Can't believe it(led lights)

[Kersh2312]

Car went in today to aston Martin for its mot noticed the light in the door handle not working ask them to look at it
Said needed a new handle and it would be £250.+ vat + fitting why does it need a new handle can't you
Just replace a bulb ? 07 vantage I am in a state of shock I think I will buy a torch

[stuartmmcfc]

Kersh2312 said:

Car went in today to aston Martin for its mot noticed the light in the door handle not working ask them to look at it
Said needed a new handle and it would be £250.+ vat + fitting why does it need a new handle can't you
Just replace a bulb ? 07 vantage I am in a state of shock I think I will buy a torch

If you're handy with a soldering iron and don't mind faffing around I suspect Maplins will have a suitable replacement bulb for pence.
If you're that bothered

Edited by stuartmmcfc on Wednesday 20th November 18:52

[Quinny]

Kersh2312 said:

Car went in today to aston Martin for its mot noticed the light in the door handle not working ask them to look at it
Said needed a new handle and it would be £250.+ vat + fitting why does it need a new handle can't you
Just replace a bulb ? 07 vantage I am in a state of shock I think I will buy a torch

This is because, these highly trained technicians, haven't got a clue how to actually fix something..... You know, pull it to pieces on a bench and mend what's broken..... All they can do, is plug in a computer, let it tell them what's wrong, and replace the whole assembly...

This isn't just AM.......all manufacturers now days just swap an old part for a new one.... And god help you if the computer says NO

[Jon39]

That is awful.

A new handle would also presumably need to be painted.

[avinalarf]

Quinny said:

This is because, these highly trained technicians, haven't got a clue how to actually fix something..... You know, pull it to pieces on a bench and mend what's broken..... All they can do, is plug in a computer, let it tell them what's wrong, and replace the whole assembly...

This isn't just AM.......all manufacturers now days just swap an old part for a new one.... And god help you if the computer says NO

Not just cars !
A customer of mine told me he had been quoted £35 to put a new zip in a jacket he had purchased from me.
I sell the jacket at £25.
When I visit friends in Mumbai I often take with garments and shoes for repair where it costs a £1 or £2 and in Italy you often find craftsmen in the backstreets repairing this and that.

[Quinny]

Jon39 said:

That is awful.

A new handle would also presumably need to be painted.

It'll also need bubbles in the paint........ Or it won't match the other side

[mikey k]

Quinny said:

Kersh2312 said:

Car went in today to aston Martin for its mot noticed the light in the door handle not working ask them to look at it
Said needed a new handle and it would be £250.+ vat + fitting why does it need a new handle can't you
Just replace a bulb ? 07 vantage I am in a state of shock I think I will buy a torch

This is because, these highly trained technicians, haven't got a clue how to actually fix something..... You know, pull it to pieces on a bench and mend what's broken..... All they can do, is plug in a computer, let it tell them what's wrong, and replace the whole assembly...

This isn't just AM.......all manufacturers now days just swap an old part for a new one.... And god help you if the computer says NO

Not just automotive guys
Thankfully we employee people that can and boy does it make a difference

OP if you are not "handy" try some one like Aston Martin Bits but you may end up painting as well.

Edited by mikey k on Wednesday 20th November 20:22

[Jalfonse]

Sign of the times I'm afraid, replace rather than repair, much less hassle for a dealer and requires less skill, is easier to estimate time required to do the job or follow manufacturers Repair Time Schedule (RTS) and dealers will make 30-50% mark up on any new parts they sell. A related phenomenon is 'swap-a-nostics' where through laziness, lack of capability or motivation to make money on parts sales, dealers sequentially replace potentially defective parts until an issue is fixed rather than properly diagnose root cause and fix a single component, seen this personally in my working life.

[davidexige]

You shouldn’t need a new handle, but what you need is the handle operating mechanism, this includes the LED light and the associated wiring loom, when I checked a few months ago the cost was about £125.
The funny thing is though when I got the invoice for the prep work for my car before I purchased it there was a charge of £15 for a new door LED.


You can see the LED on this picture its the item with the black and the black/orange wires going to it.

Kersh2312 said:

Car went in today to aston Martin for its mot noticed the light in the door handle not working ask them to look at it
Said needed a new handle and it would be £250.+ vat + fitting why does it need a new handle can't you
Just replace a bulb ? 07 vantage I am in a state of shock I think I will buy a torch