Give me advice on DB7's

[davidindevon]

I'm starting from scratch and need owners first hand advice.
Please can you tell me what are the problems that you have experienced?
Particularly quirky ones that were difficult to identify and rectify.
Also particularly any recuring faults/failures.
Any model year/gearbox etc to consider or indeed avoid?
I am looking to get myself fully informed and really don't want endless hassle to spoil what should be one of life's rare pleasures. However, I'm not asking anyone to slate them in a public forum so please feel free to email me off the forum on [e-mail]
Thank you very much.

[michael gould]

Tons of info on this site and the Aston site......we might be able to help you more if you tell us your budget

[yeti]

3.2 i6 or Vantage V12 version?

I only know the V12s. The coil packs need to have been done at some point. If they haven't then allow £1500. If they go when you're driving, you must stop or the unburnt fuel with fry the catalytic converter, another £1k + bill. If they've never been done (and most have by now) just do them, don't wait until the misfires start.

Aircon is the other problem, replacement units can be over £2k, the problem is always lack of use. If you find a low mileage garage queen it's more likely to have problems than a well used and well-serviced one. A good indie stamp (especially Chiltern) is worth more than a main dealer one often.

Options - 19in wheels are nice (I had them) but they put a lot of strain on the components, wheel bearings, suspension bushings and so on. At least one of these things will need doing every service in my experience. There are no stronger upgraded parts, they just keep putting on the same parts which are made of cheese. Servicing is supposed to be 6 monthly or 6k miles, they are usually done annually though at under the mileage.

Buy on condition not mileage as always but prices are sensitive to the amount of owners and the service history needs to be immaculate. Cars are getting to the age where rust is starting to be an issue so check the wheelarches carefully.

Sports exhaust is both necessary and desirable, I'd avoid the full auto as the TouchTronic option gives you that plus, a good sports mode, plus steering wheel buttons or the gearstick to manually change up and down. Then there's the six-speed manual, tunes the car into a serious driving machine. With hindsight, it's the one I'd go for. Are you thinking coupe or Volante? Later cars are not necessarily better as such, as long as they're in good nick, they all have the same spec pretty much.

Aymore info, we might need a bit more from you!

Edited by yeti on Sunday 15th May 18:01

[sparks_E39]

I'd go for the 3.2 I6 with the 400 BHP £3k upgrade Aston do. As fast as the V12, better looking and much cheaper to run.

[Knights of Aston]

Buy a DB7 Vantge GT. Best DB7 ever! A bit rare though!

[V8LM]

sparks_E39 said:

I'd go for the 3.2 I6 with the 400 BHP £3k upgrade Aston do. As fast as the V12, better looking and much cheaper to run.

and useless brakes and very rare and limited parts and no-one can remember how it was put together and ...

[sparks_E39]

V8LM said:

and useless brakes and very rare and limited parts and no-one can remember how it was put together and ...

Don't Aston sort the brakes out?

[yeti]

sparks_E39 said:

V8LM said:

and useless brakes and very rare and limited parts and no-one can remember how it was put together and ...

Don't Aston sort the brakes out?

Yes there are WS upgraded brakes, or off the shelf ones from the big brands. Just Ford/Jag hubs.

The DB7 Vantage is a vastly superior and better sorted car but will be a bit more to run as it has twice the cylinders. But it's better built and sturdier than an i6. Chiltern know *everything* about the DB7, there's nothing they can't sort out.

[brianjone5]

yeti said:

3.2 i6 or Vantage V12 version?

<snip> There are no stronger upgraded parts, they just keep putting on the same parts which are made of cheese.

Edited by yeti on Sunday 15th May 18:01

I believe the replacement coils are more duarble that the OEM that fail in a few thousand miles / few years...

[davidindevon]

Afternoon everyone and thank you for replies.
Sorry I should have said 12 cyls. Some very useful help there.
It's really knowing what the right questions are when phoning up and then when looking at a car so as to be able to sift the wheat from the chaff.
I'd expect about £30,000 but really don't want to walk into a heap of expensive trouble from day one. I thought that manual gearchanges were rather ponderous shifts?
It is easy to forget that most of these are now 10 years old.. where else can rust be a serious issue?
Thanks again.

