DB11 - dislikes

[DB11v8]

I am new to Aston Martin ownership and purchased my DB11 V8 a month ago (having traded my Porsche 911 4S cabriolet). While I love the look and ride of the car, I have a few gripes. They may be nit-picking, but in this price range, Aston should have addressed them:

• No glove box. I mean come on.
• No auto high-bean headlights (even a $20,000 Toyota has these)
• The park distance control goes off at stop lights all the time (I have to manually turn it off each time I start the car, along w/ turning off the auto start-stop)
• The interior ambient lighting is pretty sad (just a white light for the door pull; they could have easily added some other locations like footwell)
• The rear-view mirror vibrates when the radio is played even at low-medium volume (I have the B&O radio upgrade, but still)
• Squeaking brakes (even after returning to the dealer to have the brakes 'bedded' they still squeak when coming to a slow stop)
• Trinket tray is useless (I'm looking at 3D printing a replacement w/ a deeper pocket that I can at least hold a key or phone)
• What's up w/ in-car wifi? (the manual & the car show it is there but the dealer says there is no wifi & it's a leftover from the Mercedes software)

The overall Mercedes Command interface is a big step forward from the DB9 system, but I wish that Aston negotiated a better deal w/ Mercedes and was able to get a more updated system (instead of the prior (or 2) generation version; or that our cars could get a software update as MB rolls out newer versions)

[Viahuerto]

DB11v8 said:

I am new to Aston Martin ownership and purchased my DB11 V8 a month ago (having traded my Porsche 911 4S cabriolet). While I love the look and ride of the car, I have a few gripes. They may be nit-picking, but in this price range, Aston should have addressed them:

• No glove box. I mean come on.
• No auto high-bean headlights (even a $20,000 Toyota has these)
• The park distance control goes off at stop lights all the time (I have to manually turn it off each time I start the car, along w/ turning off the auto start-stop)
• The interior ambient lighting is pretty sad (just a white light for the door pull; they could have easily added some other locations like footwell)
• The rear-view mirror vibrates when the radio is played even at low-medium volume (I have the B&O radio upgrade, but still)
• Squeaking brakes (even after returning to the dealer to have the brakes 'bedded' they still squeak when coming to a slow stop)
• Trinket tray is useless (I'm looking at 3D printing a replacement w/ a deeper pocket that I can at least hold a key or phone)
• What's up w/ in-car wifi? (the manual & the car show it is there but the dealer says there is no wifi & it's a leftover from the Mercedes software)

The overall Mercedes Command interface is a big step forward from the DB9 system, but I wish that Aston negotiated a better deal w/ Mercedes and was able to get a more updated system (instead of the prior (or 2) generation version; or that our cars could get a software update as MB rolls out newer versions)

Wow. You have hit the nail on the head! I am one year into a two year lease in a Vantage AMR, after two decades of 911 ownership, and my thoughts are identical to yours. In my $190,000 Vantage I can't even spec a B&O stereo and am stuck with something called Aston Martin "Premium" stereo which only offers muddy or tinny sound. The stereo makes my seat vibrate annoyingly but cannot deliver a pleasing sound. The car drives spectacularly and after one year it has been reasonably reliable. That is great but if one plans to use the car as a daily driver these issues become rather problematic. It is nice to see AM management dive into Formula One and all but they have to up their game with the product. The marketplace is changing rapidly and some of the items you mention (Lack of auto high beams, no glove box, ancient navi/ Command tech, lousy stereo) aren't excusable in any car, let alone a car in this price range. As much as I love the car I will likely migrate away if these issues haven't been remedied before my lease term is up.

[JW5]

Hi,
I have a 2018 latest shape Vantage which I purchased a few months ago & from day one the brakes made a very annoying squealing sound when braking at very low speeds, so I arranged for the AM dealer to take a look & they tried a few things which didn't work & admitted at the time that AM now use an alternative type of pad due to the squealing. I'm pleased to say that AM eventually gave the dealer the go ahead to change all the pads under warranty & thankfully that has cured the problem. You'll probably find the same type of pads fitted to the DB11 as fitted to my Vantage.

