Thinking about braking my ‘08 Vantage Sportshift Roadster
Discussion
Having spent serious dough a month ago on fixing my car following a non start and the AA spiking the system as confirmed by a specialist who fixed it plus carrying out a good service, MOT, new battery, Aux belt and loads of other bits I thought my troubles would end. It’s a 2008 Vantage V8 Sportshift Roadster in black with black leather, 19’s, premium sound system, electric folding mirrors and pretty much full spec but all of a sudden it will start up fine without any warning lights on, however it will not move forwards nor backwards. D and R light up red as normal, you can hear the click with the windows down but nothing happens. I’ve had enough of this car now and am wondering whether to just break it. Would anyone have an idea on what it would break for? Life is too short to mess around anymore and of the 3 months I’ve had it, I’ve only used it for 3-4 weeks due to problems. Any further info on the car I can tell you what you need. Kind regards, Rich
Break as in sell for parts?
Seems a bit extreme.
Ongoing problems are a pain but are often because of mis diagnosis or clumsy repair so not really the car as such.
Think you’ve suffered some of this.
I would get it fixed at a well regarded indie then if you’re still not happy then sell
I agree life is too short to put up with something you no longer enjoy but someone else may enjoy the car after you.
Seems a bit extreme.
Ongoing problems are a pain but are often because of mis diagnosis or clumsy repair so not really the car as such.
Think you’ve suffered some of this.
I would get it fixed at a well regarded indie then if you’re still not happy then sell
I agree life is too short to put up with something you no longer enjoy but someone else may enjoy the car after you.
Rich-be2p2 said:
it will start up fine without any warning lights on, however it will not move forwards nor backwards. D and R light up red as normal, you can hear the click with the windows down but nothing happens.
I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that, as it's a SportShift, perhaps the clutch has worn to the point where the gearbox ECU is refusing to engage gear. There's a Bamford Rose video where Mike confirms that there is a "clutch wear" counter that the gearbox updates every time the clutch self-adjusts and, when the counter gets to a certain predetermined number, then that's it - the car will refuse to engage gear. You get no warnings, no lights, no nothing. The car refuses to move and you're stranded - time to call a trailer. It's a "feature" that Bamford Rose advocate disabling as you can still drive a car when the clutch starts to slip. Apparently, the only way to know for sure is for someone who knows hooking up AMDS or similar and interrogating the car. In the video Mike says that many customers are annoyed when the immobile car arrives on a trailer and in a few seconds with a laptop the BR guys disable the counter so they can drive it into the workshop.
Now I could be well off the mark. How close to BR are you? It may be that they might send a guy out with a laptop to confirm.
As an aside, and as the owner of a V8V SSII that I love I have to say I cannot understand WTF Aston were thinking. No warning lights, just stranding you? I don't know if the servicing workshop are meant to check the number in AMDS and warn you when it gets close, like they do with brake pad wear.
edited to add
Just found one of the videos where Mike discusses the clutch bit count - it's not the one I was initially thinking of but it illustrates the point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOJwV5awTOE
SportShift discussion starts at 4:40.
Edited by LTP on Friday 26th March 12:25
Having read the OPs woes from February, I think this will be a really simple fix for someone like Bamford Rose. Everything was battery related at the start. You'll lose £5k selling the car as is, £10k breaking it.
Depending on your AA cover, see if it can be recovered to BR. It would make a great video for Mike - "How to save a car from being broken"
Optimistic about the outcome for this, keeping fingers crossed and will watch the thread with interest.
Depending on your AA cover, see if it can be recovered to BR. It would make a great video for Mike - "How to save a car from being broken"
Optimistic about the outcome for this, keeping fingers crossed and will watch the thread with interest.
LTP said:
...there is a "clutch wear" counter that the gearbox updates every time the clutch self-adjusts and, when the counter gets to a certain predetermined number, then that's it - the car will refuse to engage gear. You get no warnings, no lights, no nothing.
Yes, no warning beforehand, but if this happens messages like this should normally appear:
Worth checking then: Hydraulic pump fuse (No. 8?), ASM pump, ASM hose leaks, clutch, transmission control module.
The other BR video about this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD9eLZm6u0g
But not only that there seems to be no dashboard warning on the OP´s car, he also seems to be able to engage "D"?
Can a faulty brake light switch stop the car from moving?
Edited by Emilio Largo on Friday 26th March 13:43
Rich-be2p2 said:
Having spent serious dough a month ago on fixing my car following a non start and the AA spiking the system as confirmed by a specialist who fixed it plus carrying out a good service, MOT, new battery, Aux belt and loads of other bits I thought my troubles would end. It’s a 2008 Vantage V8 Sportshift Roadster in black with black leather, 19’s, premium sound system, electric folding mirrors and pretty much full spec but all of a sudden it will start up fine without any warning lights on, however it will not move forwards nor backwards. D and R light up red as normal, you can hear the click with the windows down but nothing happens. I’ve had enough of this car now and am wondering whether to just break it. Would anyone have an idea on what it would break for? Life is too short to mess around anymore and of the 3 months I’ve had it, I’ve only used it for 3-4 weeks due to problems. Any further info on the car I can tell you what you need. Kind regards, Rich
I agree with others who have pointed to the sport shift auto disable. If theres no fluid under the car this seems the most likely culprit as explained by Mike on that BR video. All BR will need is a laptop to get you again mobile - but its not all good news as if confirmed, you are looking at a new clutch which will be about £3k. Painful I know, but the twin plate clutch and reduced mass flywheel is a serious upgrade to the car (one way to look at it is as an improvement investment) at least if a good indy like BR do a full inspection and confirm no other major issues you can at least relax and enjoy the car, which with the new clutch will drive much better than before. I'd advise giving yourself and the car a chance, and put the fact that the previous owner clearly skimped on key maintenance down to experience - been there, done that. It is so often the sad baptism into AM ownership.Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.
