Discussion
I bought my latest Aston back in July last year from Brentwood Aston Martin, a 2013 V8 Vantage.
I picked it up in the beginning of the August and have only covered 2000 miles since then, 2000 miles of sensible driving....
Picked up the car with 26665 miles on the clock, now reads 28693
Now the clutch has started to go, 5th or 6th gear on Motorway, accelerate, engine revs up with no acceleration for about 2-3 seconds, so its slipping. The car is a manual as well.
When I received the car I always thought it smelt a bit clutchy on take off from 1st-2nd gear and also when reversing. This is the second one I have owned and I will say that I do not ride the clutch and do not slip the clutch when changing gear etc...
Where do you all think I stand on going back to the dealer this far on? The car is still under warranty, although I know that the clutch is a wear and tear item and wont be covered. I feel that some part contribution would be fair.
I just feel that to pay that money and then have a clutch go only after 2000 miles is a bit poor, also surely the clutch life should be more than 28K??
Also what's the average cost to replace a clutch??
Not only this, the oil pressure warning light has come on, the car is making pressure and working ok but the light is just on for no reason, AM Weybridge had the car for nearly 2 weeks with no joy of finding the fault, I had to have the car back over Xmas as it was booked into a detailer for Machine polish and ceramic coating, but car is going back to AM in Weybridge end of Jan to see if they can find the oil light fault.
Oh and to top this all off, somewhere between AM picking the car up and dropping it off to the detailers the delivery driver snapped the front corner off of the front splitter and didn't even bother to report it... But they have accepted responsibility and have agreed to replace the splitter.
My 1st Aston I had heaps of grief with when I 1st bought it and now this time around too...
What do you guys think??
I picked it up in the beginning of the August and have only covered 2000 miles since then, 2000 miles of sensible driving....
Picked up the car with 26665 miles on the clock, now reads 28693
Now the clutch has started to go, 5th or 6th gear on Motorway, accelerate, engine revs up with no acceleration for about 2-3 seconds, so its slipping. The car is a manual as well.
When I received the car I always thought it smelt a bit clutchy on take off from 1st-2nd gear and also when reversing. This is the second one I have owned and I will say that I do not ride the clutch and do not slip the clutch when changing gear etc...
Where do you all think I stand on going back to the dealer this far on? The car is still under warranty, although I know that the clutch is a wear and tear item and wont be covered. I feel that some part contribution would be fair.
I just feel that to pay that money and then have a clutch go only after 2000 miles is a bit poor, also surely the clutch life should be more than 28K??
Also what's the average cost to replace a clutch??
Not only this, the oil pressure warning light has come on, the car is making pressure and working ok but the light is just on for no reason, AM Weybridge had the car for nearly 2 weeks with no joy of finding the fault, I had to have the car back over Xmas as it was booked into a detailer for Machine polish and ceramic coating, but car is going back to AM in Weybridge end of Jan to see if they can find the oil light fault.
Oh and to top this all off, somewhere between AM picking the car up and dropping it off to the detailers the delivery driver snapped the front corner off of the front splitter and didn't even bother to report it... But they have accepted responsibility and have agreed to replace the splitter.
My 1st Aston I had heaps of grief with when I 1st bought it and now this time around too...
What do you guys think??
Edited by burntout on Saturday 13th January 06:53
Edited by burntout on Saturday 13th January 06:56
burntout said:
I bought my latest Aston back in July last year from Brentwood Aston Martin, a 2013 V8 Vantage.
I picked it up in the beginning of the August and have only covered 2000 miles since then, 2000 miles of sensible driving....
Picked up the car with 26665 miles on the clock, now reads 28693
Now the clutch has started to go, 5th or 6th gear on Motorway, accelerate, engine revs up with no acceleration for about 2-3 seconds, so its slipping. The car is a manual as well.
When I received the car I always thought it smelt a bit clutchy on take off from 1st-2nd gear and also when reversing. This is the second one I have owned and I will say that I do not ride the clutch and do not slip the clutch when changing gear etc...
Where do you all think I stand on going back to the dealer this far on? The car is still under warranty, although I know that the clutch is a wear and tear item and wont be covered. I feel that some part contribution would be fair.
I just feel that to pay that money and then have a clutch go only after 2000 miles is a bit poor, also surely the clutch life should be more than 28K??
Also what's the average cost to replace a clutch??
Not only this, the oil pressure warning light has come on, the car is making pressure and working ok but the light is just on for no reason, AM Weybridge had the car for nearly 2 weeks with no joy of finding the fault, I had to have the car back over Xmas as it was booked into a detailer for Machine polish and ceramic coating, but car is going back to AM in Weybridge end of Jan to see if they can find the oil light fault.
Oh and to top this all off, somewhere between AM picking the car up and dropping it off to the detailers the delivery driver snapped the front corner off of the front splitter and didn't even bother to report it... But they have accepted responsibility and have agreed to replace the splitter.
My 1st Aston I had heaps of grief with when I 1st bought it and now this time around too...
What do you guys think??
Re the clutch my guess is that the previous owner(S) weren't as careful with the clutchI picked it up in the beginning of the August and have only covered 2000 miles since then, 2000 miles of sensible driving....
Picked up the car with 26665 miles on the clock, now reads 28693
Now the clutch has started to go, 5th or 6th gear on Motorway, accelerate, engine revs up with no acceleration for about 2-3 seconds, so its slipping. The car is a manual as well.
When I received the car I always thought it smelt a bit clutchy on take off from 1st-2nd gear and also when reversing. This is the second one I have owned and I will say that I do not ride the clutch and do not slip the clutch when changing gear etc...
Where do you all think I stand on going back to the dealer this far on? The car is still under warranty, although I know that the clutch is a wear and tear item and wont be covered. I feel that some part contribution would be fair.
I just feel that to pay that money and then have a clutch go only after 2000 miles is a bit poor, also surely the clutch life should be more than 28K??
Also what's the average cost to replace a clutch??
Not only this, the oil pressure warning light has come on, the car is making pressure and working ok but the light is just on for no reason, AM Weybridge had the car for nearly 2 weeks with no joy of finding the fault, I had to have the car back over Xmas as it was booked into a detailer for Machine polish and ceramic coating, but car is going back to AM in Weybridge end of Jan to see if they can find the oil light fault.
Oh and to top this all off, somewhere between AM picking the car up and dropping it off to the detailers the delivery driver snapped the front corner off of the front splitter and didn't even bother to report it... But they have accepted responsibility and have agreed to replace the splitter.
My 1st Aston I had heaps of grief with when I 1st bought it and now this time around too...
What do you guys think??
Edited by burntout on Saturday 13th January 06:53
Edited by burntout on Saturday 13th January 06:56
I think some owners have had 50k out of one clutch, others way less.
Maybe 29k is about average?
For info, my clutch was changed by a previous owner at 24k. My car has now done 49k and the clutch still feels OK
Edited by mhurley on Saturday 13th January 11:09
Sorry to read about your clutch troubles Paul.
I could have written an almost identical clutch story, albeit without the recent purchase aspect.
Under 20,000 miles.
Of course with second hand, we can never know how the clutch has been treated previously.
When I first reached home after initial collection, there was a strong clutch smell for a week, whilst the car stood in the garage. I presumed the dealer employees might have had some 'fun'.
You will now be considering the twin plate option. Much better, but you might have some more drivetrain chatter. The lighter pedal is a delight.
2000 miles then I would be taking it back and wanting most if not all of a clutch paid for. Any decent main dealer will do so if they wish to keep your business in future.
That sounds low though. I got 73k miles out of my first clutch, and I did a couple of trackdays and airfield drag races interspersed with fast road and motorway.
A 2013 car has hill hold function to help with clutch life; no hand brake needed on hills in normal driving. You really have to wonder what someone has been doing to go through one that quick.
Saying that I have the full history of my latest Vantage, and its a 2012 and had a clutch at 32k miles, I bought it at 34k miles ish. Now 50+ and I do hope to get more like 50-70k miles out of it rather than 30K miles.
You have to wonder if there were certain batches or changes in clutches that were not as good. We know the clutch changed at least once during the first 5 years of production and became noticeably lighter.
Clutch prices depends where you go (labour cost differences) and what you fit - standard OE or upgraded. I would say anywhere from £2300 upwards. Aston quote £2760 for the AMR upgrade twin plate, not sure if thats fitted though (if it is, get that!)
That sounds low though. I got 73k miles out of my first clutch, and I did a couple of trackdays and airfield drag races interspersed with fast road and motorway.
A 2013 car has hill hold function to help with clutch life; no hand brake needed on hills in normal driving. You really have to wonder what someone has been doing to go through one that quick.
Saying that I have the full history of my latest Vantage, and its a 2012 and had a clutch at 32k miles, I bought it at 34k miles ish. Now 50+ and I do hope to get more like 50-70k miles out of it rather than 30K miles.
You have to wonder if there were certain batches or changes in clutches that were not as good. We know the clutch changed at least once during the first 5 years of production and became noticeably lighter.
