2008 V8 Vantage Paint and Interior Leather restoration

[Lionhead]

Hi all

In the three years I've owned my 60k mile V8 Vantage N400 Coupe I have been trying to restore the car to its former glory after what appears to be years of neglect. Having now spent about as much on maintenance and upgrades as I originally spent buying the car, I'm nearing the point where the only things I've not sorted is the paintwork and the seats.

The paintwork (lightning silver) is in largely perfect condition, but there are a couple of cracks in the paintwork on the roof join (sure there is technical name for this, but I don't know it) and a couple of spots of bubbling. Pictures attached.

First question is who would you guys recommend using to sort these defects (I assume these can be sorted without a big respray job given the locations)? The second question is whether or not this is just the start, and more bubbling etc. will appear and as such, should I consider a full respray? And the final question re: the paintwork is if I was to go for a respray, now or in the future, what cost would you expect? (I was given an estimate of £30k by Aston Martin Works which I assume would be the very top end!).

In terms of the leather, this is all in pretty good condition considering the mileage. I had the dash panels sorted last year after I shrunk the leather on a trip to Spain where I didn't use a windscreen foil! The passenger seat is fine, but there is wear by the seatbelt on the drivers side, and the seat bolster is looking like it might start to go soon. Pictures attached.

What approach, and who, would you guys recommend for these leather items?

[Krhuangbin]

Lionhead said:

Hi all

In the three years I've owned my 60k mile V8 Vantage N400 Coupe I have been trying to restore the car to its former glory after what appears to be years of neglect. Having now spent about as much on maintenance and upgrades as I originally spent buying the car, I'm nearing the point where the only things I've not sorted is the paintwork and the seats.

The paintwork (lightning silver) is in largely perfect condition, but there are a couple of cracks in the paintwork on the roof join (sure there is technical name for this, but I don't know it) and a couple of spots of bubbling. Pictures attached.

First question is who would you guys recommend using to sort these defects (I assume these can be sorted without a big respray job given the locations)? The second question is whether or not this is just the start, and more bubbling etc. will appear and as such, should I consider a full respray? And the final question re: the paintwork is if I was to go for a respray, now or in the future, what cost would you expect? (I was given an estimate of £30k by Aston Martin Works which I assume would be the very top end!).

In terms of the leather, this is all in pretty good condition considering the mileage. I had the dash panels sorted last year after I shrunk the leather on a trip to Spain where I didn't use a windscreen foil! The passenger seat is fine, but there is wear by the seatbelt on the drivers side, and the seat bolster is looking like it might start to go soon. Pictures attached.

What approach, and who, would you guys recommend for these leather items?

I'd be really interested in this too - mine is similar age/mileage with nearly identical bits of small deterioration to yours!

I hear a company called Colourlock do some great quality leather repair kits for small bits and pieces, and i'm going to try one of these in the coming months, however paintwork I wouldn't know where to start.....

[TR-Spider]

+1 on colourlock - I use that ofter for leather paint correction/refreshment/scratch repair.
Check the store (amazon), they have quite a lot specific Aston leather colours.

[SL500UK]

I used a reputable local body shop to deal with a few bubbles on the handle and bottom of the driver's door - they seemed to have done a pretty decent job for around 40% less than an AM approved repairer.

[flatfour]

I know a great paintshop in the South. Where are you based?

[Lionhead]

flatfour said:

I know a great paintshop in the South. Where are you based?

Primarily based in Gloucestershire, but also have a base in Devon.

[leerandle]

I used a paint shop in Bristol for my 2006 Vantage, got the doors and other bits done at the same time. Brin Jones Car Body Repair

Because mine is an unusual colour (Oyster silver) they had to get a specialist in to mix the paint and it was perfect (They tried all the usual methods first)

Thoroughly recommended as they have worked on my Aston, Porsche and BMW and cant fault them.

[macdeb]

£30k for a respray?
FFS!

[Ninja59]

The Works quote is in the right ballpark all day long for a full respray from them.

Their work is very good, but very much top end price wise and in every other sense of the word. I have had some private and warranty work by the team under Ollie, with only one real issue which was well handled once I spoke with Justin and Paul.

Given the colour I will be entirely honest though silver is an absolute pig to colour match. For it to look right if you are just repairing the areas in question then I would prepare for it to require a much larger area than you possibly suspect.

