So what have you done with your Aston today? (Vol. 2)

[Westlondondriver]

vpr said:

Well for the first time in ages I actually drove it.

Loved it. Proper man car.

[url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/s2exfcpR[/url]

Agree that’s a real car. My dream car if I only had a garage to keep it in ! I am very envious.

[Trahison]

Gave her the first wash under my custody just now (rain held off and thankfully was mostly cloudy).

Didn't have a spare microfibre to wax it but, in all fairness, it hardly needs it

Also, I will now live and die by Autoglym's Fast Glass - that stuff is the business, and I didn't even touch the inside of the car. That'll be for next weekend, and a going-over of the leather too.

Bloody love this thing, and to wash it it doesn't feel that much bigger than my Abarth

[N7GTX]

Headlamp seals arrived today so managed to get them fitted and headlamps reinstalled after their internal clean. If the weather holds should get the front panel refitted and the car back on the ground.
Then next week it goes back to the body shop to have the paint they applied removed and repainted properly.

[Jon39]

Trahison said:

Your Aston Martin looks magnificent Trahison.
Wonderful how many of these cars still look so well cared for, beyond their 10th birthdays.

Is your garage modelled on Ken Tyrrell's famous workshop ?
Two ex-army sheds joined together and soon Ferrari were no longer World Champions.



Enjoy your car.

[Trahison]

Thanks Jon. It is hard to believe that it is 16 years old (I certainly have not aged as well over the last 16 years!) but I take zero credit for that, it's all down to the previous keepers and I just would like to continue the tradition (but probably drive it slightly more than 2k miles a year - although that is my typical annual milage).

I can't speak as to the provenance of the garage. Like the car, the house and garage are relatively recent so I'm afraid whatever it was modelled on it will be getting knocked and a proper drive / garage installed, in time!

Mark

[4Q]

N7GTX said:

The headlights on the DB7 were not looking clean at all. The inside of the glass was marked and lots of dusty bits on the bottom part. To clean them you have to remove the front panel and then the headlights themselves. Once removed you cut through the mastic sealer to separate the plastic rear covers and take them off. This allows access to the double lens units which need to be removed so you can get your hand inside the headlight units.
Getting the front panel off was straightforward as the car was repainted last year so no rusted nuts and bolts. The body shop also helped by leaving several bolts out. Removing the headlights was tricky though. The bolts holding the frame which in turn holds the headlight were all but seized but with care and WD40 they eventually surrendered.
Using a Stanley knife with a new blade, cut through the mastic sealer to allow the 2 rear covers to be dismantled. Took ages to clean the old sealant off them and the headlight. Prised out the lenses and could now clean inside the units. I used a very soft microfibre cloth and Autoglym's Fast Glass and wiped the units inside several times. The difference is amazing and the build up of dust and stains all gone now.
Had to use taps and dies on the captive nuts and bolts so no more seized parts. All will be well greased during reassembly. Where possible I use stainless nuts and bolts to make life easier.
So, one headlamp done and waiting on the sealant curing before refitting. The other unit is completely dismantled ready for cleaning. All the rusty looking bits in the photos have been wire brushed, treated with Hammerite Kurust and painted with Rustoleum satin black. Part 2 tomorrow, hopefully.

I love posts where someone does their own maintenance.

[JonnyCJ]

Trahison said:

Gave her the first wash under my custody just now (rain held off and thankfully was mostly cloudy).

Didn't have a spare microfibre to wax it but, in all fairness, it hardly needs it

Also, I will now live and die by Autoglym's Fast Glass - that stuff is the business, and I didn't even touch the inside of the car. That'll be for next weekend, and a going-over of the leather too.

Bloody love this thing, and to wash it it doesn't feel that much bigger than my Abarth

If you want to love it even more, flip your number plate plinth so that the grille isn’t covered

Edited by JonnyCJ on Friday 25th June 22:23

[bludidorzov]

Picked her up from the detailer...

[N7GTX]

JonnyCJ said:

If you want to love it even more, flip your number plate plinth so that the grille isn’t covered

Just don't flip the car like Jonny has.

Edited by N7GTX on Friday 25th June 23:31

[N7GTX]

Trahison said:

Also, I will now live and die by Autoglym's Fast Glass - that stuff is the business, and I didn't even touch the inside of the car.

Brilliant stuff that actually works really well. I get through a lot of it.

[Trahison]

JonnyCJ said:

If you want to love it even more, flip your number plate plinth so that the grille isn’t covered

Oooh now there’s an idea… having read the guide, off to order some 3M!

Also that black V12 is just stunning.

[EVR]

Trahison said:

Oooh now there’s an idea… having read the guide, off to order some 3M!

Also that black V12 is just stunning.

There is also a shorter antenna if you want, takes some years off the car. Not that it needs it!

Also, in my "must-have small & cheap mods" list, there is the CC Charger Remote, to have the full soundtrack without messing with the fuse every time.

https://www.cccharger.co.uk

Edited by EVR on Saturday 26th June 09:23

[JonnyCJ]

Trahison said:

Oooh now there’s an idea… having read the guide, off to order some 3M!

Also that black V12 is just stunning.

And don’t get too stressed if you get a bit of condensation in the front or rear lights - we have fixes for all of those, plus many others !

Going back to the sat nav screen - Aston Installations do aftermarket solutions, so will no doubt have the odd OE screen or two knocking around that they’ve replaced. Have a natter and see if you can strike a cheap deal.

Edited by JonnyCJ on Saturday 26th June 09:45

[ds666]

Two days in Wales on various roads including part of the EVO triangle with a dozen or so Vanquishes . Dry Thursday , wet Friday .
Car came back with only the same warning light it started with , but ran without fault .
Great fun .

[ds666]

[cayman-black]

That looks like a good outing ds.
blud that V12V looks stunning.

[oilit]

Indeed, nice bunch of cars, and great to see them getting used! The DB also stands out for not being in Silver Birch to my eyes.

[Trahison]

EVR said:

There is also a shorter antenna if you want, takes some years off the car. Not that it needs it!

Also, in my "must-have small & cheap mods" list, there is the CC Charger Remote, to have the full soundtrack without messing with the fuse every time.

https://www.cccharger.co.uk

Edited by EVR on Saturday 26th June 09:23

Had a stubby aerial on my Z4 and it was a huge improvement but tbh the one on the Vantage isn't bad at all. Just picked up one of the CC remotes, thanks for the heads up.

[Astontony]

Some great driving in Wales no doubt.
We went on a short jaunt with the Aston dealer on sunday to one of the nearby local vineyards for coffee and scones. there were about 12 or 13 cars and about 8 MCLarens.(so common) wish we had a rotate tool on the page sorry.

[Graze01]

Tony

just love your "down under" shots

don't apologise for them




Graze

Edited by Graze01 on Monday 28th June 08:44