Time to try Bamford Rose…
Discussion
I have an MOT due in early September and it will be 18 months since the last service by then, so I thought I’d best book it now.
Last year I used Aston Engineering in Derby, but at the time they were really struggling with ‘routine’ servicing of modern Astons. They were reportedly cancelling some appointments, but they honoured mine. They are now not taking on any work outside their target market of ‘classic’ stuff.
Not wanting to travel to Somerset for DAE, I thought I’d try Bamford Rose, but having read some of the feedback on here, I wasn’t expecting a prompt response. However, phone picked up in three rings (I think it was Mike) - quick discussion about a couple of the issues on the car and it’s all booked in for mid-August. I’ll be dropped off at the train station (Moreton-in-Marsh, I assume?) and I’ll collect it a week later.
It has done 65,000 miles, but it’s 16 years old now, so I think I’ll probably have plugs and transmission fluids done while it’s there.
Just need to resist looking at the ‘upgrades’ section of the BR website….
Last year I used Aston Engineering in Derby, but at the time they were really struggling with ‘routine’ servicing of modern Astons. They were reportedly cancelling some appointments, but they honoured mine. They are now not taking on any work outside their target market of ‘classic’ stuff.
Not wanting to travel to Somerset for DAE, I thought I’d try Bamford Rose, but having read some of the feedback on here, I wasn’t expecting a prompt response. However, phone picked up in three rings (I think it was Mike) - quick discussion about a couple of the issues on the car and it’s all booked in for mid-August. I’ll be dropped off at the train station (Moreton-in-Marsh, I assume?) and I’ll collect it a week later.
It has done 65,000 miles, but it’s 16 years old now, so I think I’ll probably have plugs and transmission fluids done while it’s there.
Just need to resist looking at the ‘upgrades’ section of the BR website….
I was in a similar position with regard to Aston Engineering and I've gone back to my local Main Dealer, AM Notts. (I probably live about an equidistance between the two. 
While I'm happier at indies I couldn't really fault AM Notts, very short lead times, courtesy car, turned round in a day, fixed price service, nice coffee and although they do come up with a list of 'advises' that are frankly ridiculous there is no 'hard sell' on them, only down side is the eye candy in the showroom that can lead to expensive 'upgrades'.
While I'm happier at indies I couldn't really fault AM Notts, very short lead times, courtesy car, turned round in a day, fixed price service, nice coffee and although they do come up with a list of 'advises' that are frankly ridiculous there is no 'hard sell' on them, only down side is the eye candy in the showroom that can lead to expensive 'upgrades'.
Nigel_O said:
Just need to resist looking at the ‘upgrades’ section of the BR website….
I had a bit of work done on my Vantage by BR in February. I found comms with Mike by phone and email prompt and straightforward to deal with. They completed everything they said they would in a short timescale, and importantly corrected an exhaust valve shim without any fuss where another well regarded Aston place had failed to diagnose. Whilst mine was there I had their engine remap, part decat and 3 way exhaust switch. I’d strongly recommend the engine remap, it really is brilliant.
olv said:
Whilst mine was there I had their engine remap, part decat and 3 way exhaust switch. I’d strongly recommend the engine remap, it really is brilliant.
You’re not helping…. ;-)There are some aspects of how the car drives that irritate me a little - I fancy a remap just to ‘clean up’ some of the throttle response and help it breathe.
Could you give me an indication of the cost of those mods please?
Nigel_O said:
olv said:
Whilst mine was there I had their engine remap, part decat and 3 way exhaust switch. I’d strongly recommend the engine remap, it really is brilliant.
You’re not helping…. ;-)There are some aspects of how the car drives that irritate me a little - I fancy a remap just to ‘clean up’ some of the throttle response and help it breathe.
Could you give me an indication of the cost of those mods please?
Be careful, simply making an enquiry such as yours, it how the improvement modification path starts.
Part decat etc., probably 1 grand.
Then you will want the lighter flywheel with twin plate clutch, probably 3 or 4 grand.
Mike may suggest spread one mod across each service.
My own modification journey began the other way around, following clutch failure.
I used BR first for secondary de-cats (on the day I collected the car… first stop BR), then for primary de-cat / new manifolds and sports secondaries plus the map and three-way switch, and then most recently a service. On all occasions the work has been superb, very happy with the abilities and attention to detail from Mike and team.
And his exhaust work is outstanding. It’s a shame the manifolds are hidden by heat-shields because the workmanship is exceptional.
And his exhaust work is outstanding. It’s a shame the manifolds are hidden by heat-shields because the workmanship is exceptional.
Nigel_O said:
You’re not helping…. ;-)
There are some aspects of how the car drives that irritate me a little - I fancy a remap just to ‘clean up’ some of the throttle response and help it breathe.
Could you give me an indication of the cost of those mods please?
