Faulty rear light - DB9
Discussion
DB9 has developed a faulty drivers side problem with the indicator not working. Only had the car 3 months and have just found out the warranty doesn't cover it. Bought from an AM dealer with the extended warranty which apparently does not cover lights, exhaust or ICE. Have requested clarification from the supplying dealer but I am preparing for the worse.
My choices are
1. Pay AM £522 + VAT to replace
2. Pay DMS and have some clear lights fitted and get both done (if one has died how long till the other goes)
3. Get one (or a set) off eBay and do it myself.
4. Appeal to a higher power in AM.
I have looked at the eBay photos and noticed some from a v8 vantage local to me but they seem to have 3 mounting threads and from what I can see I have two on mine. My car is a June 2004 car and those lights are off a 2006 V8. Anyone know what fits what? Has the design changed? Also do the nuts fit an 8mm socket and is there any trick to it or are they just anticlockwise and they are off?
I am tempted to suck it up and pay Rick and get the clears. At least I know they are both new and likely to outlast my use of the car. Anyone done this on a light coloured car. Mine is Snow Shadow Grey.
It does seem faintly ridiculous to design rear lights where any failure results in a complete unit swap. The whole bank of led's could not have died simultaneously so I assume it is the control module. Other cars have strange things called bulbs which are cheap to replace.
Any help gratefully received.
My choices are
1. Pay AM £522 + VAT to replace
2. Pay DMS and have some clear lights fitted and get both done (if one has died how long till the other goes)
3. Get one (or a set) off eBay and do it myself.
4. Appeal to a higher power in AM.
I have looked at the eBay photos and noticed some from a v8 vantage local to me but they seem to have 3 mounting threads and from what I can see I have two on mine. My car is a June 2004 car and those lights are off a 2006 V8. Anyone know what fits what? Has the design changed? Also do the nuts fit an 8mm socket and is there any trick to it or are they just anticlockwise and they are off?
I am tempted to suck it up and pay Rick and get the clears. At least I know they are both new and likely to outlast my use of the car. Anyone done this on a light coloured car. Mine is Snow Shadow Grey.
It does seem faintly ridiculous to design rear lights where any failure results in a complete unit swap. The whole bank of led's could not have died simultaneously so I assume it is the control module. Other cars have strange things called bulbs which are cheap to replace.
Any help gratefully received.
SLacKer said:
It does seem faintly ridiculous to design rear lights where any failure results in a complete unit swap. The whole bank of led's could not have died simultaneously so I assume it is the control module. Other cars have strange things called bulbs which are cheap to replace.
Any help gratefully received.
Yep very ridiculous. LED units are designed to allow one / a few LED's to fail and still work, unlike a bulb. However, Aston and other manufacturers have failed to work out that electronics and water don't mix. No doubt your dealer will say you've allowed watee ingress. But if there is any chance of water ingress the control unit / PCB should be sealed. Its a car they get wet, hence they should be sealed.Any help gratefully received.
Have just checked on ebay, lots for rear lights for sale, so if you want the cheap option have a look.
The V8 Vantage and the DB9 use the same lamp assembly so they can be interchanged, I can gladly provide details how to change them over, the only bit you have to be careful with is the centre coloured piece of trim, a bit of gentle heating with a hair dryer really helps removal and refitting with double sided tape available from most auto accessory shops,
Rick - your genius is without question.
I still reckon my idea is a more progressive one, though.
SLacKER, do not worry about the colour of your car because the Clears look fantastic on ANY colour, as has been noted in previous threads.
Once installed your AM will look as beautiful from the Rear as it does from the Front.
I still reckon my idea is a more progressive one, though.
SLacKER, do not worry about the colour of your car because the Clears look fantastic on ANY colour, as has been noted in previous threads.
Once installed your AM will look as beautiful from the Rear as it does from the Front.
I would take it up with the dealer. My rear light cluster failed and it was covered by warranty. The more I read posts on this forum, there appears to be total inconsistency in whether or not items are covered by the AM warranty. It seems as though the default first response is no, and only if you push it do they eventually cave in and agree. The lights are LEDs and according to the manual should last indefinitely. Sorry - bit of a rave but there you go.
Has anyone (...mainly Rick) seen the front LEDs go on a v8v?
My car has just two that aren't working, which obviously isn't the end of the world, but I would like them put right for my own satisfaction.
(...I've already been told by an AM dealer that my extended warranty probably won't cover it!)
My car has just two that aren't working, which obviously isn't the end of the world, but I would like them put right for my own satisfaction.
(...I've already been told by an AM dealer that my extended warranty probably won't cover it!)
silverspeed said:
I thought the clear lenses could only retro fit post 2008 cars due to the wiring ?
the clear rear lamp kits will fit the earlier cars and all lights will work correctly, the issue is with the warning on the dash if the lamp was to fail, the earlier cars require a reflash to enable this to work with the later lamps, Just had a look behind the boot carpet and noticed I have three mounting threads so it is the same as the eBay photo just that the carpet shows only 2 through the holes.
Also contacting the supplier dealer they say it is covered as long as there is no water inside. I have some condensation in the part of the light unit that wraps around the side of the car but I store the car in a garage and never get over active with a jet wash. So I guess I am stuck because of the water ingress into the light unit being a get out clause. I could understand it if the lens had been broken and water gets in but this is clearly a faulty seal not of my making.
I shall wait and see what they come back with. Maybe a call to AM themselves or the warranty people.
I guess short of them replacing it I will either go for a spare light sold by a clear light upgrade customer or go for an upgrade myself as they offer vfm whereas just replacing the unit does not. Also I have to consider that if one side has gone how long till the other side goes.
Also contacting the supplier dealer they say it is covered as long as there is no water inside. I have some condensation in the part of the light unit that wraps around the side of the car but I store the car in a garage and never get over active with a jet wash. So I guess I am stuck because of the water ingress into the light unit being a get out clause. I could understand it if the lens had been broken and water gets in but this is clearly a faulty seal not of my making.
I shall wait and see what they come back with. Maybe a call to AM themselves or the warranty people.
I guess short of them replacing it I will either go for a spare light sold by a clear light upgrade customer or go for an upgrade myself as they offer vfm whereas just replacing the unit does not. Also I have to consider that if one side has gone how long till the other side goes.
Edited by SLacKer on Tuesday 22 March 14:55
Supplying dealer just got back to me and they are seeing if there is a way to sort it out. I suddenly feel a lot better about it now. Checked my other cars and only 1 other has led lights.
I checked my tool storage foam and I have a screwdriver, towing eye and a few bulbs but I also have a missing part adjacent to the screwdriver. Is this a bulb, anyone know. The hole is cylindrical in shape.
I checked my tool storage foam and I have a screwdriver, towing eye and a few bulbs but I also have a missing part adjacent to the screwdriver. Is this a bulb, anyone know. The hole is cylindrical in shape.
Could I just say that neither dealer is at issue here. I bought the car from a dealer who was not my local one (colour was main factor) and asked my local dealer about the problem and he called the warranty people directly and got back to me with the not covered decision and told me how much it would cost.
So having read the forum and some posts I contacted my supplying dealer for clarification who is now looking at a way of sorting this out. How they can sort it is not clear but I will leave it to them.
It appears the warranty does not cover issues where there is water ingress (there is a small amount of condensation in the lens). This is the warranty T&C's not any dealer who can only be guided by the warranty cover. In fact both have been sympathetic to my situation as 3 months into ownership this happens and its a bit of a pain.
So the AM dealers have both been really helpful and there is definitely a difference between AM and other brands in this regard.
I have no idea how the moisture got into the light casing but I did visit the SS at Gaydon Heritage Centre the other week and it was a bit damp. It is stored in a sealed dry garage and indeed I had used it for a run on the morning and all was fine as I am a serial indicator. It was only after a few hours on the drive when I went out in the afternoon where it failed and I got the message and the fast indicator. So I turned round and used another car as running without a rear indicator is not something I relish.
As for the car it has been faultless apart from this and I have even worked out the handbrake release by reading the manual
.
So having read the forum and some posts I contacted my supplying dealer for clarification who is now looking at a way of sorting this out. How they can sort it is not clear but I will leave it to them.
It appears the warranty does not cover issues where there is water ingress (there is a small amount of condensation in the lens). This is the warranty T&C's not any dealer who can only be guided by the warranty cover. In fact both have been sympathetic to my situation as 3 months into ownership this happens and its a bit of a pain.
So the AM dealers have both been really helpful and there is definitely a difference between AM and other brands in this regard.
I have no idea how the moisture got into the light casing but I did visit the SS at Gaydon Heritage Centre the other week and it was a bit damp. It is stored in a sealed dry garage and indeed I had used it for a run on the morning and all was fine as I am a serial indicator. It was only after a few hours on the drive when I went out in the afternoon where it failed and I got the message and the fast indicator. So I turned round and used another car as running without a rear indicator is not something I relish.
As for the car it has been faultless apart from this and I have even worked out the handbrake release by reading the manual
.Edited by SLacKer on Tuesday 22 March 17:49
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