Don't want to be harsh but I think you have the wrong mindset for the car. You niggle about minor things and that spoils your enjoyment. This is made even worse by your friends who "warned" you, a self fulfilling prophecy. See it that way you have one of the most beautiful, very powerful, very capabale, quite rare cars that most importantly has a "soul". And yes it has quirks, so (most likely) have you and the people around you. Perfection is generic and boring and that is the way we are going with cars if we niggle too much...

You bought a High Performance car, with pretty much race brakes....and you're complaining about them squeaking? That's what they do until you get heat in them.

"Good brakes are suppose to squeak!" - Porsche.

A bit of a ramble that. The only things I took from this video was squeaky brakes and the engine set up getting to comfort mode. Us Aston owners have put up with niggles, error messages (mainly electrical) squeaky brakes etc, it's one the 'joys' of owning an Aston. But you're right, for the money you paid and the time you have had the car you shouldn't have to put up with it. The day you get into something else, unless it's another Aston, will be the day you regret it.

Boy, I can relate. I had a 2020 Vantage until a few weeks ago. It was Mako Blue, a stunning color and it got more attention than anything I'd ever seen, even my 991 GT3. It sounded great, looked amazing, wowed everyone. But. in 22 months it was out of service for a total of 4 months. 4 different check engine lights, an airbag light, a rattling rear hatch, and a 2 1/2 month wait for brake pads. The car had standard steel brakes, but a set of rear pads, parts only, cost over $1800! I was told a full brake job, pads and rotors all around, would be approx. $11000. The price of the car was reasonable but service and parts were exorbitant. Every trip to the dealer, and there were many, was a matter of days or even weeks. Aston reimbursed me for the four months it was out of service, but I finally threw in the towel and went back to Porsche. I just bought a GT4 last week. I miss the Aston, but not the problems!

Probly too late but mine had the same squeaky brake issues. Dealership couldn’t fix it after a bunch of trips. Changed out the pads to the porterfield r4s and never heard a squeak again. Same performance from the brakes, no noise.

I bought a DB11 with the same aim as you to use it as a daily but had similar issues, squeaky brakes, the poor tech interface, even pressing the button to change from GT mode to sport can be problematic but I still love the car, the looks the v12, so I decide to buy a small runabout and keep the DB11 for special days..

Have same car and it’s done 7000 faultless miles. Love it. Had 911’s which are great and point to point will be faster but in Vantage you can burble as well as play, whereas 911’s feels like you need to push more to enjoy. Recommended by another racer who had one and can’t fault it. And boot for 2 sets golf clubs if needed is great.

@Off Course - Some years ago I had a BMW 335d xdrive that had squeeling brakes. As it was a new car, I took it to the dealer and the tech engineer came to see me and just advised me to take the car out and brake it REALLY HARD three of four times. Strangely enough, this worked a treat and the squeeling went away. Give it a try...

The brakes are performance brakes. They will always squeek. You would need to downgrade to a lower performance pad for it to not squeek. I had the same issue on my 2 series. Switched the pads to a metallic pad and it got quiet. But not as good of a braking performance and longevity

i like them, but F-Type SVR has 575hp, 4wd & sounds awesome. Im a racer, so im not sure which way id go

I love this car but I am not sure how the long term reliability is. I saw a 2022 F1 edition, and when I asked the dealer about extra warranty they told me it's about $8000 for two years. Maybe it is normal not sure.

For the brakes issues for with the Velocity AP brakes , i had the same issues and those brakes doesnt sound at all

Lexus LC500h series. Stunning looks with Lexus reliability and reasonable economy all things considered?

Awesome looking car. What’s your thoughts on the last call V12 Vantage? Enjoy it. She is a beaut…I’m sure the gremlins will be taken care of as the car should be under warranty. 😊

The brake noise is 100% going to be the composition of the pads. Carbon pads are particularly bad at it. Get different pads and it will go away. Im looking into getting one of these so the video is helpful. Thank you.

My vantage blinkers stops working. When the blinkers stop working. The car is undriveable. The system disables

You say cycling through track mode is dangerous. As you cycle through you are only Track mode for a millisecond, I don’t really see what the issue is (just my opinion)

I have one, it's whatever, it also breaks all the time, however, regarding your complaint about the infotainment, you can open up the armrest and ghetto rig. A ZZ2 or the like infotainment bypass that carries carplay/ Android auto to your screen, will make a huge difference in your petty life with the current setup

As a similar age gen Vantage owner: Brakes - take it somewhere quiet get up to a decent speed and brake heavily, low speed build up will cause them to squeak. In fairness to AM it does state this in the owners manual, equally Porsche even did a video on this topic area. BMW's even suffer the build up issue and end up with vibrations under braking, the simple fact of the matter is large pads and discs (and more performance focused) will always suffer some level of NVH issues if not utilised more throughly now and again. The reduced engine performance - it might be the exhaust valves or the coil pack boots which Mercedes did update to have more of a accordion section in preventing water ingress on top of the spark plugs. Some cars seem fine, others less so, 18/19/20 MY cars may have that issue. You might be lucky and just be able to upgrade the coil pack boot as opposed coil pack. Additionally other issues seem battery voltage related generally - E-diff unavailable, gear selection faults - usually down to battery voltage. Mine flagged the gear selection fault yesterday for the second time, looks like we need a new battery, in honesty after 2.6k I could be miffed at the 2 call outs for the below item and this time round, but the driving experience is something else. Oil Level Sensor was my other issue, but that is down to my parking location oddly where it is flat enough to read, but sometimes reads over max. So needs to go in the garage nose in not reversed in. Regarding the mapping through sport, sport+ and track - most cars seem setup that way now to go through the modes, it might just be less obvious (and loud in the AM's case).

im not sure what brake disc you're using but if you are on ceramic brakes you'll need to brake a little harder to heat up the brakes , if its a stock brake i think your brakes are too hot to get that squeal

Sounds like the brakes would settle down after a while - although take it they haven't - still a dream car though, and great to hear about people using these as daily drivers, and not wrapping them in cotton wool?

Lexus LC500 went out in one yesterday as the neighbors has brought one. Lovely

What do you do for a living that made you be able to afford this car?

This is nothing compared to the issues I’ve had in mind over the past two months. Been in every week to the dealers, trouble is what to change it for?

I love the look of the Vantage but when you said nothing in it's price range comes close, Have you seen the Audi R8 V8 ...all wheel drive? S-tronic dual clutch?

MMMnnn... First time on this channel. Think the vlog says more about the driver than the car......

I'm seriously considering buying one but I have one concern, that being the front spoiler, does it grind out on speed humps? Living in Roundhay Leeds I'm surrounded by them.

Hey, have the same car. Issue i'm having is when you crank the wheel all the way, you here a thumping, and feel jolting. other than sharp turns at low speed (like pulling out of a garage) the car runs fine. Any idea what that could be?

The noise sounds something special, the interior for the cost seems a bit… basic. I suppose it really depends what you want from a car!

You need to tell them to do everything to the brakes James. Rotors, pads calipers and anything else with the brakes but also they should check the inside of your rims to see if some is touching those too. Just some thoughts I had

Hi there, when you took the vantage in to Leeds did they ever replace the brake pads? Only asking as I work for Aston Martin and I know there are updated pads that we fit to try and eradicate the brake squeak. Also you do need to give the brakes some stick to help with this matter also.

I have been in and out of a lot of cars. I think these are relatively "normal" issues to have in these upper level performance cars. It could be that you are simply looking to make a change and looking at reasons to do so. Nothing wrong with that. Every new car that you get into will have similar issues I think. It is fun to get into and out of cars. But in my experience there is no perfect car. Whatever you do, enjoy the drive in good health. I love that Vantage.

I’ve done 11,000 miles in mine. Use the brakes harder and it’ll get rid of the squeak. Get CarPlay installed if you don’t like the infotainment. I always have mine in Sport+ so don’t have the “cycling” issue. As far as I can see, there’s nothing like it for the money; makes you feel so much better than a 911.

Does it have carbon ceramic brakes? They tend to squeak unless there up to temperature on all cars.

I just purchased a Volvo full electric C40 and love it for everything it offers. If you want to go fast, if you want to eliminate petrol, if you want a cool look.....my ride delivers FOR ME... .it may not be everyones cup of tea, but bang for buck, Im happy ! oh, and it can easily store more clubs than what you may think

Any chance of a video on the watches James? Obviously got good taste, be interested to see them and the end goal etc

Couldn't quite hear the squeaky brakes on the video. However, you've convinced me that AM Leeds - main dealers - are geared up for sales and not repairs/servicing as Bamford Rose suggests. I also need a reliable independent in Yorkshire.

As you are not happy with the breaks, it seems to be a thing with them. But there is a fix and that is porterfields break pads, a mate has had the same problem on both his Astons he bought those break pads and it has fixed the problem each time.

