DIY Service

[V12JDC]

So today, after some debate I completed a full service. I intend to keep the car and have documented all work via photo and reciepts.

The car was overdue a service after a period of very limited use prior to my purchase.

The brake and clutch bleeding have restored a far more normal feel to my DB9 and the throttle body clean has made a huge difference to idle and slow speed maneuvering, the engine even seems quieter.

It has passed with a clean bill of health other than a handbrake adjustment.

Total cost was about 350, but I have done a full service with ever element check or adjusted.

John

[R129 300SL]

What exactly did you change? Gearbox / diff oil as well?

[V12JDC]

Yep, all filters, transaxle oil, brake fluid, clutch fluid, pollen and air.

It's had a radiator, coolant, plugs and coils recently so it's currently as fresh as it can get

[R129 300SL]

Proper full service then. Saved at least £7-800 I would think.

I wouldn't have a problem buying such a car. Better than a dealer stamp once a car gets above 6/7 yrs old I think.

[Car mad enthusiast]

+1, I fully agree and commend the OP in what he has done himself. At least he knows its been done properly and has all the relevant evidence to prove it.

It just goes to show that if your capable and have the time it can be a DIY job and at a huge saving over the rip off main dealers and I have to say " some indi " places who have got greedy and cashed in on the scene.

Well done OP and enjoy your car and your savings.

R129 300SL said:

Proper full service then. Saved at least £7-800 I would think.

I wouldn't have a problem buying such a car. Better than a dealer stamp once a car gets above 6/7 yrs old I think.

[leerandle]

I think its great that people are prepared to perform their own servicing (On the basis they are 'technically' skilled enough to do so).

Although my car is going in for the dreaded Leaking timing chain cover in April sometime, I am in the middle of fitting new discs and pads all round with replacement rear shocks.

There's a little bit of self satisfaction that you can perform these jobs yourself and save a few quid in the long run.

I know some people are happy to throw the keys over to the AM dealer or indy and just get all the jobs done, but I like to know how the car works and by fixing the various issues yourself, you get to know the car more.

As long as you fully document the service/jobs I can't see it having a massive impact on resale, certainly with respect to the older cars now probably pushing 10years (like mine)

[cayman-black]

Car mad enthusiast said:

+1, I fully agree and commend the OP in what he has done himself. At least he knows its been done properly and has all the relevant evidence to prove it.

It just goes to show that if your capable and have the time it can be a DIY job and at a huge saving over the rip off main dealers and I have to say " some indi " places who have got greedy and cashed in on the scene.

Well done OP and enjoy your car and your savings.

R129 300SL said:

Proper full service then. Saved at least £7-800 I would think.

I wouldn't have a problem buying such a car. Better than a dealer stamp once a car gets above 6/7 yrs old I think.

Agree! You never know if the MDs do all the work or not. In my experience, not AM ,it has not been done.

[V12JDC]

I have to say I was a little unsure when posting about doing it myself, possibly expecting a lot of people saying about the value of a dealer stamp.

I worked as a tech for 10 years in a main dealer and have since moved into automotive training management and now training design, so I am confident and competent to complete these jobs. The photo history I have built on this service alone would give me a high degree of confidence if I were buying a car.

I also have to say that they really are very simple to service, yes the inspection is crucial and things like a leaking timing cover are hard work, but the basic replacement of service items is no harder than a Fiesta.

I do now feel I know the car better, and that inspires confidence when driving, I know exactly how and where my tyres and brakes are worn and when I'm likely to incur cost.

I encourage anyone with an older Aston and some ability to have a go, using the online service sheet, reciepts and a photo history builds a lovely history to be proud of

I have some pics I could share if people want to see them.

[_Exocet_]

The part that concerns me is the scare story surrounding jacking the car in the wrong place, or with not enough support evenly distributed, and subsequently writing the car off. I've heard it mentioned you should not use the typical trolley jacks you might find in a home garage in favour of a lift - is there any truth to that? If you do possess a lift, is it obvious where the pads should go?

