Corrosion, AM warranty and the 140 point check

[lazerbrain]

Hello all,

it's my first post in the AM forum, but I've been lurking for a little while.

I went to look at a 2006 V8V over the weekend, which I decided not to buy due to the exterior condition. The seller was honest and open about his car (pointing out minor scratches, etc) though he hadn't noticed any corrosion. The car had recently visited an AM dealer for a service and 140 point check (required in order to purchase the warranty.)

During my inspection of the car I noticed the paint in the side strakes on the wing looked a bit like 'orange peel' and I could feel this texture. Where the bright (chromed?) bar met the wing at the front edge the paint was starting to look like it was lifting. This was more obvious on the near side, but the first hints were showing on the offside too. Is this due to galvanic corrosion, or heat leaving the engine bay?

I also noted that the wing mirror stalks were starting to bubble under their finish.

The service sheet had a tick for the corrosion check. I'm not sure if there's a separate sheet for the 140 point check. I'm a little surprised that there was no comment regarding the corrosion, and there were no plans from the dealer to rectify it.

The car seemed a pretty good price, considering the warranty and recent service, but I wasn't very keen to buy a car that (in my opinion) needed to go straight to AM for corrosion warranty work.

I'm interested to hear your views/opinions.

[Grant3]

There are plenty of good cars around so don't compromise if you aren't happy. The paintwork is a bit more "sensitive" to wear and tear on the earlier cars, but corrosion should still be covered under A.M.'s warranty - providing the car has been inspected as per the schedule and the corrosion hasn't been caused by external damage/etc.
If you like this particular car, you are best to get the owner to talk to the dealer who did the 140 point check to give his permission to discuss the car in detail with you. You can then voice your concerns, and clarify the issues you mention, direct with the dealership.
Best of luck

[Murph7355]

I very much doubt any warranty the car might have on it will cover the cost of those items. You may, if lucky, get Aston to contribute. But to be honest, even with the contribution you could get it done cheaper yourself outside the Aston network.

Whether the car is priced in consideration of these items, only you can tell. If taken to a place that knows what they're doing, paintwork isn't hard to sort. And tbh, it's a lot easier for a layman to see that it's been done right.

[Steve jm]

Darren,

There is a separate sheet for the 140 point check, however it's my understanding that the extended warranty is for mechanical breakdown?

Steve

[lazerbrain]

Thanks for the responses. I hadn't realised that it would not necessarily be fully covered by the paint protection/corrosion warranty.

I do appreciate that appropriate pricing can make or break the sale. In my case I did not want the potential extra hassle at the start of my ownership and so I'm happy to continue looking. This particular car has already been sold to someone else.