Aston Martin Vanquish 2015/16. Broke down after 4 days.
Discussion
Hi All
Long time reader here and finally purchased my first Aston Martin. A 2016 registered 2015 Vanquish. 1 owner from the main dealer. 21k miles. Full warranty etc. Picked it up Weds 21st Dec and have driven it less than 100m. Probably 50-60m.
Loved the car drove from dealer perfectly, but on Christmas Day driving the kids to their grandparents the overheat light came on, telling me to pull over. Pulled over parked up and the battery quickly went flat (due to the fan being on i assume, but is it normal to go flat that fast?). Anyway 3 different Aston Roadside Assistance people turned up and the first two couldn't get it started. Windows open automatically and it's sitting in the rain for 3hrs. 8hrs after I pulled over the 3rd one comes puts it on a large lift truck and managed to get it started with two batter packs but has taken it to the depot. The over heat light was still on so it's obviously the sensor or electrical.
My question is, should I keep the car or use the 30 days return that you have in law to get a full refund?
Probably depends on the issue, but how do Aston miss this during a "140" part check!?!
What should I ask for in return and guarantees?
When I picked the car up i was asking for things to look out for and the dealer kept saying most issues are due to not being used and it was on the trickle charger when I picked it up. Do you think they knew it was a battery issue when I got it and hoped it would work out? Low batteries can cause electric sensor issues.
Anyway, would like to hear opinions as I love the car and on paper it's perfect with just one owner and full service all from the same dealer. However, I am worried that if I keep it and it's electric issues that they could keep coming on and off and even though it has a warranty the resale will be affected by electrical issues reoccurring constantly. I have 30 days of extra consumer protection so I am thinking of cutting my losses and handing it back.
The car has 21k miles and wasn't used hardly at all over covid. Had done 3000 miles since June.
This has meant Christmas was completely ruined and we had Indian take out for dinner so obviously quite emotional and not thinking as straight as I would so would really appreciate some advice.
Thank you
D
Long time reader here and finally purchased my first Aston Martin. A 2016 registered 2015 Vanquish. 1 owner from the main dealer. 21k miles. Full warranty etc. Picked it up Weds 21st Dec and have driven it less than 100m. Probably 50-60m.
Loved the car drove from dealer perfectly, but on Christmas Day driving the kids to their grandparents the overheat light came on, telling me to pull over. Pulled over parked up and the battery quickly went flat (due to the fan being on i assume, but is it normal to go flat that fast?). Anyway 3 different Aston Roadside Assistance people turned up and the first two couldn't get it started. Windows open automatically and it's sitting in the rain for 3hrs. 8hrs after I pulled over the 3rd one comes puts it on a large lift truck and managed to get it started with two batter packs but has taken it to the depot. The over heat light was still on so it's obviously the sensor or electrical.
My question is, should I keep the car or use the 30 days return that you have in law to get a full refund?
Probably depends on the issue, but how do Aston miss this during a "140" part check!?!
What should I ask for in return and guarantees?
When I picked the car up i was asking for things to look out for and the dealer kept saying most issues are due to not being used and it was on the trickle charger when I picked it up. Do you think they knew it was a battery issue when I got it and hoped it would work out? Low batteries can cause electric sensor issues.
Anyway, would like to hear opinions as I love the car and on paper it's perfect with just one owner and full service all from the same dealer. However, I am worried that if I keep it and it's electric issues that they could keep coming on and off and even though it has a warranty the resale will be affected by electrical issues reoccurring constantly. I have 30 days of extra consumer protection so I am thinking of cutting my losses and handing it back.
The car has 21k miles and wasn't used hardly at all over covid. Had done 3000 miles since June.
This has meant Christmas was completely ruined and we had Indian take out for dinner so obviously quite emotional and not thinking as straight as I would so would really appreciate some advice.
Thank you
D
Edited by Dan1el on Monday 26th December 10:07
I mean, me?
I’d ask them to fix it and crack on enjoying it.
A sensor went haywire, that happens.
