Aston DB9 Dash faults, no instruments, no indicators
Discussion
Hi, I'm a new DB9 owner, I bought the car in early December 2020, and I have loved the driving experience immensely. However, I have been tortured by a number of minor, and one serious, faults.
The minor faults were, the known issues with rear light LED clusters failing, these faults are now resolved, my lights are I believe now reliable. My background is in electronics engineering, although I'm quite rusty and that was half a lifetime ago. I also had a start button fall apart, that was glued temporarily then easily replaced. The next fault is the one causing me quite some frustration, my dash went dead one day, in January, and is still intermittent, this is becoming something of a saga and I hope that the knowledgeable members of this forum can offer some advice.
The saga in brief. (much more detail available)
The battery was poor, needing a very regular run or living on a battery conditioner as low voltage warnings were appearing after just 3 or 4 days when starting. Then things started to get a lot worse....a dead dash.
The probable cause was a battery conditioner that had faulty voltage regulation, the conditioner was connected to the boot socket. While charging I was working in the boot installing my repaired rear lights. I heard a loud click (still not sure what that was), and noticed the boot socket light go out. I immediately disconnected the conditioner and then investigated. The conditioner regulation had failed, the output was 2.75 amp at 17 volts. I started the car and immediately had a dead dash, no rev counter, no speedo, no fuel or temp gauge, and no indicators.
I phoned my local Aston specialist and arranged to drive down and have a new battery fitted and hopefully fix the dash problem. My first drive through the countryside to the garage was an interesting one, no instruments and no indicators kept my focus on other road users and planning ahead.
The specialist did a great job, fitted the battery, and showed me where the various fuse boxes were located. I worked through the manual and found the most likely suspect fuse (driver information), the technician removed this, said it looked ok but fitted a new one. Everything burst back to life, and I drove to the nearest motorway and went through the misfire data setup (70 mph to 20 mph a number of times, all fine), windows, and door recalibration.
The car behaved fine until the next day's drive to London and back (70 miles). On the return leg, about 30 minutes into the drive, the dash went dead once more. At the time I was fearful that I might be left at the side of the road, after many, many similar situations I no longer doubt the car's ability to get me home. I wondered about the fuse holder, as the replacement of the fuse did seem to bring the dash back to life. The next day I changed the fuse once more (it was not blown) and cleaned the fuse holder contacts. Once again all the dash came back to life, and yet again it failed after another run of 30 minutes. I decided to monitor voltages, as after reading many related posts, I learned that many faults were related to low voltage problems and poor earthing. I fitted a blue tooth voltage monitor, this reported battery voltage, cranking voltage, and trip information, this has been valuable in the past 2 months of intermittent faults.
Further reading of numerous posts here and in the AMOC, pointed me in the direction of a faulty Roof Control Module. I shared this information with my Aston specialist and the technician, Will, also arrived at the same conclusion from the web research. So I asked for the module to be ordered, and also following the experience of other owners who had replaced the RCM, removed the RCM fuse. The symptoms changed but the intermittent dash faults remained.
The new RCM arrived and was fitted by the specialist, and we now waited for our local Aston dealer to agree an appointment when they would code this new unit. In discussions with the AM dealer service manager, Carl, he told me that nine times out of ten this would fix my Dash faults.
Another week and a half later and with the new RCM until coded I drove the car for an hour and a half to London, elated. The car had never driven one-third that far recently without exhibiting any problem, I felt so relieved. I even used the roof en-route as the weather was now warm enough. On my journey home, I started the car and, you guessed it no Dash. I did not swear but I was sorely tempted.
I have spoken with the AM service manager once more and I'm booked in this Thursday for the next installment of the saga. I'm also working on many other approaches myself as I have fault-finding experience in electronic and computer systems.
However, I do not know much about this car, and from reading a considerable number of posts, it seems to me that these DB9 sagas can go on and on.
My current suspicions are that something is causing noisy and intermittent power. My reason for thinking this is that of the many intermittent symptoms, some seem to point that way, they are as follows.
1/The voltage at the driver's cigarette lighter does not come on for up to two minutes, yet sometimes it is there immediately with the ignition on. 2/Sometimes the center console (Radio and CD player) power button has no effect, the screen is blank.
