Tales of a V8V (illustrated)
Discussion
To be honest, the test drive was more of a chance to experience the much raved about V12, and see if I could buck the "if you drive one you`ll buy one" trend. Mission completed. Ok, it needed to be a car I was actually fond of visually, so if it had been overwhelmingly fantastic I would have been in a quandary, but in all truth I`m not in a position to upgrade? at the moment and depreciation + finance is not a game I like to play. I guess I`ll try a V12 manual at some stage too just to feel the difference, but I am still more than stoked with my V8 and still have plans for it. Cheers.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Friday 25th October 20:53
A couple of days ago I came down to the Vantage after my wife had been out in it the day before, to discover it seemed to have a very low battery, it unlocked and the clock worked but that was it, no life on the dash, and would not start. No idea what caused this as everything seemed normal and she is no stranger to driving the car. The battery was new two years ago so should not be the issue.
I hooked the battery up to a trickle charger and after a couple of hours it allowed the V8 to once again burst into life with positivity, but it came with a couple of negatives. The windows would not seat in the top as they are supposed to when you close the doors, just hung in the lower position permanently, and the drivers seat controls only moved the thing forward, not back at all.
Now I have read that this is not unusual if a battery is replaced or goes flat, and things have to be reset. The cool thing is the reset process is damn simple and I would like to pass it on in case anyone else suffers the same malady.
Window reset:
Sit in the car. Turn the ignition (not the motor) on. Push on the driver`s window button until the window is fully down and leave your finger on the button for about 5 seconds.
Pull on the driver`s window button until the window is fully up, and keep pressure on the button for 5 seconds.
That`s it!
As you are holding the button for the 5 seconds, after 2-3 seconds you should hear a little noise, almost a buzz, which is the system "relearning" where it is supposed to be.
Do this for the passenger window too, but of course you can do it from the drivers side controls.
Seat reset:
Turn the ignition (not the motor) on. Get out of the car. Move the steering wheel to it`s forward most position so it does not get in the way.
Push the seat forward control, until the seat goes as far forward as possible, then hold for 5 seconds.
Push the front of seat up control, until the seat front stops at it`s highest point, and hold for 5 seconds.
Push the rear of seat up control until the seat rear stops at it`s highest point, and hold for 5 seconds.
Push the seat back recline control forward, until the seat back tilts as far forward as possible, hold for 5 seconds.
The seat controls should be reset!
I hooked the battery up to a trickle charger and after a couple of hours it allowed the V8 to once again burst into life with positivity, but it came with a couple of negatives. The windows would not seat in the top as they are supposed to when you close the doors, just hung in the lower position permanently, and the drivers seat controls only moved the thing forward, not back at all.
Now I have read that this is not unusual if a battery is replaced or goes flat, and things have to be reset. The cool thing is the reset process is damn simple and I would like to pass it on in case anyone else suffers the same malady.
Window reset:
Sit in the car. Turn the ignition (not the motor) on. Push on the driver`s window button until the window is fully down and leave your finger on the button for about 5 seconds.
Pull on the driver`s window button until the window is fully up, and keep pressure on the button for 5 seconds.
That`s it!
As you are holding the button for the 5 seconds, after 2-3 seconds you should hear a little noise, almost a buzz, which is the system "relearning" where it is supposed to be.
Do this for the passenger window too, but of course you can do it from the drivers side controls.
Seat reset:
Turn the ignition (not the motor) on. Get out of the car. Move the steering wheel to it`s forward most position so it does not get in the way.
Push the seat forward control, until the seat goes as far forward as possible, then hold for 5 seconds.
Push the front of seat up control, until the seat front stops at it`s highest point, and hold for 5 seconds.
Push the rear of seat up control until the seat rear stops at it`s highest point, and hold for 5 seconds.
Push the seat back recline control forward, until the seat back tilts as far forward as possible, hold for 5 seconds.
The seat controls should be reset!
