Howdy gents. I was fortunate enough to start my morning with an “ENGINE SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED” message on the dash of my beautiful 2015 V12 Vantage S. After preparing my wallet for total destruction, I took a step back and considered that this a ten year old car now and it very likely needs it’s coils and plugs changed. What are the odds this is a coil/plugs issue? If so, any ideas on what that usually runs? Any other info/ideas from others who’ve experienced this are welcome as well!

 

Are you able to plug a scanner and maybe isolate the code that's throwing the message?
Are you experiencing rough idle?

 

Could be anything, pull the codes

 

I just dropped it at the dealer a few minutes ago for them to take a look as I don’t have an OBDII scanner. No rough idle, and it seemed to run, feel, and sound entirely normal. It was a chilly morning today and in my googling (which I’m currently doing from the dealership waiting area,) I’ve seen folks say that the coils can struggle when the engine is cold. When we restarted the car after getting it to the dealer and running for a while, the DIM notice was gone.

I’m hopeful that if it is a coil/plug issue, it’s sufficiently minor that it can be dealt with in the spring. We’re getting awful close to winter here and I’d hate to have to leave it for a few days while they repair it and then be forced to drive it back in the snow/salt.

 

It wouldn't matter if the code was gone from the DIM, the dealer AMDS should have been able to pull previous codes and snapshot information about what triggered the code. Don't assume it's plugs and coils and start expensive repairs without the actual codes. UltraMarine is right that it could be anything from the fuel system to the ignition system to the emissions control system.

 

Update, and it’s good news! Turns out my battery sucks. Apparently when the batteries get low, it can cause the vehicle to throw codes upon start up. After driving it to the dealership the alternator had had a chance to charge the battery some which is why the issue didn’t reappear when we restarted it.

I looked up the battery swap on YouTube and it looks like the kind of thing I could do pretty easily. Might do it in the spring to get some extra life out of it if there’s no issues with leaving it over the winter.

Recommendations on a battery are welcome, it sounds like the factory one leaves a bit to be desired in performance and weight.

 

I would suggest using a battery maintainer when the car is not used on a daily basis.

 

That’s the plan. I have a C8 Corvette tender that should work. I’m going to use that in the interim until I get a new battery sorted out.

 

Good news indeed