Aston Martin ownership a nightmare to date
Discussion
Back in mid August I was very excited to put a deposit down on a V8 Vantage S Roadster with my local dealer especially as I had a European road trip planned with a group of friends for mid September.
The deal was done and collection agreed for a week later with an agreement that glass buttons would be fitted, a service would be undertaken and a 2 year Timeless warranty was applied to the car. At the time I made it clear the tracker (as it was advertised with) would be activated for collection as this was a condition of my insurance.
As all petrolheads know collection day cannot come quick enough but I was disappointed on the day that the dealer hadn't fitted the glass buttons as Aston Martin were having "stock issues". Being new to Aston I thought that maybe being a low volume manufacturer this was part of the course and it was agreed once the parts were in I'd return the car for them to be fitted, shame but no big deal. Unfortunately the tracker hadn't been activated and when I collected the car but again, Aston said it would be sorted in a couple of hours.
I drove home and awaited he call to give me the all clear on the tracker, after me chasing most of the day it turns out the tracker was faulty and the car had to be collected the next day to go back to Aston for a week for a new tracker to be fitted. I was also disappointed at the condition of the car, dirt inside and a lot of watermarks on the car so I spent the day I'd taken off work to drive the car detailing it instead.
Again, a bit of a pain but I'd still have the car for my road trip.
A week later I had the car back and off it went to some local guys to apply PPF.
When I got the car back I decided to have a quick check of the oil levels (even though it had just been serviced) before heading off to Europe as I'm a bit OCD! Upon checking the oil it appeared to be quite a bit over the max level. A call to Aston Martin technical team and they advised returning the car ASAP to the dealer. Another afternoon of work and back to the dealer and they confirmed the oil was 1 litre over and advised it must have been overfilled during the service. This was corrected by them.
So off to Europe for 10 days....unfortunately when we stopped for lunch on day 2 the car decided to deposit coolant all over the car park, no indication of overheating, the temp gauge was dead center. Engine warning and coolant low warnings then came up on the dash.
Aston Martins Assistance partner were called and they advised they would have to recover the car, luckily we were in Milan and there was an Aston dealer 20 mins away. The car was collected the following morning and I was advised the car would be looked at straight away then we could make a decision on whether the car could be easily fixed or it would need to be returned to the UK. After a number of calls chasing Aston Assistance it came to light that although they had the car by 09:30 they had still not looked at it by 4pm.
As our hotel was booked near to Monaco that night and the others in the group had moved on it was agreed I could have a hire car although AM Assistance couldn't provide one as I was crossing a country border and they don't allow that with their courtesy cars. It did raise the question as to how I would get to the UK from Italy without crossing a country border?!?!?
I'll skip the in's and out's of that negotiation but I got the the hotel that night by taxi and one of the our group dropped me at Nice airport to collect a hire car arranged by AM Assistance. Again I'll skip the hour and a half it took them to find the booking and I was provided with a Skoda which would get me to Strasbourg and we'd have to figure out how to get back to the UK from there. When signing the paperwork I noticed that I had a mileage restriction of 1,000km on the hire car, a quick search showed that the most direct route (without crossing a border remember) was 778km with no allowance to find hotels, petrol, food enroute. I have since been billed for exceeding this by 26km's!
So I drop the car in Strasbourg and jump in with a friend to return to the UK. Upon calling the assistance people I have been informed the car won't be returned to the UK until the 10th-12th October at the earliest, 23-25 days after it was taken to AM Milan! I've spoken to a number of people there and they are basically not interested in trying to get my car back any sooner. Considering it will be dropped at my local dealer and repaired it's likely to be a month until my car is returned to me!
I've emailed the Dealer Principle, no response until I chased him and I've got an agreement that the dealer will fix the car and give it another full inspection. They also don't seem particularly interested or sympathetic that I've had these issues to date and I still won't have the car back for some time.
Is this what I should expect from Aston Martin ownership? I'm seriously considering cutting my losses and returning to Porsche where I've always had excellent service.