Emilio Largo said:
Yes, no warning beforehand, but if this happens messages like this should normally appear:
But not only that there seems to be no dashboard warning on the OP´s car, he also seems to be able to engage "D"?
Can a faulty brake light switch stop the car from moving?
Thanks Emilio - I hadn't seen the warnings. So my wild stab in the dark missed.But not only that there seems to be no dashboard warning on the OP´s car, he also seems to be able to engage "D"?
Can a faulty brake light switch stop the car from moving?
Picking up your point, if the car can engage "D" then this implies the clutch actuator works and can disengage the clutch as SS transmission is always in gear and with the clutch engaged when the car is switched off. The transmission wouldn't be able to engage a gear if it couldn't first disengage the clutch. As far as the brake switch goes, if you don't have your foot on the brake the transmission won't engage a gear and will sit in neutral.
If Rich is right about the symptoms and your analysis is correct, it implies the car is disengaging the clutch, engaging a gear but then refuses to engage the clutch when it's in gear, which sounds really weird.
Wow, what an incredible response - just logged in and have read through all of your messages and Thankyou all very much! I’ll put down every bit of background I can think of and see if this may shed some more light :
Last time I drove the car was Sunday 14th and did approximately 150 miles in it with no issues, it rained consistently for probably 2 hours including the time I had it parked up at the destination.
Wednesday 17th in the evening I jumped in it and reversed it back along my drive, all fine.
Thursday 18th I went to take it out for a drive, and this was when it refused to move at all.
So the symptoms are : zero warning lights on the dash, starts perfectly, everything inside works. When I select ‘D’ or ‘R’ the buttons light up, and with the window down I can hear the feint click of something engaging, but nothing happens, car just revs up without moving 🥵 I’ve had a good look under the car and also under the bonnet and can’t see any fluid leaks. I have tried the car since several times and on one occasion it did actually jolt backwards in reverse (but I had to hit the brake hard as it’s backed right against the wall haha) but after this I tried D and still nothing. Thankyou for following my previous thread, indeed the previous issue was that the car had gone into ‘safe mode’ and shut itself down - I googled specialists and the closest one was Davron in Salisbury so I gave them a call and instantly they knew what was causing the issue so I had huge faith and booked it in with them. The main mechanic Sean is a real wizard and clearly wanted to look after me, whilst it was in with them I gave them the green light to do pretty much anything that’s needed, which ended up being : Waking the car up with software and a new battery, full service, MOT, aux belt and tensioner plus a new boot lock switch. Sean mentioned to me upon collection that he had done a clutch re-learn and that now the car would react to my driving style and it’s been great for about a month. They sent me various photos of my service items in place and said the previous owner has really skimped on maintenance! He also told me on the phone the other day that he had done a clutch measurement and that it was in good enough order so seemed to dismiss a worn clutch causing the issue. Also, the car will roll forwards and backwards, as opposed to last time when it was locked in park.
A mystery!!! I’m really hoping for some good news. Recovery by them will cost around £160 again, and I don’t think they have a winch on their trailer. I’m an AA member so if I could bring myself to have enough trust in them not to knacker the car any further (or scrape the front bumper - my pet hate) I could just get it recovered into them.
Thankyou all so much, really appreciate the reassuring comments! Rich
Last time I drove the car was Sunday 14th and did approximately 150 miles in it with no issues, it rained consistently for probably 2 hours including the time I had it parked up at the destination.
Wednesday 17th in the evening I jumped in it and reversed it back along my drive, all fine.
Thursday 18th I went to take it out for a drive, and this was when it refused to move at all.
So the symptoms are : zero warning lights on the dash, starts perfectly, everything inside works. When I select ‘D’ or ‘R’ the buttons light up, and with the window down I can hear the feint click of something engaging, but nothing happens, car just revs up without moving 🥵 I’ve had a good look under the car and also under the bonnet and can’t see any fluid leaks. I have tried the car since several times and on one occasion it did actually jolt backwards in reverse (but I had to hit the brake hard as it’s backed right against the wall haha) but after this I tried D and still nothing. Thankyou for following my previous thread, indeed the previous issue was that the car had gone into ‘safe mode’ and shut itself down - I googled specialists and the closest one was Davron in Salisbury so I gave them a call and instantly they knew what was causing the issue so I had huge faith and booked it in with them. The main mechanic Sean is a real wizard and clearly wanted to look after me, whilst it was in with them I gave them the green light to do pretty much anything that’s needed, which ended up being : Waking the car up with software and a new battery, full service, MOT, aux belt and tensioner plus a new boot lock switch. Sean mentioned to me upon collection that he had done a clutch re-learn and that now the car would react to my driving style and it’s been great for about a month. They sent me various photos of my service items in place and said the previous owner has really skimped on maintenance! He also told me on the phone the other day that he had done a clutch measurement and that it was in good enough order so seemed to dismiss a worn clutch causing the issue. Also, the car will roll forwards and backwards, as opposed to last time when it was locked in park.
