Hey all,

Long time lurker, first time posting.

I've lusted for an AM for a long time. I've managed to locate a prime Vantage V8 S with a ludicrous 4800 miles on a 2011 model.

The price is right, and the car is going in to get a PPI done at the end of the week.

Anything I should look out for? I am a bit concerned that the low millage could lead to future gremlins coming out with the miles I put on it.

Any and all comments are appreciated.

 

Good looking car, hope it works out

I guess check on service intervals, and if any recall work has been done

notwithstanding low miles it probably needs new tyres (tires) as they must be 6 or 7 years old

just check usual corrosion spots around mirrors & door handles, if its a sportshift get a reading on the clutch, make sure it hasnt been in an accident

then buy it and enjoy!

Graeme

 

Is the PPI a local mechanic or an AM dealer with the tools and electronic equipment (and possibly access to undisclosed service items) doing the inspection? I had a 2007 and 2009 with many miles on them pretty maintenance free and reliable. My 2015 GT had probably $20K worth of warranty items done in the 9K miles I owned it, some obvious (Tail light condensation, timing cover seeping oil, the transaxle seeping oil) and some not obvious (computers not acting right replaced under warranty). The obvious items any mechanic would see, the computers slightly acting up, I'd trust to the AM guys to possibly catch.

 

Beautiful car. I own a 2011 V8 Vantage S and have had zero issues. Get a PPI done by an Aston Martin dealer and then enjoy the car.

 

I would also recommend checking the tires. I purchased a beautiful 2009 Vantage last year with only 8900 miles. I was surprised to find that the original tires had plenty of tread but found cracks between the treads. I fitted a new set of Michelins. It has been a trouble free car that puts a smile on my face every time I take her out.

 

Beautiful! I love the red calipers. Just do it.. They're more reliable than most people think.

 

Thanks guys,

The PPI is getting done by the AM dealer closest to the car- pricey ($600) but I know it'll be worth it in the long run.

I'm currently lining up financing options cause I don't want to part ways with the money, going to fill out applications with Putnam and PFS tomorrow.

PPI should be done by end of week or at latest mid next week- fingers crossed no big issues.

As a side question, the dealer (car is on consignment) said the owner would take care of the paint correction required to bring the car up to show car levels, it's mainly to fix spider webbing, and cover scrapes (putting the cover on and off).

Can anyone recommend a place in Southern California? Maybe a ball park price? I've seen costs of around 2-3k to get the car to a liquid shine...

 

Oh and because- car...

 

1. Remember the AM PPI for $600ish only covers mechanicals, so things like scratches, marring inside or out, nicks, dings etc......

2. A Paint Correction involves a ton of different items and processes. Price depends on paint condition, interior condition, final paint protection choice etc....and above all that; how perfect does the owner want the paint. I can do a suttle correction that will look amazing in 2-steps and put less than 25hrs into the whole process.

1. 2-step correction----compound/polish
2. 3-step correction----compound/med-light polish/Nano polish
3. 4-step correction---- compound/ med-light polish/nano polish/jeweling

I have spent 80hrs on a car making it as close to perfect as possible. I normally spend 40-55hrs on my personal cars. Customers in the past cars no more than 15-25hrs due to cost and they don't care as much. So there is a plethora of possibilities.

Protection---
Synthetic sealant wax, topped with carnauba
silica primer for gloss, synthetic sealant, topped with carnauba
Coatings------$500-1500 just for that, plus topped possibilities.


Bottom line--- depending on the shop prices can vary wildly. Also quality is not always in perspective of the price.


I would bet, the owner is willing to pay for a DETIAL, which involves 99% of NONE of the above. A detail is a thorough wash cleaning, then protecting the paint and interior. Anything above that the price climbs. Just so you know exactly what these processes involve and what to expect.


IF your car has any type of Paint Correction, PLEASE contact me and I will help to walk you through on how to take care of it from this point on. Its not hard or expensive to take care of it. But every Car Guy I have ever run into up until now has not taken care of the car they way it should be. Either way, contact me and I will help or increase your understanding further from whatever point you are at now. Unless your Larry Kosilla or Kevin Brown, then I want help from you.