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 26th October 18:36
Wessa said:
Kia Ora Dean,
Great write up and photo's mate, superb work on both.
I'm an Essex lad originally, and have been living just west outside Christchurch for the past 10 years now. I can also appreciate your love of Swiss as i used to snowboard there and France every year, its a fantastic place, oh man, those tunnels are Epic eh.
I too have the same colour AM manual V8V spec along with black parts - stock wheels, bonnet mesh, six slate grill, side trims, exhaust tips and window surrounds..
What a car.. I've not had it long and make the most of my South Island roads..
Having driven the same model a few years ago at a Rockingham track day, i also had the same one day mindset. Your dead a long time aye.
Keep the blog going and the tips are always handy.
Cheers mate,
Gary.
Kia Ora Gary, love the number plate, can refer to you or the car!Great write up and photo's mate, superb work on both.
I'm an Essex lad originally, and have been living just west outside Christchurch for the past 10 years now. I can also appreciate your love of Swiss as i used to snowboard there and France every year, its a fantastic place, oh man, those tunnels are Epic eh.
I too have the same colour AM manual V8V spec along with black parts - stock wheels, bonnet mesh, six slate grill, side trims, exhaust tips and window surrounds..
What a car.. I've not had it long and make the most of my South Island roads..
Having driven the same model a few years ago at a Rockingham track day, i also had the same one day mindset. Your dead a long time aye.
Keep the blog going and the tips are always handy.
Cheers mate,
Gary.
Your Vantage looks very much like mine in that colour with all the sundry black bits!
You can certainly have a bit more freedom on those South Island roads than the North...
Cheers!
It`s that time of the year in the northern climes where you put your car into hibernation or put on your winter rubber. That was my task a couple of days ago, removing the sports packs with the revelation that was the Michelin PS4s this summer, and putting on the original seven spokes and Pirelli Sottozeros that have been very good, seeing me through four winters and should get through a fifth. I can`t complain about the tyres I now have, I think they are perfectly fitting to the car and the conditions I drive in.
I enjoy this seasonal wheel change, as each set of wheels gives the car a different look, and every six (ish) months it`s like a refresh.
I have to smile when I think of picking up my sports pack wheels from the AM dealership to take them for the PS4s, and the boss of the garage told me to make sure I fit the AM Bridgestones, as anything else could give problems... the only problem the PS4s give is showing the inadequacies of the Potenzas...
Prior to the wheel change I had a small job to attend to that had been hanging around for about three years. A coin had dropped into my cigarette lighter, or USB accessory charging port adapter as it`s probably more commonly used these days, and shorted the thing out. It had not bothered me particularly, but my wife is a serial iPhone abuser so I figured I`d fix it, wrap it in tinsel and call it a Christmas present. With a card of course.
Accessing the cabin fuse box is a process of peeling back the passenger side carpet from the front which reveals an alloy access panel with seven T30 screws. Inside lies the fuse box and the one in question here was #55. Note that these fuses are a mini or micro version of the well known fuse 22, so after seeing this I had to go and source a tiny fuse, but once inserted into the slot the charging port once again showed life and job done!
Wheel change time. Having worked in petrol stations/garages with tyre bays as a teenager, scraping together funds for automotive misadventure, I am well versed with the process. I was somewhat amused upon moving to Switzerland that the vast majority of folks paid to have their wheels changed and stored rather than do it themselves. My wife, then fiance, thought I was quite the rugged handyman when I said, "Bugger that, I`ll do it myself!" In my limited observations of family and friends, it would appear that Swiss gents, for the most part, are not the most DIY oriented Y chromosomes on the planet.
Recently I acquired David Ramsbotham`s custom made rubber jacking pads, which I used in lieu of the hockey puck I had purchased previously, and they do a bespoke job as intended. Recommended if you want to jack safely...
After three wheels were changed I came to the front right, which leads me on to small job number two. I had noticed that the front right headlight was not seated properly into the body work, and hung down a little, creating a gap. Also, if I gave it a bit of a poke it wobbled around a smidge. Not ideal, clearly.