Clutch prices depends where you go (labour cost differences) and what you fit - standard OE or upgraded. I would say anywhere from £2300 upwards. Aston quote £2760 for the AMR upgrade twin plate, not sure if thats fitted though (if it is, get that!)
Dal65 said:
Only 2000miles dealer should replace free of charge
Why?It’s not that that clutch has gone after 2,000 miles; it’s that it’s gone after 29k miles which, from my own experience and what I’ve seen on here, is a pretty average.
Since buying the car, the OP has put a further c10% wear on the clutch and, whilst I’m sure we all believe his mechanical sympathy (and I genuinely do, Paul!), in reality who’s to say those miles weren’t put on at Santa Pod, or reversing up his 15% gradient driveway?
The Timeless 140pt check doesn’t include a check on clutch wear so, unless the OP wants to pay the labour on a clutch disassembly to do so, it’s always going to a be a case of ‘buyer beware’ unfortunately.
Now, having said all of that, it certainly tarnishes the ownership experience and nobody wants an unhappy customer (esp a vocal one!) so, as Paul mentioned, some kind of contribution from the dealer or, at best, for the work to be done at cost would probably be a reasonable outcome for all parties. But the dealer is under no obligation to offer this.
The other option, as has been mentioned, is that the OP bites the bullet and goes for the twin plate upgrade (and the benefits that entails), either via the Independent route or the AMR item via his dealer - again, you’d hope, with some kind of ‘deal’ to do so.
Sorry to hear of your woes and hope it gets sorted soon.
AdamV8V said:
PS, you forum name is not particularly helpful in this particular matter 
Lol.Much as I would like to say the dealer should cover the cost, I dont think they are in the wrong and would not know (you hope) that the clutch was on its way out when you bought the car. However I would put it to them that you bought it from the AM network with warranty, at a premium, to avoid these financial risks and therefore would like them to see what they can do in terms of contribution. I presume they want a satisfied customer so some wiggle room is required. Good luck.
AdamV8V said:
Why?
It’s not that that clutch has gone after 2,000 miles; it’s that it’s gone after 29k miles which, from my own experience and what I’ve seen on here, is a pretty average.
Since buying the car, the OP has put a further c10% wear on the clutch and, whilst I’m sure we all believe his mechanical sympathy (and I genuinely do, Paul!), in reality who’s to say those miles weren’t put on at Santa Pod, or reversing up his 15% gradient driveway?
The Timeless 140pt check doesn’t include a check on clutch wear so, unless the OP wants to pay the labour on a clutch disassembly to do so, it’s always going to a be a case of ‘buyer beware’ unfortunately.
Now, having said all of that, it certainly tarnishes the ownership experience and nobody wants an unhappy customer (esp a vocal one!) so, as Paul mentioned, some kind of contribution from the dealer or, at best, for the work to be done at cost would probably be a reasonable outcome for all parties. But the dealer is under no obligation to offer this.
The other option, as has been mentioned, is that the OP bites the bullet and goes for the twin plate upgrade (and the benefits that entails), either via the Independent route or the AMR item via his dealer - again, you’d hope, with some kind of ‘deal’ to do so.
Sorry to hear of your woes and hope it gets sorted soon.
That mirrors exactly what I was thinking.... I suppose because I know how I have driven the car I just feel short changed a bit... Especially after all the grief I had with my 1st Aston... Its like "Here we go again..."It’s not that that clutch has gone after 2,000 miles; it’s that it’s gone after 29k miles which, from my own experience and what I’ve seen on here, is a pretty average.
Since buying the car, the OP has put a further c10% wear on the clutch and, whilst I’m sure we all believe his mechanical sympathy (and I genuinely do, Paul!), in reality who’s to say those miles weren’t put on at Santa Pod, or reversing up his 15% gradient driveway?
The Timeless 140pt check doesn’t include a check on clutch wear so, unless the OP wants to pay the labour on a clutch disassembly to do so, it’s always going to a be a case of ‘buyer beware’ unfortunately.
Now, having said all of that, it certainly tarnishes the ownership experience and nobody wants an unhappy customer (esp a vocal one!) so, as Paul mentioned, some kind of contribution from the dealer or, at best, for the work to be done at cost would probably be a reasonable outcome for all parties. But the dealer is under no obligation to offer this.
The other option, as has been mentioned, is that the OP bites the bullet and goes for the twin plate upgrade (and the benefits that entails), either via the Independent route or the AMR item via his dealer - again, you’d hope, with some kind of ‘deal’ to do so.
Sorry to hear of your woes and hope it gets sorted soon.
burntout said:
I bought my latest Aston back in July last year from Brentwood Aston Martin, a 2013 V8 Vantage.
