While servicing your DB9 you might run into a situation where your dash display or OBDII reader shows you an error message in the form of a cryptic P code like P1488, setting the stage for an ominous visit to your local dealer and the commensurate drain on your bank account.  Without any reference, your tendency might be to stick your head in the sand and just drive on risking damage to the car.  In this post I wanted to publish a list of all the P codes I could find so that it might help steer you in the right direction to taking care of the issue yourself.

Some P codes are innocuous.   For example, P1488 [Exhaust (muffler) Bypass Control Circuit] is logged if you pull the famous Fuse 22 to uncork your exhaust.   The car knows Fuse 22 is pulled, makes a note of it, but doesn’t set off the idiot light (Malfunction Indicator Lamp or MIL).   If you find this code and you have pulled your fuse, you can just ignore it.

Aston Martin Diagnostic Manual

I have gathered the list below from a preliminary publication of the Aston Martin Factory “OBD II Diagnostic Manual” published in April 2004.   The publication is a great resource, and has a tremendous amount of detail about each P Code, and other theory about the cars operation and diagnostics.  356 pages of technical details and some very helpful diagrams.   Being that it was a preliminary publication it’s a good starting point for the early cars (MY 04/05/06), but I am certain that as the DB9 was developed more codes were added and this list is incomplete.   The official place to get the P codes explained is on the Aston Martin Technical Information Website (which I have covered in another blog post).   What I dislike about the format on the website is that the codes aren’t in a single document anymore, but rather each has its own web page section.  This makes a lot of sense for Aston Martin (alleviates the need to keep a large complicated document up to date), but for us DIY repair guys without an expensive $2,600 annual subscription to the website it’s a handicap.   So, I would recommend that if you find the P code you are experiencing in the list below just check out the PDF.   If the P code you have isn’t listed, perhaps spend the $100 for a one day subscription to the website and look up the code you have (and maybe send me the details or your code and a PDF print of what was on the website about it).  Or succumb, and take your car into the dealership.

OBDII Acronyms Explained

Understanding a P code is hard enough, and even harder is you don’t understand the acronyms used in the descriptions.   Here is a list of them explained:

P Codes

Here is the entire list.  I have them listed out here so that the Google search index can pick them up and guide you back here.  If you P Code is listed below, download the PDF and lookup the details on it.