V8 Vantage 5000 mile report
Discussion
I get a lot from this forum, and the time has come to give a little back.
I collected my brand new manual Meteorite V8 at the start of the year, it's my first Aston. The odo ticked past the 5000 mile mark last night, all those miles are mine apart from the 36 delivery miles and about 5 miles driven by a mate.
So, 5k in 4 months is high for an Aston I know. I'm not quite sure where it's all coming from - I work from home! This is my only car, and it gets used almost every day, regardless of weather.
I use the car for everything. Visiting friends and family shortly after I got it
. Travelling to see my clients. Going to Tesco, but only after 10pm! Several multistory car parks. Sneaky run to McDonalds last night at 11pm.
Collecting the car was quite an intimidating experience. It's the highest value car I've ever bought, by about 2.5x. I did not enjoy driving it home, having to cover about 50 miles suffering from a blend of paranoia, nerves and excitement. I was physically shaking when I made it to my front door. Picking up new cars seems to be getting more traumatic as I get older, I drove home a brand new Azure Blue Elise 111s back in 1999, and I'm fairly sure I didn't loose it. My strongest memory of that is nearly being suffocated by the off-gassing of all the new fibreglass as it warmed up. I'm very pleased that the V8 only really smells of leather, and a bit of internal combustion
I felt it was a bit too much car for me, at first. I had a couple of sleepless nights with it parked outside, hoping it would still be there in the morning. But I got used to it.
Despite my mundane use, the car is still special. I was cruising along the other day, grinning like an idiot thinking how much I enjoyed driving it. Later, another Vantage appeared behind me on a dual carriageway. I watched as it came past, I thought it was black at first, but turned out to be a very dark blue, presumably Midnight. It looked fantastic. It's odd that I find myself looking at others like that, even though I'm sitting in one.
My only modification is the number plate plinth removal (Same car, different light and angle!):
The car has Gtechniq products on it. C1+EXO, Wheel Armour, and the glass stuff. It's holding up well and the car is easy to clean, highly recommended. Leather Guard is also handy, especially on the centre armrest area where I keep dribbling coffee.
Also it has 3M Ventureshield film over the high risk areas. You can see it if you look, but I really like this, it's been well applied and I'm sure will pay for itself if I keep the car a few years.
I love the car, and I'm planning on keeping it long term. I need to find some way of doing fewer miles in it! I am planning trips to Scotland, and northern France. Which really won't help...
Oil. I did not check the level when the car was new, believing what the dealer told me about their being no dipstick. At 4k miles the level was just below the halfway point, I added 750ml of Castrol Edge to bring it up to just below the max. I've checked just now and it's still just below the max. Either it was supplied low, or it burned some during its early life and has now stopped.
I get a genuine 21-22 mpg, measured at the pump. Kind of irrelevant, but better than I was expecting.
There have been no major issues but there are a few minor problems, some of which I hope I can get fixed, some I may have to live with:
- The clutch is undersized for the car, I have never smelled a clutch on any car I have driven up until this one. It's improved as it's bedded in, and my skill with it has developed. On a car design that's 10 years old, Aston have no excuse here, especially as they have a dual plate they fit to the V12s.
- The DAB radio doesn't really work, seems to be a loose antenna connection. The FM works along with the CD, Bluetooth etc.
- Really bad agricultural vibrations and resonances from the transmission in low speed/low revs situations. I believe TADTS.
- General fit and finish it a bit iffy in places. Rear plastic panel that the exhausts come through is not attached properly in one place. Shut line between boot lid and bumper is odd, looks like the bumper is distorted as the lines between the boot and lights, rear quarters look OK. Leather a bit wrinkly / marked in places. Paint finish is poor, there are (light) clearcoat scratches in various places and a machine polishing snail trail snaking all over the bonnet from someone going at it with a chunk of grit in the mop.
- Corrosion and fading lettering on Final Inspection plaque, happened within first 1k miles. Seems to have been caused by salt.
- 1st to 2nd can be a bit tight when cold, and 2nd can crunch when engaging. This improved a lot over the first few thousand miles, but it still needs some care.
I realise this is a hand assembled car, but I get the impression it's been thrown together rather than crafted by artisans. The metal beating and wheeling days of Newport Pagnell are long gone, unfortunately. I could spend a lot less money on anything from V.A.G. and it would not have any of the above issues. I might have been in the market for a Vanquish in a couple of years, but the quality level that AM produce does not meet the expectations set by the price tag.
The car is for driving though, and it does that very well. For me, it's a good blend of sports car and grand tourer, it's up for a quick blast, but I feel like I could cruise for hundreds of miles in a day in it, and it makes me want to. It's perhaps a little stiff for the terrible state of our roads, but never uncomfortable. I guess a V12 would be nice, it could certainly handle a bit more power. But I'm very happy with what I have.