I may ask them to give me another 30 days on return in case other silliness pops up, but if I liked the car and what I paid I’d fix it and move on.
Now, that said, if you’d said I’ve used it for 100miles and used 1l of oil, I’d take a very different view… but this sounds like a sensor.
Is a car. They break. They fix. They fun.
You have a vanquish!!!!
I’d ask them to fix it and crack on enjoying it.
A sensor went haywire, that happens.
I may ask them to give me another 30 days on return in case other silliness pops up, but if I liked the car and what I paid I’d fix it and move on.
Now, that said, if you’d said I’ve used it for 100miles and used 1l of oil, I’d take a very different view… but this sounds like a sensor.
Is a car. They break. They fix. They fun.
You have a vanquish!!!!
I second the opinion.
FWIW my Rapide S back in the day had an electrical gremlin on Christmas Eve. I pressed unlock and it lowered all windows fully down, put the emergency flashers on and promptly died, in the rain, at 6pm.
As I was taping bin bags around the windows I decided it was dead to me.
2 weeks later all fixed (some sensor somewhere) and loved it for another 6 months before a 911 GTS caught my eye.
If it ticks all your other boxes then so long as the dealer plays ball (and I would ask for another 30 days just in case) you will end up fine.
FWIW my Rapide S back in the day had an electrical gremlin on Christmas Eve. I pressed unlock and it lowered all windows fully down, put the emergency flashers on and promptly died, in the rain, at 6pm.
As I was taping bin bags around the windows I decided it was dead to me.
2 weeks later all fixed (some sensor somewhere) and loved it for another 6 months before a 911 GTS caught my eye.
If it ticks all your other boxes then so long as the dealer plays ball (and I would ask for another 30 days just in case) you will end up fine.
Firstly, it's a shame your ownership experience hasn't matched expectations. My sympathy
Now my observations and comments.
You ask "How could Aston have missed this?", to which I reply "Missed what?" From your account the car worked perfectly for 4 days and 50-60 miles, so there's no evidence on the face of it that the fault was present when you acquired the car. If it is a sensor fault, then they are often binary - the sensor works faultlessly until, suddenly, it doesn't.
As has been pointed out, cars develop faults. You're clearly concerned that you've bought a "lemon" that the owner dumped because it had inherent issues. So stand back for a second - apart from the current fault, what condition is the car in? If it's on sale with a full "Timeless" warranty at an Aston main dealer then, being a low-ish mileage Vanquish, I'm going to guess it's immaculate and still looks, smells and drives like a new car. If it was serviced by the selling dealer for its life to date then it's unlikely to be a lemon, because they'd know if it was a wrong 'un and would push it out into the trade rather than sell it themselves, knowing it would likely blight their reputation. Apocryphally, you often get problems surface at a change of ownership as different owners treat and drive their cars differently. I'd ask how many times did you start it in your 4 days of ownership? Because the previous owner may have habitually put hundreds of miles on the car every time he drove it, keeping the battery charged. If you've started it a few times with no real mileage then that could help kill an ageing battery.
I'm going to take a stab in the dark and suggest that perhaps the car's been sitting around for a while since it was traded in. The battery could still be the original (the battery in my 2015 Vantage is its original) and could have gone flat after a couple of weeks of inactivity, interspersed with occasionally firing the car up to move it around. The fact that they had the car on a charger says that they may have experienced a flat battery during the prep and were topping it up so it started reliably when you collected it. The "overheat" fault could be cooling system, could be a sensor or could be due to a failing battery. The "windows opened automatically" (really?), the battery going completely flat so quickly (I'd expect the fans to shut off shortly after key-off) and the fact the rescue guys couldn't get it started may indicate nothing more than a battery on its last legs.
I'd wait until the dealer has fixed the car and gives you a report on what they found before you make a decision. I'd also ask them if it's on the original battery and, if it is (or it's not particularly new), I'd ask them to fit a new one - preferably at their expense to compensate you (good luck with that). A battery will not be covered by warranty as it's "consumable".