To take 25 days to get a car from Milan to Kent seems extremely poor and the level of customer service is just appalling. Also, and the dealer know this my father in law has had several Astons and a few Bentleys from the same group and is furious that they seem so uninterested in helping in any way. He's in the process of buying a new Aston and I'd be surprised if he deals with that group again.
I get that I'm buying at the bottom of the range but I've still spent £70k on a car and being a 44 year old petrolhead who changes cars every year or so you think Aston might look at the long game and realise I might have spent a lot of money with them over the next few years.
Anyway, apologies for the long rant but I wanted to get this off my chest.
The deal was done and collection agreed for a week later with an agreement that glass buttons would be fitted, a service would be undertaken and a 2 year Timeless warranty was applied to the car. At the time I made it clear the tracker (as it was advertised with) would be activated for collection as this was a condition of my insurance.
As all petrolheads know collection day cannot come quick enough but I was disappointed on the day that the dealer hadn't fitted the glass buttons as Aston Martin were having "stock issues". Being new to Aston I thought that maybe being a low volume manufacturer this was part of the course and it was agreed once the parts were in I'd return the car for them to be fitted, shame but no big deal. Unfortunately the tracker hadn't been activated and when I collected the car but again, Aston said it would be sorted in a couple of hours.
I drove home and awaited he call to give me the all clear on the tracker, after me chasing most of the day it turns out the tracker was faulty and the car had to be collected the next day to go back to Aston for a week for a new tracker to be fitted. I was also disappointed at the condition of the car, dirt inside and a lot of watermarks on the car so I spent the day I'd taken off work to drive the car detailing it instead.
Again, a bit of a pain but I'd still have the car for my road trip.
A week later I had the car back and off it went to some local guys to apply PPF.
When I got the car back I decided to have a quick check of the oil levels (even though it had just been serviced) before heading off to Europe as I'm a bit OCD! Upon checking the oil it appeared to be quite a bit over the max level. A call to Aston Martin technical team and they advised returning the car ASAP to the dealer. Another afternoon of work and back to the dealer and they confirmed the oil was 1 litre over and advised it must have been overfilled during the service. This was corrected by them.
So off to Europe for 10 days....unfortunately when we stopped for lunch on day 2 the car decided to deposit coolant all over the car park, no indication of overheating, the temp gauge was dead center. Engine warning and coolant low warnings then came up on the dash.
Aston Martins Assistance partner were called and they advised they would have to recover the car, luckily we were in Milan and there was an Aston dealer 20 mins away. The car was collected the following morning and I was advised the car would be looked at straight away then we could make a decision on whether the car could be easily fixed or it would need to be returned to the UK. After a number of calls chasing Aston Assistance it came to light that although they had the car by 09:30 they had still not looked at it by 4pm.
As our hotel was booked near to Monaco that night and the others in the group had moved on it was agreed I could have a hire car although AM Assistance couldn't provide one as I was crossing a country border and they don't allow that with their courtesy cars. It did raise the question as to how I would get to the UK from Italy without crossing a country border?!?!?
I'll skip the in's and out's of that negotiation but I got the the hotel that night by taxi and one of the our group dropped me at Nice airport to collect a hire car arranged by AM Assistance. Again I'll skip the hour and a half it took them to find the booking and I was provided with a Skoda which would get me to Strasbourg and we'd have to figure out how to get back to the UK from there. When signing the paperwork I noticed that I had a mileage restriction of 1,000km on the hire car, a quick search showed that the most direct route (without crossing a border remember) was 778km with no allowance to find hotels, petrol, food enroute. I have since been billed for exceeding this by 26km's!
So I drop the car in Strasbourg and jump in with a friend to return to the UK. Upon calling the assistance people I have been informed the car won't be returned to the UK until the 10th-12th October at the earliest, 23-25 days after it was taken to AM Milan! I've spoken to a number of people there and they are basically not interested in trying to get my car back any sooner. Considering it will be dropped at my local dealer and repaired it's likely to be a month until my car is returned to me!