I like the engine. I like the fact that it's slightly peaky, you have to rev it a bit, but you don't have to thrash it. A flat torque curve would be boring, having it all at the top end would be annoying, but it has a useful middle ground. I like opening the throttle in a high gear, there's not much there at first, and then the torque slowly builds with the speed and you hold on as long as you dare.
In summary, I like it a lot.
I collected my brand new manual Meteorite V8 at the start of the year, it's my first Aston. The odo ticked past the 5000 mile mark last night, all those miles are mine apart from the 36 delivery miles and about 5 miles driven by a mate.
So, 5k in 4 months is high for an Aston I know. I'm not quite sure where it's all coming from - I work from home! This is my only car, and it gets used almost every day, regardless of weather.
I use the car for everything. Visiting friends and family shortly after I got it
. Travelling to see my clients. Going to Tesco, but only after 10pm! Several multistory car parks. Sneaky run to McDonalds last night at 11pm.Collecting the car was quite an intimidating experience. It's the highest value car I've ever bought, by about 2.5x. I did not enjoy driving it home, having to cover about 50 miles suffering from a blend of paranoia, nerves and excitement. I was physically shaking when I made it to my front door. Picking up new cars seems to be getting more traumatic as I get older, I drove home a brand new Azure Blue Elise 111s back in 1999, and I'm fairly sure I didn't loose it. My strongest memory of that is nearly being suffocated by the off-gassing of all the new fibreglass as it warmed up. I'm very pleased that the V8 only really smells of leather, and a bit of internal combustion
I felt it was a bit too much car for me, at first. I had a couple of sleepless nights with it parked outside, hoping it would still be there in the morning. But I got used to it.
Despite my mundane use, the car is still special. I was cruising along the other day, grinning like an idiot thinking how much I enjoyed driving it. Later, another Vantage appeared behind me on a dual carriageway. I watched as it came past, I thought it was black at first, but turned out to be a very dark blue, presumably Midnight. It looked fantastic. It's odd that I find myself looking at others like that, even though I'm sitting in one.
My only modification is the number plate plinth removal (Same car, different light and angle!):
The car has Gtechniq products on it. C1+EXO, Wheel Armour, and the glass stuff. It's holding up well and the car is easy to clean, highly recommended. Leather Guard is also handy, especially on the centre armrest area where I keep dribbling coffee.
Also it has 3M Ventureshield film over the high risk areas. You can see it if you look, but I really like this, it's been well applied and I'm sure will pay for itself if I keep the car a few years.
I love the car, and I'm planning on keeping it long term. I need to find some way of doing fewer miles in it! I am planning trips to Scotland, and northern France. Which really won't help...
Oil. I did not check the level when the car was new, believing what the dealer told me about their being no dipstick. At 4k miles the level was just below the halfway point, I added 750ml of Castrol Edge to bring it up to just below the max. I've checked just now and it's still just below the max. Either it was supplied low, or it burned some during its early life and has now stopped.
I get a genuine 21-22 mpg, measured at the pump. Kind of irrelevant, but better than I was expecting.
There have been no major issues but there are a few minor problems, some of which I hope I can get fixed, some I may have to live with:
- The clutch is undersized for the car, I have never smelled a clutch on any car I have driven up until this one. It's improved as it's bedded in, and my skill with it has developed. On a car design that's 10 years old, Aston have no excuse here, especially as they have a dual plate they fit to the V12s.
- The DAB radio doesn't really work, seems to be a loose antenna connection. The FM works along with the CD, Bluetooth etc.
- Really bad agricultural vibrations and resonances from the transmission in low speed/low revs situations. I believe TADTS.
- General fit and finish it a bit iffy in places. Rear plastic panel that the exhausts come through is not attached properly in one place. Shut line between boot lid and bumper is odd, looks like the bumper is distorted as the lines between the boot and lights, rear quarters look OK. Leather a bit wrinkly / marked in places. Paint finish is poor, there are (light) clearcoat scratches in various places and a machine polishing snail trail snaking all over the bonnet from someone going at it with a chunk of grit in the mop.
- Corrosion and fading lettering on Final Inspection plaque, happened within first 1k miles. Seems to have been caused by salt.
- 1st to 2nd can be a bit tight when cold, and 2nd can crunch when engaging. This improved a lot over the first few thousand miles, but it still needs some care.
I realise this is a hand assembled car, but I get the impression it's been thrown together rather than crafted by artisans. The metal beating and wheeling days of Newport Pagnell are long gone, unfortunately. I could spend a lot less money on anything from V.A.G. and it would not have any of the above issues. I might have been in the market for a Vanquish in a couple of years, but the quality level that AM produce does not meet the expectations set by the price tag.
The car is for driving though, and it does that very well. For me, it's a good blend of sports car and grand tourer, it's up for a quick blast, but I feel like I could cruise for hundreds of miles in a day in it, and it makes me want to. It's perhaps a little stiff for the terrible state of our roads, but never uncomfortable. I guess a V12 would be nice, it could certainly handle a bit more power. But I'm very happy with what I have.
I like the engine. I like the fact that it's slightly peaky, you have to rev it a bit, but you don't have to thrash it. A flat torque curve would be boring, having it all at the top end would be annoying, but it has a useful middle ground. I like opening the throttle in a high gear, there's not much there at first, and then the torque slowly builds with the speed and you hold on as long as you dare.
In summary, I like it a lot.
Edited by Johnny42 on Wednesday 29th April 12:23
Looks good - make a change for a grey car not to have a black/grey interior!
Useful report; everything has been covered in posts here, but briefly:
o low-speed noise/vibration is the carbon prop and has to be lived with on a manual.
driving style can get rid of most of it, but if you spend a lot of time in crawling traffic, this is difficult
o clutch - it really is not fit for purpose, but live with it until it needs changing an get a replacement from
one of the excellent independents. If you can smell it and aren't reversing up a hill, you may need to work
on your technique
o fit/finish - this is mainly down to low-volume hand-builds; you would be amazed how much work/money/time
goes into developing a VAG build. They recoup this by automation and selling millions of cars.
Low-volume cars will always lag - I expect Ferrari/McLaren et al have similar issues.
o paint - that's down to dealer prep. Give Paddy on here a call to see how it can be done properly!
o gearbox - they all do that; it eases a bit with age, a few have said that refreshing the oil can help
o DAB - I understand the aerial is the problem. You may be able to get a third-party supplier/fitter to install a decent one
As you say, it's all about the drive (and the looks, IMO) - enjoy!
Cheers - Simon
Useful report; everything has been covered in posts here, but briefly:
o low-speed noise/vibration is the carbon prop and has to be lived with on a manual.
driving style can get rid of most of it, but if you spend a lot of time in crawling traffic, this is difficult
o clutch - it really is not fit for purpose, but live with it until it needs changing an get a replacement from
one of the excellent independents. If you can smell it and aren't reversing up a hill, you may need to work
on your technique
o fit/finish - this is mainly down to low-volume hand-builds; you would be amazed how much work/money/time
goes into developing a VAG build. They recoup this by automation and selling millions of cars.
Low-volume cars will always lag - I expect Ferrari/McLaren et al have similar issues.
o paint - that's down to dealer prep. Give Paddy on here a call to see how it can be done properly!
o gearbox - they all do that; it eases a bit with age, a few have said that refreshing the oil can help
o DAB - I understand the aerial is the problem. You may be able to get a third-party supplier/fitter to install a decent one
As you say, it's all about the drive (and the looks, IMO) - enjoy!
Cheers - Simon
Vanky, I know my client really well. If I meet a new one I have a problem, one of the reasons I'm looking for a 2nd car, but I don't know what to get! I'm a warm hatchback fan. I don't like the current crop though really...
Simon, I agree with all of your comments. I haven't smelled clutch for a while, it's always on my mind that's it's made from butter though.
Thanks!
Simon, I agree with all of your comments. I haven't smelled clutch for a while, it's always on my mind that's it's made from butter though.
Thanks!
Johnny42 said:
Vanky, I know my client really well. If I meet a new one I have a problem, one of the reasons I'm looking for a 2nd car, but I don't know what to get! I'm a warm hatchback fan. I don't like the current crop though really...
Simon, I agree with all of your comments. I haven't smelled clutch for a while, it's always on my mind that's it's made from butter though.
Thanks!
I assume you have addressed the panel fit issues with your dealer. They "can" be rectifiedSimon, I agree with all of your comments. I haven't smelled clutch for a while, it's always on my mind that's it's made from butter though.
Thanks!
AMDBSNick said:
I assume you have addressed the panel fit issues with your dealer. They "can" be rectified
I'm sure it can be improved, but I haven't had time really, it's currently my only car so I'd need to organise a bit. My first service will be due soon anyway!I suppose it could be argued I shouldn't be complaining about something that can be fixed for free, however considering what I paid for the car, I had an expectation that it would be tip top before it left Gaydon.
Johnny42 said:
I'm sure it can be improved, but I haven't had time really, it's currently my only car so I'd need to organise a bit. My first service will be due soon anyway!
I suppose it could be argued I shouldn't be complaining about something that can be fixed for free, however considering what I paid for the car, I had an expectation that it would be tip top before it left Gaydon.
Great update, Johnny !!I suppose it could be argued I shouldn't be complaining about something that can be fixed for free, however considering what I paid for the car, I had an expectation that it would be tip top before it left Gaydon.
You say you've learned a lot from the forum......you say you had an expectation that it would be in tip top condition before it left Gaydon.....those 2 sentences should >never< be used on the same thread
Get Paddy round and he will show you several issues with the paintwork that you haven't noticed
Fab car - glad you're enjoying it.
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