Month: October 2021

Aston Martin DB9 Seatback Quick Release

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To8 Comments
Rear seat access is – umm – limited.

If the battery is dead in your Aston Martin DB9 – how to you move the right hand seat forward to access the battery that is UNDER the right rear seat squab?  If you’ve ever been in a DB9, the rear seat area is – ummm – very small.   Getting to that area is close to impossible unless you can tip the seatback forward.

Battery Disconnect Switch

A few readers have recently commented on this conundrum after they pushed the ‘Battery Disconnect’ button in the trunk/boot and then realized that disables the power to the seats.  Of course Aston didn’t put the ‘Battery REconnect’ button in the trunk/boot, they put that under the right rear seat squab – a small yellow button peering out through an access hole.  While this is inconvenient, at least there is a simple manual way to get the seatback to move out of the way.  Let me show you how. Continue reading “Aston Martin DB9 Seatback Quick Release” →

Determine if your Aston Martin V12 has 2 pin or 3 pin Coil Packs

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To21 Comments
2-pin coil pack used on early V12’s

If you own a V12 Aston Martin like the DB9, V12 Vantage, DBS or Virage, you’ve likely heard about the common issue with lumpy idle that is attributed to a misfire condition involving the spark plugs and coil packs.   I’ve done an extensive series on determining the issue and how to replace them (check it out here).  Getting your parts together for that project has one complication – are the coil packs the original 2 wire or the updated 3 wire design?   Even contacting Aston Martin won’t resolve the question – they don’t know.   They will tell you they slip streamed the change sometime during production in 2006 ‘ish.  The only way to tell for sure it to be halfway through the project when you can finally see the tops of the coil packs and count the actual wires.   This is of course a tough time to stop and order the correct coil packs, leaving your car disassembled for weeks waiting on parts.  If you just play the odds and guess, you may end up with a dozen incorrect (and expensive) coil packs.  This misfortune has definitely happened to a few owners.  Let me show you how you can find out for sure BEFORE starting the project. Continue reading “Determine if your Aston Martin V12 has 2 pin or 3 pin Coil Packs” →

Storing your Aston Martin

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To20 Comments

[Photo credit – Damien Morley]
Each year as winter approaches many owners look to put their precious Aston away for a few months of hibernation.   I’m fortunate enough to live in a climate where I can drive my DB9 all year round (I’m not bothered by her getting wet in the few days of California rain we have each year).  If you are going to put your Aston away for more than a month, there are definitely a bunch of steps you should take so that she’s all ready to hit the road in the spring.  [Article Updated for 2021] Continue reading “Storing your Aston Martin” →