I've emailed the Dealer Principle, no response until I chased him and I've got an agreement that the dealer will fix the car and give it another full inspection. They also don't seem particularly interested or sympathetic that I've had these issues to date and I still won't have the car back for some time.
Is this what I should expect from Aston Martin ownership? I'm seriously considering cutting my losses and returning to Porsche where I've always had excellent service.
To take 25 days to get a car from Milan to Kent seems extremely poor and the level of customer service is just appalling. Also, and the dealer know this my father in law has had several Astons and a few Bentleys from the same group and is furious that they seem so uninterested in helping in any way. He's in the process of buying a new Aston and I'd be surprised if he deals with that group again.
I get that I'm buying at the bottom of the range but I've still spent £70k on a car and being a 44 year old petrolhead who changes cars every year or so you think Aston might look at the long game and realise I might have spent a lot of money with them over the next few years.
Anyway, apologies for the long rant but I wanted to get this off my chest.
I'm very sorry to hear that you've had such a bad experience Ian as it should not be this way and the CEO of AML is big on this level of service being totally unacceptable for Aston ownership so he should hear your story.
OK, so the car had what was probably a minor problem in Italy but apart from that this story is all about very poor service from two dealerships. They just hadn't done the prep work on your car before you collected it which is pathetic and if they can't fill the oil to the correct level then I wouldn't let them do anything else on my car. Your Italian experience again just shouts pure laziness on the part of the dealer.
I'm not an expert but the word is that if you Tweet Andy Palmer your story he gets directly involved in cases like this and makes things happen so that is what I would be doing if I were you.
Hope things get sorted ASAP and you start to enjoy your Aston as you should and the vast majority of us do.
OK, so the car had what was probably a minor problem in Italy but apart from that this story is all about very poor service from two dealerships. They just hadn't done the prep work on your car before you collected it which is pathetic and if they can't fill the oil to the correct level then I wouldn't let them do anything else on my car. Your Italian experience again just shouts pure laziness on the part of the dealer.
I'm not an expert but the word is that if you Tweet Andy Palmer your story he gets directly involved in cases like this and makes things happen so that is what I would be doing if I were you.
Hope things get sorted ASAP and you start to enjoy your Aston as you should and the vast majority of us do.
Such a shame you trip was messed up. Lack of glass switches, tracker issues, too much oil etc just smacks of a poor disinterested dealer. Sell you the car, don't fulfill their obligations and are not bothered with your subsequent issues.
If it was me I would go and meet the dealer principal face to face. Ask for a replacement loan Aston until yours is fixed. Then when you pick your car up, double check everything, make sure your warranty is all in order then drive off.
Enjoy your fantastic car, and enjoy the smiles it puts on most members of the general public's faces. Take it to another dealer, introduce yourself to them, and if you get on, tell them they'll get all your future servicing work from you.
I've had Two Astons since 2013. Both bought from HWM. Initially serviced there, then the last service and secondary decat at AM Cheltenham - only because I moved. I will keep in touch with both, who have been absolutely first class in all my dealings with them. Highly recommended.
Astons do have their foibles, but are just so much classier than that Pork stuff 😀
If it was me I would go and meet the dealer principal face to face. Ask for a replacement loan Aston until yours is fixed. Then when you pick your car up, double check everything, make sure your warranty is all in order then drive off.
Enjoy your fantastic car, and enjoy the smiles it puts on most members of the general public's faces. Take it to another dealer, introduce yourself to them, and if you get on, tell them they'll get all your future servicing work from you.
I've had Two Astons since 2013. Both bought from HWM. Initially serviced there, then the last service and secondary decat at AM Cheltenham - only because I moved. I will keep in touch with both, who have been absolutely first class in all my dealings with them. Highly recommended.
Astons do have their foibles, but are just so much classier than that Pork stuff 😀
Thanks for the comments, maybe Twitter is the way to go.