3/Sometimes the menu becomes inoperable and just won't change. Sometimes when the ignition is switch on the dash starts up normally, all instruments work for a few seconds then die. I'm generally left with just the ABS and airbag warning, no rev, no speedo, on fuel, no temp, and most annoying no indicators.
4/ Today and for the first time the paddle gear change did not work, until the car was turned off and restarted.
Since recoding the RCM the dash has been dead most of the time, until then it generally was fine for 20 minutes after starting.
I should share that I drive this fantastic car most days (yes even without any instruments) and I'm collecting a lot of information that I'm cataloging to aid the diagnosis. I would be very grateful for any advice, I live in Kent UK and if driving anywhere in the UK would give me access to some experienced help I am able to do this without reservation. I should mention that I'm adamant that I will return this car to a reliable condition and plan to use this car most day, for many years. It's been a challenging journey so far, but I'm hooked on DB9 .
Please HELP!!
The minor faults were, the known issues with rear light LED clusters failing, these faults are now resolved, my lights are I believe now reliable. My background is in electronics engineering, although I'm quite rusty and that was half a lifetime ago. I also had a start button fall apart, that was glued temporarily then easily replaced. The next fault is the one causing me quite some frustration, my dash went dead one day, in January, and is still intermittent, this is becoming something of a saga and I hope that the knowledgeable members of this forum can offer some advice.
The saga in brief. (much more detail available)
The battery was poor, needing a very regular run or living on a battery conditioner as low voltage warnings were appearing after just 3 or 4 days when starting. Then things started to get a lot worse....a dead dash.
The probable cause was a battery conditioner that had faulty voltage regulation, the conditioner was connected to the boot socket. While charging I was working in the boot installing my repaired rear lights. I heard a loud click (still not sure what that was), and noticed the boot socket light go out. I immediately disconnected the conditioner and then investigated. The conditioner regulation had failed, the output was 2.75 amp at 17 volts. I started the car and immediately had a dead dash, no rev counter, no speedo, no fuel or temp gauge, and no indicators.
I phoned my local Aston specialist and arranged to drive down and have a new battery fitted and hopefully fix the dash problem. My first drive through the countryside to the garage was an interesting one, no instruments and no indicators kept my focus on other road users and planning ahead.
The specialist did a great job, fitted the battery, and showed me where the various fuse boxes were located. I worked through the manual and found the most likely suspect fuse (driver information), the technician removed this, said it looked ok but fitted a new one. Everything burst back to life, and I drove to the nearest motorway and went through the misfire data setup (70 mph to 20 mph a number of times, all fine), windows, and door recalibration.
The car behaved fine until the next day's drive to London and back (70 miles). On the return leg, about 30 minutes into the drive, the dash went dead once more. At the time I was fearful that I might be left at the side of the road, after many, many similar situations I no longer doubt the car's ability to get me home. I wondered about the fuse holder, as the replacement of the fuse did seem to bring the dash back to life. The next day I changed the fuse once more (it was not blown) and cleaned the fuse holder contacts. Once again all the dash came back to life, and yet again it failed after another run of 30 minutes. I decided to monitor voltages, as after reading many related posts, I learned that many faults were related to low voltage problems and poor earthing. I fitted a blue tooth voltage monitor, this reported battery voltage, cranking voltage, and trip information, this has been valuable in the past 2 months of intermittent faults.
Further reading of numerous posts here and in the AMOC, pointed me in the direction of a faulty Roof Control Module. I shared this information with my Aston specialist and the technician, Will, also arrived at the same conclusion from the web research. So I asked for the module to be ordered, and also following the experience of other owners who had replaced the RCM, removed the RCM fuse. The symptoms changed but the intermittent dash faults remained.
The new RCM arrived and was fitted by the specialist, and we now waited for our local Aston dealer to agree an appointment when they would code this new unit. In discussions with the AM dealer service manager, Carl, he told me that nine times out of ten this would fix my Dash faults.
Another week and a half later and with the new RCM until coded I drove the car for an hour and a half to London, elated. The car had never driven one-third that far recently without exhibiting any problem, I felt so relieved. I even used the roof en-route as the weather was now warm enough. On my journey home, I started the car and, you guessed it no Dash. I did not swear but I was sorely tempted.