After removing the wheel I undid sundry retaining screws to peel back the wheel arch liner without removing it completely, clamped it out of the way, and flashlight in hand, proceeded to investigate.
It seemed as I squinted through my reading glasses (and this is purely speculation on my part, as the area in question would give a gynecologist pause for review) that there is a mounting bracket molded on the base of the headlight unit, which was broken, leaving more or less a centimetre of free play up and down, plus a little back and forth. It seems from the movement you can provoke from the headlight that this is a crucial mount.
Woe is he that goes to Aston Martin Switzerland with a 12 year old Vantage and presents a fault like this. Basically the prognosis would be to replace the entire headlight unit, plus sundry parts and labour, with a resulting invoice that could have purchased a Korean runabout, six bottles of Laphroaig, and food for a month. Eating out.
Armed with enthusiasm and a will to save, I cut and then wrapped a piece of cork in insulation tape and skillfully (clumsily) inserted (stuffed) it into the vacant space between broken bit and broken bit. I then wove (poked) gaffer tape in the general direction to try and assist with keeping precision-forged cork in place. Quickly screw wheel arch liner back in place, attach winter wheel, release jack... job done.
Yeah well, at the end of the day I know the problem, and if my somewhat bodge repair that I am a little bit embarrassed by does not hold, I am back where I started anyway. I have added this to a list of things, not extensive you understand, that I shall have Bamford Rose attend to when I head north, hopefully early in the new year.
Thanks to my lil buddy for helping me with the work, and learning early, yes, you should smear a little grease on the threads!
OK... It`s been mostly positivity and good vibes so far with my tungsten terror, but there are a few minor niggles that have crept in that I shall lay out here. In reality these are things that you would just shrug and endure with most cars as a part of the ownership/age process, and to be fair this is mostly what I have done, as it does not stop me in any way from using and enjoying the car, but in the interest of maintaining an informative and accurate thread of ownership, here we go.
Foggy headlights - Never been an issue, started to appear this year. Weirdly the car has been garaged for the last 18 month whereas previously I had it outside for nearly three years! How a well known and habitual problem such as this is not given a retro-active fix by AM is a bit poor. I have only experienced it for a few weeks and it has not reappeared for the last couple of months but I guess that now it`s there it will never not be an issue. Ultimately it does not piss me off enough to do something about it just yet, but the ego dictates that this car should not look like that.
Sat Nav Gears - The sat nav screen was a little temperamental occasionally, not fully unfolding and requiring a little push to go that extra centimetre to fully open. Well one such push resulted in a noticeable "click" and now the thing is manual operation only. Again, not a biggy as I use the GPS about 2.5% of the time, but still not what you want. Mike at BR assures me it`s some cheap plastic gears and a not very labour intensive fix.
Stereo speakers - Shortly after buying the car the right hand speaker occasionally went AWOL and I left the car with AM while away overseas and they rectified the problem, but it has recently returned and is now also an affliction that the left side suffers, misery loves company, right. I love music and that is why I`d rather listen to my exhaust than the stereo, but on longer trips when you want some Audioslave, Fat Freddy`s Drop or Queen caressing your ear buds, it`s a bit of an annoyance.
Clutch pedal - When depressing sometimes it sound like there`s a gerbil trapped underneath. Intermittent ( the worst fault of all) and probably fixed by just a bit of lubricant, but like bad windscreen wipers, you only think about it when it rains.
Windscreen wipers - No, nothing wrong here, just thought I`d write this as it amused me. Sorry.
Fuel cap release button - Not sure if this is a precursor to a major "stuck in the middle of no where" issue, but in recent months it requires a more deft and prolonged push to get the flap to open.
First world problems, right!
