What a plonker !
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avinalarf

Original Poster:

6,438 posts

172 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Thought I might share this senior moment with you.
Got home last night after a very pleasant evening with friends at the Royal Albert Hall for the Classics Spectacular.
Parked the car outside my house and popped in to change into a warmer jacket before putting the car in my garage.
Put the key in ignition,nothing happened,tried key several times,now panic setting in,stress level rising.
Decided to phone the AA in the morning. On walking towards the house I then glanced at the key and realised I had been trying to start the Aston with the key from my Ford Focus the key was in the pocket of the jacket I had changed into.
Returned to the Aston with the correct key and all was ok,huge sigh of relief,many thanks to the Lord.
Anybody else had a similar moment ?

AMDBSNick

7,221 posts

192 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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nono

Impasse

15,099 posts

271 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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When I first got mine I had a moment in a retail park where the car wouldn't start, it wouldn't even turn over. Along with cursing inwardly, I sat and pondered my options for about twenty seconds - before moving the floormat slightly to the right and pressing down the clutch pedal again.

Johnny42

183 posts

149 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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The Aston keyswitch is a Ford part, so the key is a perfect mechanical fit, but I don't get how you were able to turn the barrel if it was the wrong key? Sounds a bit crap of Aston to me, if any key can turn the switch. They haven't bothered to put the pins in. Can your Focus key open the Aston door too?

avinalarf

Original Poster:

6,438 posts

172 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
quotequote all
Johnny42 said:
The Aston keyswitch is a Ford part, so the key is a perfect mechanical fit, but I don't get how you were able to turn the barrel if it was the wrong key? Sounds a bit crap of Aston to me, if any key can turn the switch. They haven't bothered to put the pins in. Can your Focus key open the Aston door too?
No the key wouldn't turn in the barrel BUT at moments such as this,in my defence,it was dark,I was tired and suffering from a cold,reason goes out the window.
It's also the fact that one often reads posts of faulty batteries causing problems and it was the case of 2+2 = 5.
Plus the key fob is similar to both cars.

Johnny42

183 posts

149 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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My car has the ECU thing. I'd prefer the traditional key-in-steering-column arrangement though. A couple of times now I've been driving along, and wanted to switch the radio on or off. I put my left hand to the dash to find my fingers touching the key and about to eject it at 70mph. I've not tried to see what happens if you do eject the key while moving, I think there's a lot to be said about this requiring a very deliberate and unusual action that's not like anything else in the car.

Neil1300r

5,772 posts

208 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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avinalarf said:
Anybody else had a similar moment ?
Nope. But then I don't have a DB9, therefore I am young and don't own a pipe or driver in slippers.
Hopefully you were wearing your incontinence pants

wink

Big Ry

1,682 posts

149 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Johnny42 said:
My car has the ECU thing. I'd prefer the traditional key-in-steering-column arrangement though. A couple of times now I've been driving along, and wanted to switch the radio on or off. I put my left hand to the dash to find my fingers touching the key and about to eject it at 70mph. I've not tried to see what happens if you do eject the key while moving, I think there's a lot to be said about this requiring a very deliberate and unusual action that's not like anything else in the car.
Good point......does anyone know would happen if somebody tried such a thing ?

FrankAbagnale

1,842 posts

142 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Not an Aston, but I recently bought a 430. Filled up after a day or two and put the key in and turned - nothing. Tried again, nothing. Key out, make sure in neutral, key in, turn, NOTHING.

I'm starting to get a bead on at this point. Pulse starting to rise.

Sat back, head in hands, thinking about the dog of a car I'd just bought, staring at the wheel.



Someone must have done this with the "engine start" Aston button!?

Impasse

15,099 posts

271 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Big Ry said:
Johnny42 said:
My car has the ECU thing. I'd prefer the traditional key-in-steering-column arrangement though. A couple of times now I've been driving along, and wanted to switch the radio on or off. I put my left hand to the dash to find my fingers touching the key and about to eject it at 70mph. I've not tried to see what happens if you do eject the key while moving, I think there's a lot to be said about this requiring a very deliberate and unusual action that's not like anything else in the car.
Good point......does anyone know would happen if somebody tried such a thing ?
Well done both of you for volunteering for this experiment. Please report back your findings if not dead.

paddy328

2,930 posts

215 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Silly old duffer lol

JS1500

579 posts

207 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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FrankAbagnale said:
Not an Aston, but I recently bought a 430. Filled up after a day or two and put the key in and turned - nothing. Tried again, nothing. Key out, make sure in neutral, key in, turn, NOTHING.

I'm starting to get a bead on at this point. Pulse starting to rise.

Sat back, head in hands, thinking about the dog of a car I'd just bought, staring at the wheel.



Someone must have done this with the "engine start" Aston button!?
My MG Midget has a start button (unmarked) and if I forget to tell a garage when I drop the car off I always get a call, without fail, "your car's not starting mate...".

theaxe

3,571 posts

252 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Big Ry said:
Johnny42 said:
My car has the ECU thing. I'd prefer the traditional key-in-steering-column arrangement though. A couple of times now I've been driving along, and wanted to switch the radio on or off. I put my left hand to the dash to find my fingers touching the key and about to eject it at 70mph. I've not tried to see what happens if you do eject the key while moving, I think there's a lot to be said about this requiring a very deliberate and unusual action that's not like anything else in the car.
Good point......does anyone know would happen if somebody tried such a thing ?
I'm pretty sure I read this in the manual. The engine will stop but the steering lock won't come on until you're stationary.

JimboA

305 posts

202 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Impasse said:
When I first got mine I had a moment in a retail park where the car wouldn't start, it wouldn't even turn over. Along with cursing inwardly, I sat and pondered my options for about twenty seconds - before moving the floormat slightly to the right and pressing down the clutch pedal again.
Nice to see that I'm not the only one who has had this problem!!! Had a tour of the AM factory, decided Astons were brilliant and then got back in mine... to find nothing started! 20 seconds later and some quick diagnosis and I was breathing again.

J12MOC

802 posts

174 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Impasse said:
Big Ry said:
Johnny42 said:
My car has the ECU thing. I'd prefer the traditional key-in-steering-column arrangement though. A couple of times now I've been driving along, and wanted to switch the radio on or off. I put my left hand to the dash to find my fingers touching the key and about to eject it at 70mph. I've not tried to see what happens if you do eject the key while moving, I think there's a lot to be said about this requiring a very deliberate and unusual action that's not like anything else in the car.
Good point......does anyone know would happen if somebody tried such a thing ?
Well done both of you for volunteering for this experiment. Please report back your findings if not dead.
Errr yes. Hit the ECU by mistake but it didn't come right out. Engine died so I released the clutch and tried to restart it. Big mistake ! It won't oporate the starter until the car is stationary so you are left coasting with no power steering, or you engage the clutch on a dead engine and slow down uncomfortably quickly without brake lights which is no fun if in traffic. Not done it again!