I am considering buying 09 vantage convertible. 12,000 miles.
How can the clutch condition be inspected and what should it cost
Wouldn't like to buy car and find out a clutch will soon be needed. Car has sport shift

 

Hi...when I purchased my 09 coupe with asm transmission.. I drove the car...had my son drive. We did not know much at that time but inspected car closely...look for any leaks...they are trouble.

If allowed take to AM dealer and have the inspection done...the dealer will tell you clutch problems or still good...cost me over 400.00 for inspection and report...

I have over 29000 miles on original clutch...

Read the sticky area here... important information...there is a book you can buy on AM cars...

Redpants site has many areas to review free to understand these cars...

09 were the start of better quality for AM...if car is sports package...stiffer ride but great handling...no package softer...

Good luck...there are great guys here that can answer almost any question or problem...

 

my 08 clutch was changed at 39k miles. I figure every 40k miles. currently car at 58k was just thinking 22k more miles then clutch time

 

There is no real way to inspect a clutch short of disassembling it, and I'm sure the seller won't allow that.

Only thing you can do is drive it. Pay close attention to whether the clutch chatters during engagement. And if you can, get on the highway or on some back road, shift into sixth around 45mph, and floor it to about 80 or so. This will put considerable torque through the clutch--if it's going to slip, it will be under those conditions.

 

Just curious if you can elaborate here please so that others learning about the brand do not make an assumption on such a broad statement. If you are referring to the AM brand as a whole, the "start of better quality" came during Ford ownership many years before 09'. If you are referring to the Vantage, my 06 has had very minor issues in 41k miles, and I'm not aware of 06-08' having quality issues.

 

Hi...09 were when AM finally correcting the vantages...engine size increased...improvements to suspension...steering...revised the clutch and flywheel- even reduced the weight on them a little...while many do not like the asm...improved a ton with hill descent...fast throttle off...corner detection...

Next I read a ton of threads here ...Piston heads... AMOC...going back to years that relate to 2009...no where near the issues of prior years...many 2010 are nice too...few problems...

It has been awhile since I read the AM book but I would think it would state much of what I stated...

As for value I found for me only 09 was for me...knowing fewer issues than prior years...
As for why I bought asm...as when checking on cars...I found most owners of AM stick selling them..can not shift correctly...96 percent of them I rode with do not know how to push a clutch peddle down to shift...on this forum the guys are car men...they know.
These are my thoughts...good or bad

 

Agreed. Ford ownership clearly changed the course for Aston Martin. As an owner of a 2009 Vantage, i think what was referred to was in line with Grant Neals' commentary, " The 2009 Vantage is a more dynamic car: with enough outright power to thrill and effortless mid-range punch; this combines with improved more refined, but sporting, driver oriented handling,... etc.". FWIW, an Aston Service Manager told me the 09+ cars generally do have fewer problems. I don't know if that is true. There is nothing wrong with an 06- I almost bought a beautiful 06 coupe before deciding on the 09 roadster.

That you have an 06 with 41k and only incurred minor issues reflects good ownership. I can only hope to achieve the same with my recently purchased 09.

 

Do yourself a HUGE favor as I did, go drive one first!
I just went and drove a 2009 sportshift and as many on here have said, it's not what you'd expect from an "automatic" even in sportshift mode where there is roll back at inclines, a "lag" from a full stop which were very annoying and somewhat dangerous especially on a test drive if you don't already know about them.
Agree with if you decide to really purchase, get an Aston Martin dealer to do a pre purchase inspection, they can "electronically" look at the clutch and give you a decent idea what percentage of the clutch is left. I had this done on a car that I was looking at and the dealer had no issue having it done.
After this weekend's test drive, I want to drive a sportshift 2 and see the differences, if I'm not sold, then I'm getting a manual!

The book referenced above is also a very informative source, very detailed and fair about good and bad things about the brand and each car. Listings of model year changes to standard and optional features etc. Very much worth the $40+ dollars, I bought mine on Amazon.
The definitive guide to Gaydon era Aston Martin by Grant Neal.

 

[QUOTE=Mathman85;4633354]There is no real way to inspect a clutch short of disassembling it, and I'm sure the seller won't allow that.

Sure there is. A Sport Shift system can be checked @ the dealer. Should be FREE with a PPI.

 

[QUOTE=Mathman85;4633354]There is no real way to inspect a clutch short of disassembling it, and I'm sure the seller won't allow that.

I believe J DoubleU is right. The dealer can check the clutch for wear on a sportshift car. However, I am not aware that they can check a manual transmission clutch for wear.

When I did a test drive of my 09 manual (8,800 miles), I used the old standby method, which has been referenced, of shifting from 1st to 6th and see if you get any clutch slippage. I also pulled over to the side of the road a couple of times, put the handbrake on, and then applied some throttle while releasing the clutch pedal to see if it just slipped(bad) or stalled(good). I'm not sure you can do that with a sport shift.

Transmission choice is a personal decision. Be sure to spend enough time behind the wheel on both to see what you like better.

 

What jagman mentioned above can't be done with sport shift, there are safety logic built into the sport shift that prevents it from closing the clutch when the car is not supposed to be in gear, and that if it felt the clutch is not capable of transmitting the torque it will open and close again, etc. Then again sportshift should have a clutch life read out that the dealer can provide.

With manual the best way is to do the high gear low speed test.