A mystery!!! I’m really hoping for some good news. Recovery by them will cost around £160 again, and I don’t think they have a winch on their trailer. I’m an AA member so if I could bring myself to have enough trust in them not to knacker the car any further (or scrape the front bumper - my pet hate) I could just get it recovered into them.
Thankyou all so much, really appreciate the reassuring comments! Rich
I would personally get it recovered to BR. Not heard of Davron and no disrespect to them, but for the extra cost of trailering it would give me peace of mind. The BR chaps actually developed the car/engine and are ex factory, so will know it much better than any dealer.
Get it sorted first time round for this issue and love the car again !
Nb - let’s see some pics please :-)
Edit - just googled Davron and they certainly know Astons, however, for this particular case get it to BR. Their speciality is Gaydon era cars and V8V/DB9 rather than covering the earlier stuff as well.
Get it sorted first time round for this issue and love the car again !
Nb - let’s see some pics please :-)
Edit - just googled Davron and they certainly know Astons, however, for this particular case get it to BR. Their speciality is Gaydon era cars and V8V/DB9 rather than covering the earlier stuff as well.
Edited by JonnyCJ on Friday 26th March 21:45
Emilio Largo said:
Rich-be2p2 said:
Also, the car will roll forwards and backwards, .....
Even after you´ve seleceted "D" or "R"?? Well, in this case at least we´d know it doesn´t get into gear.Perhaps verify this?
If you get this in time, as well as checking if the car will roll when in D or R, check if it’ll roll when switched off. This will check if the gearbox is selecting a gear and engaging the clutch as it should when you switch off the ignition. This won’t help you directly, but it’s another piece in the puzzle of trying to understand what the gearbox is doing.
LTP said:
If you get this in time, as well as checking if the car will roll when in D or R, check if it’ll roll when switched off. This will check if the gearbox is selecting a gear and engaging the clutch as it should when you switch off the ignition. This won’t help you directly, but it’s another piece in the puzzle of trying to understand what the gearbox is doing.
Thankyou for this advice, so yes when I pressed N and switched off the engine it would roll forwards and backwards...thought I’d check it would roll otherwise recovery could be painful! After reading all of the comments and thinking about the scenario, I can’t see it being a clutch wear issue (hopefully) but there’s definitely some gremlin in there whether being software/brake switch/sensor related (I hope!) I’m just so intrigued to know what’s causing the issue I know others have recommended BR, but don’t discount other indies. Indeed if you have formed a good rapport with the indie you took it to in the first place, then I’d stick with these. No doubt they will feel some responsibility / customer service to get this sorted for you, given the work undertaken and money spend most recently.
Also, not that I have had first hand experience of this, but I do hear others saying the communication (or lack of) from BR. I’d hate for you to experience this, after already feeling a bit fed-up with the car. Just my thoughts anyway. I’m sure you will get it sorted and enjoy the car for years to come!
Also, not that I have had first hand experience of this, but I do hear others saying the communication (or lack of) from BR. I’d hate for you to experience this, after already feeling a bit fed-up with the car. Just my thoughts anyway. I’m sure you will get it sorted and enjoy the car for years to come!
Rich-be2p2 said:
Thankyou for this advice, so yes when I pressed N and switched off the engine it would roll forwards and backwards...thought I’d check it would roll otherwise recovery could be painful!
Hmm...this doesn't sound right. Even if you select N before you key off, as far as I know all SprortShifts engage a gear and let out the clutch so the car can't roll - it's a bit like "P" in a conventional auto. I don't think there's a need to select N before you key off (I'm qualifying all my statements as I'm only really familiar with SSII so SSI could be different - I'm sure others will chip in if I get it wrong) and there's a special procedure you have to consciously carry out to make the SS transmission remain in neutral at key-off, and that will generate "Car in neutral" warnings. When I park my V8V SSII in the garage I key-off in gear, never apply the handbrake and my car can't rollSo, can I ask that you start the car, select D or R then, without selecting neutral, key off and see if the car can roll? (do it twice, once in D and once in R and check the results both times). It may be that your transmission cannot select a gear at all, even if the selector indicates it has. It may also be worth checking with the "other way" to select drive - if you use the D button try just pulling the RH paddle once, or vice-versa; in both cases the car should engage first gear and the gear indicator should show "1" for selection by paddles and D for Drive.
Sorry if I appear like I'm treating you like an idiot - that's not my intention; I'm just trying to work out exactly what your car is up to, which may help the more knowledgeable than I diagnose the root cause.
Edited by LTP on Saturday 27th March 23:08
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff