How Unreliable Is A DB9 Going To Be?

[infinity63]

I've owned a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG since new and the car has me absolutely livid. It is a beautiful car, with an interior that cannot be beat, but it has just been a money pit with issue after issue. The car has only 24,000 miles on the clock and insofar has cost me around £30,000 in after warranty repairs. Everything from the fuel pump failing twice, to the drive shaft breaking while underway, the massage seats failing three times and requiring replacements. I live in the Middle East and parts for the car are hard to come by, it was off the road for 4 months at one time due to a gearbox computer issue that they couldn't fix. I loved the car ever since I laid eyes on it but last year I bought a 2013 Kia Optima as a 'spare' car due to just how unreliable the CL has been (also because travelling in a CL63 to some parts of this country is not a good idea). As you can probably see I'm the kind of guy that keeps cars for years.

I was planning to keep the car on the road for a few more years but I've had enough- I am thinking of selling it and buying an Aston Martin DB9- I am a sucker for grand tourers. The only thing is I don't want another CL experience- I understand that the car will have niggles, but gentlemen, I do not want a car that refuses to move as it was intended for half the year at a time, while simultaneously costing me the price of an executive saloon for the privilege !

Do any of you have experience with DB9s in hot weather countries? Or AM in general, for that matter- the dealership where I live is very small but has a good reputation. I want a car I can enjoy, one I can decide to drive the 7 hours to Dubai in, something I've never felt confident enough doing it in the CL (I don't want to be stranded 300 miles from the nearest city in the Saudi desert).

Edited by infinity63 on Friday 5th December 14:14

[BamfordMike]

As far as operating in hot climate is concerned, the '9 was signed off to Fords punishing durability test suite and the car will eat hot climate for breakfast. No concern in hot ambient as opposed / any different UK colder weather. You might encounter some issues colder climate doesn't see, such as leather pulling if exposed to sun damage (seen this lots in cars in Arizona). The issues you report from Merc are not generally seen but cars are cars, and anything can happen. Key if not buying new is good pre purchase inspection and bar a few issues that are common but easily remedied you should be fine. Parts supply is also no issue, in UK at least if parts needed urgently it is possible to get pretty much anything next day. Only thing i might add is that compared other cars with better AirCon technology, you might find DB9 lacking in that respect. Has no solor loading and will require air con on full pelt and you still might not feel that frosty! Go for it!

[Speedraser]

To those who anxiously await AMG-Astons, take note...

[Jon1967x]

Agree with the air con - doesn't seem brilliant even in the uk modest temperatures (I imagine it's little different to the one on the vantage). Easy thing to check on a test drive.

[michael gould]

i sympathise with you ....In the 12 months of owning my SL500 its been off the road for 12 weeks had over £6000 spent on repairs, it is without a doubt the most unreliable car I have ever owned.....On research I learn that it is one of the top 5 most unreliable cars in The UK according to J D Powers. I doubt I will ever own a Mercedes again

On the other hand my 9YO DB9 which I have owned for 5 years has never had a problem .......I pay for the annual service at a cost of around £800 inc VAT and thats it apart from tyres and brake pads

Hope this helps

[roughrider]

Die hard car!

[The G Kid]

I bought a 2008 DB9 LM in May this year, and I have had a few problems. Most have been minor, but still a pain in the backside. I've had the following issues:

Had to change diff oil.
Replace brake light fuse (not exactly a big job!!)
Brake caliper leaked fluid all over one of the pads
Tyre pressure sensors need replacing
Door seals replaced (as were ripped)
Completely flat battery (am getting it replaced). Low voltage from this may be causing intermittent error messages such as paddle shifts disabled.
Stereo keeps cutting out for a very short term, and it sometimes the rear lights stay on even when the switch is turned off (I am hoping these are related to the battery...)

I drive the car daily, for pretty short journeys, which probably doesn't help things. Overall i've not been impressed by the amount of times I've had to visit my local dealers, but it was something I was prepared for. And the sheer beauty of the car and fun I have driving it generally outweigh the negatives. I previously had an Audi S4, which had one issue over 6 years of ownership.

[BamfordMike]

The G Kid said:

I bought a 2008 DB9 LM in May this year, and I have had a few problems. Most have been minor, but still a pain in the backside. I've had the following issues:

Had to change diff oil.
Replace brake light fuse (not exactly a big job!!)
Brake caliper leaked fluid all over one of the pads
Tyre pressure sensors need replacing
Door seals replaced (as were ripped)
Completely flat battery (am getting it replaced). Low voltage from this may be causing intermittent error messages such as paddle shifts disabled.
Stereo keeps cutting out for a very short term, and it sometimes the rear lights stay on even when the switch is turned off (I am hoping these are related to the battery...)

