I know the emissions warning light has been discussed far too often here, and there are many creative solutions. Some people ignore, some reset, some get the oxygen sensor replaced.

I've had the light on twice since I bought the car Dec 2nd. Recently I've paid extra close attention to the gas fuel cap, and the light hasn't come back.

Having just got my plates last week, I was going to get my state inspection done today at AM of Long Island (was heading that way anyways). 10 minutes away on the highway, the light came back again.

Got to the dealership, light's still there. The tech shut and restart the car, light's still there. Plugged in the NY State computer, inspection failed. Then mysteriously the light went off, I guess the tech's reset it.

Going to get my oxygen sensor replaced at the dealership next week. Just my luck. Going to have the car checked out while it's there.

So yea, for those with the warning light, good luck with your inspections. I hope your states are not as tedious as NY.

 

Well at least it's covered under warranty if that's the problem.

 

Peter and the guys over there are good. At least it happened before instead of after...

 

Lucky me, no Inspection in the great and (still) free state of Montana

 

honestly I would have preferred "after", at least then I'd have my sticker, and can go in for service based on my own schedule. Now I have NYS imposing a hard deadline. (plus a sheet of paper that says FAILED under my dashboard, mandatory)

Peter's great though, going to drop my car off this Sunday night. Hopefully it'll be done by Monday afternoon. Long Island Rail Road to the rescue.

and no, it's out of warranty. Oh well.

 

Keep in mind that federal law requires at least some major emissions-related equipment to be warrantied for 8 years or 80k miles. So don't give up yet!

 

I had to replace the O2 sensors on mine - just like you the light came on the day I drove it to the gas station for state inspection

 

Sorry, I thought it was a quick-fix type of thing and you were on your way. Sadly, my Aston has had more trips to the dealer and needed fixes in 1+ year of ownership than my heavily modified 911 Turbo did in 6+ years. This pattern will most certainly affect how long I keep the car and limit me from getting another one. Once upon a time it was "acceptable" for sports cars/exotics/etc. to misbehave, but that is no longer true.

 

Hi Red Devil,

Funny you should say this because I was just given about $8,000 in recommended services by AM-LI.

The car I purchased was from a collector who traded in for a Lambo, so had literally no service records as his personal mechanic performed all services. However it drives perfectly, identical to those certified models at dealerships. Now I'm faced with the decision.

$4500 combination 2&3 year service.
$1720 to get new brakes and rotors (honestly they look fine and feel great)
$1500 to repair scuffs on rims for 3 wheels.
$100 to repair the GPS door, which was originally crooked, and now literally jammed after they played with it.

Like you said, for anyone who buys AMs, money is usually not the main issue, but rather the inconvenience of having to drop your car off so often. With that said, I also believe that if you look hard enough, you'd always find something wrong with it. So far the car's fine, and when the weather's warmer I'll probably get those services done.

For those borderline income people looking to buy used AMV8s (like me), here are some hard numbers for you to look at. Hope you guys find it helpful.

 

oh and a bit more ranting. (now that I finally got my NYState sticker)

Although the AM dealerships hand wash, their skills with rotary buffers on the curved sides of the C pillar is questionable. I'm now seeing swirl marks. Black cars beware.

Time to break out my Zaino kit and do the full treatment this weekend.

 

i was told my other O2 sensor is on its way out as well. Well I have one year to worry about that one now that my NYS sticker is on the windshield.

 

$1500 to fix the wheels - you can buy a set of nice used ones from ebay for that much.

I think the price for the brakes is fair though - in fact that sounds like it's only for an axle

the service sounds steep but perhaps they do a lot as part of the 3rd yr service? (plugs, wires, change all the fluids, filters?)

-H-

 

yea, since I have no previous records, they're doing the combo 2/3 year service for $4500. Plugs, fluids, etc. It's not really a money thing, it's just that my cousin's a serious motor head and we know exactly how much this "should" cost.

Right now I'm pretty irked by the messing up my GPS door even more after "looking" at it. They probably could have fixed it with a few tweaks, but instead chose to further snap it out of alignment so I can sense the severity of the issue.

I guess I'll have everything done when the weather's warmer. Then throw in iPod adapter and maybe change the dash material to Piano black.

 

Check out the diamond turned trim from the n400 - really nice I think

 

Interesting. I wasn't aware of that trim.

Not sure why I've been obsessed for Piano black all this time. My all phantom grey interior isn't too exciting, so I'm looking for anything to spice it up a bit.