10 year service
Discussion
Db9 gone in for service at Hagley AM and have had an email report come through. Normally I've had the car serviced by Jct600 every year but this time messed the timing up and car was due an mot before they could collect hence why I've use Stratstone Hagley. No phone call from service advisor but report recommends the airbags are changed as over 10 years old. Is this normal ? Also says PAS leaking - what would be the symptoms of this? Thanks for advice guys. 
Theoretically the car does need airbags changed at 10 years. Well that's what it says in the manual. I did read somewhere that the 'explosives' degrade over time but I don't know of any other car that needs airbags changed... Out of interest, how much did the stealers say it would be for a new full set?
The airbags 10 year life has been discussed here before.
I recall the consensus was that although it is or was a recommendation to change, not to do would not result in MoT failure.
It would be interesting to know how many thousands of pounds, Stratstones would charge for all the airbags to be renewed?
One of my DDs has a 19 year old airbag. It has not exploded yet, but whether it would work, who knows.
Was your tyre inflator replaced five years ago? Quite. Easier to phone for help if a puncture occurs.
Edited by Jon39 on Monday 1st June 20:36
This is an interesting one, as mentioned it has been discussed before and I have included comment/details in the guide as it is affecting more cars now. I believe the standard A.M. service recommendation is to change airbags after 10 years, when most other manufacturers have extended their replacement to 15 years for early designs and longer for newer options. As you are actually at the 10 year service yourself I would suggest contacting Aston Martin customer service directly for comment on your specific car.......
Here is a general article on the subject.....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8078919/O...
This is a quote from the AA.......
Airbag renewal after 10 years. What should I do?
When cars were first fitted with airbags there was a lack of knowledge and confidence about the long term reliabiilty of the systems . Car manufacturers and manufacturers of airbag systems agreed to validate (or test) them for a 10 year life span. A sodium azide tablet produces the gas which inflates the airbag, and this tablet and the explosive device are sealed. Although some moisture ingress is possible it should not affect performance. There will also be some natural chemical decay, but again this shouldn't stop the airbag from working. There was also some concern in the early days that the airbag cover could become brittle through aging and a flying fragment cause eye damage.Manufacturers increased the validation period to 15 years on later cars without making major changes to design and we are not aware of any airbag failures atttributed to ageing.
Hope this helps
and edited to add.. as always better safe than sorry!
Here is a general article on the subject.....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8078919/O...
This is a quote from the AA.......
Airbag renewal after 10 years. What should I do?
When cars were first fitted with airbags there was a lack of knowledge and confidence about the long term reliabiilty of the systems . Car manufacturers and manufacturers of airbag systems agreed to validate (or test) them for a 10 year life span. A sodium azide tablet produces the gas which inflates the airbag, and this tablet and the explosive device are sealed. Although some moisture ingress is possible it should not affect performance. There will also be some natural chemical decay, but again this shouldn't stop the airbag from working. There was also some concern in the early days that the airbag cover could become brittle through aging and a flying fragment cause eye damage.Manufacturers increased the validation period to 15 years on later cars without making major changes to design and we are not aware of any airbag failures atttributed to ageing.
Hope this helps

and edited to add.. as always better safe than sorry!
Edited by Grant3 on Tuesday 2nd June 08:37
Being fair to A.M., imagine the possible law suit if an airbag deployment was to go wrong,
and no doubt the airbag manufacturer would also say.. we recommended a change at 10 years!!
Ultimately what many manufacturers are saying is....... you continue using earlier airbags beyond 10 years at your own risk (although some have extended their schedule to 15 years), but the fact is thousands of owners in dozens of different brands are doing exactly that without issue (according to the AA and others) so far........
Wether you change them or not is a personal call. What I would say is, if you do, be sure to shop around a good number of dealers to ensure you get the best deal
and no doubt the airbag manufacturer would also say.. we recommended a change at 10 years!!
Ultimately what many manufacturers are saying is....... you continue using earlier airbags beyond 10 years at your own risk (although some have extended their schedule to 15 years), but the fact is thousands of owners in dozens of different brands are doing exactly that without issue (according to the AA and others) so far........
Wether you change them or not is a personal call. What I would say is, if you do, be sure to shop around a good number of dealers to ensure you get the best deal

Coincidentally, in NP&E this morning: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I suspect we'll be seeing this sort of thing more and more on modern cars. Airbags, catalytic converters, pretensioning systems, drive by wire systems...all of them "lifed" and all of them likely to be incredibly expensive to address when their useful life is up.
I wonder how many of them can genuinely be linked to saving lives and how necessary they really are.
I wonder how many of them can genuinely be linked to saving lives and how necessary they really are.
Grant3 said:
Being fair to A.M., imagine the possible law suit if an airbag deployment was to go wrong,
and no doubt the airbag manufacturer would also say.. we recommended a change at 10 years!!
Ultimately what many manufacturers are saying is....... you continue using earlier airbags beyond 10 years at your own risk (although some have extended their schedule to 15 years), but the fact is thousands of owners in dozens of different brands are doing exactly that without issue (according to the AA and others) so far........
Expanding on Grant's comment I'd add that news of non-deployment of airbags in a serious accident might have more deleterious impact on the business of a low volume high profile manufacturer like AM. Their recommendation of renewal after 10 years is likely to be influenced by this, in my opinion. But I'm a cynic.and no doubt the airbag manufacturer would also say.. we recommended a change at 10 years!!
Ultimately what many manufacturers are saying is....... you continue using earlier airbags beyond 10 years at your own risk (although some have extended their schedule to 15 years), but the fact is thousands of owners in dozens of different brands are doing exactly that without issue (according to the AA and others) so far........
kashn said:
Been quoted nearly 7k for the airbags renewal! Gonna have to sell it now.
ha ha ha ha ....are you daft or something .........is this a wind up.........if its not a wind up then you need to have a little word with yourself for even entertaining the idea of airbag replacement !!!!michael gould said:
ha ha ha ha ....are you daft or something .........is this a wind up.........if its not a wind up then you need to have a little word with yourself for even entertaining the idea of airbag replacement !!!!
No, not daft or winding you up -it's the price i've been quoted. I have decided to sell the car as I find it's really too much of a garage queen.Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff



