First service due...where to go?
Discussion
The first service is coming up for my 2010 4.7 V8V. I'm looking at the options open to me as to where to get this done. Main dealer or independent? My local main dealer is only about 10 miles away and therefore conveniently located although I didn't buy the car from them and wasn't impressed by the sales team. I've no idea how efficient service dept will be. The AM dealer I bought from is 276 miles away. I'd consider getting a good independent to do the work DMS or Bamford Rose but again it's a bit of a trek. The potential savings in getting it done by an independent may be lost in the transportation costs of getting the car to them and back or hotel costs if I take it down. Unfortunately can't really make a holiday out of it. Also will the lack of a main dealer service stamp impact on resale value making it a false economy? Are there any specific annual warranty checks that have to be carried out by an AM dealer to maintain the original manufacturers warranty as that would also need taking into account? I think there's an indy at Barnard Castle which is not too far but I don't know what they're like. I reckon that I'll need to haggle on price and supply oil to get the best deal wherever I go. Anyone got any pearls of wisdom to guide me? 
lime1 said:
The first service is coming up for my 2010 4.7 V8V. I'm looking at the options open to me as to where to get this done. Main dealer or independent? ... Also will the lack of a main dealer service stamp impact on resale value making it a false economy? Are there any specific annual warranty checks that have to be carried out by an AM dealer to maintain the original manufacturers warranty as that would also need taking into account? ...
Last week in an effort to upgrade to a DBS I was offered £68K for my car.I informed the Dealer that my last Service was carried out at DMS, so they requoted...£68K.
Mine is still under the AM Warranty too - there are no proprietary AM checks required for original warranty purposes
lime1 said:
The first service is coming up for my 2010 4.7 V8V. I'm looking at the options open to me as to where to get this done. Main dealer or independent? My local main dealer is only about 10 miles away and therefore conveniently located although I didn't buy the car from them and wasn't impressed by the sales team. I've no idea how efficient service dept will be. The AM dealer I bought from is 276 miles away. I'd consider getting a good independent to do the work DMS or Bamford Rose but again it's a bit of a trek. The potential savings in getting it done by an independent may be lost in the transportation costs of getting the car to them and back or hotel costs if I take it down. Unfortunately can't really make a holiday out of it. Also will the lack of a main dealer service stamp impact on resale value making it a false economy? Are there any specific annual warranty checks that have to be carried out by an AM dealer to maintain the original manufacturers warranty as that would also need taking into account? I think there's an indy at Barnard Castle which is not too far but I don't know what they're like. I reckon that I'll need to haggle on price and supply oil to get the best deal wherever I go. Anyone got any pearls of wisdom to guide me?
A couple of things:1. You are not asking all of your target audience. The folks on here often use DMS or Bamford Rose or another indy garage. But we are a self selecting sample of the potential future buyers of your vehicle. A considerable number of your potential buyers would be first time buyers who seek a degree of reassurance from a "full main dealer AM service history" set of stamps. So the answer you will get here is not representative of your target market when you come to sell.
2. Modern cars require all sorts of clever computerised gizmos and gadgets to be serviced. If your indy has all of that stuff and trained staff then they can do the work. I'd suggest asking the dealer to show you the workshop and talk you through it all. Any spanner monkey can change the oil on a car - just find the drain plug and get a big bowl. But do they have all of the diagnostic stuff? Example - I had a problem with my old 4.3 V8. I ended up taking an engineer for a drive - he had a laptop plugged into the steering column which took data from the real-time message bus in the car. It's not all about spark plugs and fluid changes anymore.
3. If you are looking to sell in the near term, I would use a AM main dealer or better still works service. But they charge a lot of money.
Hope that gives you some food for thought.
4. Shop around and don't be afraid to have a good haggle - call people back and tell them you have a better offer.
Fair comment John.
The only issue I would raise is that there is a strong possibility that OP would sell this car back to a Dealer as PX on his next one, judging by the lack of movement in private sales.
In which case his target audience is well represented on PH - I don't know a Dealer who doesn't monitor forums.
Your comments may be more applicable to your V12V than OP's car
The only issue I would raise is that there is a strong possibility that OP would sell this car back to a Dealer as PX on his next one, judging by the lack of movement in private sales.
In which case his target audience is well represented on PH - I don't know a Dealer who doesn't monitor forums.
Your comments may be more applicable to your V12V than OP's car
Jockman said:
Fair comment John.
The only issue I would raise is that there is a strong possibility that OP would sell this car back to a Dealer as PX on his next one, judging by the lack of movement in private sales.
In which case his target audience is well represented on PH - I don't know a Dealer who doesn't monitor forums.
Your comments may be more applicable to your V12V than OP's car
Unless my finances take a 'material adverse change' I will not be selling my V12. I'll see if they can bury me in it.The only issue I would raise is that there is a strong possibility that OP would sell this car back to a Dealer as PX on his next one, judging by the lack of movement in private sales.
In which case his target audience is well represented on PH - I don't know a Dealer who doesn't monitor forums.
Your comments may be more applicable to your V12V than OP's car
Not sure where you are at Lime but what about Aston Service in Beamish Co Durham? They are fully approved AM service and body repair and have a great selection of old AM cars (and others) to wander around too.
I had a wander up a few weeks back on a scouting mission and they were really helpful,and showed me around. I'd certainly consider them if within travel distance for you?
I had a wander up a few weeks back on a scouting mission and they were really helpful,and showed me around. I'd certainly consider them if within travel distance for you?
my advise would be go to a main dealer......but before you do ask how much they will charge, in fact i would ring the three nearest dealers and ask for their best quote and tell them that you havn't decided on who you will be useing to look after your Aston....also if you want to reduce your bill by a further £150 supply your own oil....I wouldn't be suprised if you reduced the standard service charge by £250 to £350 with a little effort.......that'll buy you a decent dinner at the Ivy !
As you mention your not far away from Barnard Castle you can't be a million miles away from the Aston Workshop in Co.Durham.I would have used these for service rather than my local AM stealer without a doubt.I visited them when I was looking for my Vantage ,the car I was interested had just been sold but the guy I spoke to (Brian) invited me to come and have alook at the other very special cars they have on site, and gave me a full tour of their facilities ,it's quite an impressive place and the cars they have in there are amazing.It's worth going for a look even if you don't want a service
www.aston.co.uk
www.aston.co.uk
JohnG1 said:
But do they have all of the diagnostic stuff? Example - I had a problem with my old 4.3 V8. I ended up taking an engineer for a drive - he had a laptop plugged into the steering column which took data from the real-time message bus in the car. It's not all about spark plugs and fluid changes anymore.
Ah, the wonders of OBDII (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OBD-1-2-Car-Diagnostic-Ecu-Remapping-Software-Package-/200563665679)MrOrange said:
Ah, the wonders of OBDII (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OBD-1-2-Car-Diagnostic-Ecu-Remapping-Software-Package-/200563665679)
Er, and you would load that particular piece of "softwares" onto a laptop and then attach that laptop to a £150,000 car???Or did you miss out a smiley??
JohnG1 said:
Er, and you would load that particular piece of "softwares" onto a laptop and then attach that laptop to a £150,000 car???
Or did you miss out a smiley??
This softwares is very good innit?Or did you miss out a smiley??
But seriously - I think having an OBD II port means there are a multitude of cost effective options for reading data from a car, which means even a little Indy can diagnose faults on a car, although I wouldn't suggest writing data back on ANY car unless you really know your stuff.
krisdelta said:
This softwares is very good innit?
But seriously - I think having an OBD II port means there are a multitude of cost effective options for reading data from a car, which means even a little Indy can diagnose faults on a car, although I wouldn't suggest writing data back on ANY car unless you really know your stuff.
I can diagnose that a person has been stabbed in the heart with a samurai sword but I really have no idea how to fix it!!But seriously - I think having an OBD II port means there are a multitude of cost effective options for reading data from a car, which means even a little Indy can diagnose faults on a car, although I wouldn't suggest writing data back on ANY car unless you really know your stuff.
And therein lies the rub...
JohnG1 said:
krisdelta said:
This softwares is very good innit?
But seriously - I think having an OBD II port means there are a multitude of cost effective options for reading data from a car, which means even a little Indy can diagnose faults on a car, although I wouldn't suggest writing data back on ANY car unless you really know your stuff.