I picked it up in the beginning of the August and have only covered 2000 miles since then, 2000 miles of sensible driving....
Picked up the car with 26665 miles on the clock, now reads 28693
Now the clutch has started to go, 5th or 6th gear on Motorway, accelerate, engine revs up with no acceleration for about 2-3 seconds, so its slipping. The car is a manual as well.
When I received the car I always thought it smelt a bit clutchy on take off from 1st-2nd gear and also when reversing. This is the second one I have owned and I will say that I do not ride the clutch and do not slip the clutch when changing gear etc...
Where do you all think I stand on going back to the dealer this far on? The car is still under warranty, although I know that the clutch is a wear and tear item and wont be covered. I feel that some part contribution would be fair.
I just feel that to pay that money and then have a clutch go only after 2000 miles is a bit poor, also surely the clutch life should be more than 28K??
Also what's the average cost to replace a clutch??
Not only this, the oil pressure warning light has come on, the car is making pressure and working ok but the light is just on for no reason, AM Weybridge had the car for nearly 2 weeks with no joy of finding the fault, I had to have the car back over Xmas as it was booked into a detailer for Machine polish and ceramic coating, but car is going back to AM in Weybridge end of Jan to see if they can find the oil light fault.
Oh and to top this all off, somewhere between AM picking the car up and dropping it off to the detailers the delivery driver snapped the front corner off of the front splitter and didn't even bother to report it... But they have accepted responsibility and have agreed to replace the splitter.
My 1st Aston I had heaps of grief with when I 1st bought it and now this time around too...
What do you guys think??
I would speak to the dealer principle especially if Gavin Hawkes is still there, I bought a 2011 V12 Vantage back in Sept 2014 and the day I picked the car up I got stuck in very slow traffic over the Dartford bridge and the clutch was juddering badly. Gavin was very generous in covering a significant portion of the replacement cost of the clutch. I picked it up in the beginning of the August and have only covered 2000 miles since then, 2000 miles of sensible driving....
Picked up the car with 26665 miles on the clock, now reads 28693
Now the clutch has started to go, 5th or 6th gear on Motorway, accelerate, engine revs up with no acceleration for about 2-3 seconds, so its slipping. The car is a manual as well.
When I received the car I always thought it smelt a bit clutchy on take off from 1st-2nd gear and also when reversing. This is the second one I have owned and I will say that I do not ride the clutch and do not slip the clutch when changing gear etc...
Where do you all think I stand on going back to the dealer this far on? The car is still under warranty, although I know that the clutch is a wear and tear item and wont be covered. I feel that some part contribution would be fair.
I just feel that to pay that money and then have a clutch go only after 2000 miles is a bit poor, also surely the clutch life should be more than 28K??
Also what's the average cost to replace a clutch??
Not only this, the oil pressure warning light has come on, the car is making pressure and working ok but the light is just on for no reason, AM Weybridge had the car for nearly 2 weeks with no joy of finding the fault, I had to have the car back over Xmas as it was booked into a detailer for Machine polish and ceramic coating, but car is going back to AM in Weybridge end of Jan to see if they can find the oil light fault.
Oh and to top this all off, somewhere between AM picking the car up and dropping it off to the detailers the delivery driver snapped the front corner off of the front splitter and didn't even bother to report it... But they have accepted responsibility and have agreed to replace the splitter.
My 1st Aston I had heaps of grief with when I 1st bought it and now this time around too...
What do you guys think??
Edited by burntout on Saturday 13th January 06:53
Edited by burntout on Saturday 13th January 06:56
cayman-black said:
The day you picked it up? They should have paid it all then imo.
Agree, but when I went back to the dealer as the issue was intermittent and was only really bad in very slow traffic when the car got very hot, so after various road tests at the dealer Gavin offered to warrent the clutch replacement for 12 months as it was difficult to pin down the issue. Well what an outcome......
I can honestly say that Gavin Hawkes from Brentwood has pulled it out the bag and knows how to keep customers happy..
He has offered to not only replace the clutch at a very reasonable, in fact exceptionally reasonable price, he is having the car collected from my house to be taken there and then delivered back to me as well. Berkshire to Essex & back, that's a fair few miles...
Amazing and really happy with the service and after care.
I can honestly say that Gavin Hawkes from Brentwood has pulled it out the bag and knows how to keep customers happy..
He has offered to not only replace the clutch at a very reasonable, in fact exceptionally reasonable price, he is having the car collected from my house to be taken there and then delivered back to me as well. Berkshire to Essex & back, that's a fair few miles...
Amazing and really happy with the service and after care.
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