[DAVIDOXE]

I have a problem (or perhaps thats just the way it is) with my DBSS in that you cant turn the radio off and still use the nav. So tweeters are always up if using nav.

[Octavarium]

DAVIDOXE said:

I have a problem (or perhaps thats just the way it is) with my DBSS in that you cant turn the radio off and still use the nav. So tweeters are always up if using nav.

David - I may be misunderstanding this, so apologies if I am, but in the DB11, I can mute the radio/media by pressing the scroll wheel on the left-hand side of the steering wheel without affecting the spoken instructions of the satnav (I think). Will try it out when I'm next in it.

[DB11v8]

David is correct. The way the system works, in order to use sat nav you have to 1st push the power button on the whole unit which, with the B&O option, raises the tweeters. If you don't want any music on, you have to mute the sound (by pushing the left steering wheel knob or by turning the volume all the way down). But the tweeters will still stay raised.

[DAVIDOXE]

DB11v8 said:

David is correct. The way the system works, in order to use sat nav you have to 1st push the power button on the whole unit which, with the B&O option, raises the tweeters. If you don't want any music on, you have to mute the sound (by pushing the left steering wheel knob or by turning the volume all the way down). But the tweeters will still stay raised.

Then what i find is if you accidentaly knock the knob the radio comes back on, it is reall poor.

[dcarrer0]

JW5 said:

Hi,
I have a 2018 latest shape Vantage which I purchased a few months ago & from day one the brakes made a very annoying squealing sound when braking at very low speeds, so I arranged for the AM dealer to take a look & they tried a few things which didn't work & admitted at the time that AM now use an alternative type of pad due to the squealing. I'm pleased to say that AM eventually gave the dealer the go ahead to change all the pads under warranty & thankfully that has cured the problem. You'll probably find the same type of pads fitted to the DB11 as fitted to my Vantage.

Correct. Just replace with Porterfield RS-4 pads.

[AlexT]

I've been spending some time over at the Ferrarichat forum lately as I am getting inpatient waiting for AM to update any of its current range.

I've noted that there are many fans of AM that are also Ferrari owners. However they are reluctant to purchase a new AM despite singing praise for the previous gen's engaging steering and elegant good-looks.

Their main criticisms of the new gen (mainly DBS & Vantage) are:

1. Lack of DCT. Even though it's strictly not needed - if AM want to appeal to this crowd it's essential to be offering something equal or better than the competition.

2. Poor interior design - again to win customers, supercar owners expect an interior that is not only luxurious but bespoke and attractively designed. AM need to introduce layers to the design to keep the eye interested. Even Mazda has got this perfectly executed on the new Mazda 3. I note the new DBX has actually incorporated this element to an extent and I do hope it's a positive sign of things to come. Again AM need to be offering equal or better in this department.

3. Old tech. Using decade old tech at this price point is simply not reasonable. Period.

4. And the price point. Used prices make more sense when considering the compromises above.

Interestingly there is not so much criticism of the new range's exterior looks. Many compliment the DBS.

It's not an easy task to retain old customers whilst wooing new. But the feedback that I'm getting is that there are many in the exotic car crowd that would consider a new AM but they need to up their game tremendously in the above-mentioned departments before given a second look.

My wife really, really liked the exterior design of the DB11 in person. Then she saw a 2016 Vanquish. Vanquish design immediately judged superior.

Since AM compromise on outright performance their interiors and exteriors need to be A1.

[SHIFTY]

Your wife has very good taste for cars.

[Agent57]

Ferrari owners should be used to poor interior design in recent years.....

[cayman-black]

SHIFTY said:

Your wife has very good taste for cars.

Indeed. The Vanquish is hard to beat looks wise.

[Viahuerto]

AlexT said:

I've been spending some time over at the Ferrarichat forum lately as I am getting inpatient waiting for AM to update any of its current range.

I've noted that there are many fans of AM that are also Ferrari owners. However they are reluctant to purchase a new AM despite singing praise for the previous gen's engaging steering and elegant good-looks.