Going back to the battery in my Vantage (15k miles), for the last 4 years of my ownership the car has been in a garage hooked to a battery conditioner if it's not being driven. At the last service I asked my dealer to check the battery, they connected a battery tester and told me that it seems to be in good condition. But, knowing how sensitive Astons are to poor batteries, I'll probably have a new one fitted at the next service as a precaution.
You could be contemplating handing back a real gem of a Vanquish just because it sat around for a while on an old battery
Now my observations and comments.
You ask "How could Aston have missed this?", to which I reply "Missed what?" From your account the car worked perfectly for 4 days and 50-60 miles, so there's no evidence on the face of it that the fault was present when you acquired the car. If it is a sensor fault, then they are often binary - the sensor works faultlessly until, suddenly, it doesn't.
As has been pointed out, cars develop faults. You're clearly concerned that you've bought a "lemon" that the owner dumped because it had inherent issues. So stand back for a second - apart from the current fault, what condition is the car in? If it's on sale with a full "Timeless" warranty at an Aston main dealer then, being a low-ish mileage Vanquish, I'm going to guess it's immaculate and still looks, smells and drives like a new car. If it was serviced by the selling dealer for its life to date then it's unlikely to be a lemon, because they'd know if it was a wrong 'un and would push it out into the trade rather than sell it themselves, knowing it would likely blight their reputation. Apocryphally, you often get problems surface at a change of ownership as different owners treat and drive their cars differently. I'd ask how many times did you start it in your 4 days of ownership? Because the previous owner may have habitually put hundreds of miles on the car every time he drove it, keeping the battery charged. If you've started it a few times with no real mileage then that could help kill an ageing battery.
I'm going to take a stab in the dark and suggest that perhaps the car's been sitting around for a while since it was traded in. The battery could still be the original (the battery in my 2015 Vantage is its original) and could have gone flat after a couple of weeks of inactivity, interspersed with occasionally firing the car up to move it around. The fact that they had the car on a charger says that they may have experienced a flat battery during the prep and were topping it up so it started reliably when you collected it. The "overheat" fault could be cooling system, could be a sensor or could be due to a failing battery. The "windows opened automatically" (really?), the battery going completely flat so quickly (I'd expect the fans to shut off shortly after key-off) and the fact the rescue guys couldn't get it started may indicate nothing more than a battery on its last legs.
I'd wait until the dealer has fixed the car and gives you a report on what they found before you make a decision. I'd also ask them if it's on the original battery and, if it is (or it's not particularly new), I'd ask them to fit a new one - preferably at their expense to compensate you (good luck with that). A battery will not be covered by warranty as it's "consumable".
Going back to the battery in my Vantage (15k miles), for the last 4 years of my ownership the car has been in a garage hooked to a battery conditioner if it's not being driven. At the last service I asked my dealer to check the battery, they connected a battery tester and told me that it seems to be in good condition. But, knowing how sensitive Astons are to poor batteries, I'll probably have a new one fitted at the next service as a precaution.
You could be contemplating handing back a real gem of a Vanquish just because it sat around for a while on an old battery
Dan1el said:
..... This has meant Christmas was completely ruined and we had Indian take out for dinner so obviously quite emotional and not thinking as straight as I would so would really appreciate some advice.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So sorry to read your tale of woe.
Of course, all cars now have more and more electronic equipment. A failure of just one minor componen these days, seems to often cause complete chaos and a stranding.
Perhaps a replacement sensor or battery, will solve the problem and you will then be able to enjoy many years of Aston Martin motoring.
Judging by this forum over many years, our cars on average are very reliable, so hopefully better than average will soon apply to your own car.
Sounds like it's your only car, in which case reliability is important. Is an Aston as reliable as an ordinary car? I'd have to say not, and it's compounded because there are things your local garage can't fix it so it's off on a trailer to some distant dealership for a week or several.
