It's the same thing, you blow air in and surplus air comes out the same hole, or you suck air out and the vacuum sucks in air through that hole. So you could use a vacuum and a very small tube. I used a hairdryer

 

A lot of the quality work in manufacturing is about achieving consistent results, one light went 2 months ago, then the other goes, that is a quality result, they are both go at around the same time. Poor quality would be when one fails and the other lasts several years more.

Not saying its right, its just one of the ways that quality is measured

 

When we drill a hole in the bottom to blow in air via a nozzle, it's also to track where the lamp lens is detached/leaking...aka the water leaks out from the broken seam. You aim the air in different directions to find the leaks and blow out the water.

Main thing is to NOT block the hole while the air nozzle is inserted, otherwise too much pressure will build and blow the lens right off.

Nonetheless, once you know where the leaks are, mark areas of concern with a paint stick so you can fill those zones with epoxy. Wipe away the excess to provide a clean finish but leaving the filled section intact. When you feel you've done a great job, let it dry and repeat with the blown air, this time spray the seams with soap/water mix and see if there's any bubbles forming..bubbles = area of leak, apply epoxy again and clean the finish. Repeat the steps till no air bubbles are formed.

When I've done them at dealer, I would drill the hole, spray air to find the leaks while blowing out water, mark them and fill those areas, let epoxy dry to touch and then fill the lamp seam 360* around. I'd let the epoxy cure and retest with soap/water to confirm the repair. Never had one come back. Wasn't that long of a repair, mind you, while I was waiting for the epoxy to dry, I was doing something else...etc

 

Dr Irish -

After you epoxy the light all of the way around the unit, do you then place a Gore-Tex patch over the hole you used to introduce air or do you just leave it open?

From posts on 6speed and on other Aston forums, many indicated that they sealed the unit 100% but still had condensation issues.

Thanks in advance.

 

would like to know this, too. About to drill a hole in mine because I’ve just gone through THREE different taillights on the drivers side that have built up moisture, the two lights that I replaced it wi the I sealed them with silicone all around the edges, and moisture built up within a couple weeks anyway. Oddly the original passenger side light has been fine.

Currently have the driver side off and not putting it back until I do everything right

 

It appears the patch has a part number: 4G43-L20220-AA in the technical service bulletin...

 

And apparently its VERY easy to over tighten them, I just discovered some small cracks in my recently installed clear replacements...

 

When I store the Vantage in November, I'll send the lights to Divinatech who will rebuild them properly and change the innards to sequential lights.

 

On my second pair and again having this issue. I was thinking the same thing. They will disassemble and then install new circuit boards and reseal. Do you know anyone with having them done at Divinatech and how its held up?

 

Wow, that sucks leaking already. Crazy. I am very lucky, original ones and have never leaked. I do remember the service manager telling me if they are going to leak, they will generally start right away when new.

 

Yes, it is quite annoying and expensive. Worse than the clutch IMO.

Does anyone know of a circuit board specialist like Divinatech in the USA?

 

Bamford Rose just did a video where they said they ship their headlights to Industrial Electronics Repair, and they fix it in a week for 450 pounds each, including shipping and VAT which wouldn't apply in the US. For them, it's half the cost of a new headlight.

Maybe this North Carolina company with a similar name can do our tail lights? https://www.industrialrepairstore.com/
This one's in Maryland: https://www.acsindustrial.com/water-...lectronics.php

 

good info, I think this is a great alternative as we know the headlights can be fixed but just need somebody with the know how to perform the service. I'd be willing to ship it to UK and back as a last resort.

 

“This one's in Maryland: https://www.acsindustrial.com/water-...lectronics.php”

Their actual repair facility is in Hickory NC which is about an hour north of Charlotte. I’m up that way occasionally and will definitely check them out; will report back when I do make the trip.
Thanks!

 

Ah, you're right. HQ is in Baltimore. Would be good to know if a place like that can disassemble a tail light, or if you have to do extraction yourself and ship just the circuit board. The UK place can do it all.

New option: This place in Greenville SC explicitly does automotive parts -- and lists one random Aston Martin item, a 00 DB7 window control unit.
That place definitely could be a winner -- they repair GMC tail lights. "Because our repair is more robust and more flexible than the factory build, our repaired lights end up better than new. And then, unlike some alternative repair options, we seal the holes with custom made cover plates"