Often we hear about dealer experiences when people are unhappy. I figure it’s only fair to tell a happy dealer story as well, and discuss an issue I had with my car in case it happens to another owner. I've often said that my dealer, Long Island Sports Cars/Aston Martin Long Island, is excellent. I’ve been dealing with them a long time: I bought my 2009 V8 Vantage new from them, and it was a great experience. They’ve serviced it ever since. They’ve also serviced my 2005 Vanquish S since I bought it in 2015. They’re a Heritage Dealer, so they know the older cars well.

Here’s the story: Recently, the Vanquish developed a rather disconcerting problem. At high revs – a little over 6k -- and full throttle, the engine instantly shut down, as though I turned off the key. I pulled off the road, sat there unhappy for a moment and -- it restarted normally. I drove off, and it seemed to run perfectly otherwise – full throttle at lower rpm was fine, lighter throttle at 6000+ was fine. So I tried over 6k and full throttle again -- complete shutdown. Not fun.

I brought the car to my dealer. The found a P115B code – Forced Engine Shutdown, apparently triggered by insufficient fueling. The tank was half full. They were able to replicate the problem, and then set about diagnosing it. The fault was on the driver’s side engine bank – something was telling the ECUs that the left bank wasn’t getting enough fuel, which triggered the forced shutdown. They swapped the PTECs (ECUs) from side to side – fault stayed on the driver’s bank. They swapped the fuel pump drivers side to side – fault stayed on the same side. And so on. The dealer had replaced the fuel pumps about 4.5 years before this at considerable expense, so I was hoping a pump (or two) wasn’t the problem, but it was time to go into the fuel tank. They swapped the pumps side to side -- fault stayed on the same side, but it didn't happen every time. Looked more closely and noticed that the wiring "harness" that connects to the pumps had a loose pin/connector. Replaced the harness (not an expensive part), and problem solved! If anyone has this issue with a (gen 1) Vanquish, hopefully this will be informative.

So… My dealer was great. They spent quite a lot of time chasing the fault and, at the end of the day, the cost for all of this was very fair. I'm sure it represents a large discount of the hours involved. They also kept the car inside for the entire time at my request and kept me informed of what they were doing and their findings. They aren’t cheap in general, but you wouldn’t expect them to be. Their service has always been superb, and the quality of service justifies the premium.

 

That dealer has a good reputation.

 

Great to hear a positive story..glad you got it sorted..