Like you my 'apex car' experience didn't go as planned. My thoughts from 14 months of Aston ownership (during which it's been away for three of them at various places, some very good, one beyond useless) are as follows:
It sounds like the battery may be past it - I can only speak for a DB9 but the battery is only good for a fortnight unused unless on a conditioner, and you're supposed to do 30 mile+ journeys. So changing it (getting them to) would be a good start. Try to keep 12V attached during the swap to retain various settings.
It may be that everything is linked to the battery and low voltage, so as you bought it from an Aston dealer I would give them the chance to fit a new battery and make sure everything else is right - and that if they don't fix it you'll hand it back.
In my personal experience cars from dealers are more unreliable than cars bought privately. After all, if your car has some problems you don't want to pay to fix, you p/ex it at a dealer. They polish it, punt it out for a quick buck and hope the problems don't come back until it's too late. Unfortunately most cars at this level are at dealers.
In conclusion, the car deserves a chance, and so does the dealer. Ask them to make it good, and hopefully all will be well after that and you can start enjoying it as per Plan A
Like you my 'apex car' experience didn't go as planned. My thoughts from 14 months of Aston ownership (during which it's been away for three of them at various places, some very good, one beyond useless) are as follows:
It sounds like the battery may be past it - I can only speak for a DB9 but the battery is only good for a fortnight unused unless on a conditioner, and you're supposed to do 30 mile+ journeys. So changing it (getting them to) would be a good start. Try to keep 12V attached during the swap to retain various settings.
Dan1el said:
Windows open automatically and it's sitting in the rain for 3hrs.
Does this mean the interior is soaked/damaged?It may be that everything is linked to the battery and low voltage, so as you bought it from an Aston dealer I would give them the chance to fit a new battery and make sure everything else is right - and that if they don't fix it you'll hand it back.
In my personal experience cars from dealers are more unreliable than cars bought privately. After all, if your car has some problems you don't want to pay to fix, you p/ex it at a dealer. They polish it, punt it out for a quick buck and hope the problems don't come back until it's too late. Unfortunately most cars at this level are at dealers.
In conclusion, the car deserves a chance, and so does the dealer. Ask them to make it good, and hopefully all will be well after that and you can start enjoying it as per Plan A
My money is on the battery. As others have said its likely to be the original fitment and so is due for change. Dealers cars are started half a dozen times a week to shuffle them about yet don't actually get driven more than 200 yards during that time. A trickle charger can only do so much, yes it helps a battery last longer but it will still need changing at some point.
If it is the battery then its an easy and cheapish fix with Aston.
My local AM dealer just sold a used Mclaren in rhe cold spell and the battery died the day of collection. They weren't happy but were still laughing it off as it took them about an hour to gain access to the car (you get complete locked out on a Mclaren and have to jump through some hoops to get back in once the battery is dead)
They then went to order the battery to find out the gen 2 was replaced with a gen 3 battery and a mini wiring harness woukd also be required and that it was going to.be £3000
Yet these big power cars are very fickle to the correct battery working in exactly the correct way. Alternative batteries will quite often just introduce a whole load of gremlins in the electrical system.
I hope it is just the battery for you and it can quite literally happen to anyone without meaning the car is a duffer.
If it is the battery then its an easy and cheapish fix with Aston.
My local AM dealer just sold a used Mclaren in rhe cold spell and the battery died the day of collection. They weren't happy but were still laughing it off as it took them about an hour to gain access to the car (you get complete locked out on a Mclaren and have to jump through some hoops to get back in once the battery is dead)
They then went to order the battery to find out the gen 2 was replaced with a gen 3 battery and a mini wiring harness woukd also be required and that it was going to.be £3000
Yet these big power cars are very fickle to the correct battery working in exactly the correct way. Alternative batteries will quite often just introduce a whole load of gremlins in the electrical system.
I hope it is just the battery for you and it can quite literally happen to anyone without meaning the car is a duffer.
Thank you all. Making me feel better. I'm going to lay it on thick, get what I can and as long as it's only the battery then I'll keep it. Hopefully with a courtesy car, them replacing the batter and another 30days. I had a BMW 7 series and had electrical issues with 5 sensors being changed and then the whole ECU needing replacement,
It had been started a few times and then stopped at a petrol garage and started again before the issue but it was driving so should have charged.