Their main criticisms of the new gen (mainly DBS & Vantage) are:

1. Lack of DCT. Even though it's strictly not needed - if AM want to appeal to this crowd it's essential to be offering something equal or better than the competition.

2. Poor interior design - again to win customers, supercar owners expect an interior that is not only luxurious but bespoke and attractively designed. AM need to introduce layers to the design to keep the eye interested. Even Mazda has got this perfectly executed on the new Mazda 3. I note the new DBX has actually incorporated this element to an extent and I do hope it's a positive sign of things to come. Again AM need to be offering equal or better in this department.

3. Old tech. Using decade old tech at this price point is simply not reasonable. Period.

4. And the price point. Used prices make more sense when considering the compromises above.

Interestingly there is not so much criticism of the new range's exterior looks. Many compliment the DBS.

It's not an easy task to retain old customers whilst wooing new. But the feedback that I'm getting is that there are many in the exotic car crowd that would consider a new AM but they need to up their game tremendously in the above-mentioned departments before given a second look.

My wife really, really liked the exterior design of the DB11 in person. Then she saw a 2016 Vanquish. Vanquish design immediately judged superior.

Since AM compromise on outright performance their interiors and exteriors need to be A1.

Points 2,3 & 4 are spot on.

[RMDB9]

I have heard that Monica Bellucci is said to have bad table manners.

[pgautier]

Echo echo echo..

The brakes for me are the most annoying part of the car. No matter what I or the dealer have tried so far can make them shut up... It really brings the driving experience down and that's a shame because it is a very nice ride in almost every other way.

The infotainment being the previous generation Benz system ranks a close second. I did find a CarPlay solution at https://astoninstallations.com so at least there's that..

[EVR]

RMDB9 said:

I have heard that Monica Bellucci is said to have bad table manners.

I met her, in a restaurant ironically, she looked well-behaved to me.

[RichardAP]

DB11v8 said:

• The park distance control goes off at stop lights all the time (I have to manually turn it off each time I start the car, along w/ turning off the auto start-stop)

My wife’s DB11 had the same issue when we test drove it so we asked the AM dealer to adjust the sensitivity. It’s much better now.

[RMDB9]

I thought it is well known that Aston Martins are "inferior" in technical aspects when compared to their "competitors" (= Porsche) and also don't come with red suede sneakers with a prancing horse embroidered on them (= Ferrari).

That is why I love them, just for what they are.

[Rob F]

I am 1 year into a 2 year deal on my DB11 and completely agree with the original post. Was a dream to own an Aston Martin and I do love the looks of the car, but I am not sure if I will stay with the brand when the time comes.

For me the brakes have been a real let down - they are tricky to modulate at slow speed and I have had incurable brake squeak - the car has had new pads under warranty and been in the dealer I think 3 times and still no solution. Aston Martin know full well it is a problem but basically have instructed dealers to fob customers off in the first instance by saying "it's a characteristic of the car". Well I'm sorry but at this price that is not acceptable.

Other bits are the parking sensors and also I have found that the centre console "touch buttons" can be temperamental - occasionally changing the menus when not pressed. I actually also had the central dash section replaced as well under warranty and that doesn't seem to have changed anything.

At this point I don't really want to have the car back in the dealer any more than necessary so I figure I will just enjoy it as much as possible and then hand it back at the end of the year.

[Dewi 2]

I was sorry to read Rob, but quite understandably, that the unresolved brake squeal has spoilt your passion for Aston Martins.
I am sure a knowlegable independent specialist, would have the ability to resolve that poblem, but when a warranty is in place, we expect action from main dealers without having to make a fuss.

Having had my 4.7 Vantage now for 8 years, it is still just as special to me now, as it was when first purchased. Will never sell.
Very occasionally I do experience brake squeal, but that simply reminds me that I have been too gentle with the brakes and (so I am told) a glaze has built-up on the disc or pad surfaces. Easily cured with, is it called Italian driving?

I cannot remember whether DB11s have ceramic or steel brakes.