V8 Vantage Pre-purchase Inspection
Discussion
If its up in Morpeth, then I would suggest getting in touch with AM Newcastle or Aston Workshop in Beamish. I'm sure you could arrange the car getting to either of those or someone to inspect. When I bought my car from Edinburgh, I got the owner to drive it to the AM dealers and I paid for the inspection (app. £350) at the time.
gibbon said:
Thats fairly broad / non specific, could you be more specific Nick? I also thought the warranty covers everything apart from consumables, is that not right?
I'm talking V12 here. The 140 checklist does not include breather circuit as an example. Failure of this can lead to primary cat ingestion which as you can imagine is not a cheap fix. Whilst this failure (cat) may be covered under warranty the OP was not talking warranty but pre purchase inspection. On the subject of warranty I recently heard the "extended" no longer covers "consequential" So coil failure causing cat failure, only coils covered. Perhaps the same for primary cat ingestion???OP. I had a very thorough pre purchase inspection on my DBS by BR and do not carry warranty.
Nick
Philthepill said:
Nick, are you aware of anything that is not usually inspected on the Vantage V8 that I should ask to be checked?
V8 is all about consumables and electronic modules, the drivetrain is robust but clearly needs basic checking. Consumables will be Battery, brakes, tyres, AC leaks, suspension joints and clutch. Electronic modules is all door functions. It's easy for a car to be on the bad side of all those consumables and need £10k. For up North, Beamish are fully fledged indie these days and top outfit, so they should spot any issues for youTotally agree with Nick - it seems very superficial and cosmetic rather than quite mechanical... Do they do a compression test or panel gap check? Never saw those tick boxes on my report... They did indicate my tyres were all superbly evenly worn though 

Shame they werent.
I'd suggest a proper mechanical inspection on behalf of a private buyer is a different animal to a dealer's pre warranty inspection?


Shame they werent.
I'd suggest a proper mechanical inspection on behalf of a private buyer is a different animal to a dealer's pre warranty inspection?
Ken Figenus said:
Totally agree with Nick - it seems very superficial and cosmetic rather than quite mechanical... Do they do a compression test or panel gap check? Never saw those tick boxes on my report... They did indicate my tyres were all superbly evenly worn though 

Shame they werent.
I'd suggest a proper mechanical inspection on behalf of a private buyer is a different animal to a dealer's pre warranty inspection?
Agree. On delivery the report stated that my tyres were well within the legal limit & so they were but on closer inspection by BR 2 months later all 4 were severely perished & needed replacing!

Shame they werent.
I'd suggest a proper mechanical inspection on behalf of a private buyer is a different animal to a dealer's pre warranty inspection?
I approached the dealer & whilst they wouldn't pay for 4 new tyres, they did offer a free service, so a satisfactory result but it doesn't impart much confidence in the 140-point check!
Phil, the key is understanding the cost of fixing (Don't be surprised if you get a huge list of 'x's on the sheet)
After 2 years I'm still working through my list and have used the guys at BR and another independent garage to fix most of them.
I believe the key things to check:
1) Clutch, well known to not last very long (£3-4k)
2) Front timing Gasket Cover Leak (£2-3k)
3) TPMS sensors (Sensors can be £100 each + programming time)
4) Leaky dampers (£400-600 each plus fitting)
5) Worn wishbones (£250 plus fitting)
6) Brake disc/pad wear (Discs/pads £600 plus fitting per front/rear)
7) Tyres (£150-£250 a corner)
These are just examples of what I know and have recently come up for renewal/check on my car.
Hope it helps.
After 2 years I'm still working through my list and have used the guys at BR and another independent garage to fix most of them.
I believe the key things to check:
1) Clutch, well known to not last very long (£3-4k)
2) Front timing Gasket Cover Leak (£2-3k)
3) TPMS sensors (Sensors can be £100 each + programming time)
4) Leaky dampers (£400-600 each plus fitting)
5) Worn wishbones (£250 plus fitting)
6) Brake disc/pad wear (Discs/pads £600 plus fitting per front/rear)
7) Tyres (£150-£250 a corner)
These are just examples of what I know and have recently come up for renewal/check on my car.
Hope it helps.
AMDBSVNick said:
I'm talking V12 here. The 140 checklist does not include breather circuit as an example. Failure of this can lead to primary cat ingestion which as you can imagine is not a cheap fix. Whilst this failure (cat) may be covered under warranty the OP was not talking warranty but pre purchase inspection. On the subject of warranty I recently heard the "extended" no longer covers "consequential" So coil failure causing cat failure, only coils covered. Perhaps the same for primary cat ingestion???
OP. I had a very thorough pre purchase inspection on my DBS by BR and do not carry warranty.
Nick
Thanks Nick. im not sure about 'consequential' damage, but as with any insurance policy, its as good as the small print written, and to some degree the good will of the party.OP. I had a very thorough pre purchase inspection on my DBS by BR and do not carry warranty.
Nick
To add to the above list, check for paintwork defects and 'bubbling'. The thermostat, though cheap to fix, is a common failure too.
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