Thanks for the comments everyone. Sounds like it has some problems but it is manageable with a little care. Carry on!

 

When I got my V12S (the first one that was a deceptive sale), the Piano Black was cracked in multiple places replaced under warranty - however what was odd, was a hand print permanently embossed in the finish! It was as if someone with greasy hands pushed on the panel and it sat long enough to wear into the finish. That was one indication the car would tell an interesting story that would lead to Aston replacing it at no charge.

 

And an interesting story it told.

I have a fingerprint in the paint on my front fender, under the clear like somebody touched it when it was still wet.

 

My '09 V8V roadster panel cracked this winter. I'm looking to replace it or upgrade it to another black color option. My interior is black. To clean it I periodically wipe it down with a damp cloth

 

When I purchased my 07V8V it had one crack from the Nav corner which I used to negotiate. 4 years later I have 4 cracks starting at the Nav cutout. I will replace later this year as have a couple of other pieces I need pickup. Will probably wait for a Nov trip to the UK.

Dave

 

At Morries AM they have a 2015 DB9 with a tan interior, dark brown piping on the seats (very rich looking), and what was once a gorgeous Ash Ski-slope - incredible. I saw it new on the showroom and thought if I custom ordered a Vantage - that's the interior. They are reselling it now, and the previous owner put a wrap over the Ash, but it's a textured wrap - looks awful, but you can see the cracks in the wood under the wrap! I'm pretty sure it's the same car I saw in the showroom floor years ago new. I told the salesman to remove the wrap and look at the cracks and replace the panels... reminds me of when I had an oops in a Z-28 years ago and pretty much obliterated the front bumper, a 'bra' hid the damage. I got great price on a trade on a new Fiero when they first came out, and the dealer never looked under the bra.

 

That fingerprint might be called "Factory patina"....LoL !!

 

No need to replace; I had the whole of my centre console repainted piano black and then lacquered - this also dealt with the original unfinished inner edges of the screen panel. Lacquering makes it more scratch/swirl resistant and aids polishing out the ones you will inevitably get. I also had the vents done the same way, whilst my satin silver rotary controls were painted satin black. It’s not hard to get these things done yourself and so obtain the finish you really want. Just time and patience to remove (& replace) everything and a good paint shop.

 

Ray, Was your center stack removed for painting or did they do it in place? My car was at the shop for an extended period of time and when it came home, I saw a very faint crack on the top of the waterfall and the nav screen. I never had my car outside with the top down.

Thanks, Denny

 

Hi Denny. I took it all out myself and delivered it to the paint shop fully dismantled. All they had to do was paint & lacquer it. I then put it all back together again.

 

I'm presuming then that the crack isn't all the way through the waterfall, rather just the top layer of gloss black.
Maybe someone can confirm as I has visions of it falling in half if it had to be removed for any reason.

 

It may, but I haven't seen that before. Behind the veneer - where it's wood or piano black - is a plastic panel and that is quite robust.

 

Many thanks Ray. Sounds right to me.

 

"This is not a piano".. Best line I've seen here in awhile.

Piano black interior is like any black finish on any car.. Looks great when it's.. Great!

+1 on the "ceramic" (or whatever) coatings. I've got a detail shop that takes good care of my Storm Black exterior and he polishes and coats the (not a) piano black interior surfaces.