I can diagnose that a person has been stabbed in the heart with a samurai sword but I really have no idea how to fix it!!But seriously - I think having an OBD II port means there are a multitude of cost effective options for reading data from a car, which means even a little Indy can diagnose faults on a car, although I wouldn't suggest writing data back on ANY car unless you really know your stuff.
And therein lies the rub...
JohnG1 has a point .....you aint going to download software into your car that you just purchased from e-bay ...are you ?
krisdelta said:
JohnG1 said:
Er, and you would load that particular piece of "softwares" onto a laptop and then attach that laptop to a £150,000 car???
Or did you miss out a smiley??
This softwares is very good innit?Or did you miss out a smiley??
But seriously - I think having an OBD II port means there are a multitude of cost effective options for reading data from a car, which means even a little Indy can diagnose faults on a car, although I wouldn't suggest writing data back on ANY car unless you really know your stuff.
The tread seems to have moved a bit off topic! Thanks for the advice. It was probably Aston Workshop in Beamish that I was referring to when I said Barnard Castle…well starts with a B!! 
I'll check them out. Dropped into my local AM dealer today and was quoted £735 inclusive of VAT and oil for yr 1, 10K mile service or £544 without oil and they say they'll price match. I have to say that compared to the 4 figure sum I regularly paid for my TVR's this does not seem too bad! Includes courtesy car and valet. Obviously doesn't include any additional work although I don't envisage any non warranty extras should be needed. Think a few phone calls are needed to get prices elsewhere and return to negotiate and see if can hammer down price 
I'll check them out. Dropped into my local AM dealer today and was quoted £735 inclusive of VAT and oil for yr 1, 10K mile service or £544 without oil and they say they'll price match. I have to say that compared to the 4 figure sum I regularly paid for my TVR's this does not seem too bad! Includes courtesy car and valet. Obviously doesn't include any additional work although I don't envisage any non warranty extras should be needed. Think a few phone calls are needed to get prices elsewhere and return to negotiate and see if can hammer down price Hi Lime if you are indeed in the north in Co Durham, may I ask who are your local dealer, or a location? Just mine is coming up to year 2 service and always pays to have a little prior information on negotiating prices
Or could you email me the details if you prefer?
Or could you email me the details if you prefer?
Edited by steveatesh on Friday 16th September 18:56
steveatesh said:
Hi Lime if you are indeed in the north in Co Durham, may I ask who are your local dealer, or a location? Just mine is coming up to year 2 service and always pays to have a little prior information on negotiating prices
Or could you email me the details if you prefer?
Have sent you an emailOr could you email me the details if you prefer?
Edited by steveatesh on Friday 16th September 18:56
JP
lime1 said:
The tread seems to have moved a bit off topic! Thanks for the advice. It was probably Aston Workshop in Beamish that I was referring to when I said Barnard Castle…well starts with a B!! I'll check them out. Dropped into my local AM dealer today and was quoted £735 inclusive of VAT and oil for yr 1, 10K mile service or £544 without oil and they say they'll price match. I have to say that compared to the 4 figure sum I regularly paid for my TVR's this does not seem too bad! Includes courtesy car and valet. Obviously doesn't include any additional work although I don't envisage any non warranty extras should be needed. Think a few phone calls are needed to get prices elsewhere and return to negotiate and see if can hammer down price
Sounds like a good deal to me. Shocking thing to sayt but - its nots always about price! Do you get a warm comfy feeling from this dealer? Do you trust them to report any issues over and above the quoted service price? I'll check them out. Dropped into my local AM dealer today and was quoted £735 inclusive of VAT and oil for yr 1, 10K mile service or £544 without oil and they say they'll price match. I have to say that compared to the 4 figure sum I regularly paid for my TVR's this does not seem too bad! Includes courtesy car and valet. Obviously doesn't include any additional work although I don't envisage any non warranty extras should be needed. Think a few phone calls are needed to get prices elsewhere and return to negotiate and see if can hammer down price Have used two different Aston dealers to service mine (owned for 2 + years), very surprised at the difference in quality of care / service between two dealers. If I had gone with the lowest price I would have been - err actually very happy! There can be an intangible / difficult to measure 'dfference' for the same service.
It comes down to who do you trust as much as price.
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