Foggy headlights - Never been an issue, started to appear this year. Weirdly the car has been garaged for the last 18 month whereas previously I had it outside for nearly three years! How a well known and habitual problem such as this is not given a retro-active fix by AM is a bit poor. I have only experienced it for a few weeks and it has not reappeared for the last couple of months but I guess that now it`s there it will never not be an issue. Ultimately it does not piss me off enough to do something about it just yet, but the ego dictates that this car should not look like that.
Sat Nav Gears - The sat nav screen was a little temperamental occasionally, not fully unfolding and requiring a little push to go that extra centimetre to fully open. Well one such push resulted in a noticeable "click" and now the thing is manual operation only. Again, not a biggy as I use the GPS about 2.5% of the time, but still not what you want. Mike at BR assures me it`s some cheap plastic gears and a not very labour intensive fix.
Stereo speakers - Shortly after buying the car the right hand speaker occasionally went AWOL and I left the car with AM while away overseas and they rectified the problem, but it has recently returned and is now also an affliction that the left side suffers, misery loves company, right. I love music and that is why I`d rather listen to my exhaust than the stereo, but on longer trips when you want some Audioslave, Fat Freddy`s Drop or Queen caressing your ear buds, it`s a bit of an annoyance.
Clutch pedal - When depressing sometimes it sound like there`s a gerbil trapped underneath. Intermittent ( the worst fault of all) and probably fixed by just a bit of lubricant, but like bad windscreen wipers, you only think about it when it rains.
Windscreen wipers - No, nothing wrong here, just thought I`d write this as it amused me. Sorry.
Fuel cap release button - Not sure if this is a precursor to a major "stuck in the middle of no where" issue, but in recent months it requires a more deft and prolonged push to get the flap to open.
First world problems, right!
BlackV8 said:
Clutch pedal, mine is a Sportshift so no idea...
Thanks for the feedback and tips 
Regarding clutch, you should speak to the dealer, sounds like they short-changed you one pedal!
blade runner said:
My RH speaker went AWOL one day. Fixed by just switching on the radio and turning the volume dial up as quickly as possible to max. Seemed to 'shock' the speaker into working again and it's not come back since. Might be worth a try?
Yes, that has been the ongoing "fix" - a burst of full volume, but it does not always work and unlike yours, comes back, sadly.Graze01 said:
are u sure it's the button not the flap being misaligned from pressing the cap into the holder when u fill up. Because the hole u push the cap into is eccentric over time the off centre pressure moves the whole flap out of position. T30 Torx bit, extension, small ratchet, loosen two bolts, adjust and retighten - worth a try. It fixed mine
Graeme
Good tip, I`ll take a look, I actually figured it was more the fuel cap end rather than the button but my wording was unclear. Cheers!Graeme
Hey there Astoholics! Since our last meeting I have to admit that I have not given up, but I have tried to cut back a little...
I got a bit of lubrication into all the peddles and they have been squeak and noise free since, and T30 torx`d that fuel filler cap and now it pops open first touch of the button. It had certainly been a alignment issue as it was rubbing slightly at the bottom as you suspected Graeme, cheers for that, and while it`s certainly not concentric now, I`ll put that down to hand-made quirkiness, it now works as it should.
Yesterday, was one of those days when a car vacuum became the full pretzel interior treatment... leather cleaning, softening, conditioning, cleaning in the air vents, button recesses, getting the alloy pedals and footrest clean of sundry grub, windows, boot/hatch-back top to bottom, etc. While the car gets a bit of a clean here and there as required, the once over is maybe an annual occurrence, and while I don`t time it, it sucks about 3-4 hours out of your time, but very satisfactory, and of course I become a car snob for the next month. "Hey, are your shoes clean!?"
I got a bit of lubrication into all the peddles and they have been squeak and noise free since, and T30 torx`d that fuel filler cap and now it pops open first touch of the button. It had certainly been a alignment issue as it was rubbing slightly at the bottom as you suspected Graeme, cheers for that, and while it`s certainly not concentric now, I`ll put that down to hand-made quirkiness, it now works as it should.