I drive the car daily, for pretty short journeys, which probably doesn't help things. Overall i've not been impressed by the amount of times I've had to visit my local dealers, but it was something I was prepared for. And the sheer beauty of the car and fun I have driving it generally outweigh the negatives. I previously had an Audi S4, which had one issue over 6 years of ownership.

the LM special edition is great model and i hope the niggles you have are sorted.

to be fair to the car, without going into detail why (i can if you wish), most of what you state here except stereo seem to me like things that would yearly rack up on service inspection instead of going wrong without warning. I see this lots. Owners rightly or wrongly put advisories on back burner and in reality are never remedied. Car is traded in and new owner faced with load of niggles, not cars fault but prior upkeep routine

[BamfordMike]

Jon1967x said:

Agree with the air con - doesn't seem brilliant even in the uk modest temperatures (I imagine it's little different to the one on the vantage). Easy thing to check on a test drive.

sorry, I'm sure you read it this way anyway, but to make myself clear. At full gas charge with perfectly operating system running flat out, the level of chilling in hot climate will be disappointing. Its not a case something is out of service, but more like system not entirely fit for purpose compared competition.

Edited by BamfordMike on Friday 5th December 11:53

Edited by BamfordMike on Friday 5th December 11:54

[The G Kid]

BamfordMike said:

the LM special edition is great model and i hope the niggles you have are sorted.

to be fair to the car, without going into detail why (i can if you wish), most of what you state here except stereo seem to me like things that would yearly rack up on service inspection instead of going wrong without warning. I see this lots. Owners rightly or wrongly put advisories on back burner and in reality are never remedied. Car is traded in and new owner faced with load of niggles, not cars fault but prior upkeep routine

I'm more than happy to receive your thoughts in detail! I do have my suspicions that the service that my dealer carried out prior to delivering the car to me was not overly "thorough"....

[AMDBSNick]

The G Kid said:

I do have my suspicions that the service that my dealer carried out prior to delivering the car to me was not overly "thorough"....

The main reason Mike disappeared off up the road in mine this morning. I know the job will be done properly

[Speculatore]

BamfordMike said:

Jon1967x said:

Agree with the air con - doesn't seem brilliant even in the uk modest temperatures (I imagine it's little different to the one on the vantage). Easy thing to check on a test drive.

Sorry, I'm sure you read it this way anyway, but to make myself clear. At full gas charge with perfectly operating system running flat out, the level of chilling in hot climate will be disappointing. Its not a case something is out of service, but more like system not entirely fit for purpose compared competition.

Agree. I had mine recharged before going on the 'Monaco Road Trip' through France, Italy and Switzerland. The car struggled to cope with a 33C outside temp.

[BamfordMike]

The G Kid said:

I'm more than happy to receive your thoughts in detail! I do have my suspicions that the service that my dealer carried out prior to delivering the car to me was not overly "thorough"....

to be fair, dealer might have advised past owners all what needed doing, but owner might have put on back burner.

Had to change diff oil
diff oil changed at year 3/6/9 - so for your car 2011/2014. What normally happens here is that a diff oil change is done, but car in past might had Kendal additive inside. If oil changed prior to your ownership and now you complain diff is notchy / harsh, you can bet is because nobody refilled with Kendal when changing oil.

Brake caliper leaked fluid all over one of the pads
usually there is a sign of weeping prior to failure, total failure instantaneously can happen but is bad luck. Was car approved used meaning 140 point check? Where was leak? Piston seal or bleed nipple?

Tyre pressure sensors need replacing
start at 5v when new, dead at 2v. Service report should show voltage, if nearing 2v then advisory looming replacement is given. 3v to 2v is over a year!

Door seals replaced (as were ripped)
would have been like this for some time, driver probably reported wind noise.

Completely flat battery
battery drop test is not part of 140 point check but i should imagine all in world of independent do this test, especially if an original varta battery from 2009 is spotted. So normal practice would be advise battery nearing end of life instead of owner finding out the hard way.

quite common for a car to have a list of stuff that needs doing but doesn't fail mot or detract driving pleasure, so is left - which is no problem. As i said before, problem comes when past owner gives new owner a load of niggles that were not fault of car or dealer in reality

[infinity63]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Would it be possible to get rid of the Aston AC and replace it with a Toyota one? A lot of people do that to European cars in these parts. It gets up to 50C here in the Summer, so AC is probably the most important part of the car after the pedals and steering wheel.

Also, after doing a bit more research last night I am thinking about buying a used DB9- the new generation is beautiful in its own right, but the DB9 I fell in love with was the older generation, and I think that is the one I want. A lot of the examples I am looking at have, as one of you mentioned, leather that is in quite bad shape. When buying used I'd be spending less than intended on a new DB9, so I'm happy to spend money getting the car up to brand new condition in every way. I know this makes little sense in terms of depreciation etcetera but I want the one I want. Do any of you have a good idea how much it'd cost to replace the leather on the seats? I'll be buying the car from the USA and shipping it to Saudi Arabia, so am thinking about going out there, selecting the car I want, etcetera, then sending it to an Aston dealer stateside to take care of everything before shipping her out to the desert.