I have yet to find my car, but have always serviced and maintained all of my other cars myself, so would love to be able to do the same with any Aston I might find.

Edit: Yes please to the pictures!

[Ken Figenus]

_Exocet_ said:

The part that concerns me is the scare story surrounding jacking the car in the wrong place, or with not enough support evenly distributed, and subsequently writing the car off. I've heard it mentioned you should not use the typical trolley jacks you might find in a home garage in favour of a lift - is there any truth to that? If you do possess a lift, is it obvious where the pads should go?

I have yet to find my car, but have always serviced and maintained all of my other cars myself, so would love to be able to do the same with any Aston I might find.

Edit: Yes please to the pictures!

Good to be concerned but when I tackled it after worrying for 6 months you cant really go wrong - well other than gravel in the back of your head looking for the jack points! There are two cutouts on the underneath of the sill - like 'C' shapes at either end .



This is where your little block of hardwood should go and then your jack. If you jack anywhere else it will feel wrong as it will not be a clear clean metal flat area. You would have to be a special kind of stupid to jack the floorpan!

I'm doing all 4 disks on the Rapide soon and have them to hand already (may need 2 men to lift them)!



I used to do everything on my Ford Escort Mk1 - even a clutch single handed, and then again to centre it properly - so am trying to resist the pressure to be lazy/precious about these cars and lever that hard won learning curve.

But do tell me V12JDC if you have to remove 40 bolts and the inner wing liner to change an air filter on a Fiesta - BOTH sides ;-)

[Gavc]

Being in engineering and my day job and hobby(having restore many cars/bikes etc), I do all my own servicing as and where required, though I also have a great relationship with my Indie's who performs an agreed service/inspection as well yearly to keep the history correct. When I bought the car it had full AM main dealer history. It took me along time to get the car to my standard of concourse prep and maintenance. Though my time is free and I enjoy working on them.If I ever sold and was looking for a another car, I would rather buy from an enthusiast owner than a dealership car, the enthusiast owner is just far more caring for their P&J.

[DapperDanMan]

Thanks for posting this.

How did you find removal of the oil filter it looks a bit tight from the top. I read the maintenance manual on this and it said something like 'Unscrew the oil filter' which was very helpful.

[telum01]

It has seemed to me over the last several years I've been involved with Astons that there are few owners in the UK that do their own maintenance, while there are quite a few in the US. But over the last several months, it seems like that's been changing. I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing - car culture in the US is very much hands-on DIY, mostly with "normal" cars but extending up into Porsches and Astons. I've done a lot of work on the DIY side of things and can talk about it ad nauseum. Bottom line, though, is that at their current prices the early Gaydon cars are getting bought up by people that want to work on them. And these cars are, for the most part, really fun to work on, so I don't see that trend changing anytime soon.

[Car mad enthusiast]

+1 and I am the same as yourself. I also use a Brilliant indi once a year to look over my car with his eyes as its quite easy to miss something ourselves but great if the other chap finds it.

I would much rather see an enthusiasts service folder full of nice date order receipts than JUST a service book full of stamps and NOTHING to back them up other than dealer BS.

Gavc said:

Being in engineering and my day job and hobby(having restore many cars/bikes etc), I do all my own servicing as and where required, though I also have a great relationship with my Indie's who performs an agreed service/inspection as well yearly to keep the history correct. When I bought the car it had full AM main dealer history. It took me along time to get the car to my standard of concourse prep and maintenance. Though my time is free and I enjoy working on them.If I ever sold and was looking for a another car, I would rather buy from an enthusiast owner than a dealership car, the enthusiast owner is just far more caring for their P&J.

[Car mad enthusiast]

For some it is and for others it is not. I have a lift but I still double check all the time where I am lifting. I have 2 x internal beam jacks on my lift which are great. I have also painted all 4 of my lifting points WHITE for easy of identification as they are tucked away.

