Inspired or idiotic? "Cheap" V8 Vantage
Discussion
You might remember that the V8 Vantage was built by Aston Martin while under the ownership of Ford. Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and Mazda were also part of the Ford stable at that time.
It’s not uncommon to find parts from ‘lesser’ marques in various places on the Aston. The ignition key is a bog-standard Ford item with an Aston badge stuck on. The (in)famous satnav is a Volvo unit.
There’s a growing list of service items that attract a crazy price when purchased from an Aston dealer, but a normal price when sourced from one of the other marques. A great example is the HVAC pollen filters - about £120 from Aston, or under £20 from Mazda.
With a bit of luck, another item is going on that list. My windscreen washer pump has failed. Aston Martin want £158 + VAT, but it turns out it’s a Jaguar part. Annoyingly, it’s still about £85 + VAT, but it’s still a decent saving for the exact same part.
So - part ordered from Rimmer Bros and on its way.- it’ll be fixed next weekend.
It’s not uncommon to find parts from ‘lesser’ marques in various places on the Aston. The ignition key is a bog-standard Ford item with an Aston badge stuck on. The (in)famous satnav is a Volvo unit.
There’s a growing list of service items that attract a crazy price when purchased from an Aston dealer, but a normal price when sourced from one of the other marques. A great example is the HVAC pollen filters - about £120 from Aston, or under £20 from Mazda.
With a bit of luck, another item is going on that list. My windscreen washer pump has failed. Aston Martin want £158 + VAT, but it turns out it’s a Jaguar part. Annoyingly, it’s still about £85 + VAT, but it’s still a decent saving for the exact same part.
So - part ordered from Rimmer Bros and on its way.- it’ll be fixed next weekend.
Nigel_O said:
You might remember that the V8 Vantage was built by Aston Martin while under the ownership of Ford. Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and Mazda were also part of the Ford stable at that time.
It’s not uncommon to find parts from ‘lesser’ marques in various places on the Aston. The ignition key is a bog-standard Ford item with an Aston badge stuck on. The (in)famous satnav is a Volvo unit.
There’s a growing list of service items that attract a crazy price when purchased from an Aston dealer, but a normal price when sourced from one of the other marques. A great example is the HVAC pollen filters - about £120 from Aston, or under £20 from Mazda.
With a bit of luck, another item is going on that list. My windscreen washer pump has failed. Aston Martin want £158 + VAT, but it turns out it’s a Jaguar part. Annoyingly, it’s still about £85 + VAT, but it’s still a decent saving for the exact same part.
So - part ordered from Rimmer Bros and on its way.- it’ll be fixed next weekend.
I'm confused. Back on the 16th you said "Last weekend saw the second anniversary of me buying the car and it rewarded me with a failed windscreen washer pump. RRP is close to £200 but I’ve got it down to ‘only’ £44. I fully expect to find a FoMoCo or Volvo symbol on the pump when it arrives, which means I should have been able to get it for <£20."It’s not uncommon to find parts from ‘lesser’ marques in various places on the Aston. The ignition key is a bog-standard Ford item with an Aston badge stuck on. The (in)famous satnav is a Volvo unit.
There’s a growing list of service items that attract a crazy price when purchased from an Aston dealer, but a normal price when sourced from one of the other marques. A great example is the HVAC pollen filters - about £120 from Aston, or under £20 from Mazda.
With a bit of luck, another item is going on that list. My windscreen washer pump has failed. Aston Martin want £158 + VAT, but it turns out it’s a Jaguar part. Annoyingly, it’s still about £85 + VAT, but it’s still a decent saving for the exact same part.
So - part ordered from Rimmer Bros and on its way.- it’ll be fixed next weekend.
If you got it down to £44 why have you ordered a Jaguar one at £85?
Just had an email to say the new windscreen washer pump is now with Evri, ready for delivery later this week.
What are the odds of it a) arriving and b) being in one piece if it does?
Still - the car is squeezed into my single garage now, ahead of Storm Ciaran (there’s a big tree outside the house - don’t fancy twigs or branches falling onto the car when the wind picks up)
What are the odds of it a) arriving and b) being in one piece if it does?
Still - the car is squeezed into my single garage now, ahead of Storm Ciaran (there’s a big tree outside the house - don’t fancy twigs or branches falling onto the car when the wind picks up)
James just serviced my Vantage, it was refreshing to deal with a garage where the owner actually gets involved. It will be the only place I will take the car to from now on, even though it is on the other side of the country.