Yesterday, was one of those days when a car vacuum became the full pretzel interior treatment... leather cleaning, softening, conditioning, cleaning in the air vents, button recesses, getting the alloy pedals and footrest clean of sundry grub, windows, boot/hatch-back top to bottom, etc. While the car gets a bit of a clean here and there as required, the once over is maybe an annual occurrence, and while I don`t time it, it sucks about 3-4 hours out of your time, but very satisfactory, and of course I become a car snob for the next month. "Hey, are your shoes clean!?"
I was supposed to be in Sydney for a shoot next month, however it`s been canned because of Covid-19, so I would happily do a car cleaning if I could recoup the lost income!
Other shoots are on the cusp of dropping too as companies weigh up the pros and cons, and health usually comes out on top, not unwisely. It isn`t a happy time from a self-employed, internationally traveling photographer perspective.
The big photo agencies are in a bit of a crisis mode currently as all the planning for sports events and especially the Tokyo Olympics is having to be reconsidered, the potential disruption is huge.
Good work EVR.
I should imagine there are a lot of people that will have time on their hands with the current situation. Switzerland has added an advisory today in force until April 19 that people should stay home, and any necessary outings should avoid grouping. Most shops and businesses have been shut, along with schools until April 26, so the next month will be predominantly home-bound. (At least Switzerland has not imposed a lock-down like Austria. My friends there tell me that they cannot even go outside for a walk!) I saw this coming, so went for a prolonged drive on Sunday with my son, weather was pretty nice, views typically Swiss, roads not too busy. I saw numerous motorbikes, a couple of Porsches, an Aventador, Gallardo and three Mclarens with the same idea.
While not likely to do anything to the car, I did head out today to pick up some torch-down bitumen membrane to re-roof the winter garden as it developed a couple of leaks over the winter, and seeing as the weather looks like behaving a bit longer that`ll be the first thing on the home DIY list over the next month. Also stocked up on beer and wine, you know, the necessities!
Stay well everyone!
I should imagine there are a lot of people that will have time on their hands with the current situation. Switzerland has added an advisory today in force until April 19 that people should stay home, and any necessary outings should avoid grouping. Most shops and businesses have been shut, along with schools until April 26, so the next month will be predominantly home-bound. (At least Switzerland has not imposed a lock-down like Austria. My friends there tell me that they cannot even go outside for a walk!) I saw this coming, so went for a prolonged drive on Sunday with my son, weather was pretty nice, views typically Swiss, roads not too busy. I saw numerous motorbikes, a couple of Porsches, an Aventador, Gallardo and three Mclarens with the same idea.
While not likely to do anything to the car, I did head out today to pick up some torch-down bitumen membrane to re-roof the winter garden as it developed a couple of leaks over the winter, and seeing as the weather looks like behaving a bit longer that`ll be the first thing on the home DIY list over the next month. Also stocked up on beer and wine, you know, the necessities!
Stay well everyone!
The subject of servicing intervals has recently raised it`s head on a separate thread, and now seemed like a pertinent time to add a bit of guff from my experience.
When I picked it up my Vantage from the AM dealership in 2015 it involved an extensive Q&A, and on the subject of servicing the coffee peddler said to me that servicing every 2 years is absolutely fine for the car, and of minimal if zero impact on resale within their network. Despite this I did my 2016 and 2017 services at the dealership. In 2018 I took the car to Bamford Rose for mods and decided that at this juncture of taking the car outside the dealer network, the servicing would be a 18 month to two yearly affair, and while the previous service was performed just 5 months earlier, I asked BR to give it the once over while it was in anyway.
I planned my first "extended duration" service at the end of October 2019 in what would have been just over 18 months since the last visit, and I was in conversation with Mike when I had to cancel, as a couple of jobs cropped up that I couldn`t say no to, so advised I would instead look early in the new year. Well, we all know what happened then...