Edited by infinity63 on Friday 5th December 14:22

Edited by infinity63 on Friday 5th December 14:23

Edited by infinity63 on Friday 5th December 14:25

[The G Kid]

BamfordMike said:

quite common for a car to have a list of stuff that needs doing but doesn't fail mot or detract driving pleasure, so is left - which is no problem. As i said before, problem comes when past owner gives new owner a load of niggles that were not fault of car or dealer in reality

Mike, many thanks for your reply. It's much appreciated. The car was meant to have been serviced by the dealer and the 140 check for the extended AM warranty carried out prior to me taking delivery. I have a service stamp and the 140 point check list but nothing else to suggest any work was carried out or suggested to be carried out. Perhaps that is usual when the dealer is undertaking the service for a car it is selling?

The car has excellent, documented service history from the previous owner, with servicing alternating between AM Works and my local AM dealer.

The niggles do detract slightly from the overall experience, and the new issues with the stereo cutting out and the rear lights staying on don't give great comfort. But the overall experience of a DB9 is good!

[Jon1967x]

Speculatore said:

BamfordMike said:

Jon1967x said:

Agree with the air con - doesn't seem brilliant even in the uk modest temperatures (I imagine it's little different to the one on the vantage). Easy thing to check on a test drive.

Sorry, I'm sure you read it this way anyway, but to make myself clear. At full gas charge with perfectly operating system running flat out, the level of chilling in hot climate will be disappointing. Its not a case something is out of service, but more like system not entirely fit for purpose compared competition.

Agree. I had mine recharged before going on the 'Monaco Road Trip' through France, Italy and Switzerland. The car struggled to cope with a 33C outside temp.

We all agree. I've noticed two things with it, one its cooling ability is not as strong as it should be, the spec was unpgraded from 2010MY so I hate to think how bad it was before, and it doesn't seem to regulate well as the car gets hot then cuts in and I'm constantly fiddling when its warm outside.

No idea if a different one can be installed.

[roughrider]

infinity63 said:

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Would it be possible to get rid of the Aston AC and replace it with a Toyota one? A lot of people do that to European cars in these parts. It gets up to 50C here in the Summer, so AC is probably the most important part of the car after the pedals and steering wheel.

Also, after doing a bit more research last night I am thinking about buying a used DB9- the new generation is beautiful in its own right, but the DB9 I fell in love with was the older generation, and I think that is the one I want. A lot of the examples I am looking at have, as one of you mentioned, leather that is in quite bad shape. When buying used I'd be spending less than intended on a new DB9, so I'm happy to spend money getting the car up to brand new condition in every way. I know this makes little sense in terms of depreciation etcetera but I want the one I want. Do any of you have a good idea how much it'd cost to replace the leather on the seats? I'll be buying the car from the USA and shipping it to Saudi Arabia, so am thinking about going out there, selecting the car I want, etcetera, then sending it to an Aston dealer stateside to take care of everything before shipping her out to the desert.

I seem to remember that 2009 model year onward had improved aircon. [docking station in dashboard, instead of regular Ford key in steering column]

Edited by roughrider on Friday 5th December 18:04

[NickVenice]

I've had a DB9 for a good while now and apart from the risk of a flat battery if you don't drive it I have not had any major problems (the odd warning light which disappeared on its own and a chipped windscreen was pretty much it). From a mechanical point of view a DB9 is pretty solid in terms of reliability.

[jeremydb9]

2007 db9 - 48,000 miles had it 2 years (today!) and other than a wheel bearing and a fuel tank sender nothing has happened to it.

Designed and built under Ford ownership which gives me great confidence.

From what i read on the forum I would not touch a new one with a barge pole. Aston have no money and this seems to reflect in poor build quality / QA. You will find many examples on this forum of peoples issues with new cars. The cars are long in the tooth and if you are going to part with a load of cash I would wait until an AMG version comes along.

[WayneB]

BamfordMike said:

Jon1967x said:

Agree with the air con - doesn't seem brilliant even in the uk modest temperatures (I imagine it's little different to the one on the vantage). Easy thing to check on a test drive.

sorry, I'm sure you read it this way anyway, but to make myself clear. At full gas charge with perfectly operating system running flat out, the level of chilling in hot climate will be disappointing. Its not a case something is out of service, but more like system not entirely fit for purpose compared competition.

Edited by BamfordMike on Friday 5th December 11:53

Edited by BamfordMike on Friday 5th December 11:54

Had the same problem with my DB7 Vantage until I switched from R134A refrigerant to Duracool.

The A/C is very cold now I even use it on hot days with the top down , Duracool recon it will improve A/C efficiency by 35% over R134A.