He showed me a pic of your subframe, we then looked at mine, which has been kept in the dry, thankfully it was in great condition.
I am no mechanic, but swapping the subframe looks like a total nightmare, I actually think that you got pretty good value for money - There can’t be too many garages that can take that on!?
Well done for doing right by the car, as others have said ( and obviously I am biased ), they are one of the very best looking sports cars that has ever graced the road.
Have fun in it!
He showed me a pic of your subframe, we then looked at mine, which has been kept in the dry, thankfully it was in great condition.
I am no mechanic, but swapping the subframe looks like a total nightmare, I actually think that you got pretty good value for money - There can’t be too many garages that can take that on!?
Well done for doing right by the car, as others have said ( and obviously I am biased ), they are one of the very best looking sports cars that has ever graced the road.
Have fun in it!
With the same degree of certainty that tomorrow will be Saturday and Donald Trump will say something stupid or false in the next 24 hours, Evri have updated me to say ‘there has been a delay’ with my parcel, which in Evri-speak means they’ve lost it….
I struggle to understand how any online parts supplier would even contemplate using such a shoddy bunch of amateurs when their reputation is so poor - it reflects badly on their own company.
Of course, if I cancel the order, it will subsequently turn up a fortnight later in a box that looks like it’s been used as a football by a team of mono-syllabic apes (otherwise known as Evri parcel handlers..)
I struggle to understand how any online parts supplier would even contemplate using such a shoddy bunch of amateurs when their reputation is so poor - it reflects badly on their own company.
Of course, if I cancel the order, it will subsequently turn up a fortnight later in a box that looks like it’s been used as a football by a team of mono-syllabic apes (otherwise known as Evri parcel handlers..)
Edited by Nigel_O on Thursday 2nd November 14:42
It's very disappointing that all the rebranding and reputation curating efforts are a waste of time and money that Evri should have put into sorting out the clownshow that is thier operations system. I genuinely feel disappointed and resigned to not getting an item if I see its coming via them. Utter shambles.
I hope its with you soon Nigel!
I hope its with you soon Nigel!
Update - a few months of sporadic use and thankfully no expense, until now.
The driver’s side rear lamp has always had condensation after washing or driving in wet weather. Vantage (and DB9 & Rapide) rear lights are (in)famous for it - it’s a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’.
While the weather has been poor and the car was in the garage, I decided to do something about it.
So - lamp removed, a couple of small holes drilled in the lamp body, then a week in the airing cupboard, next to the boiler. With all the condensation gone, I then removed as much of the old silicone sealant as I could (someone has previously had a go at sealing them). After 2+ hours of picking tiny bits of sealant out of the joint between the lamp lens and body, I then smeared new sealant on the joint and left it for a couple of days to cure.
The Yorkshireman in me had a warm glow of smug satisfaction, having saved a load of cash. The next day, the sun came out, so I backed the car out of the garage to give it a quick dust-down in the warm(ish) sunshine. I started at the front, and by the time I’d got to the back of the car, the driver’s side lamp had condensation again…. Ar$e…
I was about to remove the lamp and have another go, when SWMBO mentioned that the driver’s side rear light “looked different”. I assumed she meant “clean” but she actually meant “dim”… turns out a few of the LEDs have fritzed due to the moisture. That’s the end of the DIY solution then!
After scaring myself at the cost of a pair of new lamps (c £1500), I read somewhere on PH that Aston Installations in Tewkesbury do exchange units. In a stroke of luck, they only one they have in stock right now is a driver’s side with a black surround.
So- I’m booked in on 12 April for the replacement unit, although I have a horrible feeling that I’ll be tempted with their rather excellent (if a bit pricey) Apple Carplay solution.
In other news, the new Nitron suspension hasn’t really softened since fitting, so I’m thinking about reducing the damping a bit to mitigate the slightly jiggly low-speed ride. It’s fantastic when pressing on, so I don’t want to go too far and get supple round-town driving at the expense of stability when hooning. The main issue is that the damping adjustment is on the top of the shock body, so it’s a case of strut brace off at the front and wheel and wheelarch liner off at the rear - not the work of ten minutes and not something I want to be doing often. Still, it’s zero cost, so I shouldn’t complain…
The driver’s side rear lamp has always had condensation after washing or driving in wet weather. Vantage (and DB9 & Rapide) rear lights are (in)famous for it - it’s a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’.