For example mine has had the bonnet, roof, one door, both rear 3/4s done. For that they have had to blend into both bumpers and a couple of other areas and my car is fundamentally red, one of the easiest to match unlike silver.

The roof looks like possible flexing and general wear and tear. The bubbling on the handle will spread as the moisture lifts the paint film and then disappears, the colder and freezing temperatures will acclerate the issue as well.

I would get a trimmer to look at the leath unless you want to go down the route of replacing the cover.

[macdeb]

At £30k for paint that's knocking on the value of a 2008 Vantage. Can't see anyone valuing such a car at £60k plus so ball park or not (I think latter as it's a ridiculous amount) it's a non-starter.

[Ninja59]

Depends on your point of view really, if you are not planning on selling it, you consider it worthwhile then cost aside you have a known quantity with Works who have done everything from pre war right up to doing some work on the DB12. I am aware of even a vehicle, that many would prefer to forget, the infamous Cygnet that Works has done a LOT of work on, even possibly a full respray if memory serves.

One of the very biggest "issues" really with AM is the lack of orange peel, whereas on many cars you actively want some orange peel to match the rest of the paint and then just polish back with AM you really need to sand it to get it to look right which has a natural cost in terms of time, skill and materials.

This was part of the work mine received, this being post paint and during sanding in their light tunnel:

Edited by Ninja59 on Friday 5th January 17:38

[Simpo Two]

Lionhead said:

there are a couple of cracks in the paintwork on the roof join

My DB9 has a fine crack where the rear quarter meets the roof. I didn't spot it until after I'd bought the 'accident-free' car and was cleaning it. I was able to swap e-mails with the former owner and he told me it had had a clout from a van in that quarter. So could yours have had some damage in the past? Or are Astons just prone to cracking in the joins?

[Lionhead]

Ninja59 said:

Depends on your point of view really, if you are not planning on selling it, you consider it worthwhile then cost aside you have a known quantity with Works who have done everything from pre war right up to doing some work on the DB12. I am aware of even a vehicle, that many would prefer to forget, the infamous Cygnet that Works has done a LOT of work on, even possibly a full respray if memory serves.

Edited by Ninja59 on Friday 5th January 17:38

I agree with this. I don't necessarily worry too much about the economics in terms of investment vs value. I've already spent way more on the car than I would get back if I sold it, but equally, compared to previous much newer cars which were costing me £10k - £15k per year in depreciation, I'm probably still better off with the Aston in terms of overall ownership. With everything else now mechancially sorted, if I spent £30k with Works on a respray and £5k patching up the couple of bits of leather, in three years time I have effectively made my money back by not having a depreciating car.

Antoher way I look at this. Buy a Vantage for £30k. Spend £30k on respray, £30k on a new engine build, and £30k refreshing all other mechanical components to make the car as-new, you'd effectively have an old new Vantage for £120k - and there isn't a modern car around that I would even begin to consider over the old Vantage (which when factoring in indexation is probably a £135k car).

I love the car. I don't like the interior of the 4.7 and whilst I can appreciate the V12 for what it is, I wouldn't swap as I prefer the sound and looks of the V8, and with the perfortmance tweaks from BR I'm more than happy with the performance (that's not to say I won't add a V12 roadster at some point). The new Vantage doesn't appeal to me, and as much as I considered the DB12, I can't help but prefer the old Vantage. Add to all that the fact that we have lost of memories on roadtrips and the fact that by chance my car was registered on the same day my wife and I met for the first time, and the car is a keeper. So...man-maths must apply!

All of that of course doesn't mean I will invest £30k in a respray from Works right not, I might get the couple of bits patched up and do a 20 year birthday respray in five years time (following the footsteps of STG and his 360).

Edited by Lionhead on Saturday 6th January 11:55

[Lionhead]

leerandle said:

I used a paint shop in Bristol for my 2006 Vantage, got the doors and other bits done at the same time. Brin Jones Car Body Repair

Because mine is an unusual colour (Oyster silver) they had to get a specialist in to mix the paint and it was perfect (They tried all the usual methods first)

Thoroughly recommended as they have worked on my Aston, Porsche and BMW and cant fault them.

Thanks, will give them a shout and have a chat.

[flatfour]

Dick Lovett have a paint shop in Bristol, some high end cars painted.

[mkjess123]

I can recommend Gavin Hibbard at Chard.