The trickle arrives tomorrow. I purchased it before this happened.
I don't believe there will be lasting water damage. I dried it with a towel after a few hours and it wasn't soaked through.
The guys on the phone at Aston assistance really are good. Taxi for the family and then one for me to get home. They sorted the pick up of the car while I was at home. They are beholden to the quality of the team they use though. Seems they went beyond to shop around to find one as they called multiple depots to solve the issue.
It had been started a few times and then stopped at a petrol garage and started again before the issue but it was driving so should have charged.
The trickle arrives tomorrow. I purchased it before this happened.
I don't believe there will be lasting water damage. I dried it with a towel after a few hours and it wasn't soaked through.
The guys on the phone at Aston assistance really are good. Taxi for the family and then one for me to get home. They sorted the pick up of the car while I was at home. They are beholden to the quality of the team they use though. Seems they went beyond to shop around to find one as they called multiple depots to solve the issue.
Edited by Dan1el on Monday 26th December 16:14
Dan1el said:
<snip>
It had been started a few times and then stopped at a petrol garage and started again before the issue but it was driving so should have charged.
I think you might be surprised. Have a read of thisIt had been started a few times and then stopped at a petrol garage and started again before the issue but it was driving so should have charged.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/blog/power/car-batte...
It takes most vehicles about 30 minutes of driving at highway speeds to fully recharge the battery.
I often take my Vantage out shopping on a Saturday, doing about 20 miles with a couple of stops and, when I get back and hook it up to the conditioner, it often gets an amber light for the battery charge. If I take it out for a longer blast at motorway speeds then it usually gets a green light for fully charged.
Dan1el said:
I don't believe there will be lasting water damage. I dried it with a towel after a few hours and it wasn't soaked through.
I agree. AML use the same materials on a Volante as they do on a coupe, and any convertible is likely to get the odd wetting if the weather turns unexpectedly. All materials have to be tested and approved by the AML Materials labEdited by LTP on Monday 26th December 17:23
Dan1el said:
The guys on the phone at Aston assistance really are good. Taxi for the family and then one for me to get home. They sorted the pick up of the car while I was at home. They are beholden to the quality of the team they use though. Seems they went beyond to shop around to find one as they called multiple depots to solve the issue.
Wouldn't have been so much easier for everyone if the dealer had just invested in a new battery, rather than sell, hope, and let other people pick up the pieces... Dealers IMHO are as tight as a bull's arse in fly-time, and sometimes it blows up in their faces. Best one was an XKR I bought - after 40 miles the engine sound suddenly changed, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree and a trail of blue smoke was visible in the rear view mirror. 'It just needs some more petrol' they said. 'It's a specialist car, you're probably not used to it' they said 
You're being too harsh on dealers in this instance. The car was starting and driving fine so why change the battery? Maybe they should have changed all the suspension too just in case that fails to avoid all this messing about if it were to fail too.
If this does indeed turn out to be the battery then its just one of those things. 1 day it works and the next it just doesn't have enough juice to crank a v12 over.
I believe my battery is original and today it appears to be as healthy as anything but it's a MY17 car so absolutely expecting it to go into retirement at any point in the next 2 years. When it dies will be when I replace it.
If this does indeed turn out to be the battery then its just one of those things. 1 day it works and the next it just doesn't have enough juice to crank a v12 over.
I believe my battery is original and today it appears to be as healthy as anything but it's a MY17 car so absolutely expecting it to go into retirement at any point in the next 2 years. When it dies will be when I replace it.
Longy00000 said:
I believe my battery is original and today it appears to be as healthy as anything but it's a MY17 car so absolutely expecting it to go into retirement at any point in the next 2 years. When it dies will be when I replace it.
My original battery was still fine during its 8th year.
Having read some horror stories on here, by owners who became completely stuck in difficult circumstances, I had a new battery fitted at the next service. Decided I was not brave enough to push my luck and wait for it to fail.
