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About 2 weeks ago, I traded in my 2006 Vantage Manual for a 2011 Vantage Sport Shift.
I know I am in the minority on this forum, but the I was TOTALLY DONE with the Manual transmission in my 2006 Vantage.
Since I got the car (2 years ago) I have vacillated between "I like the nostalgia of the old school manual transmission" to "UGH - I wish I did not have to manage this incredibly heavy clutch".
This summer the northern Chicago suburbs have been one continuous construction zone and after weeks of construction congestion merging (2 lanes in to 1), I found myself walking right past the Vantage and getting in my 911 (PDK) for my daily commute.
So, I started doing some shopping....
Found a beautiful 2011 Vantage at Chicago Motor Cars (first experience and they were awesome to deal with) and traded the 2006.
I am really loving the 2011.
On paper, the power difference between a stock 4.3L (early car) and the 4.7L (later car) is only 50 HP, but in reality, it feels like A LOT more.
In most city driving situations where I am in the lower / middle of the RPM range, the 2011 feels so responsive!
The 7 speed Sport Shift II is great - no complaints what so ever!
For anyone interested in a nice (2 owner) 2006 with 13K miles - the car is listed on Chicago Motor Cars site (I have no affiliation) in the low $40's.
(Not sure what the rules are on posting links, so you will need to google)
Questions
1) The "Tire System Fault" pressure light keeps going on (I knew this when I purchased the car) and I have not been able to fix.
I am getting 4 tire pressure read outs on the dash and the read outs are updating when I add/remove air, so I am not sure what the system is complaining about?
If anyone has a suggestion, I am open to ideas on next steps.
2) Is there a way to know what software updates / service has been applied to your car?
I have not (yet) inquired with the dealer to see what they can tell me about the cars history.
3) Is is worth installing locking wheel nuts?
I am leaning toward No, since I rarely park the car any place where I would worry about it, but all my other cars came with locking wheel nuts....
Last edited by TerenceC; Aug 18, 2019 at 06:02 AM.
How much have you driven it since the purchase? I'll occasionally get TPMS fault codes on track days, but they go away after 20-30 minutes of regular driving. It could be a faulty sensor, though.
Nice looking Vantage (both). On the Sportshift, if you have the updated one, there is a light in the (N) button that flashes until it's done with the clutch kiss function , critical for smooth operation and clutch life. My 2009 did not have that, so I waited until the USB music loaded before shifting into gear (about 10 seconds). The SportShift was designed for manual paddle operation modulating the gas same as on a manual - because it is a manual. I also went from manual to SportShift and love it. Not perfect (even with my 2017 V12S) but raw enough to still be quite involved but a perfect compromise in an area where everyday traffic is a real problem (in my case Minneapolis).
The Tire Pressure monitor might go away with some driving - but they have batteries on the senders that might require replacement (I understand they have a finite life) if I'm not mistaken.
If your sensors are orginal they need replacement, about 8 year life. Available aftermarket and no programming required. On track days they don't like the heat but come back after temp decreases below 230-240* F range.
The TPMS sensors only have battery life for about 8 years, so like my '11, this is the year they start flashing yellow. This means the system is getting the reading but telling you the signal is dying. I think it goes red if there's no signal at all, but I've not gotten there yet.
I haven't swapped mine in I purchased from www.tpms.com (I got UVC0811ASTSET, but you can go through their configurator), as I can't find a week I want her on the lift and not available for driving. Flashing tire error codes aren't that annoying.
Update - Drove the car more and Tire System Fault light is not going away.
Tires - best I can tell, the tires on the car are the second set, and based on your responses, it makes sense that the sensors are original and approaching the end of their battery life. Changing out the sensors before the tires are "used up" does not make sense - not worth the extra risk to the rims for a remount.
Ordered a kit from AMBits - just over $700 for 11 buttons (but I did not install the seat release buttons) and a couple of hours of work.
From one perspective, it is a lot of money for "just buttons", but from the other perspective I see and touch the buttons every time I am in the car and they look great.
Not hard to install, but removing the upper trim piece (often called the waterfall) was stressful (directions are "pull here and keep applying more pressure until part snaps free - UGH").
But otherwise no problem
On my 2017 V12S the 'standard' glass buttons became optional - but the $580 option became unavailable. When I requested repeatedly from Beverly Hills Aston Martin when I bought the car (new-used) to install the glass buttons with no answer, I instead had Morries Aston martin install them. The full set (not including the seats) at AMBits was $1,200 for the V12S - Morries quoted me over $2,000 for the same buttons. In my opinion well worth the price, and unfortunately I think Aston Martin ran out of parts and made the glass buttons optional - they said they did not, but after selling me a tracked V12S earlier with a signed letter from an Aston VP in the UK guaranteeing that the car I bought was never driven harder than normal driving conditions and never tracked - well, I take everything that Aston martin tells me from now on as a lie.The later build 2017 V12S's had the glass buttons as an option. Since the V8 GT was a price leader, I understand the plastic buttons. On the newer style panel (2016, and 2017) the button replacement was an immense amount of work as there is a ton of components attached to the panel that have to be removed to access the buttons. Morries however, ate much of those hours - a reason their service is fantastic. In addition to the glass switches - a really cheap way to dress up the interior is brushed chrome (i.e. cheap plastic) Land rover LR2 seat switch covers:
Terence, I have an '11 that I bought from Chicago Motor Cars in Vegas. They were great to work with. My tpms started acting up this year. I have a lift in the garage, so I
took the wheels off and my tire shop did the new sensors. Problem solved. My V8V S is also an SS II and I like it very much. I have had stick shift cars since the '60's and
always preferred them, but I have no complaints with the SS II. Did low restriction cats, a Velocity AP tune and dual clutch kit. A great improvement.