Defo swapping as private plate is gone, plus Robbo never being sponsored by AM after describing it as an expensive Mondeo and a a jaguar F type.. 😂😂😂 my mate has had a few AMs and always said buying one isn’t the issue it’s keeping it going that’s the costly bit.. however he says same about the range rovers he’s had.. he’s now gone for the 63amg Merc and says he’ll never go back.. 👍👍

I had DB9 convertible with manual box when it was then a new design (c.2006). Other than the Ford switchgear, clutch judder and the corrosion around door handles it was fine 🤨. This is the better looking vehicle and it’s grown on me.

Yo, James, you guys gotta revive this channel. Would love to see some updates with you, Laura and the rest of the fam! Hope you are all well!

It would seem that they're putting in brake pads that are just to hard and because it's a warranty job . They squeal because they're not getting to temperature because it's not hard driving , they can only put in pads that they list as suitable . I think you should get to a decent independent who would put a different make in . Something more suitable for general use and not a track day experience.

My DB11 had exactly same issue with brake squeak. Was an embarrassment a lot of the time to drive .

You guys going to have new videos after the baby? Congrats by the way!!

James, following is an account of an acquaintance of mine who had brake issues with his AM. It may have some interest for you, too. A chap I occasionally speak to lusted after an Aston Martin to keep company with his Jaguar. Having purchased one, two days in and he notices a clicking from the front wheels when dawdling in traffic and the occasional flash of the brake pad wear light, so he calls the dealer and they tell him to bring it back to be checked. After a short time, he gets a message that the front disks need changing - they are ceramic - and the cost will be £11,500. Not happy with this he then calls AM HQ in Gaydon and tells them he has in front of him some AM blurb that says ceramic disks are expected to last the lifetime of the car. But this car has only done 32,000 miles - he's the second owner - and he would expect them to last much longer. They agree to send one of their Warranty Claim Technicians to examine the car. He later gets a text accompanied by a video from the WCT. Yes, he says, it needs new disks, new pads - they need to be bedded-in together - and new brake sensors for the front wheels. Cost: £15,000. However, AM are quite happy to pick up the bill under the warranty and throw in, as a goodwill gesture, a change of brake fluid which is also recommended. Not bad since he paid best part of £40,000 for the car. The car is reportedly capable of 186 mph; he reckons he did 171mph going into Margate at 5am one morning and then bottled it...

Don't get carbon ceramic brakes for a daily, for a track day only car it would make sense

How’s about an M5 James? Practical, Performance, nice sound too

Drove one in Vegas on the track I'd love those cars please tell me they're not crap

The line between looks and performance is very thin at times but can also be miles apart . Just comes down to what you can put up with. If you do swap her out, please do more video on the process of testing new cars.

I am pretty this is his first serious performance car. A Caymen is not in the same spectrum. I had the same complaint when I got my z06, Amg GTs, GtR, any serious sport car’s brake does that and does it nothing you can do about exact use power washer to spray the brakes. But that only last for a day or two. The interior is all hand made in the Aston. Allll hand made. Of course it doesn’t have all the screens and lights most car has now days. I love the fact they used buttons instead of a touch screen. I had so many problems with it.

i recently did some consultancy for their Engineering R&D group. Wouldn't touch them with a barge pole

Isn't this part of having a high end car?

There is no normal mode - Sport, Sport+ and Track.

my guy they sell brake lubricants for the squeeling, there can be various reasons why brakes squeel, sometimes its just that they are not heated up to operational temperature,it could be worn pads, and other things but i've used brake lube on my cars and havent really had issues.

The Aston Martin vantage is very pretty and one of the better looking Aston's but if you reckon you have a dud Aston after a year or so they are options Porsche 911 turbo s, Ferrari 488 or Roma, Bentley Continental GT, Maserati Grandturismo or MC 20, Jaguar F type supercharge, Lamborghini Huracan, Mercedes AMG GT, Honda NSX. Most of these cars are going to have problems like an Alfa Romeo only abit more pricey but what counts is what you can put up with for the love of the car and brand and which manufacture looks after the problems better.

I had the same issue, AM Sevenoaks changed the pads and still the same. Took it back and they changed them again, problem solved! I read on one of the FB owners forums that it is a known issue and AM have released a technical fix to dealers. Keep persisting I say.

It sticks to the road brilliantly

My breaks squeal, the infotainment sucks, and the check engine light always comes on. But I still adore the car.