The Covid-19 situation has had many effects, but service durations on Aston Martins is not widely reported! Now that borders have opened and some small degree of normality has returned to travel, I have booked in to BR for early August, 2 years and 4 months since it was last there!!
This is clearly playing havoc with the service history from an inspect-the-book-for-stamps perspective. When it is your car you generally know if anything is out of sorts, and I feel no ill malice in driving the car as everything operates as it should, and if I am keeping the car it does not bother me one bit, however I am well aware of the circumstances and it has changed my mindset in the last six months or so, and I wonder if this is how it is for some owners, that have concerns for resale value, and are hesitant to spin up the odometer, as I have only done around 2000km (1250 miles) in that time.
The other byproduct of the Covid situation, that also bears the above thinking, is that to be honest I don`t know if I will still have the car by the end of the year, as work has been non-existent for an international sports photographer (and his international sports photographer wife) and is not looking to improve any time soon, so an Aston Martin is sadly becoming superfluous given the economic climate. Who knows, it`s all speculation like everything at the moment, although I have already begun looking at cheaper, alternative ways of having vehicular fun if this eventuates... which is quite entertaining way to pass a bit of time, but please not!
When I picked it up my Vantage from the AM dealership in 2015 it involved an extensive Q&A, and on the subject of servicing the coffee peddler said to me that servicing every 2 years is absolutely fine for the car, and of minimal if zero impact on resale within their network. Despite this I did my 2016 and 2017 services at the dealership. In 2018 I took the car to Bamford Rose for mods and decided that at this juncture of taking the car outside the dealer network, the servicing would be a 18 month to two yearly affair, and while the previous service was performed just 5 months earlier, I asked BR to give it the once over while it was in anyway.
I planned my first "extended duration" service at the end of October 2019 in what would have been just over 18 months since the last visit, and I was in conversation with Mike when I had to cancel, as a couple of jobs cropped up that I couldn`t say no to, so advised I would instead look early in the new year. Well, we all know what happened then...
The Covid-19 situation has had many effects, but service durations on Aston Martins is not widely reported! Now that borders have opened and some small degree of normality has returned to travel, I have booked in to BR for early August, 2 years and 4 months since it was last there!!
This is clearly playing havoc with the service history from an inspect-the-book-for-stamps perspective. When it is your car you generally know if anything is out of sorts, and I feel no ill malice in driving the car as everything operates as it should, and if I am keeping the car it does not bother me one bit, however I am well aware of the circumstances and it has changed my mindset in the last six months or so, and I wonder if this is how it is for some owners, that have concerns for resale value, and are hesitant to spin up the odometer, as I have only done around 2000km (1250 miles) in that time.
The other byproduct of the Covid situation, that also bears the above thinking, is that to be honest I don`t know if I will still have the car by the end of the year, as work has been non-existent for an international sports photographer (and his international sports photographer wife) and is not looking to improve any time soon, so an Aston Martin is sadly becoming superfluous given the economic climate. Who knows, it`s all speculation like everything at the moment, although I have already begun looking at cheaper, alternative ways of having vehicular fun if this eventuates... which is quite entertaining way to pass a bit of time, but please not!
I have a bug and insect splattered Vantage parked in the garage, having recently returned home from a six day, 2290km (1423 mile) jaunt from Luzern to the Cotswolds, returning with a Bamford Rose service stamp, new brake discs and pads all round, sat-nav gears replaced, loose headlight sorted, and a couple of other minors taken care of. I know this is more mileage than many owners do in a year, but an enjoyable drive for a good reason.
BR was slammed, close to 20 Aston`s on the premises when I dropped off my car. While awaiting pick-up I stayed at The George Townhouse, five minutes away in Shipston-On-Stour. It was a comfortable spot to while away the days, the menu was small but good, beer cold, gin plentiful, and the service entertaining, it`s nice to have staff with humour!
