2016 Vantage V12s

[JW5]

Hi All,
Just approaching 3 weeks ownership of a V12s & cocked up about 500 miles so far. What a fantastic machine, the looks, sound & power are all noticeably better than the previous V8s, well at least I think so. The car has around 17k on the clock & looks & feels like new, but a couple of queries, the steering feels heavier when manoeuvring at low speeds by comparison with another V12s I test drove & I'm pretty certain when pulling away I can sense the brakes briefly not disengaging.
Before I bother the dealer is the steering meant to have a heavy feel & are the callipers prone to sticking?
Thanks,
James

[agaton12]

Hi.
My steering has no heavy feel at low speeds.
Your brake question makes me think the hill-assist is active. Did you experience this on an incline?

[JW5]

Okay so I might have a steering issue, a good point about the Hill Assist, but I'm sure it has been on flat ground & I don't recall seeing H on the dash.

[66MK]

....and a picture?

You know the rules!

[agaton12]

To make sure nothing is sticking, you could stop on a suitable incline and verify that the car rolls forward/backward when you just release the brake.

[JW5]

Okay, I'll try that, herewith two photos.

[JW5]

& the second one.

[Graze01]

JW

Congrats on the new car. Is it a manual or sport shift

I've had a sportshift V12VS for two weeks - done a few more kms than you and had my first real chance to 'drive' it today

I know what you mean with hesitation on starting to move - I think it's just the clutch engaging in first. To me it seems like when you first depress the accelerator there is a lag until the clutch fully engages then it's all smooth

I'm getting to love the sportshift - particularly when pushing the car or braking hard and decelerating through the gearRs.

Car looks the business. Enjoy

G

[JW5]

Hi G,
Yes, mine is also Sportshift III, so much better than SSII which was fitted to my previous V8s, I think this car is the closest I will ever get to owning a supercar. It has lightweight seats which look great but take a bit of getting used to when getting in the car, it also has red interior which goes well with the black bodywork. As V12 owners have said many times over once you have driven one the V8 will be hard to go back to.
What colour is yours?

[Minglar]

Hi JW5

That looks like the car that was at Grange Brentwood? Enjoy your new acquisition. It looks fantastic, and it’s in the best colour too! As you rightly say, once you move on to a V12 there is no going back!

Best Regards

Minglar

[JW5]

Thank you Minglar, yes you're quite right I did purchase it from Brentwood.

[Felonious]

Mine's also a V12VS SSiii and also has a small lag between pressing the pedal and the car starting to move. You kind of give it a press to wake it up, then ease off. I've never really noticed it before, but, if I had, I think I'd have just assumed it's a clutch engagement thing.

I've covered around 4k miles in the 10 months I've had it, and absolutely love the SSiii. I came from a Maserati Granturismo MC Shift running Ferrari 599 GTO software on the Transmission Control Unit, and while that was undoubtedly a faster change in normal driving, it feels like the Aston is faster and smoother when the revs and throttle opening are into hyper-shift* territory. Downshifts are certainly extremely slick. I'd also add that with just 2-3 seconds in each gear if you're really giving it the beans, I'd far rather flick a paddle to change gear than be losing one hand to stick-wrestling duties.

The steering is certainly a bit heavier when maneuvering, but not so much that I've ever wondered if there's a problem.

*According to the manual: When an upshift is made with the engine speed at or above 5,500 rpm and the accelerator pedal is fully depressed the requested upshift will be accelerated, providing a quicker, sportier driving experience.

[JW5]

I'm still not convinced that the feel of my car when pulling away is normal, it definitely gives me the impression that perhaps a brake calliper is sticking, but I could of course be mistaken. I quite agree with your comment about 'stick wrestling' especially as I use mine as a daily drive, I couldn't think of anything worse than getting stuck in traffic & having a clutch pedal to mess about with.

[Felonious]

Try jacking up each corner and seeing if the wheels spin freely. Or get the dealer to do it. If you've any concerns then better to investigate than not, if only for peace of mind.

[JW5]

I've decided to return to the dealer as I think the steering should be lighter, plus I have the dreaded condensation in the rear light clusters, even though they were changed just prior to me buying the car, so I might as well ask them to check the brakes.

[Felonious]

What is it with Aston lights and condensation? I've had the silica sacks in the front lights and the condensation was still so bad when I last used the car a fortnight ago that the main beam was useless. 'Luckily' the condensation was mostly in front of the main beam bulb, so the dipped beam was ok. It'll be in for replacement lights when the roads are less filthy with salt.

Anyway, be sure to update the thread to let us know what the dealer had to say.

[JW5]

Front & rear Aston lights seem to be generally affected by condensation, although I can't believe how quickly my latest car has suffered, two weeks ago they were perfect when it rolled out of the showroom.
I'll certainly post what the dealer says & does.

[STICKY3]

I’m two weeks into a 2016 v12vr,although I have only covered 200miles since I also had the same feeling of the parking brake not fully disengaging, the cars currently in works service having a shakedown, the rear lights were also misted up and are being changed under warranty , previous owner obviously got the key stuck in the stop/start mechanism and used a screw driver to get the key out, I have had the damaged surround replaced, switching the tyres to Michelin pss.

[STICKY3]

[IanV12VSRs]

STICKY3 said:

I’m two weeks into a 2016 v12vr,although I have only covered 200miles since I also had the same feeling of the parking brake not fully disengaging, the cars currently in works service having a shakedown, the rear lights were also misted up and are being changed under warranty , previous owner obviously got the key stuck in the stop/start mechanism and used a screw driver to get the key out, I have had the damaged surround replaced, switching the tyres to Michelin pss.

My key got stuck similarly when Aston were collecting the car when I was getting it to the meeting point. Phoned up Bristol and they said to hit the fascia and not to use a screwdriver. Gave it a firm hit with the palm of my hand and out it popped