Ok. So three months into my DB9 (2009 30k miles) I am faced with my first issue. Out of nowhere the car started to jerk when accelerating from 55mph to 63mph. It seems like the issue does not happen when I am in sport mode or when I use the paddles and keep to lower gears.

Also, when I am in idle like at a stop sign or red light, the engine feels like it is tumbling. The issue goes away when I am in park.

All these symptoms point me to the misfire coil packs/ spark plug issue that I read so much about. Does that sound right? If yes, what should I expect an indie to charge for parts and labor to replace all twelve?

Does anyone know a good indie in the Jersey Shore / Long branch area?

Can I drive the car in this condition before I get it fixed?

Anything else I should be thinking or worried about?

I appreciate any help!

 

Yes, sounds like plugs and coils needed. Do you have all the service records to double check if they were ever done?
If it is the coils and plugs -No, I would not drive it much as your ECU, O2 and shifting module sensors should be sending/receiving some confusing readings that will eventually cause things to get worse. There are about $1800 to $2000 in parts including gaskets and misc parts needed to do the job. While its apart the PCV valves can be easily changed.

 

Thanks for the reply. I confirm the spark plugs and coils have not been done. What kind of labor is involved?

 

Plugs and coils is a big one as the manifolds need to come off:

https://aston1936.com/2016/08/08/how...on-martin-db9/

These issues can also be caused by the lambda sensors ageing and sending slow/false messages to the ECU

 

Thank you. The CEL just came on with emmission service. I am hoping this is not more than a $3,000-$4,000 story. I have an appointment with my indie next Tuesday but I have to drive in from Brooklyn to the jersey shore to get there. About 50 miles. Any issue if I drove slowly there do you think?

 

One idie that is EXCELLENT and well recommended is Steel Wings in Ivyland PA. Probably the same distance as Brooklyn but a lot easier and less hassle to get there.

 

+1 on Steel Wings, it's an excellent shop. I had them replace my clutch a few weeks ago. The entire experience was great, and their prices were far better than a dealership.

 

I highly recommend picking up an OBD-II scanner/reader/clearer... As cheap as $40 to as much as $150-$200.00. I have a foxtel 520 that works great and is easy to use. Armed with it I can read the codes and decide if it is a "real problem" or a "oh I should tighten my gas cap", reset and drive on. You could order one on Amazon and have it the next day... And for what you want, the $40.00 one will do nicely.

 

Thanks. I checked codes with an OBD scanner and a bunch of errors came up. Multiple misfire codes. Some of them say cylinder 11. Some of them say multiple cylinders. I did drive it yesterday to my jersey shore home and the car didn’t feel so great. At idle, it tumbles very heavily. Driving on the highway felt sluggish. I’m not going to drive it again until I get it to the shop. I’m concerned it’s a big deal.

my closest indie is to a place called Bodyshop. They are porsche specialists but are really great with all performance cars, and they said they can handle astons. I have to wait to till Tuesday to get it in.

Pennsylvania is far. Anyone know a place closer that they can recommend? Long branch or Asbury area?

 

Great feedback from the forum so far. I'll see if my experience adds anything. Responses in red, below.

All these symptoms point me to the misfire coil packs/ spark plug issue that I read so much about. Does that sound right? They don't just point to plugs and coils, though if you were to take a guess, that's probably your safest bet. These symptoms have shown in the following documented problems that I've read here: Faulty battery, intake blockages, faulty O2 sensors, spark plugs and/or coils, fuel issues, fuel evap line issues. If you read the workshop manual, the checks for misfires extend even beyond these fix areas. If yes, what should I expect an indie to charge for parts and labor to replace all twelve? You may even want to check your local AM dealer, as not all are ridiculously overpriced. Mine is not outrageous, however when work has been done on my vehicle, I see a bunch of missing screws, bolts lying in my footwell area, etc. For the price we pay per hour, these vehicles should be handled with white gloves. As far as sourcing the parts, I recommend reading Aston1936's articles on this and getting all parts from parts dealers like AstonMartinBits or Scuderia. Expect delivery times to be 2 weeks or more. If you go to your local AM dealer the parts will be outrageous. Make sure whoever is doing the work will let you source your own parts.

Does anyone know a good indie in the Jersey Shore / Long branch area? I do not but I've only heard great things about Steel Wings, as well.

Can I drive the car in this condition before I get it fixed? It is recommended not to do so, as you're almost certainly experiencing misfires. These misfires put your expensive cat converters at risk, as well as your engine.

Anything else I should be thinking or worried about? Those items listed in the first question are all possible scenarios. Given that it sounds like you don't want to dive right into a DIY job on the plugs/coils, I think your best bet is to have a competent mechanic diagnose the issue and stand behind their diagnosis, meaning if they incorrectly diagnose it, make sure they're covering that cost.

 

Thank you so much, tons of info. I'm super nervous at this stage, but nothing i can do until i get it checked out. The care will sit in the garage until tuesday when i'll take it 3 miles to the Indyshop in Long Branch. Hopefully they can handle it. Not excited for parts to take 2 weeks or more, hopefully there is a local source, even if the cost is slightly higher. As it is, my wife and friends are giving me grief for switching from Porsche to Aston because of rumored reliability concerns. I hope to prove them wrong. Wish me luck.

 

Just to close the loop here, my local indie knew exactly what this group already knew. He said cylinder 11 was bad and need coil and plug replaced. We did all 12 plugs and coils and did an oil change while we were at it. Parts came from the UK in 2 days, and he did the job in 1 day. He also changed the pistons on the doors because they wouldnt stay shut. $30 part, but $300 in labor. Coils and plugs fix cost me about $4k. Car is now smooth as silk and hopefully no more issues! Thanks all for your good input, and now im back on the road....the driving continues!

 

Now you are good for at least another 30K miles. Not a bad price on doing the coils and plugs. I think you have the 3 pin coils.

 

Thank you for posting a follow-up. With the design of these cars and the heat being trapped against the coils right under the manifold, these things just don't last as long as so many other vehicles.

 

Hey Raym50, sorry to hear you had issues with your '9, so early in your AM ownership. If it's any consolation I only got through 1 month before my issue started (low fuel pressure randomly) and we are now going through the painful troubleshooting process, I still haven't regretted my decision tho..... yet