While the weather has been poor and the car was in the garage, I decided to do something about it.
So - lamp removed, a couple of small holes drilled in the lamp body, then a week in the airing cupboard, next to the boiler. With all the condensation gone, I then removed as much of the old silicone sealant as I could (someone has previously had a go at sealing them). After 2+ hours of picking tiny bits of sealant out of the joint between the lamp lens and body, I then smeared new sealant on the joint and left it for a couple of days to cure.
The Yorkshireman in me had a warm glow of smug satisfaction, having saved a load of cash. The next day, the sun came out, so I backed the car out of the garage to give it a quick dust-down in the warm(ish) sunshine. I started at the front, and by the time I’d got to the back of the car, the driver’s side lamp had condensation again…. Ar$e…
I was about to remove the lamp and have another go, when SWMBO mentioned that the driver’s side rear light “looked different”. I assumed she meant “clean” but she actually meant “dim”… turns out a few of the LEDs have fritzed due to the moisture. That’s the end of the DIY solution then!
After scaring myself at the cost of a pair of new lamps (c £1500), I read somewhere on PH that Aston Installations in Tewkesbury do exchange units. In a stroke of luck, they only one they have in stock right now is a driver’s side with a black surround.
So- I’m booked in on 12 April for the replacement unit, although I have a horrible feeling that I’ll be tempted with their rather excellent (if a bit pricey) Apple Carplay solution.
In other news, the new Nitron suspension hasn’t really softened since fitting, so I’m thinking about reducing the damping a bit to mitigate the slightly jiggly low-speed ride. It’s fantastic when pressing on, so I don’t want to go too far and get supple round-town driving at the expense of stability when hooning. The main issue is that the damping adjustment is on the top of the shock body, so it’s a case of strut brace off at the front and wheel and wheelarch liner off at the rear - not the work of ten minutes and not something I want to be doing often. Still, it’s zero cost, so I shouldn’t complain…
Edited by Nigel_O on Wednesday 3rd April 07:34
Went through the same waste of time with my drivers side rear lamp last year 
Baked it in the oven as per a guide on here, picked off endless bits of sealant someone had done before, prised open, holes drilled, new inner and outer sealant etc....... proud of handiwork.....moisture back within a day much worse.
Eventually the entire thing failed (pcb fried) and I managed to bag a replacement on an eBay auction for £300.
Is yours still a keeper after the investment?
weighing up making that call too.
I do fancy maybe changing it for a genuine fully optioned Prodrive car if I manage to find one; just for the rarity and “interesting” factor, even though could probably turn one into something similar for much cheaper!
Baked it in the oven as per a guide on here, picked off endless bits of sealant someone had done before, prised open, holes drilled, new inner and outer sealant etc....... proud of handiwork.....moisture back within a day much worse.
Eventually the entire thing failed (pcb fried) and I managed to bag a replacement on an eBay auction for £300.
Is yours still a keeper after the investment?
weighing up making that call too. I do fancy maybe changing it for a genuine fully optioned Prodrive car if I manage to find one; just for the rarity and “interesting” factor, even though could probably turn one into something similar for much cheaper!
Edited by Krhuangbin on Wednesday 3rd April 02:06
Krhuangbin said:
Is yours still a keeper after the investment? weighing up making that call too.
Yes, definitely a keeper for the foreseeable. My reserve fund is back up to a healthy five figures again, so I’m ready for the next bill (probably a clutch…) weighing up making that call too. Obviously, if the lottery numbers come up at the weekend, the 4.3 would be dropped for a V12S manual, but I’ve been told that pre-spending a lottery win is not good planning.
In other news - I forgot to mention that I’ve fitted the headlamp venting kit. Naturally, I haven’t driven in the rain since then….
Thought of you today, as a mid metalic grey one went the other way this morning. Had a personal plate on it, but pretty sure it was a 4.3.
My son & I have spotted a gorgeous dark metalic blue 2008 4.7 one, that a neighbour of his owns, literally just around the corner from where he lives in London, hoping we can get to chat with the owner of it.
My son & I have spotted a gorgeous dark metalic blue 2008 4.7 one, that a neighbour of his owns, literally just around the corner from where he lives in London, hoping we can get to chat with the owner of it.
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