I also highly recommend the BR remap. I had the remap, sports cats and airbox mod done a few years ago for around £2k which goes a very long way to sorting the sluggish throttle response.There are some aspects of how the car drives that irritate me a little - I fancy a remap just to ‘clean up’ some of the throttle response and help it breathe.
Could you give me an indication of the cost of those mods please?
I have subsequently had the BR manifolds, lightweight flywheel/twinplate clutch fitted, and V8S suspension fitted
Service-wise, they have looked after my car since early 2020, and always do a very thorough job on the inspection side.
Krhuangbin said:
Just got my 4.3 back from BR after service, and the decat, remap, airbox mod and exhaust switch.
Holy crap it’s fantastic. Highly highly recommended - turned it into a noticeably angrier, sharper, more “urgent” feeling and responsive car. The noise is ridiculous
I assume this is the ‘half decat?’ i.e. remove the more restrictive block in the cat, leaving the less restrictive element.Holy crap it’s fantastic. Highly highly recommended - turned it into a noticeably angrier, sharper, more “urgent” feeling and responsive car. The noise is ridiculous
Could you give me an idea of cost please (by message if you would rather not mention on the open forum)
My 4.3 has been ridiculously reliable and ‘cheap’ to own, so I’m thinking of spending some of the emergency fund I had set aside. Of course, as soon as it’s spent, something will break, but I can dip into the kids’ inheritance….
Nigel_O said:
I assume this is the ‘half decat?’ i.e. remove the more restrictive block in the cat, leaving the less restrictive element.
Could you give me an idea of cost please (by message if you would rather not mention on the open forum)
My 4.3 has been ridiculously reliable and ‘cheap’ to own, so I’m thinking of spending some of the emergency fund I had set aside. Of course, as soon as it’s spent, something will break, but I can dip into the kids’ inheritance….
Could you give me an idea of cost please (by message if you would rather not mention on the open forum)
My 4.3 has been ridiculously reliable and ‘cheap’ to own, so I’m thinking of spending some of the emergency fund I had set aside. Of course, as soon as it’s spent, something will break, but I can dip into the kids’ inheritance….
Up to model year 2010 (no manifold cats), BR like to do a package.
Remove one of the two 'bricks' in each cat.
N400 air box mod.
Hidden 3-way switch.
ECU software adjustment.
A couple of years ago, I think it was just into 4 figs, perhaps a little less if combined with a service.
Excellent result. Very pleased.
My understanding is the OEM cats contain a 900 cell brick and a 400 cell brick.
The other good mod is a twin plate clutch, but perhaps wait for clutch failure before doing that.
Edited by Dewi 2 on Saturday 29th July 09:58
Dewi 2 said:
Up to model year 2010 (no manifold cats), BR like to do a package.
Remove one of the two 'bricks' in each cat.
N400 air box mod.
Hidden 3-way switch.
ECU software adjustment.
A couple of years ago, I think it was just into 4 figs, perhaps a little less if combined with a service.
Excellent result. Very pleased.
My understanding is the OEM cats contain a 900 cell brick and a 400 cell brick.
The other good mod is a twin plate clutch, but perhaps wait for clutch failure before doing that.
Edited by Dewi 2 on Saturday 29th July 09:58
£1,460 excluding VAT.
Hmmm - £1750-ish isn’t really “just into four figures”….
I might have to apply my best Yorkshire bargaining, but I’ll wait to see if the service and MOT throw up any horrors first. I have a feeling I’m going to be told a clutch pipe needs replacing and that the rear shocks are shot. The latter is going to sting a bit, as it will mean a full set (possibly Nitrons from DAE)
I might have to apply my best Yorkshire bargaining, but I’ll wait to see if the service and MOT throw up any horrors first. I have a feeling I’m going to be told a clutch pipe needs replacing and that the rear shocks are shot. The latter is going to sting a bit, as it will mean a full set (possibly Nitrons from DAE)
Nigel_O said:
Hmmm - £1750-ish isn’t really “just into four figures”….
I might have to apply my best Yorkshire bargaining, but I’ll wait to see if the service and MOT throw up any horrors first. I have a feeling I’m going to be told a clutch pipe needs replacing and that the rear shocks are shot. The latter is going to sting a bit, as it will mean a full set (possibly Nitrons from DAE)
I might have to apply my best Yorkshire bargaining, but I’ll wait to see if the service and MOT throw up any horrors first. I have a feeling I’m going to be told a clutch pipe needs replacing and that the rear shocks are shot. The latter is going to sting a bit, as it will mean a full set (possibly Nitrons from DAE)
I purposely said, 'a couple of years ago'. Prices have probably increased since then, or possibly it might be different for regular customers.
Anyway the main point being, the £1,750 figure is not for the modification that we were discussing. An 'apples and pears' comparison.