I have spoken with the AM service manager once more and I'm booked in this Thursday for the next installment of the saga. I'm also working on many other approaches myself as I have fault-finding experience in electronic and computer systems.
However, I do not know much about this car, and from reading a considerable number of posts, it seems to me that these DB9 sagas can go on and on.
My current suspicions are that something is causing noisy and intermittent power. My reason for thinking this is that of the many intermittent symptoms, some seem to point that way, they are as follows.
1/The voltage at the driver's cigarette lighter does not come on for up to two minutes, yet sometimes it is there immediately with the ignition on. 2/Sometimes the center console (Radio and CD player) power button has no effect, the screen is blank.
3/Sometimes the menu becomes inoperable and just won't change. Sometimes when the ignition is switch on the dash starts up normally, all instruments work for a few seconds then die. I'm generally left with just the ABS and airbag warning, no rev, no speedo, on fuel, no temp, and most annoying no indicators.
4/ Today and for the first time the paddle gear change did not work, until the car was turned off and restarted.
Since recoding the RCM the dash has been dead most of the time, until then it generally was fine for 20 minutes after starting.
I should share that I drive this fantastic car most days (yes even without any instruments) and I'm collecting a lot of information that I'm cataloging to aid the diagnosis. I would be very grateful for any advice, I live in Kent UK and if driving anywhere in the UK would give me access to some experienced help I am able to do this without reservation. I should mention that I'm adamant that I will return this car to a reliable condition and plan to use this car most day, for many years. It's been a challenging journey so far, but I'm hooked on DB9 .
Please HELP!!
How old is your DB9??
I think it's defiantly the tracker unit failing sending corrupted signals down the CANBUS system, this causes all sorts of intermittent issues with the stereo, dash displays, various electrical modules etc.
Call Mike at Bamford Rose, he disconnected the tracker on my DB9, (cost £60) google Bamford Rose Tracker on youtube.
There are also occasional issues with bad earths, have a look at the earth points to ensure they are ok.
After this I would replace the battery, mine was from Halfords, plus keep it on a battery conditioner when not in use.
This should cure your electrical issues.
Let us know how you get on.
I think it's defiantly the tracker unit failing sending corrupted signals down the CANBUS system, this causes all sorts of intermittent issues with the stereo, dash displays, various electrical modules etc.
Call Mike at Bamford Rose, he disconnected the tracker on my DB9, (cost £60) google Bamford Rose Tracker on youtube.
There are also occasional issues with bad earths, have a look at the earth points to ensure they are ok.
After this I would replace the battery, mine was from Halfords, plus keep it on a battery conditioner when not in use.
This should cure your electrical issues.
Let us know how you get on.
Edited by paulrog1 on Saturday 13th March 21:41
paulrog1 said:
How old is your DB9??
I think it's defiantly the tracker unit failing sending corrupted signals down the CANBUS system, this causes all sorts of intermittent issues with the stereo, dash displays, various electrical modules etc.
Call Mike at Bamford Rose, he disconnected the tracker on my DB9, (cost £60) google Bamford Rose Tracker on youtube.
There are also occasional issues with bad earths, have a look at the earth points to ensure they are ok.
After this I would replace the battery, mine was from Halfords, plus keep it on a battery conditioner when not in use.
This should cure your electrical issues.
Let us know how you get on.
^^ what he said. I had electrical gremlins. Mike diagnosed a defective tracker (which I had noticed already). Disconnected old, replaced with a Cobra tracker by Aston Installations and electrics have been fine and dandy since.I think it's defiantly the tracker unit failing sending corrupted signals down the CANBUS system, this causes all sorts of intermittent issues with the stereo, dash displays, various electrical modules etc.
Call Mike at Bamford Rose, he disconnected the tracker on my DB9, (cost £60) google Bamford Rose Tracker on youtube.
There are also occasional issues with bad earths, have a look at the earth points to ensure they are ok.
After this I would replace the battery, mine was from Halfords, plus keep it on a battery conditioner when not in use.
This should cure your electrical issues.