_Exocet_ said:

The part that concerns me is the scare story surrounding jacking the car in the wrong place, or with not enough support evenly distributed, and subsequently writing the car off. I've heard it mentioned you should not use the typical trolley jacks you might find in a home garage in favour of a lift - is there any truth to that? If you do possess a lift, is it obvious where the pads should go?

I have yet to find my car, but have always serviced and maintained all of my other cars myself, so would love to be able to do the same with any Aston I might find.

Edit: Yes please to the pictures!

[Car mad enthusiast]

40 bolts and a arch liner to change the air filters x 2 on DB7 Vantage you do sadly!!! One of the most PITA as jobs to do for something so simple as 2 bloody air filters. Glad ive fitted 2 x J1's ( K&N Types ) don't need to visit that area much now. LOL

Ken Figenus said:

Good to be concerned but when I tackled it after worrying for 6 months you cant really go wrong - well other than gravel in the back of your head looking for the jack points! There are two cutouts on the underneath of the sill - like 'C' shapes at either end .



This is where your little block of hardwood should go and then your jack. If you jack anywhere else it will feel wrong as it will not be a clear clean metal flat area. You would have to be a special kind of stupid to jack the floorpan!

I'm doing all 4 disks on the Rapide soon and have them to hand already (may need 2 men to lift them)!



I used to do everything on my Ford Escort Mk1 - even a clutch single handed, and then again to centre it properly - so am trying to resist the pressure to be lazy/precious about these cars and lever that hard won learning curve.

But do tell me V12JDC if you have to remove 40 bolts and the inner wing liner to change an air filter on a Fiesta - BOTH sides ;-)

[V12JDC]

DapperDanMan said:

Thanks for posting this.

How did you find removal of the oil filter it looks a bit tight from the top. I read the maintenance manual on this and it said something like 'Unscrew the oil filter' which was very helpful.

A little tricky, but from underneath you can get your left arm along the chassis from around the front of the torque tube, I even got some large grips in there! Tilt the filter slowly on its side to drain the oil and then remove it on its side.

Not too bad.

[V12JDC]

_Exocet_ said:

The part that concerns me is the scare story surrounding jacking the car in the wrong place, or with not enough support evenly distributed, and subsequently writing the car off. I've heard it mentioned you should not use the typical trolley jacks you might find in a home garage in favour of a lift - is there any truth to that? If you do possess a lift, is it obvious where the pads should go?

I have yet to find my car, but have always serviced and maintained all of my other cars myself, so would love to be able to do the same with any Aston I might find.

Edit: Yes please to the pictures!

[V12JDC]

Ken Figenus said:

Good to be concerned but when I tackled it after worrying for 6 months you cant really go wrong - well other than gravel in the back of your head looking for the jack points! There are two cutouts on the underneath of the sill - like 'C' shapes at either end .



This is where your little block of hardwood should go and then your jack. If you jack anywhere else it will feel wrong as it will not be a clear clean metal flat area. You would have to be a special kind of stupid to jack the floorpan!

I'm doing all 4 disks on the Rapide soon and have them to hand already (may need 2 men to lift them)!



I used to do everything on my Ford Escort Mk1 - even a clutch single handed, and then again to centre it properly - so am trying to resist the pressure to be lazy/precious about these cars and lever that hard won learning curve.

But do tell me V12JDC if you have to remove 40 bolts and the inner wing liner to change an air filter on a Fiesta - BOTH sides ;-)

Good point on the 40 bolts, the difference being I took them all out and put them all back, most bolts or clips on a Fiesta (or KA arches) will break!

John

[Gavc]

Car mad enthusiast said:

Absolutely love the garage, just about to buy a ramp, but still debating over 2 or 4 post, I do have another car so will need some storage soon as renewing my other garage and from a safety point 4 post'S are better than 2. jack beams could be the way forward as well.