1st bit of advice. NEVER NEVER EVER allow any dealer to wash the car. This includes ANY AM, Lambo, Ferrari dealers. They will destroy the paint correction that was done, and put DISO into the paint. ie.......DISO---Dealer Installed Swirl Option. It truly is a fact, a sad one, but a fact.

 

Buy it, enjoy it! She is a beauty!

 

Curious as to what "jeweling" entails? Correction was specifically talked about, not just a detail. We'll see how far that goes post-PPI.

I would like to discuss the best possible approach to getting excellent paint shine- there are a lot of products out there and a lot of opinions.

 

Check your profile page, sent you a message

Likely the owner will have a 2-step correction (compound/polish) but to a degree this could be done with a AIO (all in one, product). AIO----- it has a mild compound, usually a decent polish, and a synthetic wax all in one product, which is used with typically a polishing pad on a DA buffer. This will take out minor surface scratches and polish the clear coat and provide protection.


Yep----ton of products out there, some work well, others don't. Since we are talking AM specific, AM paint tends to be on the softer side, which makes life difficult when correcting. Soft paint reacts differently than hard paint. The cutting phase is more difficult with soft paint, but the polishing part is easier. Hard paint the cutting is easy, while the polishing is harder. My DB9 in Jet Black almost every panel reacted to the pads and compounds differently. That is what typically sucks about soft paint. Porsche is similar, along with Acura NSXs.

Velocitybts@yahoo.com email me and we can talk further and more specific. I can walk you through the process if you desire to do this work yourself. ie....saving you money in the long run.


Jeweling-----Coined term from Autopia originally then Mike Philipps with Autogeek.net. It is basically taking a micro polish with a non-cutting applicator pad and using a high speed rotary buffer and working the product on the paint gently with little to no pressure and only 1/3 as long of time. Basically refining the paint (clear coat) to as smooth as possible. Each step from Compound to Polish is doing the same, this just takes it to another level; that honestly is hard to tell the difference with. We are talking 1-2% possible gain here. This can be done with the new DA buffers also, but its not quite as good; and you will lose likely .5% difference this way. But much safer. This term has been argued a lot over time. Some buy into it, some don't. Either way the whole process is like sandpaper------start with 800 grit and work towards 5k. Equipment, product, pads allows for major skipping steps with that analogy. A fine polish and a non cutting pad works the paint likely somewhere between 8-10k sanding. Maybe a bit higher. Just taking a stab at that for analogy reasons. Bottom line, is how much refinement do you want AND at what cost. Prices go significantly up when adding each step. TOP of the line Paint Correction and also depending on the risk of an exotic vehicle can go from 1.5k to 5k.


When anyone is working your car, you should always ask, what products and processes do they use? And, they should tell you what their stopping point is for marring and scratches. I will not go after something that will possible damage paint, or reduce the clear coat to unsafe levels. I also believe in leaving as much clear coat as possible on a car for future paint corrections. This will depend on how the car will be maintained also. If the owner will not specifically take care of whats been done, then why take off clear coat that will just be swirled again. Some is fine, but in-depth removal would be pointless in that case. Just some thoughts.

 

Looks like a beautiful car and in well maintained condition.

I just purchased my '09 V8V in March from an AM dealer in CA. I had been searching for quite some time and developed a spreadsheet of all of the cars I was interested along with what options they had and their pedigree. The car I purchased came up last on my radar but was by far the best choice. Low miles (10K) and had one owner who had purchased it from the same dealer and traded it in for a new AM. The maintenance history was there and the dealer PPI showed very little service required.

My point in all of this: the ownership and history of car turned out to be the most important feature as it gave me confidence in my purchase. The car has been great so far. I've put on about 2K miles and no issues requiring service.

Good luck

 

Hey all,


So here's what the PPI uncovered. Still waiting on the full report but these are the important parts...


@Redpants, if you happen to see this thread- would certainly appreciate an idea on what is feasible here to be done on my own...



Any and all comments are appreciated. It's around $10k in work including a 2500 paint correction, certainly not a small penny.

 

For paint correction I recommend PC Autocare in Glendale. Also buy my car for $140k please :P