Let us know how you get on.
Edited by paulrog1 on Saturday 13th March 21:41
Good luck!
Once Mike has diagnosed the tracker, disconnected it and fixed everything (which I’m pretty sure he will), fit one of these to make your DB9 experience even better.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
JohnG1, thank you so much, for your confirmation that it was also a faulty Tracker. I'm impressed with the support I've received already regarding this problem. If others out there have had the same issues, please do let me know, the collective experience does strongly point at a faulty Tracker, but I'm interested in the possibility of other causes. I initially found quite a few posts indicating it had been the Roof control module causing similar intermittent faults, and it turned out not to be in my case, thank you all for your shared somewhat painfull experiences.
I’m sorry that you’ve been experiencing difficulties with your DB9.
If I had these issues (and the vehicle was out of warranty) I would not waste my time and money with a main dealer that would most likely be throwing parts and billing hours at my car until they finally stumbled upon the true cause.
You are fortunate to have a quality independent like Bamford Rose in the UK and I highly recommend you follow the advice given above to let Mike fix it for you.
If I had these issues (and the vehicle was out of warranty) I would not waste my time and money with a main dealer that would most likely be throwing parts and billing hours at my car until they finally stumbled upon the true cause.
You are fortunate to have a quality independent like Bamford Rose in the UK and I highly recommend you follow the advice given above to let Mike fix it for you.
Moonpie, I have come to that conclusion as well, and I thank you for your candid advice. it's just the sort of compounding recommendation that I'm looking for.
I'm in need of the car urgently for many planned activities over the next few weeks, and months. I use the car most days. So my plan is a composite one. Recognizing the obvious expertise of Bamford Rose, yet to speak with Mike, hope to do that tomorrow, to arrange a time to visit them. If that arrangement is later than this Thursday then I will use the already agreed slot with my Aston Dealer in Sevenoaks, Kent. There I will request they disconnect the Tracker, and undertake the necessary reconfiguration. At the same visit, I will also request a recoding (or reflashing) of the RCM.
I do accept, that the dealer will charge me through the nose, and it may not resolve the problem. However, there does seem to be a reasonable expectation that it might. Even if it does, I still plan to visit Bandford Rose to have a more sophisticated health check for the car. I'm adamant that this car will become very reliable, and I believe that Bamford Rose will be able to aid me in this quest.
So I do accept the opinion of yourself and other like-minded individuals, regarding the Value and level of expertise available within the general dealerships, but time is also a significant factor currently.
Once again many thanks for your valued opinion, and others please feel free to offer your opinions to this inexperienced DB9, disciple.
I'm in need of the car urgently for many planned activities over the next few weeks, and months. I use the car most days. So my plan is a composite one. Recognizing the obvious expertise of Bamford Rose, yet to speak with Mike, hope to do that tomorrow, to arrange a time to visit them. If that arrangement is later than this Thursday then I will use the already agreed slot with my Aston Dealer in Sevenoaks, Kent. There I will request they disconnect the Tracker, and undertake the necessary reconfiguration. At the same visit, I will also request a recoding (or reflashing) of the RCM.
I do accept, that the dealer will charge me through the nose, and it may not resolve the problem. However, there does seem to be a reasonable expectation that it might. Even if it does, I still plan to visit Bandford Rose to have a more sophisticated health check for the car. I'm adamant that this car will become very reliable, and I believe that Bamford Rose will be able to aid me in this quest.
So I do accept the opinion of yourself and other like-minded individuals, regarding the Value and level of expertise available within the general dealerships, but time is also a significant factor currently.
Once again many thanks for your valued opinion, and others please feel free to offer your opinions to this inexperienced DB9, disciple.
It sounds like you have a well thought out plan of attack and I’m sure this issue will be resolved. I too have had to pay the significantly higher dealer cost due to time constraints so I fully understand your dilemma.