Please let us know your story at battery failure time.
Keep your manual key to hand. -
Dan1el said:
Hi All
When I picked the car up i was asking for things to look out for and the dealer kept saying most issues are due to not being used and it was on the trickle charger when I picked it up. Do you think they knew it was a battery issue when I got it and hoped it would work out? Low batteries can cause electric sensor issues.
IMO this (most issues are due to it not being used) is pretty spot on. When it’s at the dealer it may get moved a few feet quite frequently, and/or left with the ignition on but the engine not running. Starting any car is a big draw in the battery; letting it stand with the ignition on and the engine off further draws in the battery. When I picked the car up i was asking for things to look out for and the dealer kept saying most issues are due to not being used and it was on the trickle charger when I picked it up. Do you think they knew it was a battery issue when I got it and hoped it would work out? Low batteries can cause electric sensor issues.
Yes, they may have had it on a trickle charger, but (a) what they say they did may not correspond to what they actually did, and (b) even if it was on a trickle, you don’t know for how long.
When I got my V12VS, I pottered around it for a bit. Took it out one morning to get some pastries locally for breakfast and it threw four warning lights when I restarted it - two of them red. But I was sure enough that this was all due to a low battery messing with some of the heavier drawing systems that I took a deep breath and drove on. Sure enough over ten minutes they sequentially went out. I bought a trickle charger and put it on recondition - that took over 48 hours. Now, four years on, the same battery takes 12 hours tops on the regular charger setting to get back to a green light.
It’s a little bit annoying in that on the one hand these cars behave much better if they are used, whereas on the other you can end up feeling that you want to keep the mileage down for some nebulous “protect my investment”-type reason.
With this one it sounds like bad luck at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Write it off as just that and try not to let it poison your relationship with the car. It’s one of the most beautiful cars on the road with one of the best engines, so what’s not to like!
BlackWidow13 said:
It’s a little bit annoying in that on the one hand these cars behave much better if they are used, whereas on the other you can end up feeling that you want to keep the mileage down for some nebulous “protect my investment”-type reason.
That's true; you do feel the car's value falling with every trip. Another reason why Astons are best suited as weekend cars, unless money is no object. Mine will be doing at least 6K a year (miles up, hopefully not pounds down) every year.I have collection of cars and as a result I only use every car sparingly. Despite the fact that they are all hooked up to a CTEK charger when i storage I categorically change the battery after 3 years despite usage. A new battery costs the same as a couple of full tanks of petrol so in the big scheme of things, the costs are negligible. This is compared to the agony of braking down and having an experience like the original poster to this thread. Even if cars are connected to a charger, it doesn’t 100% prevent a flat battery. If the battery is old it will show a green light with the charger on but that is misleading, as it will not be able to hold charge for long. If you then take the car out for a short spin, it will not be able to start the engine with the remaining load - especially a V12 engine which required quite a lot of power from the battery.
I wish you good luck with your new car an would ask the supplying dealer to throw in a new battery for a good measure.
I wish you good luck with your new car an would ask the supplying dealer to throw in a new battery for a good measure.
I can only imagine how your heart sunk when your dream car failed.
It’s highly likely to be the battery, really hard to predict and an issue that is present in many modern cars incl BMW and Merc. The difference is that many AM’s have far lower miles / less frequent use so until the battery is put under stress it’s hard to predict, until it lets go.
Hopefully the new battery will have you back on the road and you’ll get to love your car.
For reference I’ve had 3 AM’s and only had to replace one battery when I was get crazy errors affecting doors, windows etc and that is in over 40k miles of driving across the three.
It’s highly likely to be the battery, really hard to predict and an issue that is present in many modern cars incl BMW and Merc. The difference is that many AM’s have far lower miles / less frequent use so until the battery is put under stress it’s hard to predict, until it lets go.
Hopefully the new battery will have you back on the road and you’ll get to love your car.
For reference I’ve had 3 AM’s and only had to replace one battery when I was get crazy errors affecting doors, windows etc and that is in over 40k miles of driving across the three.
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