OK, today I picked up the Aston Martin from the shop here in Portland. There is no Aston Martin dealer in Portland, so the shop I use is probably the best choice (and may very well be the best choice even when there IS a dealer handy). The entries on the work order include:
Diagnose and replace waterlogged engine compartment power distribution box.
Repair extensive wiring damage due to corrosion at fuse box/distribution box connectors.
Labor cost was $1350 (probably a fraction of what I would have paid at a dealer).
Parts cost was $553 (cheaper than I would have thought, all things considered).
Here's the old, waterlogged engine compartment power distribution box:
<-- Note water stains from multiple, long-term standing water episodes.
This distribution box was not installed in a place where it would normally be protected from water. So here are my theories:
1. Aston Martin is a new company and their designers and engineers are trade school drops outs, so obviously they don't know any better than leaving electrical components where water is likely to enter.
No, wait a minute, Aston Martin is a decades old company.
2. Aston Martins are made in England, and since it never rains there and moisture is never an issue, it's not surprising that they designed, engineered and built a car without adequate, or even the most basic, moisture protection for electrical components.
No, wait a minute, it rains all the time in England. Cars built there should be as waterproof as submarines.
Hmmm ... so what could explain this? Maybe it's just being the world's worst engineered and designed cars since the Yugo? I'm leaning toward that theory.
And the shop owner tells me that I was just lucky that they were able to save the engine compartment wiring harness. That's a $2,000 part, and Heaven only know how many hours it would have taken to install.
Postscript: The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) light had illuminated prior to the last trip, and adjusting the tires to the recommended pressures didn't make it go out. I know that this is far, far advanced design and engineering, but wouldn't it be great if they could invent a system where the warning light goes out when the tire pressures are adjusted to recommended pressures?
No wait, every other marque in the world has that system. Only Aston Martin can't seem to manage it.
But can't the shop reset the TMPS light? Gosh, it's annoying to have that warning light flashing at you when the fault has been corrected.
No wait, the tool to reset it is an Aston Martin proprietary item that only the dealer has. So unless and until I drive the 180 miles to the nearest Aston Martin dealer and pay Heaven only knows how much for a factory-trained mechanic to reset it, I'll be driving around in high style with a warning light flashing, and be unable to pass the next bi-annual Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (Oregon DEQ) smog check (no warning lights may be illuminated to pass the test). On the bright side, maybe the warning light bulb will burn out by then.
I have formed an opinion about the marque Asston Martin. I don't think I need to elaborate.