Hello all,

I became a happy and proud owner of a 04 V12 Vanquish a few months ago. Although the Vanquish is my second Aston Martin (had a 05 DB9 Volante before), I am still quite unfamiliar with this car. That said, I was wondering if someone could help me with the following questions:

1. Any recommendations for non-dealer independent mechanics in the LA Co. area?

2. The driver side window only goes up halfway and refuses to go up any further. Is this caused by a faulty window regulator?

3. The inside of both headlight lens are cloudy due to outgassing. Is there a way to take the headlights apart to clean them?

4. Has anyone upgraded his/her standard V12 Vanquish using the S specs parts, including both mechanical and body parts? If so, would parts like the S front lip and front grilles fit on the standard front bumper?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Jon

I had taken my DB9 to Aston Martin of San Diego, Galpin Aston Martin, and CNC Motors for services in the past. The dealerships are great but both Galpin and AM San Diego are a bit out of my way. CNC’s service is excellent but I think it’s always good to have a back up just in case. I’ll look into AMOC for more advice and feedback. Thank you!


Thank you for your kind words! I really liked the DB9 and it’s definitely one of the most beautiful cars I’ve owned. However, the DB9 drove more like a daily driver than a weekend warrior; the automatic transmission was simply too refined for me even with the glorious sounding V12. The lackluster sounding Linn 260-watt system did not help, either.

The Vanquish, on the other hand, feels more like a beast (despite having only 10hp more than the DB9). I like how the whole driving experience becomes so much more involved when driving the Vanquish.

Here are some pictures of the Vanquish, which looks really nice after having ceramic coating applied.

I am also looking for an Indy in the Orange County area. I’ve heard of Raging Bull but no other alternatives. Anything other than Newport AM and Raging Bull?

Where do you recommend for annual service? Oil changes, brakes, etc. does GMG specialize in certain things? They don’t seem to be AM specialist.

The whole issue about the jack pads and some shops not having the correct lifts and hockey pucks is kind of annoying.

I just do all the work my self if not I go to San Diego aston Martin!

on side note for all you located in Cali there’s a fb group that was created called SoCal Aston Martin owners.

For those that choose to go to an AM dealer and pay twice the costs for annual service, is there a reason other than it’s aston certified technicians?

I spoke to Allen at GMG. Seems like they do great work and offer excellent customer service. He just has to verify that they have the tool to turn off the maintenance light since they don’t specialize in AMs. Raging Bull has a tiny parking lot. I feel like their customer service isn’t that great anymore compared to before. I still have to talk to Art at Britmotors.