Good things come to those who wait
Discussion
Wow !!!!!!!
As a very close friend of Ian's he did let me know about a few of the goodies that your 3 cars were going to have on the condition I kept it totally to myself.
Glad I was able to reward his trust and keep the secrets - so good to see the photos now emerging and can't wait to see the cars in the flesh.
It will be worth the wait !!!!!!!!
As a very close friend of Ian's he did let me know about a few of the goodies that your 3 cars were going to have on the condition I kept it totally to myself.
Glad I was able to reward his trust and keep the secrets - so good to see the photos now emerging and can't wait to see the cars in the flesh.
It will be worth the wait !!!!!!!!
LordBretSinclair said:
Wow !!!!!!!
As a very close friend of Ian's he did let me know about a few of the goodies that your 3 cars were going to have on the condition I kept it totally to myself.
Glad I was able to reward his trust and keep the secrets - so good to see the photos now emerging and can't wait to see the cars in the flesh.
It will be worth the wait !!!!!!!!
Revealing secrets ? That's it - Ian's out of the club ! No longer the three AMRigos !!! (Who coined that catchphrase ? It really is brilliant)As a very close friend of Ian's he did let me know about a few of the goodies that your 3 cars were going to have on the condition I kept it totally to myself.
Glad I was able to reward his trust and keep the secrets - so good to see the photos now emerging and can't wait to see the cars in the flesh.
It will be worth the wait !!!!!!!!
I know a lot of people are keen to hear more about the Q process. One thing we don't really want to go into at all is pricing - partly we don't want to betray confidentiality and also because the pricing of one item in isolation can be misleading. For instance if you want two different parts in a certain colour leather, it might not be much more expensive than just having one done, if they use the same supplier of the part. Conversely, a very small item in a bespoke leather option could be very expensive if they use a different type or thickness of leather on that part and need to have it dyed specially
On paint, there is a huge difference between the cost of Q painting a complete part (eg an entire rear blade/diffuser) in one colour and having them take the CF rear blade (part of the Ti exhaust) as I did (in one of my first photos) and hand masking before painting small parts of the blade. So as I say, we won't be sharing costs and hope people understand why
Going back to the process though (look away now if you're not interested because this is pretty anoraky !), one of the most fascinating aspects for me was seeing how disruptive to the management time is for what on the face of it, might seem a minor request. For example, all three of us went for the 'standard' glass button option (not Q). We had to understand which buttons that included. As that has changed over time for Vantage, we needed to speak to a product specialist to establish which buttons the option included and which it did not. I ended up receiving a complicated diagram about the various buttons in Vantage. The four buttons not included in the glass option are glovebox, fuel flap opener and 2x seat tilt (on the side of the dash when you have lightweight seats). We decided we would like all four buttons to be in glass. When the buttons are in plastic, there are graphics on some of the buttons, but not on others. If we wanted them in glass, we couldn't have graphics on any (unless we paid more again) as they don't ordinarily have them made in glass with graphics. So we went for 4 plain glass buttons. As Q explained to us, how do they actually implement that ? Firstly someone has to order the buttons. Then, who fits them ? Should they fit them in plastic on the line and replace with glass later on ? Should they fit them in glass on the line ? If so, how do they convey that message to the appropriate operative when there is no 'standard option' to tick on the instructions to the shop floor for a glass glovebox button. I'm not saying it's rocket science, but it is terribly disruptive and it's that cost, rather than the cost of the buttons themselves, which they have to account for. You can see why there is now a minimum spend for Q. As I say, it's a very minor request, but given how long winded it is, you can see how for more complicated requests, there are more complicated and lengthy discussions !
To be clear about our cars, we each have two glass button upgrades to our cars, the first being part of the standard order process as a standard option for a set of glass buttons and the second being a Q feature, for a set of additional buttons to also be in glass
I fully understand that for some, the reaction to reading this may well be that life is too short ;-)
For us, having each run at least one or two vantages before, we know what we like, we know the cars pretty well and this was our chance to get our cars absolutely perfect, with no regrets. For all of us, these are proper keepers (I know, famous last words and all that, but I can neither afford the time nor the money to do this again in a hurry !!!!).
On paint, there is a huge difference between the cost of Q painting a complete part (eg an entire rear blade/diffuser) in one colour and having them take the CF rear blade (part of the Ti exhaust) as I did (in one of my first photos) and hand masking before painting small parts of the blade. So as I say, we won't be sharing costs and hope people understand why
Going back to the process though (look away now if you're not interested because this is pretty anoraky !), one of the most fascinating aspects for me was seeing how disruptive to the management time is for what on the face of it, might seem a minor request. For example, all three of us went for the 'standard' glass button option (not Q). We had to understand which buttons that included. As that has changed over time for Vantage, we needed to speak to a product specialist to establish which buttons the option included and which it did not. I ended up receiving a complicated diagram about the various buttons in Vantage. The four buttons not included in the glass option are glovebox, fuel flap opener and 2x seat tilt (on the side of the dash when you have lightweight seats). We decided we would like all four buttons to be in glass. When the buttons are in plastic, there are graphics on some of the buttons, but not on others. If we wanted them in glass, we couldn't have graphics on any (unless we paid more again) as they don't ordinarily have them made in glass with graphics. So we went for 4 plain glass buttons. As Q explained to us, how do they actually implement that ? Firstly someone has to order the buttons. Then, who fits them ? Should they fit them in plastic on the line and replace with glass later on ? Should they fit them in glass on the line ? If so, how do they convey that message to the appropriate operative when there is no 'standard option' to tick on the instructions to the shop floor for a glass glovebox button. I'm not saying it's rocket science, but it is terribly disruptive and it's that cost, rather than the cost of the buttons themselves, which they have to account for. You can see why there is now a minimum spend for Q. As I say, it's a very minor request, but given how long winded it is, you can see how for more complicated requests, there are more complicated and lengthy discussions !