I'm not sure what the status of the repair is, I was told that the car would not be repaired in Milan but three days later I was told they'd replaced the coolant header tank. I'm unable currently to get any further information. Whether that is it fully repaired or if that is something they tried as part of the diagnosis I'm not sure.
I'm not sure what the status of the repair is, I was told that the car would not be repaired in Milan but three days later I was told they'd replaced the coolant header tank. I'm unable currently to get any further information. Whether that is it fully repaired or if that is something they tried as part of the diagnosis I'm not sure.
Tough luck. I'd be livid. I'd make a visit to the dealer principal, and also deliver a clearly written letter referring to things like 'not fit for purpose', 'negligence in servicing', 'lack of due care', 'unnecessary delays' and 'full refund' especially if this was all within 30 days. I'd be serious too - get your money back you're never going to love this car now and won't relax in it next time you take it to the continent.
Overall shocking and sorry to hear it. I’d be fuming. I had 6 months of issues with my vanquish a few years ago, the dealer (Cheltenham) were great and did everything they could, Aston didn’t really care less which considering it was their flagship car at the time and supposedly tracking every issue, i was less than impressed.
I left the brand for a couple of years and have just returned, I have had some issues which funny include a tracker that had to be replaced but HWM have been pretty good, collected and delivered with a truck and have resolved the issues bar a couple of rattles and a squeak from the brakes.
Hope you get it sorted soon but I would be very tempted to name and shame and absolutely reach out to Andy Palmer, he may well deligate but it should help...
Good luck
I left the brand for a couple of years and have just returned, I have had some issues which funny include a tracker that had to be replaced but HWM have been pretty good, collected and delivered with a truck and have resolved the issues bar a couple of rattles and a squeak from the brakes.
Hope you get it sorted soon but I would be very tempted to name and shame and absolutely reach out to Andy Palmer, he may well deligate but it should help...
Good luck
Sorry to hear about your experience. What a mess. Hopefully it will be resolved soon.
After a new Boxster S, new 981 Spyder & five 911's I walked into an AM dealership today to test drive a V12V (also the first Aston I have driven). One hour test drive with a pro driver and an hour in the dealership in a relaxed chatty environment. No pressure. Seriously tempted to switch from my 997 turbo & years of enjoyable Porsche ownership. But have always had excellent service from Porsche main dealers & Porsche Indy's.
After a new Boxster S, new 981 Spyder & five 911's I walked into an AM dealership today to test drive a V12V (also the first Aston I have driven). One hour test drive with a pro driver and an hour in the dealership in a relaxed chatty environment. No pressure. Seriously tempted to switch from my 997 turbo & years of enjoyable Porsche ownership. But have always had excellent service from Porsche main dealers & Porsche Indy's.
I really feel for you, buying an Aston is a big deal for many and the anticipation is the stuff of sleep deprivation, and after those initial hiccups and delays, to break down on your first major jaunt and have to deal with a scenario like this is appalling. Buying at the bottom of the range be damned, 70k is still much more money than most people spend on any new car... and it`s not a Hyundai, these things have history and provenance and I am sure AML does not want that reputation tarnished with cars of any age leaking fluids and being dragged off on transporters, much less disgruntled missives on forums like this. All the best with getting a satisfactory resolution and some decent treatment!
dbs2000 said:
Sorry to hear about your plight. Just out of interest where was the water leaking from?
Glad it's back in the UK and hopefully you'll be able to breath easily and enjoy it soon enough.
We're not sure as it's quite difficult to access, it was either the overflow, the header tank or a pipe near the header tank. There was no temperature fluctuation and the car had only been on a short and easy run after a coffee break. Glad it's back in the UK and hopefully you'll be able to breath easily and enjoy it soon enough.
We replaced just over 2 litres to re-fill with no obvious further leaks but the dash was still lit up with engine management and coolant low warnings. It sounds like AM Milan changed the whole coolant header tank, I'm not sure where the pressure release is but it's usually in the cap?
I'll update the thread with the diagnosis.
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