Sad day -- Advice Needed

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bjshafer

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Hi Guys: The bad news is that the engine in one of my cars went "poof" last week. The good news is that it wasn't my '72 3.0CSi but rather my '03 Aston-Martin DB7 GT. Autopsy is still underway, but preliminary conclusion is a thrown bearing and or/broken rod that has resulted in millions of tiny pieces of disintegrated metal circulating throughout the engine via Mobil 1. New replacement is out of the question --- only 160 of these were made and without an "original" GT engine (even if I could find one) the car's future value will be slashed. Rebuild estimate will likely be a figure that more than 50% of the car's value pre-death. If I decide to walk away, do any of you know of a good "high - end" salvage business that might be interested in picking the car up relatively cheaply for parting out or a rebuild by another owner? It has only 16,000 miles on it and is otherwise in outstanding condition. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
The DB7 is currently tremendously underrated and undervalued. Every other Aston has recently gone up in value to quite a degree. Even the formerly unloved DBS and DBS V8.

I´d think of putting some effort into conservation and storing it well for a couple of years.
The DB7 is one of the most beautifull cars ever produced and a rare GT version has nowhere to go in value but up. A couple of years from now, the engine rebuild will be a pittance compared with value then. Especially with such low mileage.

That´s how those great barn find stories later are reported:

"Stored 20 years ago with only 16.000 miles due to engine problems...

... now completly overhauled and better than new, a new record for this model was acchieved at auction...."
 
:-(

Maybe you should talk to 'Q' and see what he might be able to do with it...he might suggest some additional 'gadgets' while he hot rods your motor rebuild.

Sorry to hear the bad news, but I'd definitely be patient and consider giving AM a ring...

-shanon
 
I don't suppose insurance would be involved with this somehow?

I work in the salvage industry buying cars, and selling to a dismantler is definitely not the way to go for this car. Selling to a private party will get a MUCH better return, although I'm with the others and would hold on to it until you can understand all of your options.

What does Aston Martin say about it?

Dan
 
Thanks Dang and you are correct -- insurance is not an option. Aston Martin says: "wow, you are in between a rock and a hard place." They say: "rebuild if you are going to keep it" but they don't have a suggestion for what to do if not ...
 
Aston

BJ,

Was there ever a final determination of what happened? Is the block in tact? Some rebuilds are cheaper than others.

As a suggestion, there are two restorers in your area at least known to the AMOC. Maybe they can help. I can go find them if you need the contacts.

There was a motor ( Don't recall which) in LA three weeks ago but it's gone when I checked.
 
DB7 GT Update

Guys: Autopsy complete and waddaya know: several years ago I had an oil leak from the area around the oil pan seal. Wanting to have the repair done "right," I took it to the local Aston-Martin dealer in Marin (Marin Luxury Cars) and paid them $$$ to fix it. They did. Unfortunately, their idea of fixing it was to use an enormous amount of silicon (think window caulk) between the oil pan and the block. The correct repair called for a gasket -- not silicon. The silicon broke apart over time and eventually clogged the sump, starving the engine of oil and leading to the catastophic engine failure. In one of the attached photos you can see all the silicon “worms” covering the sump intake, and in other photo you can see the silicon remnants along the edge of the block and around the gasket. I am still waiting to hear back from the Office Manager at Marin Luxury Cars to see what their repsonse will be. Stay tuned.
 

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This would seem to be an open-and-shut case. Its a beautiful car, I hope that the dealer sees it the same way and gets you back on the road.
 
I saw a 2010 X6M recently at a mechanic friend's shop. The owner had it for six months and drove it less than a few thousand miles when the engine seized. He had it towed to the BMW dealer who inspected it and found that the oil filler cap was missing. Their diagnosis: you left the cap off and all of the oil was lost, no warranty coverage, replacement motor is $46K.

The owner had never opened the hood, there was no oil anywhere, under the hood, on the engine, on the undercarriage, nowhere. He towed it to my friend's shop. The mechanic video taped the disassembly of the motor and found two sheared bolts on the oil pump pulley with one more about to go. BMW had superceeded this particluar part with a new number due to a known issue. Mechanic had the BMW rep come to his shop, when he saw the part he was speechless and said he didn't need to see anything else. The owner has an attorney, BMW should have replaced the vehicle at day one, end of story.
 
Based on the pictures and receipt of service, I think you should have a solid case. I can't believe a AM dealer would cutt corners like that. The liability is just too much to try an cutt corners and save money on a hih dollar car such as yours. If they are still in business the good news is they have money, a bond register with the state and most likely other insurance that will cover them for this type of neglience.. Once this type of service level gets out in the public, IT WILL HURT their business for sure... Keep us posted and act quickly as you don't know how many others that might be after them for similar issues.
 
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