Competition brakes are not made to cope with tootling around unfortunately.

ceramic brakes only way to avoid he squeaking or clean the brake dust regularly

I can't imagine the taxes in the UK on a car like that. Looks pretty sexy though.

I empathize mate! On a much lesser car level, I bought a "sports car" for the mountains that I wanted to have all these feels with. There were just small things that everyday almost saddened me about owning it that didn't meet hopes for what I paid. First world problems I know. I but the bullet, got rid of it, bought a new truck and had a list of all those little things that have bothered me before to make sure I didn't compromise. 6 years on, I still love my truck. 6 years on, people still enjoy the truck and my family loves it. Not that you'll keep a car for six years, but if it bugs you now mate its only going to get worse and you lose money every month with that sinking feeling. Ditch it mate! Get a car that makes you love being in it everyday!

Toyota cars will not let you lock keys inside

From what I was told the brakes squeal because of the ceramic in the brake pads. And when cold more squeezing when hot less squeaking. Other than that, mash the brakes had a couple of time to warm them and let’s goooooo!!!

Drive it like it is supposed to be driven. it is a beautiful car. put miles on it. there is no perfect cars in my opinion, these new high performance sport cars will always have some issues. although it is a shame that you are having a hard time with your dream car. best of luck

No offence to the guys at Aston Martin but take it to a specialist who will probably be able to diagnose it properly for all the faults you mention and then you can take that back to the dealership for their guys to fix, under warranty I assume. The specialists are usually master technicians that leave main dealers because they are fed up with too many apprentices working on cars under the supervision of a single technician! I’ve never owned the level of car you have but had a few M-cars from the Bavarian manufacturer and I stopped taking my cars to main dealers a long time ago when they just cannot diagnose anything without charging you £100 to put on a computer that tells them which fault code is showing up.

If you are replacing I would take a classic TVR off your shortlist😀

What's the story with this channel James?

Made me laugh. I hate squeaking breaks. With weather rain humidity ECT all make squeaking worse. Enjoy what you have it's awesome.!

It’s a shame we have these Niggles James. It was an absolute pleasure to have dealt you the dream Aston Martin. We certainly tried to put it right. The main reason for squeeking brakes is a build up of compound on the pads that builds up and almost makes the pads have a surface thats almost like glass. Usually over the course of soft braking rather than the intended heavy agressive braking. Aston Martin changed the pads completely because of this. If you do intend on changing hopefully we can work together to find an amazing alternative 👀 Connor - Aston Martin Leeds

Definitely swapping the car the plate is off it. Keep up the great content

I was 50/50 Aston or 911 and I went 911, so much better screwed together than an Aston but part of me still wanted the Aston but you seem to have confirmed my decision.

Upper class problems eh mate?

Part of me says 'First World Problems James', but another part if me says that I'm guessing you are paying an awful lot ofoney for something that you're not happy with. And by the sounds of it, even if everything was fixed, it's kinda taken the shine off the whole experience. The question is, will you ever get that feel-good sensation back?

140-180k new msrp isn’t a “super car“ now a days is crazy lol.

Moany video this tbh.. I could have called it at the outset but watched it anyway just to see. Squeeky brakes are annoying, but its the ceramic or no copper grease on the back of the pads. As for the other complaints, its a high end car and they're minor. You should try Maserati or Ferrari if you want niggles.

Having a Golf as your daily and an Aston or Porsche on the weekend would hopefully rid you of your minor woes🙏🏻

Sorry to disappoint, however all Astons have high performance brakes, (I’ve had 2 Astons) and basically there is a procedure to stop brake squeal. On a country road with nobody behind you from 70mph hit the brakes really hard down to 10mph, then speed up to 70mph and repeat 4 more times with no more than a minute or two in between. Brakes will not squeal anymore for a month or two

I love mine but I think you are being a little picky. As an example. If you're in Sport+ and want to go back to regular Sport yes you do have to momentarily go through Track mode but its not a deal at all? It seems you will never be happy with it so I suggest you move on and get something else.

Squeaky brakes are a known issue. There are a number of Aston technical service bulletins to address it but I think mostly just throwing darts at stuff.. They would only need one TSB if they really knew what the problem was. I find my brakes are fine when they are cold or hot but it’s in between when they squeak. Just drive your car harder and the squeal will go away for a while. They are also fine right after a wash but they will start to squeal again after a couple hundred miles. Maybe this isn’t the car for you. 500 filbert of torque in a rear wheel drive car in the rain is obviously going to be a bit iffy if you not great at throttle control. Cycling through track to get back to sport is a non issue. Never even gave it a second thought. What are you going to do when the ignition coils fail…which they will. It’s a fairly known problem on these cars that Aston wants to pretend doesn’t exist. AMG even redesigned the coils to try to avoid the problem but Aston won’t do anything about it ( Aston should offer to replace them but Aston is too cheap and doesn’t care once you’ve paid for your car…maybe the dealer will do something but without the support of corporate…that’s what mine finally did). Funny, Even the Evo long term car had an ignition coil problem but Aston repaired it ( of course for evo) but evo didn’t really connect the dots and realize that it was a real issue and not some fluke one off failure. Stick with Porsche. They stand behind their products much better than Aston does.

I play golf and own an Aston Martin N430 and I love it. I looked at trading it in for the new Aston Martin vantages and I didn’t like it. I love the shape but it’s AMG Mercedes with out of date Mercedes interior which Aston tune by the ECU and a valve in the exhaust. I could buy an AMG 63 with the latest interior and entertainment system have it tuned change the exhaust and make it sound better than the new Aston Martin Vantage and save money. I prefer the old style vantage with the water fall interior centre consul. My N430 is brilliant I think I will stay with another year and change another prestige brand and move away from Aston which is a shame because I have had three Aston Martins in the past ten years. Leeds look after mine too.

It’s risk but get what I’ve got, the daddy. A 2017 Vanquish, she’s never let me down. A car that is genuinely part of the family.

Get less aggressive pads! Love the videos

Guy in my neighbourhood has this car I enjoy how muscular it looks.

I would have bought the older V12 Vantage ! it's better looking and it sounds better! plus you can get it in a manual .

As has been mentioned, plate on retention so new car looming. Too many niggles from an expensive car, so always ruins the experience.

And here I am looking to trade my 991.1 GT3 RS for a Vantage F1 to go along with my 812 SF. I no longer track and don't drive the RS is as it is just not comfortable at all to drive on the street.

James you only have to look at the sales performance of Aston Martin, that they have had to have a large buy-in by the Saudis due to the losses. That's why the likes of Ferrari wipe the floor with them, but any car of this type comes with big costs for servicing, brakes, and bits and pieces. One you tuber had a Lambo, and as it came up to, its 2-year warranty, took in for a service, and all 4 shocks had gone, he had done 8,000, and the cost of the 4 shocks £15,000 !!!

Get a AMG GTR and have the benefit of all the reliability more service centres etc… spare parts… all small manufacturers including Ferrari have little issues on a regular basis and yes it shouldn’t given the price they charge. It all depends if your a car person or a badge person and that’s not a criticism just a preference. Marketing people use price as a means of creating exclusivity it never means it’s better necessarily. Just looks, sound and badge image. I always buy on functional engineering and quality and looks, I give you that one. ..

I think the biggest problem is that the stearing wheel is on the wrong side of the car, lol

For more power, 4 wheel drive, better sound and just as good looks you need to have a go in a late model Jaguar F-Type SVR. It is a great alternative, and should be a good chunk cheaper... Honestly, go try one

Even my GR Supra brakes squeak. Big brakes will always squeak.

I know people sometimes overlook the Lexus LC500 because it hasn’t the right badge for many. Go and have a seat in one and you’ll forget about all the other cars - it just feels so right & special. Haven’t driven one, so that’s up to your personal preference if its for you, but well worth trying it!

Is sweet Ride treat it right because idk what you want im not genie to know everything

Get a Porsche again ! Macan gts turbo ??

Squeaky brakes that's normal on a 911, Porsche even made a video about it , just wash your wheels more often or spray on Wd 40 onto the disc....

Squeaquing brake pads are mostly due to the fact that Abestos (highly cancerogen) is now forbidden in their composition.

So sad to hear this James, always a shame when something you have desired for a long time fails to live up to expectations, squeeky brakes are so annoying and being told (on here) its probably because they are geared for track days or braking hard and not driving normally on roads. Sorry to me that's crazy. The boot issue is more annoying I would be worrying something might break having to slam it, and i hate having doors, boots etc slammed even on basic cars. Look forward to the next motor, cars I'll never have, a 520/530d is a car I have always liked and hope to have soon. Not new, not flash just very competent

The car looks awesome and I’m sure Aston Martin will eventually get it fixed