Hi all. I am very close to finalizing a deal on a 2010 Vantage V8 ASM version with less than 20,000 miles. Is it worth taking out the AM Extended Service Contract?

The first thing that springs to mind is that the car will probably need a clutch within a couple of years, but I am guessing that will not be covered due to normal wear and tear.

I have done the majority of my own wrenching on previous fun cars and have a strong mechanical background from the years when I worked on Boeing and Airbus aircraft. That said, without the car manufacturer's own diagnostic systems, it is hard to get right down deep into a system for troubleshooting. My Mercedes SL is a good example of that, although there are apparently clone systems out there!

So, is it worth the money, or should I just accrue it for a rainy day when a big ticket repair item occurs?

Thanks for helping a newbie out.

 

I wouldn't but thats just me

 

i wouldn't either.

 

I wouldn't. Just put that money aside in case you need it for a repair.

 

I wouldnt have the car without extending the warranty! My first two Vantages had only minor issues that were a lot less cost than the warranty, my 2015 Vantage GT had about $20K of warranty work, and my 2015 Vantage V12S I had just a few weeks already had enough warranty items to cover the 2 year extension cost!

 

Thanks for the insight everyone. Hoping to finalize the car deal tomorrow and join your ranks.

 

I purchased a preowned 2007 Vantage in 2014, from Aston Martin dealer. The car came with a one year warranty from Aston. I would have them make it part of the deal. It is good peace of mind. These are great cars, have you looked at any Vantages with a stick. It makes the car more fun. Plus the clutch may last longer.
Ron

 

If the warranty was $1000 / year it would be a no brainer, but it's not. Manufacturers sell warranties for one reason, profit. It's insurance and the only insurance I buy is home [cheap insurance], car [because NJ requires me to], and health [because that can bankrupt anybody]. Everything else I self insure, because none of them will cripple me financially, including the Aston. If something breaks down and costs $5000, I'll pay the $5k. You can also buy factory parts from the Indi's like Redpants for far less than you'd have to pay thru the dealer, so that $5000 bill may only be $3000 if you go indi.


Warranty will also not cover what you'll always need most often, clutch, brakes, tires, and service, which will cost 1-2000/year depending on which alternate year you're having done [but you'll probably opt to do yourself]. It will cover timing cover leaks, but it really doesn't, as the first "fix" is designed to just get you out of the warranty period with a bit of silicone. And then if you extend the warranty and they have to fix again when that fails, the chances are, it's still going to leak again.


I will say having a good relationship with a dealer is a good thing. Yours would be mine, FC Kerbeck, and while nothing is cheap, they will no charge you for lots of little things, because you've developed that relationship with them.

 

So far, indy shops have all said they don't work on Aston's I have been to so far... Had better luck getting someone to work on my Evora if I couldn't get to the dealer. I thought it would be the other way around. "We don't work on Aston, you need to go the dealer" is what I have heard from a few places. Even for simple stuff like an oil change.

I don't mind going to the dealer for most stuff. I figure I will trade the Vantage in at some point, probably for a Rapide, so the dealer knowing my car should help sell it or give it value?

 

If you are handy and enjoy doing the maintenance items yourself, you will save more than enough money on that stuff to pay for most repairs or parts. For instance, I recently replaced the canvas top on my 2007 Vantage Roadster. I could have bought a virtually new one from one of the vendors on this site for under $2000 or one from AM for $6500.

As you noted, the most common repairs won't be covered by the warranty anyway.

I looked into getting an extended warranty from AM. I would have had to pay for a big inspection, had the dealer do the annual maintenance, and then they would sell me the extended warranty. I don't know if annual stuff needs to be done at the dealership to maintain the warranty.

That being said, it is insurance. And s**t happens. But I didn't end up buying it (fair notice it was a mistake for me to not buy it; I could have more than paid for it with the cost of my top repair - $14K). If your new car is not a convertible, then you don't have to insure one of the more expensive potential problems.

 

Another reason I like the AM Warranty,even though it's true it's not likely to replace a clutch, is that you need not worry about cost of Aston Martin parts. I had a oil seepage, not an actual leak on my 2015 GT - not even enough to cause a drop of oil on the garage floor, both engine and transaxle - if I did not have the warranty it would have been $9,000, so I would have just lived with the seepage hoping it would not get worse - the engine was a pinched gasket during initial manufacture. More recently, leather shrinkage was covered under warranty, both on the panel passengers side next to the window, and the cover for the instruments, as well as replacing the 'clown' mirrors in the visors, which I could live with but wife could not. Aston Martin Bits shows the leather panel used as 168 (pounds) and instrument cover new as 166 (pounds) and new sun visors at 370 pounds - converted to dollars is $936 parts plus labor... also just had the tail light changed because of condensation... possibly the toggle switch needs changed also under warranty on the dash - $2,513... add all this up, and that prety much covers the cost of the 2 year warranty extension!

 

Have you started a thread here asking for indi recommendations in the Boston area? I believe you'll find you have several options in any major metropolitan area such as yours.

The 2015 was covered under it's original warranty correct? And once that was sorted, from initial manufacture, would never be a problem again [except the typical leak that could develop of course] So sorting out a new cars bugs with the original warranty is crucial, but once it's sorted you're left with what may show up over time, like with your V12.

Did the dash switch just stop? Or was it bad when you bought the car, and is the leather on the 12 also? Did it shrink in the month you've owned it? Or was it already in need,. because if it was already in need then it could have been worked into the original purchase agreement, or just passed for a better purchase option, although we know your situation was quite unique getting you out of a very bad car and into this much better car.

 

The car was purchased from an Aston Martin dealer used - it's been there a while, the dealer put 2,000 miles on it while for sale and it still had 1 1/2 year left of the original warranty - I purchased the extra year. The leather shrinking was likely leaving out in the sun for months at the dealers lot, and the switch does work - but to register pressing right needs to be pressed hard, which may or may not be a warranty replacement - Aston does have a claim we will need to wait and see if they replace it. All these problems were there when I purchased the car. The last annual inspection was done in March. Not sure why these issues were not taken care of while on the dealers inventory the past 6 months or so.

 

So, point being, you still had 1 1/2 years left of original warranty to sort out the initial issues, the extra year is just insurance against what may happen later.

I don't believe these cars are inspected and tested to the degree you would expect by the dealers, even if they're factory authorized. And if something is found, doesn't mean they're going to act on it, even if it is under warranty. Let the customer deal with it seems more the norm, after all, they're still car dealers.

 

I agree that the dealers should be paying attention more. I once bought a Certified used 2009 Vantage from Newport Beach and asked so whats wrong with the car? They said there was a nickel sized dent above the door. On delivery that was the only problem. It cost me $50 to remove the dent. I wondered why they could not have done it. The last V12S was 'certified' by Aston martin themselves - at Graydon ... among immediate problems were cracked ski-slope (not supposed to happen on a certified inspection), cruise control and nav was not operational, LED's on one headlight inop, and the other headlight did not self-level, and the transaxle (clutch) would not engage correctly... certified at the factory!