The day I drove away from BR with the car perky and tight, it was announced that England was about to enforce the 14 day quarantine when arriving from France, so it seems I got in and out just in time!
On the trip home I swung off the autoroute and stopped at the disused Circuit of Reims-Gueux. I had seen photos of this historic track several times before, and that it was fully accessible on an existing road.
The pits and grandstands painted with vintage advertising still stand on either side of Rue du Moutier as everyday traffic drives by, hinting at what once was. The track operated from 1926 until closing permanently in 1972. Below is an old clip from 1956.
It`s well worth a stop if you`re in the area or passing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMgX3tn_CpY
BR was slammed, close to 20 Aston`s on the premises when I dropped off my car. While awaiting pick-up I stayed at The George Townhouse, five minutes away in Shipston-On-Stour. It was a comfortable spot to while away the days, the menu was small but good, beer cold, gin plentiful, and the service entertaining, it`s nice to have staff with humour!
The day I drove away from BR with the car perky and tight, it was announced that England was about to enforce the 14 day quarantine when arriving from France, so it seems I got in and out just in time!
On the trip home I swung off the autoroute and stopped at the disused Circuit of Reims-Gueux. I had seen photos of this historic track several times before, and that it was fully accessible on an existing road.
The pits and grandstands painted with vintage advertising still stand on either side of Rue du Moutier as everyday traffic drives by, hinting at what once was. The track operated from 1926 until closing permanently in 1972. Below is an old clip from 1956.
It`s well worth a stop if you`re in the area or passing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMgX3tn_CpY
JB65 said:
Brilliant pictures as ever Dean, that color remains my favourite be it pictured in B&W or colour. On maintenance, think service once every two years will not impact residual too much, biggest issue in my country is finding a reliable independent.
Hope you can hold on to that beauty. Our road trip is still on in September, ping me if you are up for joining a day.
Thanks Jurgen, me too! Keep me posted on September, closer to the time I can make a spontaneous decision!Hope you can hold on to that beauty. Our road trip is still on in September, ping me if you are up for joining a day.
I understand re; independent, that`s why I drive north. You`re even closer to BR than me, what would it be, about 500km via the Hoek van Holland?
EVR said:
This is precious, as I have this idea in my mind to drive from Milan to Bamford Rose once the clutch will need replacement.
It`s only about another 250km each way... you can go over the Gotthard for some added smiles! I`ve driven the Vantage up to the UK three times now, I don`t find it any hardship at all.
Old Chimer said:
Dear @Mr.Tremlini
Having just devoured this entire thread with the gusto usually reserved for a steak & ale pie (washed down with a few glasses of Palmers), I must congratulate you in equal measure for both your photography and wordsmithery. However, I must also respectfully request that you CEASE AND DESIST IMMEDIATELY for I am sure, as someone actively engaged in seeking their first Aston Martin Vantage, that used values of said vehicles have been significantly bouyed by your actions!
Seriously - thank you, as you have also dispelled any lingering doubts I might have had about buying one. Hope your obvious love affair with yours survives the current situation.
Having just devoured this entire thread with the gusto usually reserved for a steak & ale pie (washed down with a few glasses of Palmers), I must congratulate you in equal measure for both your photography and wordsmithery. However, I must also respectfully request that you CEASE AND DESIST IMMEDIATELY for I am sure, as someone actively engaged in seeking their first Aston Martin Vantage, that used values of said vehicles have been significantly bouyed by your actions!
Seriously - thank you, as you have also dispelled any lingering doubts I might have had about buying one. Hope your obvious love affair with yours survives the current situation.
Thanks so much for the kind words, which I value highly coming as it does from a clear pie aficionado! Fingers crossed for us all Everybody likes a bit of good, constructive advice, and some folks also enjoy a good whinge. While I do not fall into the latter I think it`s still pertinent to talk of experiences that have not gone 100% according to plan. As followers of this thread may know, I have fitted carbon fibre mirror caps, side strakes and an N420 rear diffuser to my car, all sourced from DivinaTech in the UK. They were easy to deal with and the prices on point, and the products looked terrific on the car and achieved the appearance I was hoping for.
