Hi All,

I've simultaneously posted this on amoc.org. I've owned my V8 Vantage SS now for half a year. I love my car, and except for a few annoyances, she's ended up being an extremely reliable and pleasing daily driver. The sportshift....there are days I'm fine with it, there are days it drives me crazy, but that's another thread altogether!

Alas, the dreaded rattles!! They started when the car was a few weeks old; it now has 5,000 miles. Suffice it to say they have not magically disappeared: Horn pad rattle; Sat Nav flip up module rattle; rattle behind instrument cluster, rattle near the diagonal strengthening tube that is above and behind the passenger seat.

I've already taken the car once for these issues to Galpin Aston Martin in Los Angeles. They fixed the horn pad/airbag module rattling via an Aston Martin dealer communique of that same problem (needed a stiffer spring). They said they checked every other "problem spot" and even added some additional insulation at the Sat Nav screen. Said that there will always be mild leather squeaking since every surface is covered in leather. Progressively all the noises have come back plus one more rattling noise in the area behind the drivers seat to the left.

These are driving me crazy. The rattles make the car feel like it has 70,000 miles, not 5k. If others have any similar or dissimilar stories, I would love to hear them. I'm getting to a point where I'm considering, as much as it pains me, selling the car. I just find this kind of fit and finish unacceptable. I would consider having the whole Sat Nav system (which I never use) removed if that would solve at least the satnav rattle problem. On smooth road, the car is very rattle-free, but as soon as you get to anything with some square-edged imperfections, whoa! (crossing the canyon roads here in LA like Laurel Canyon and Coldwater Canyon is a particularly noisy experience).

I've had a thought of just ordering an 09 built to my specs (which this one wasn't) w/o satnav, and hope that my car is an isolated incident. Also, wishfully thinking that for '09 they have addressed these rattling and squeaking issues. Could be a painful and expensive gamble though. What do you all think?

Any help and or recommendations would be helpful.

 

Man, that sucks. I'm a nut regarding rattles. They drive me crazy!
Fortunately, my V8V has been relatively rattle free. She developed two rattles: Your "horn" rattle (fixed by dealer), and another that sounded as if it was coming from the behind the instrument panel. The dealer fooled around in the dash but was unable to find anything. After some investigation on my own, I determined the rattle was actually coming from the headliner (just in front of the visor), but sounded as if it was coming from in front of the stearing wheel ( I assume the slope of the windshield was doing strange things acoustically). I stuffed a bit of felt in there, and- presto - no rattle!

Now, at 10K miles, the car is still as tight as new.

Good luck tracking 'em down.

 

Thanks for the reply! Interesting that your rattle was in the headliner. I'll double check that for sure on mine.

 

I had a tough one to find too. The trim around the defrost outlet was loose. It is tight there so get an articulated screw driver if that is your issue.

 

I kinda hate to say it but 5600 miles and no rattles at all ...

 

Thanks for the input! Yeah, I guess it really depends on the car. One consolation is there's probably another Vantage out there that rattles more than mine!

 

I am with Michael for the most part, although only 32xx miles. i do have one rattle that sounds like its in the steering column. It only seems to appear on really bumpy roads and even then, once the car is warmed up they seem to go away.
Its good to hear the issues and fixes though. It seems like most modern cars have or develop rattles. From Honda's to Ferrari's, all the cars i have owned have had something you need to work on if you like a quiet (except for performance sounds) car, you have to deal with it somehow.
Marin AM seems to be willing to really break things down and search for noises in the car, so maybe a different dealer will try and help you more.
It also seems, unless you live with the car, its hard to pinpoint stuff "on demand", so no one will find it like you might.
Good luck.

 

I have had my 2003 Range Rover since 2002 and it has almost 80K on it without one rattle or squeak. My 997 Turbo was full of rattles and squeaks. My 95 Land Rover Defender 90 has had a few and so has my Lotus. My 95 Porsche 993 was rattle free and so was my 91 Range Rover.

I think a lot of cars have quality control issues, both in design and construction. Those screws in my defrost vents should have been tight from the factory. Just one lazy/careless employee can spoil the experience.

 

You are very lucky then as every car I have ever owned has had some issues on some kind of roads. Seems to me like its almost impossible to have so many moving parts and not have something happening.

 

anybody fix the nav screen rattle?

 

Sorry to hear about your rattle issues. I've had a few, although they have been fixable.

As for the dash, the vents near the windshield are a problem area for most Vantages. There are four screws that secure the windshield vents (two on each vent). Unfortunately, the screws loosen over time and cause a high-pitched vibration noise (almost sounds like pocket change jingling). The good news is that you only need to tighten the screws to fix problem. The bad news is that it's really difficult to access the screws and they will only loosen again after you tighten them. To fix the problem, I have my girlfriend, who has smaller hands, tighten the screws with a cable shaft screwdriver. I stand outside the car and give her directions to help her find the screw head.

Another problem area is the hatch molding. When it dries out it tends to creak a bit as it shifts across the car frame. This can be fixed by applying a silicone lubricant to the molding about once a year.

The one other noise I've had is a "clank" or "tink" that sounds like a metal object hitting a thick piece of glass. That noise comes from behind the trim panel immediately behind and to the side of the passenger seat. I believe it is from the panel not being completely seated to the rest of the interior. I spoke to AM about it and they advised against trying to fix it b/c all the trim behind the seats, as well as the passenger seat itself, must be removed to remove that one panel. I noticed that the sound goes away when I pressed in on the panel. So, I wedged a high-density foam pad between the side of the passenger seat and the panel and this has fixed the problem. The pad is small and black and is not visible.

Hope this helps.

 

Btw, I originally thought the noise behind the trim panel was that diagonal strengthening tube on the passenger side because the sound had a metal straining "ping" or "tink" sound. So, your problem may also be with the panel behind the passenger seat.

 

I too have a few rattles that I can hear if I roll the windows up and drive over uneven surfaces but would never consider selling due to them. It is a hand built car that will always have quirks. Every car I have ever owned has some sort of rattle.

The good news is there is an easy fix for all rattles on the Vantage. Simply upgrade the exhaust and drive with the windows partially down so you can hear the wonderful soundtrack!

 

You mentioned the rattle behind you to the left. I recent had it fixed. Mine was the speaker cover. They tightened it down. I have one left and that's in the driver side door. Sounds like a screw that's loose and just rolling around in there when I take a turn. I assume that means taking the door apart.

Agreed with Deto. When I floor it the rattles aren't noticable.

 

I had a rattle coming from behind the passenger seat. Marin Aston found it to be the small adjuster bolt that is under the hatch-back at the forward edge. When this bolt was adjusted up a little, it supported that forward corner of the hatch-back and stopped the rattle.