2011 DBS - Battery Issues [+ Solution]
Discussion
Hi folks
We have a 2011 DBS with 9600 miles on the clock. As most of you will be aware the battery under the back seat is in an aluminium surround.
If you look to the right of this surround, you'll see one of the main positive wires that runs under the centre section over to the passenger side seat (UK).
My problem began when we had to replace the battery - the old one lay for about a year with no charge in it.
Once fitted, we started her up just to check everything was good, and then while it was running - I decided to bolt down the aluminium cover over the battery.
While I was tightening this cover down, I never noticed that the sharp edge of the cover was slowly cutting into the positive wire on the right. With the cover being aluminium and naturally grounded (-ve), I soon had a very scary short circuit. Smoke and sparks were flying from the positive cable where the box had cut into and I somehow had to disconnect the negative terminal quickly before the battery would end up going bang - being careful not to touch the cover.
Once this was over, I removed the cover and cut a small section out of the cover where the positive cable runs past it. I checked the battery and it appeared to be ok, so I reconnected it and tried to start the car. This is where my nightmare spanning 2 weeks began...
When I pressed in the key, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. ADS offline, PATS Transmission offline, Brake Failure stop safely etc. etc. I then proceeded to check all fuses I could find in the car: Under the bonnet, boot and under the seats. All checked ok for continuity and no problems to be seen. I searched online to see if someone else had had a similar issue and no luck. One of the errors the car showed was "Check battery off switch" - which sort of stuck with me. My dbs has no battery off switch in the boot and no reconnect switch behind any of the rear seats like what it seems everyone else's cars have. So I was out of luck.
I called my nearest Aston dealer which is Edinburgh (still a 4 hour drive south for me). I spoke to a technician who had never heard of this problem before and told me I'd need to get it down and they'll look at it. They thought it could be the ECU had fried and told me the model year of my car has no battery off/on switch but its actually got an automatic one. I then tried to call Newcastle and spoke to one of their guys and he also said he didn't know and it could be anything.
Irritated that I'd have to take it on a trailer 4+ hours down to Edinburgh where it'd likely cost an arm and a leg - I dug around in the car myself following the positive wires from the battery as they progressed through the car. That's when I found the issue.
Next to the battery in my car there is a black box that houses a relay. This relay is the automatic battery disconnect switch, which is reactivated by the ignition being turned on. But this wasn't happening for me, so I removed it. Once removed I believe I found the culprit. The bottom of the relay was melted badly.
So, to check if this was the issue - I bolted both positive connections that came from opposite ends of the relay since all it is is a switch really. Bolted both ends down together, put in the key and she fired up first time!
The troublesome relay.
The back completely melted.
Both ends bolted together.
No errors, codes and for the first time ever - no Tyre pressure warnings.
The relay itself is a Fo Mo Co relay. I almost called Aston to get the part ordered, but then remembered Fo Mo Co stands for Ford Motor Company. So I went to my local ford dealership literally a mile away from me and managed to order a brand new one for.... £45.70! The part comes from a MK7 Ford Transit and is readily available from eBay and through Ford dealerships. The part number for the relay is: 6C1T-10B728-AB.
It's been a stressful and worrying 2 weeks, but I got to the bottom of it, and fixed the Aston for 45 quid. Since I found no help online for this issue, I thought I'd post it up in case some other unlucky sod like myself runs into the same issue.
Note to self: Astons don't like slushy, wet, 0 degrees conditions.
We have a 2011 DBS with 9600 miles on the clock. As most of you will be aware the battery under the back seat is in an aluminium surround.
If you look to the right of this surround, you'll see one of the main positive wires that runs under the centre section over to the passenger side seat (UK).
My problem began when we had to replace the battery - the old one lay for about a year with no charge in it.
Once fitted, we started her up just to check everything was good, and then while it was running - I decided to bolt down the aluminium cover over the battery.
While I was tightening this cover down, I never noticed that the sharp edge of the cover was slowly cutting into the positive wire on the right. With the cover being aluminium and naturally grounded (-ve), I soon had a very scary short circuit. Smoke and sparks were flying from the positive cable where the box had cut into and I somehow had to disconnect the negative terminal quickly before the battery would end up going bang - being careful not to touch the cover.
Once this was over, I removed the cover and cut a small section out of the cover where the positive cable runs past it. I checked the battery and it appeared to be ok, so I reconnected it and tried to start the car. This is where my nightmare spanning 2 weeks began...
When I pressed in the key, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. ADS offline, PATS Transmission offline, Brake Failure stop safely etc. etc. I then proceeded to check all fuses I could find in the car: Under the bonnet, boot and under the seats. All checked ok for continuity and no problems to be seen. I searched online to see if someone else had had a similar issue and no luck. One of the errors the car showed was "Check battery off switch" - which sort of stuck with me. My dbs has no battery off switch in the boot and no reconnect switch behind any of the rear seats like what it seems everyone else's cars have. So I was out of luck.
I called my nearest Aston dealer which is Edinburgh (still a 4 hour drive south for me). I spoke to a technician who had never heard of this problem before and told me I'd need to get it down and they'll look at it. They thought it could be the ECU had fried and told me the model year of my car has no battery off/on switch but its actually got an automatic one. I then tried to call Newcastle and spoke to one of their guys and he also said he didn't know and it could be anything.
Irritated that I'd have to take it on a trailer 4+ hours down to Edinburgh where it'd likely cost an arm and a leg - I dug around in the car myself following the positive wires from the battery as they progressed through the car. That's when I found the issue.
Next to the battery in my car there is a black box that houses a relay. This relay is the automatic battery disconnect switch, which is reactivated by the ignition being turned on. But this wasn't happening for me, so I removed it. Once removed I believe I found the culprit. The bottom of the relay was melted badly.
So, to check if this was the issue - I bolted both positive connections that came from opposite ends of the relay since all it is is a switch really. Bolted both ends down together, put in the key and she fired up first time!
The troublesome relay.
The back completely melted.
Both ends bolted together.
No errors, codes and for the first time ever - no Tyre pressure warnings.
The relay itself is a Fo Mo Co relay. I almost called Aston to get the part ordered, but then remembered Fo Mo Co stands for Ford Motor Company. So I went to my local ford dealership literally a mile away from me and managed to order a brand new one for.... £45.70! The part comes from a MK7 Ford Transit and is readily available from eBay and through Ford dealerships. The part number for the relay is: 6C1T-10B728-AB.
It's been a stressful and worrying 2 weeks, but I got to the bottom of it, and fixed the Aston for 45 quid. Since I found no help online for this issue, I thought I'd post it up in case some other unlucky sod like myself runs into the same issue.
Note to self: Astons don't like slushy, wet, 0 degrees conditions.
Edited by stevenmilne_ on Thursday 17th January 13:34
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