I’m sure you’ve already seen his videos, but if not, you may want to check out Aston1936 on YouTube. His videos may give you more insight into your new DB9 chariot.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
I’m sure you’ve already seen his videos, but if not, you may want to check out Aston1936 on YouTube. His videos may give you more insight into your new DB9 chariot.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Do you hear any beep from the dash cluster before it goes off? If yes, then you should look into the CAN bus faults. If the cluster goes off without any sound, then I suggest to check the power lines to the display cluster. It could be unstable ground connection (rust) or defective pins in power socket line - fuse box (loose contact). I would recommend to test and monitor the voltage of power supply directly at the dash cluster socket side (pin 1 and 30) to check if there is any drop when the dash goes off. Keep my fingers crossed.
chrzesm's, many thanks for the information and suggestions. Yes, I did often get a bleep (I think 3 or 4) before the dash went dead. This helps as it also corroborates the assumption that the Tracker is sending junk down the canbus.
Now since the dealer re-coded the Roof control module, the dash is dead most of the time. At startup, it comes alive for about one second then dies. I've called Bamford Rose today and hope to speak with Mike to agree on a plan. As I mentioned time is an issue but this knowledge is certainly helpful and will be added to my little but growing understanding of the car's complex systems. Thanks again.
Now since the dealer re-coded the Roof control module, the dash is dead most of the time. At startup, it comes alive for about one second then dies. I've called Bamford Rose today and hope to speak with Mike to agree on a plan. As I mentioned time is an issue but this knowledge is certainly helpful and will be added to my little but growing understanding of the car's complex systems. Thanks again.
Hmm, if you hear bleeps, then your display should not go completely black. Do you see red icon (brake) and amber one (if I remember correctly track control) still on when it happens? If yes, then it is definitely CAN bus failure or CAN communication issue when some other module (ie tracker) messes up the protocol. You need a diagnostic laptop (AMDS) to remove the tracker.
chrzesm, yes I think you are right, and I am now booked into the workshop at Bamford Rose next Monday, so I'm now confident this should all be resolved next week. For this week, I'm now getting the sailing boat ready for the season, so I have my hands on the spanners once more.
Thank you all for your advice, and hopefully, I will be able to report how it was all sorted out next week.
Thank you all for your advice, and hopefully, I will be able to report how it was all sorted out next week.
I have a similar issue and was looking to buy a car diagnostic tool that worked well with the DB9, I have found Launch launch and Thinkdiag tools with a big price difference but they seem to offer the same. I'm trying to work out if there is a catch, does anyone have any further knowledge of the launch tool and thinkdiag tool and what the differences are.
Db9-Howard said:
chrzesm, yes I think you are right, and I am now booked into the workshop at Bamford Rose next Monday, so I'm now confident this should all be resolved next week. For this week, I'm now getting the sailing boat ready for the season, so I have my hands on the spanners once more.
Thank you all for your advice, and hopefully, I will be able to report how it was all sorted out next week.
What was the outcome???? Thank you all for your advice, and hopefully, I will be able to report how it was all sorted out next week.
Hi,
I have the same issue with no instruments no indicators, this happened for the first time.
Can anyone point me out to the fuse that needs checking and changing please?
Once the indicators are working it will be safe to drive back to the the Reading dealers which is 60 miles from where I live.
Thanks in advance.
I have the same issue with no instruments no indicators, this happened for the first time.
Can anyone point me out to the fuse that needs checking and changing please?
Once the indicators are working it will be safe to drive back to the the Reading dealers which is 60 miles from where I live.
Thanks in advance.
Db9-Howard said:
Hi, its rather too complicated to swiftly put in a post but feel free to call me Howard07801186138
I haven't seen this post before, but wanted to add that if you can fix rear lights, you could start up a small sideline. It's a common problem and the only 'repairer' has a slightly questionable reputation. I'm sure we'd much rather send our money to a PHer than elsewhere.Db9-Howard said:
chrzesm, yes I think you are right, and I am now booked into the workshop at Bamford Rose next Monday, so I'm now confident this should all be resolved next week. For this week, I'm now getting the sailing boat ready for the season, so I have my hands on the spanners once more.
Thank you all for your advice, and hopefully, I will be able to report how it was all sorted out next week.
Thank you all for your advice, and hopefully, I will be able to report how it was all sorted out next week.
Next week passed, then 3 years passed.
I, and I am sure others as well, were interested to read your posts Howard, hoping to read the cause and resolution which provided you with happy Astoning.
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