Long Time BMW owner - Made the switch to AM
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My wife bought a certified 2015 M235i conv. a year ago. The BMW dealer said download the manual app on her I-Phone - she demanded a printed copy which they eventually supplied. The BMW is a great drivers car, but I find the Aston to be more solid. The Nav System on the 2014 is a ton better than the older versions, but my 2017 Vantage has Apple Car Play which makes it really nice - not sure if that can be retrofitted to the older systems. Sound is an issue, I wish I could hear more from the drivers seat, as it seems the V12S is a lot quieter than the V8 Vantage I had at least from the seat. My buddy who also has a V12S is removing some of the sound insulation on his. We cannot modify the exhaust because both of ours are under warranty. The titanium option is just too pricey (the only option that does not void the warranty) but with the added sound insulation, not sure we would hear it from the drivers seat anyway. The new C8 Vette sound great from the inside - I heard the sound was fake. I'd take fake.
I just check my oil. I have not added any in the past 2,000 miles or so. Still at the same level - so that's a good sign. I do the annual services and the cars (both V12;s and V8's have been dependable. The Aston dealer sues Mobil 1 - so I have a spare gallon in my office on hand.
Aston paint is a bit soft - do you have any protection from chips?
I just check my oil. I have not added any in the past 2,000 miles or so. Still at the same level - so that's a good sign. I do the annual services and the cars (both V12;s and V8's have been dependable. The Aston dealer sues Mobil 1 - so I have a spare gallon in my office on hand.
Aston paint is a bit soft - do you have any protection from chips?
Who makes the titanium exhaust? Is it made by Aston?
I did have the car clear wrapped right before I purchased it. The dealer I bought it from, did it right before I picked up the car.
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My daily driver is an E39 M5. There are dramatically more things one can do on an M5 with online support, and a ready supply of aftermarket, new oe, or even used parts.
My project car is a DB9 with a blown motor. By persistence, I have found most of the part suppliers for the AM, especially in the motor. This includes hanging out with the guys that cast the blocks/heads at a trade show in India. They clued me into searching for the Ford Cosworth V-12 in the Ford databases.
I am looking forward to actually driving it, or at least having it off my lift!
My project car is a DB9 with a blown motor. By persistence, I have found most of the part suppliers for the AM, especially in the motor. This includes hanging out with the guys that cast the blocks/heads at a trade show in India. They clued me into searching for the Ford Cosworth V-12 in the Ford databases.
I am looking forward to actually driving it, or at least having it off my lift!
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My wife bought a certified 2015 M235i conv. a year ago....The BMW is a great drivers car, but I find the Aston to be more solid....The titanium option is just too pricey (the only option that does not void the warranty) but with the added sound insulation, not sure we would hear it from the drivers seat anyway.
Prefurbia, you should just bite the bullet and secondary decat your V12VS. I did it a few years ago and it transforms the sound experience, believe me. The car feels more alive and responsive, more I suspect a trick of the mind (and ears) than a true change. AFAIK the OEM power pack includes a decat but as you say, it is silly expensive. If you want more noise, removing the secondaries will scratch your itch and is relatively inexpensive.
To the OP, yes the decat makes the car quite loud. Perhaps a bit uncouth for the more relaxed style of a DB9 (compared to a Vantage), but boy does it sound a lot more serious! Lovely car you picked up, BTW.
Last edited by spinecho; Oct 16, 2019 at 05:24 PM.
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You're being very generous with "great drivers car". My wife has an m240 and IMO it's a typical, modern BMW, anything but a great car for drivers: too heavy, crummy suspension and, most importantly, electric steering totally devoid of any road feel. Fast, yes. Fun to drive, no. Sadly, like most newer cars...
Prefurbia, you should just bite the bullet and secondary decat your V12VS. I did it a few years ago and it transforms the sound experience, believe me. The car feels more alive and responsive, more I suspect a trick of the mind (and ears) than a true change. AFAIK the OEM power pack includes a decat but as you say, it is silly expensive. If you want more noise, removing the secondaries will scratch your itch and is relatively inexpensive.
To the OP, yes the decat makes the car quite loud. Perhaps a bit uncouth for the more relaxed style of a DB9 (compared to a Vantage), but boy does it sound a lot more serious! Lovely car you picked up, BTW.
Prefurbia, you should just bite the bullet and secondary decat your V12VS. I did it a few years ago and it transforms the sound experience, believe me. The car feels more alive and responsive, more I suspect a trick of the mind (and ears) than a true change. AFAIK the OEM power pack includes a decat but as you say, it is silly expensive. If you want more noise, removing the secondaries will scratch your itch and is relatively inexpensive.
To the OP, yes the decat makes the car quite loud. Perhaps a bit uncouth for the more relaxed style of a DB9 (compared to a Vantage), but boy does it sound a lot more serious! Lovely car you picked up, BTW.
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Service Manager was kind of talking me out of the decats on the Rapide. He thought they'd be too loud for the car it is. I guess the car is a lot louder from the outside than inside (so I have been told) as it is.
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It should not void the warranty. Have you dealer install it; they could be a reseller of an exhaust brand. My AM dealer is a Larini reseller. You think they'd install the decat and then tell you voided the warranty? No way. I believe court precedent is on the consumer.
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Both - plenty louder on the inside, too. I wouldn't want to do it if the Rapide is a daily driver or if you take it on long highway trips. But on an occasional driver, well worth it IMO.
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I just ordered Muffler Delete pipes. Will try it out. From everything I read, it is the second option of getting the exhaust louder. Everyone says that decats will get the car even louder than doing a muffler delete. So will try this option out first and hopefully it gets the car louder, but not too obnoxious.
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Glad to hear that. I will report back on the sound once installed. The pipes should be here next week.
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