Unfortunately the composite mirror caps, which never fitted as snuggly as the original caps but were acceptable, would pop out of seat after a few months, leaving a unsightly kit-car gap, and it got to the point where they would not go back in place. I wrote to DivinaTech and they sent me replacements, but sadly they ended up doing the same thing. I decided that the composite approach just made the caps too fat to fit properly, and asked DivinaTech if I could return them and upgrade to the full carbon versions, which was no problem and I paid the difference and the new caps duly arrived. They certainly looked the part, but I had trouble lining them up and on closer inspection found the lugs were not lined up as per the originals, and in order to make one lug fit, the other had to snap off. Sadly once this occurred, and bonding material was applied, they still did not fit into the mirror frame. I tried and tried again but to no avail, and recently they too were returned for a refund, the process of which was no problem, but very disappointing as these items are the best bang for your buck CF in my view and I really liked the look.
Six months ago I also noted that the lacquer on the diffuser and one of the side strakes appears to have bubbled/chipped away in a couple of places. They are now about three years old, and I am guessing this is not typical. While it`s not a major issue to address and I will have it attended to later this month when I have the bonnet re-sprayed, it`s not really what you want after two and a half years.
Original composite fit, composite popped out, full carbon alignment lugs, full carbon fit.
Bits look great when first fitted, side strake and diffuser less so three years later.
Unfortunately the composite mirror caps, which never fitted as snuggly as the original caps but were acceptable, would pop out of seat after a few months, leaving a unsightly kit-car gap, and it got to the point where they would not go back in place. I wrote to DivinaTech and they sent me replacements, but sadly they ended up doing the same thing. I decided that the composite approach just made the caps too fat to fit properly, and asked DivinaTech if I could return them and upgrade to the full carbon versions, which was no problem and I paid the difference and the new caps duly arrived. They certainly looked the part, but I had trouble lining them up and on closer inspection found the lugs were not lined up as per the originals, and in order to make one lug fit, the other had to snap off. Sadly once this occurred, and bonding material was applied, they still did not fit into the mirror frame. I tried and tried again but to no avail, and recently they too were returned for a refund, the process of which was no problem, but very disappointing as these items are the best bang for your buck CF in my view and I really liked the look.
Six months ago I also noted that the lacquer on the diffuser and one of the side strakes appears to have bubbled/chipped away in a couple of places. They are now about three years old, and I am guessing this is not typical. While it`s not a major issue to address and I will have it attended to later this month when I have the bonnet re-sprayed, it`s not really what you want after two and a half years.
Original composite fit, composite popped out, full carbon alignment lugs, full carbon fit.
Bits look great when first fitted, side strake and diffuser less so three years later.
Murph7355 said:
I would suggest evidently not
Indeed! Even so, other than an entire roof or something similar, the mirror caps are probably the most visible carbon you can fit so compared to a slam panel or side strake still represent good value, if CF could ever be said to be good value...Picked up the car today after having the front end resprayed. Originally I was only going to do the bonnet because of stone chips, but as the front valance was also a bit peppered, and the body shop noticed a tiny bit of corrosion appearing next to the drivers door handle that I hadn`t seen, so did the front guards and top section of the doors as well. Very happy with the work. They also re-lacquered the carbon side strakes and rear diffuser, removed the front number plate mounting plate that was always a bit visible, and a couple of other little touch ups.
Just down the road from home the autumn leaves were laying everywhere in a car park, so stopped to take a couple of shots with the phone. The Tungsten Silver doing it`s colour change thing as you can see here in the third & last image, quite warm compared to the others.
Just down the road from home the autumn leaves were laying everywhere in a car park, so stopped to take a couple of shots with the phone. The Tungsten Silver doing it`s colour change thing as you can see here in the third & last image, quite warm compared to the others.
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