Extract - 'The alteration takes account of the different gas flow characteristics from the 200 cell free-flow catalysts (compared to the factory OEM 900/400 cell catalysts) optimising performance by running the 200 cell catalysts at the correct temperature. It also ensures that the engine diagnostics are recalibrated to ensure that no false emissions warnings are raised.'
My OEM 900/400 cats just had the 900 'bricks' removed, then the original cats were refitted. The description above must be for replacement of the OEM 900/400 cats, with two new 200 cell cats. My car is therefore now running a pair of 400 cell cats. I wonder whether a pair of new 200 cell cats might be too loud for my liking. 400 is thunderous at full acceleration, although subdued at steady throttle and as quiet in the cabin as OEM, with the 3-way exhaust valve switch closed.
If you want to, you could play my MoT game. A main dealer does my MoTs and that dealer does their own on-site MoTs. Think some might still contract out.
The game is they are only allowed to charge the standard MoT price. No AML added tax, but you get the MD coffee and cakes, AM magazine, plus some toys to inspect. They always ask about servicing, but my hearing seems to develop a weakness at that point. The date is usually at the end of winter layups, so I can enjoy a 50 mile drive without needing to start the road tax. A pass with no advisories each year.
You will be able to judge BR standards next month. Hope you will be pleased.
Edited by Dewi 2 on Sunday 30th July 06:49
Dewi 2 said:
I Hope you will be pleased.
I can’t imagine any circumstances where I’ll be displeased with the service. The size of the bill might cause me some temporary grumpiness though…You’re right - I think the £1750 includes new 200-cell cats, which some Googling suggests will be a bit too raucous. I rather fancy the idea of losing the 900-cell bricks and just having something that will still cruise at near-standard sound levels, but gets a bit fruity at higher revs.
Currently, I’m running without Fuse 22, as the vacuum pipes have a leak somewhere that means the pump runs constantly. I’ll probably get BR to fit new hoses so that I can have their three-way switch installed - that way, a cruise in ‘quiet mode’ with 400-cell cats will probably be quieter than my current ‘loud-mode’ cruise with OE cats.
I convinced myself that I wouldn’t get onto the slippery slope of modding. I’m still resisting trying to make it faster, but eliminating some of the idiosyncrasies of the car would be nice. The emergency fund I set aside almost two years ago is untouched and burning a hole in my pocket, so I might as well put it to good use…
There’s three key groups of mods that BR do that will enhance any V8, these are exhaust, clutch and suspension. There’s much beyond that, of course, like fitting ‘S’ brakes, engine overhaul and all sorts of other maintenance stuff, but I guess Mike would say the three principle upgrades or his bread and butter, beyond routine service would be the above.
Exhaust mods on offer differ by model as both OEM start point and budgets differ, but centre around changes to or replacement of exhaust and sometimes inlet manifolds and catalysts together with a light remap/calibration tweak and installation of the exhaust valve mode switch .
Clutch mods centre on the twin friction plate lightened flywheel upgrade, with ASM cal tweaks to optimise the behaviour of the sportshift-equipped cars.
Suspension mods involve replacement of OEM systems for upgraded Bilstein based systems with switchable option as fitted to the later cars, together with a very good geometry optimisation. The source of the components may have changed, or other options added, it’s now been 3 years since mine was done.
Taken in isolation, each of these modifications manifests as an immediately noticeable improvement in the car. Taken together, in one high cost hit (as I did) it’s like having a new car.
While BR isn’t without its faults as often highlighted in this forum, I don’t think there is any independent with better knowledge of how to look after and get the best out of the n/a Gaydon cars.
My own car, featured in the 10yr old article below below must be unique as the full suite of BR upgrades as described above was installed to it when it was near-new, removed and much later fully re-installed
Exhaust mods on offer differ by model as both OEM start point and budgets differ, but centre around changes to or replacement of exhaust and sometimes inlet manifolds and catalysts together with a light remap/calibration tweak and installation of the exhaust valve mode switch .
Clutch mods centre on the twin friction plate lightened flywheel upgrade, with ASM cal tweaks to optimise the behaviour of the sportshift-equipped cars.
Suspension mods involve replacement of OEM systems for upgraded Bilstein based systems with switchable option as fitted to the later cars, together with a very good geometry optimisation. The source of the components may have changed, or other options added, it’s now been 3 years since mine was done.
Taken in isolation, each of these modifications manifests as an immediately noticeable improvement in the car. Taken together, in one high cost hit (as I did) it’s like having a new car.
While BR isn’t without its faults as often highlighted in this forum, I don’t think there is any independent with better knowledge of how to look after and get the best out of the n/a Gaydon cars.
My own car, featured in the 10yr old article below below must be unique as the full suite of BR upgrades as described above was installed to it when it was near-new, removed and much later fully re-installed
Edited by Calinours on Sunday 30th July 10:23
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