To be clear about our cars, we each have two glass button upgrades to our cars, the first being part of the standard order process as a standard option for a set of glass buttons and the second being a Q feature, for a set of additional buttons to also be in glass
I fully understand that for some, the reaction to reading this may well be that life is too short ;-)
For us, having each run at least one or two vantages before, we know what we like, we know the cars pretty well and this was our chance to get our cars absolutely perfect, with no regrets. For all of us, these are proper keepers (I know, famous last words and all that, but I can neither afford the time nor the money to do this again in a hurry !!!!).
Edited by jonby on Thursday 8th March 14:09
Edited by jonby on Thursday 8th March 14:10
Edited by jonby on Thursday 8th March 14:10
AdamV12V said:
Wow - sorry I am late to the thread!!
Fantastic stuff and some amazing little detailed touches - all is definitely going to be worth the wait!
I can't wait to see all three of them in detail. Are you guys planning on a get together to photo the 3 cars together once all built?
Thanks Adam and yes we are hoping to get them together if ever Graham can get his act together and get his built Fantastic stuff and some amazing little detailed touches - all is definitely going to be worth the wait!
I can't wait to see all three of them in detail. Are you guys planning on a get together to photo the 3 cars together once all built?
IanV12VR said:
Only fair Graham, someone who frequents this forum pinched my transmission 
I have probably got your transmission as well
I have probably got your transmission as well 
Good things come to those who wait! As you clearly didn’t wait quite long enough, you missed out on the spare SS3 transmission that will no doubt end up in Graham’s car now 
jonby said:
As Q explained to us, how do they actually implement that ? Firstly someone has to order the buttons. Then, who fits them ? Should they fit them in plastic on the line and replace with glass later on ? Should they fit them in glass on the line ? If so, how do they convey that message to the appropriate operative when there is no 'standard option' to tick on the instructions to the shop floor for a glass glovebox button. I'm not saying it's rocket science, but it is terribly disruptive and it's that cost, rather than the cost of the buttons themselves, which they have to account for.
When my DBS was built, there was no Q, but the process was the same with regard to fitment of bespoke items. Half were able to be accommodated as part of the production line flow, while the other half were completed post-production at Works Service. In some cases the standard part had not been fitted at the factory and WS simply installed the bespoke part, and in other cases they had to remove the standard part and install the new one. All very complicated with lots of e-mails to/from the factory and WS. No wonder it was pricey.
These kind of threads are the ones I really like, the possibilities afforded by Q allows for all sorts of unique details. I imagine the sense of accomplishment upon collection of a car with your own Q touches built in, is quite special
Thank you to the chaps involved for sharing details on the inside workings of Q
In an age of cookie cutter cars that are 'one size fits all', it's nice that bespoke operations are offered.
Thank you to the chaps involved for sharing details on the inside workings of Q
DB9VolanteDriver said:
When my DBS was built, there was no Q, but the process was the same with regard to fitment of bespoke items. Half were able to be accommodated as part of the production line flow, while the other half were completed post-production at Works Service. In some cases the standard part had not been fitted at the factory and WS simply installed the bespoke part, and in other cases they had to remove the standard part and install the new one. All very complicated with lots of e-mails to/from the factory and WS. No wonder it was pricey.
From what I've seen, Porsche still operate the latter policy, when it comes to Exclusive Manufaktur, who will take a completed car and swap out the regular parts for the bespoke ones. It might seem inefficient to build the car only to then disassemble parts of it later on, but in some cases the parts being swapped out aren't just trinket details so they may have no choice I suppose.In an age of cookie cutter cars that are 'one size fits all', it's nice that bespoke operations are offered.
DB9VolanteDriver said:
jonby said:
As Q explained to us, how do they actually implement that ? Firstly someone has to order the buttons. Then, who fits them ? Should they fit them in plastic on the line and replace with glass later on ? Should they fit them in glass on the line ? If so, how do they convey that message to the appropriate operative when there is no 'standard option' to tick on the instructions to the shop floor for a glass glovebox button. I'm not saying it's rocket science, but it is terribly disruptive and it's that cost, rather than the cost of the buttons themselves, which they have to account for.
When my DBS was built, there was no Q, but the process was the same with regard to fitment of bespoke items. Half were able to be accommodated as part of the production line flow, while the other half were completed post-production at Works Service. In some cases the standard part had not been fitted at the factory and WS simply installed the bespoke part, and in other cases they had to remove the standard part and install the new one. All very complicated with lots of e-mails to/from the factory and WS. No wonder it was pricey.If you look at for instance, the gaiter on my gearstick, which is normally only available in black (I've got it in lime on my AMR), it's the same part, made the same way, in the same leather quality, it just happens to be dyed differently. The cost to the factory for me having it in lime is not the cost of the part, it's the timecosts of making it happen. Having said that, may be a poor example as they may go to a different supplier once you don't want it in black, but the principle still stands
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff