fuel and a few faults to fix now and again. The costs per mile are considerable and would no doubt come down a lot if I did more miles..but I dont have any reason to!
3000 miles of pleasure is a nice place to be, especially without any business use....if I drive mine on business mid winter, doing 400 mile round trips on the motorway in the rain, then it seems such a waste and Id sooner be in a Range Rover. However its nice to use on a sunny day say to the airport over the hills to Manchester; If I can fit a nice drive in during my business day its a bonus
....I think id be frustrated at the other extreme though i.e. owning lots of vehicles I had no time to actually drive/ride.......thankfully im in a role where I need to travel a lot, so £10k car allowance and a fuel card helps with the motoring addiction
This is a topic that come up regularly on various sportscars forums (Rennlist, ferrarichat, ...).
Thing is that most of us probably own more than one car. And, even though this isn't always the case, the other cars also tend to be expensive cars.
You need to find time to drive them.
A friend of mine has a huge Porsche collection (old, new, brand new). He has the money to maintain them all, without any problem. But some cars that aren't driven much, he only services them every 2 years.
Thing is that most of us probably own more than one car. And, even though this isn't always the case, the other cars also tend to be expensive cars.
You need to find time to drive them.
A friend of mine has a huge Porsche collection (old, new, brand new). He has the money to maintain them all, without any problem. But some cars that aren't driven much, he only services them every 2 years.
Ken Figenus said:
Car mad enthusiast said:
Have you been able to find out yet who has bought your old car and then kindly send them your folder directly to them which I am sure they would be delighted with. I know I would be.
Not sure how I'd find out who has it now but yes I too would love to know that I replaced all the turbo vaccum pipes, removed the engine destroying swirl flaps and serviced the gearbox etc That's about a grands worth there alone... Its why I'm still keeping my folder...There is a possibility though that the new owner could have applied a personal plate but you could just go onto DVLA website and do a vehicle tax search on your old cars number and see if its still registered with that number.
M.O.T history check is another option as it gives the M.O.T station testing number which you can find out which garage did it and that will give you an idea of where it is or pay the £5 and send off to DVLA for the cars entire ownership history and fingers crossed it will give you the current owners details ( used this method many times) you just tick the box saying your interested in the cars history as a previous owner on the DVLA form.
I would still keep it though if they did not want it as you never know in the future.
I did this myself about 20 years ago and the DVLA were very helpful about it. They do actually have some normal folk working there sometimes who understand where we enthusiasts come from.
Last resort is report the car stolen and let the Police find it for you!! LOL.
Ken Figenus said:
You are quite a Sherlock!
The PX garage did the MOT (and moaned that it cost them a few quid - well they barely looked at the car
) so that wouldn't help. I'll leave it up to the new owner but the dealer would have sold it on to trade no doubt.
LOL, You n ever know that new owner might be doing all of the above and be in contact with you soon.The PX garage did the MOT (and moaned that it cost them a few quid - well they barely looked at the car
) so that wouldn't help. I'll leave it up to the new owner but the dealer would have sold it on to trade no doubt.Regards,
Not sure whether or not this point has been mentioned.
I have not been able to do many miles during the last year or so.
Therefore I have delayed the usual annual service.
Today, a message appeared on the dashboard, 'Regular Service Due'.
Interesting, because according to the stated schedule, it was due about one year ago.
Whether that message is triggered by time or mileage, I don't know, but it certainly does not match the Service Schedule.
Perhaps few owners have seen this message, if they always have annual services.
Any comments?
Hi Dewi,
I'm pretty sure this appears approaching 12 months, calendar based, I presume it may also be a linked with mileage if you approach 12,000 before a year, but I've never done 12,000 since I've had it let alone in a year.
Mine always comes up around service time, there is a reset procedure that I've read on this forum before. No doubt a search will find it.
Sean
I'm pretty sure this appears approaching 12 months, calendar based, I presume it may also be a linked with mileage if you approach 12,000 before a year, but I've never done 12,000 since I've had it let alone in a year.
Mine always comes up around service time, there is a reset procedure that I've read on this forum before. No doubt a search will find it.
Sean
Edited by Rappa on Sunday 9th April 08:09
Thank you Sean,
From what you have described, the dashboard messages must presumably take into account low annual mileage.
This is the first time that I have had a service message, and there was nothing displayed when the 12 months time came around.
Perhaps therefore it is official. Low mileage equals 24 months service intervals.
Big Ry said:
Before I start, this isn't aimed at any individual it's just me talking, so nobody start getting defensive or crying
A previous poster said something about not being £100k cars but being £25k cars (or something similar). For me that exactly where the problem starts. In my mind it is still a £100k car regardless what it costs today. People need to factor this in when they play the "Aston/Porsche for the price of an X" game. Everything about these cars is expensive, servicing, parts, insurance etc, it's what you buy into when you sign the V5. I think some people get starry eye'd when they see what they can get for their money and then have no choice but to cut corners when reality hits (like £700 for a service). At brake replacement time you're still buying discs and pads for a £100k car, the fact you paid £25-30 is irrelevant. They don't reduce the parts prices in line with current market value do they.
Now i'm not rich, far from it. Like most on here I've worked hard and done OK. The cost of running an Aston does make me wince when I think about (tend not to think about it), but I knew that when I signed up to the club.
I guess what I'm saying is that all the questions about lengthening out service intervals or DIY servicing etc smack to me of not really wanting to accept or pay the actual running costs of these toys, which really is the polar opposite of what owning one of these (or similar) is about.
You make some very apposite points.A previous poster said something about not being £100k cars but being £25k cars (or something similar). For me that exactly where the problem starts. In my mind it is still a £100k car regardless what it costs today. People need to factor this in when they play the "Aston/Porsche for the price of an X" game. Everything about these cars is expensive, servicing, parts, insurance etc, it's what you buy into when you sign the V5. I think some people get starry eye'd when they see what they can get for their money and then have no choice but to cut corners when reality hits (like £700 for a service). At brake replacement time you're still buying discs and pads for a £100k car, the fact you paid £25-30 is irrelevant. They don't reduce the parts prices in line with current market value do they.
Now i'm not rich, far from it. Like most on here I've worked hard and done OK. The cost of running an Aston does make me wince when I think about (tend not to think about it), but I knew that when I signed up to the club.
I guess what I'm saying is that all the questions about lengthening out service intervals or DIY servicing etc smack to me of not really wanting to accept or pay the actual running costs of these toys, which really is the polar opposite of what owning one of these (or similar) is about.
I have a 2006 DB9V and have my car serviced annually and will continue to do so.
If one is mechanically skilled and inspects their car regularly then this may make a case for bi- annual servicing.
Otherwise my concern would be on the car developing a "problem" that if not picked up in time might lead to catastrophic results at far greater cost.
Last time I popped into Stratstone the Service Manager said I must have got it wrong. He couldn't believe I was in for another service just 8 months after the previous!
It's knocking on 29,000 miles now and just 24 months since I collected it. Recently, I've deliberately reduced my mileage to stretch out the time between services. I figured I would be able to get down to 10k per year. Ha, a trip to Italy last week put paid to that.
It's knocking on 29,000 miles now and just 24 months since I collected it. Recently, I've deliberately reduced my mileage to stretch out the time between services. I figured I would be able to get down to 10k per year. Ha, a trip to Italy last week put paid to that.
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