[V8LM]

Rear sub-frame and chassis rails, front inner wings, bulkhead if the windscreen has been replaced badly, rear wheel arches, floorpan (there is a square steel plate bolted under both seats where they attached wheels to push the body around in the factory), and there was a year (2001 I think) when they skimped big time on the underseal.

Edit for iPhone.

and to add - at the AMOC Concours this weekend there was this 100k+ miles and serious concours contender:



It's great to see that these are being recognised and cherished. Indeed, a DB7 GT won the Elite class (best-of-the-best).

Edited by V8LM on Monday 23 May 20:01

[yeti]

brianjone5 said:

yeti said:

3.2 i6 or Vantage V12 version?

<snip> There are no stronger upgraded parts, they just keep putting on the same parts which are made of cheese.

Edited by yeti on Sunday 15th May 18:01

I believe the replacement coils are more duarble that the OEM that fail in a few thousand miles / few years...

My cheese comment was aimed more at suspension components!

I don't think there has been a case of coils being replaced twice, the originals tend to last 7 years of heat cycles regardless of mileage and then break down. Anecdotally the new ones are better designed, as no failures widely reported on AMOC.

[M@H]

Hi,

Coil pack replacement is over £2k depending on where you take it - I had a quote for £2150 the other day.

Aircon as mentioned can be a nuisance - to get the evaporator replaced (which is not that uncommon) is again over £2k, I was quoted £2182 last month

We bought a cherished example with excellent service history, however as with any car things do go wrong over time - this years fixes have been:

Top hose on the radiator and expansion cap replaced
New Aircon pump (compresser)
New ancilliary belt on front of engine
Re-wiring starter motor connection (its over a Cat and gets cooked)
Airbag warning light coming on (connector under the seat being a nuisance)
New plugs and coil packs (oh and what a difference that made )
Small fix to the throttle setup to stop the accelerator sticking

(Huge thanks go to Broughtons in Cheltenham for their excellent service and helpful attitude )

Also a fix we had a while back is that on volantes the window winder mechanism can wear out on the top two teeth from perpetually dropping the door glass on opening the door.

Cheers,
Matt.

[Bob the Train]

Anyone heard of this one? 1997 i6 Volante hood goes up and down. Driver's window follows the routine as it should. Passenger's window stays up with hood lowering and raising. Passenger's window works on the control button and drops and raises with door opening and closing. Help! Thank you all.

[MrB.]

Bob the Train said:

Anyone heard of this one? 1997 i6 Volante hood goes up and down. Driver's window follows the routine as it should. Passenger's window stays up with hood lowering and raising. Passenger's window works on the control button and drops and raises with door opening and closing. Help! Thank you all.

Sounds like it just needs a reset. Easy to do, just lower the window then hold the switch for a few seconds, then raise it and do the same. Repeat a few times and it should “relearn” it’s function.

[Bob the Train]

Thanks Mr. B. I have tried that several times. Lowered and raised the hood manually as well.

[MrB.]

Bob the Train said:

Thanks Mr. B. I have tried that several times. Lowered and raised the hood manually as well.

It’s a door module then. I might be able to help depending on where you are in the country. M in Surrey.

[Bob the Train]

Found it! The passenger's window switch was sticking in the up position! After tracing the wiring and splices in the W/Shop manual for hours.

Now I am looking for a male press stud on the car's trim for the hood cover when the hood is down. Can't find it in the Parts Catalogue, any ideas? Thanks.

[Bob the Train]

sparks_E39 said:

I'd go for the 3.2 I6 with the 400 BHP £3k upgrade Aston do. As fast as the V12, better looking and much cheaper to run.

Any idea where I can find info on this upgrade? Thanks.

[V8LM]

It was the Driving Dynamics upgrade with a smaller supercharger pulley and extra inter cooler and pipework, which as said no one could remember how it went together.