Genuine Aston Martin Parts for the UK Trade

Why Aston Martin parts become a sourcing job

Aston Martin has never been a volume manufacturer, and that single fact shapes everything about sourcing for it. The cars appear in UK workshops often enough to matter — accident repair, restoration, recommissioning, routine specialist work — and almost never often enough for a local parts network to hold stock against them. A motor factor will not carry them. A general dealer group will not carry them. The part exists, but the ordinary route to it does not.

The second difficulty is the length of the production span still in service. A specialist can have a current DBX in one bay and a hand-built car from the 1950s in the next, and the two are not the same parts job in any respect. One is resolved from a VIN against a live catalogue. The other is resolved from a chassis number against period factory records — and the part may have to be made rather than found. Parts sourcing is the work that begins where the normal route for either has run out.

The third is the amount of hand work in these cars. Aston Martin Works, the manufacturer's own heritage operation at Newport Pagnell, describes having “retained the original tooling and artisan skills that have sculpted every Heritage Aston Martin model from the very beginning of the David Brown era onwards”, and says that where an entirely new panel is required, “material of identical thickness will be hand-crafted using traditional tools and methods”. On a car finished by hand, two examples built weeks apart are not always identical, and a part that fits one may need work to fit the other. That is a sourcing problem and a bodyshop problem at the same time, and it is worth knowing before an order rather than after.

The parts picture changes with the era

• The pre-war and Feltham cars. Identification runs on chassis and engine numbers and on period records rather than any electronic catalogue. Supply is specialist stock, genuine new-old stock, good used genuine parts and, for body sections, fabrication. Survival numbers are small and the specialist trade that serves them is small with them.
• The David Brown era — DB2, DB4, DB5 and DB6 and their derivatives. The cars most people picture, and the ones where the factory heritage operation is most likely to be the answer. Brightwork, instruments, trim, seals and small fittings are the recurring requests; body sections are frequently a fabrication job rather than a catalogue one.
• The Newport Pagnell V8 era — DBS, V8, Vantage, Volante and Virage. Long production runs with many running changes, modest UK survival numbers, and a parts picture in which trim, electrical items and body sections are far harder to find than service parts. A number can be long gone while the car itself is still a regular visitor to a specialist.
• DB7, and the bonded-aluminium generations that followed — DB9, V8 and V12 Vantage, Rapide, Virage, Vanquish and DBS. The volume classics of the near future. Trim level, factory options and model-year changes decide the part number for lighting, cooling, suspension, glazing and interior items far more often than the model name does.
• Current cars — DB11, DB12, DBX, Vantage and DBS. Prestige GTs and SUVs in parts terms: control modules, camera and radar units, adaptive lighting, air suspension components, glazing variants and painted panels in specific colour and trim codes, several of which need coding or calibration after fitting rather than simply bolting on. For the wider picture see prestige, performance and supercar parts.

A workshop is normally dealing with one of these at a time, but the request needs to say which, because the search that follows is genuinely different in each case.

Identifying an Aston Martin part correctly

Most failed orders on this marque are identification failures rather than availability failures. A registration starts the search — the DVLA's public vehicle information service confirms the basic record a registration holds — but on a low-volume, hand-finished car the identifiers underneath it do the real work.

• Chassis number on the older cars, VIN on the later ones. The earliest cars predate the 17-character VIN, and the period records are indexed by the stamped numbers rather than by anything a modern system will recognise.
• Build date, not registration date. Running changes landed mid-year throughout these ranges, and a car registered after a change can have been built before it.
• Specification and options. Equipment content changes the part number for bumpers, lamps, looms, seats, glazing, brakes and wheels far more often than the model name suggests, and on this marque special-order paint and trim combinations are common rather than exceptional.
• Supersessions. A number taken from an old parts book, an old box or an old invoice may be several revisions behind the one currently supplied.
• Handedness. Manufacturers define left and right from the driver's seat, and diagrams and estimating systems are not always consistent. A photograph of the part in position settles it.
• What is actually on the car. Cars of this age and value are rebuilt, re-trimmed, re-engined and upgraded. The correct part is the one that fits what is there now — a different question from what the factory built, and on a hand-finished car an important one.

For the older cars the factory build record is the document that settles most of this, and it can be obtained. The Aston Martin Heritage Trust describes its archive as “the largest collection of Aston Martin records in the world”, holding factory records, publications, workshop manuals and photographs. Its Heritage Certificate is drawn straight from the car's build sheet — “information on the certificate is taken directly from the build sheet specifications” — and the Trust notes that original build sheets are generally available “from the Bertelli era models through to the DB7 and V12 Vanquish”, with “vehicle details for later models … stored as electronic records”. A request starts from the chassis or VIN number.

Two limits are worth understanding before anyone plans a job around one. The Trust is explicit that a Heritage Certificate “lists all the information that was recorded by the factory when the vehicle was built” and “will not include any modifications made after manufacture, even if completed by the factory”, and that it “does not constitute the verification of the present condition or actual identity” of a vehicle. So it tells you what left the factory; it does not tell you what is in your workshop. The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust issues certificates for some of the same cars — the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs lists its Aston Martin coverage as “Aston Martin 1948-85 From Mark III to V8” — and notes that records are not complete: “sadly, they don't have all the ledger records for everything as some got destroyed many years ago”.

Working on an older Aston Martin? Send the chassis number or VIN, a photograph of the identification plate, and a photograph of the part in position. On a car that has been restored, re-trimmed or re-engined at some point in its life, the photograph usually tells us more than the number does.

Factory heritage parts and hand-made panels

The manufacturer supports its older cars through its own heritage operation, and it is the first route we check for a car in scope, because a part from it is a genuine part with a documented origin. Aston Martin Works describes the advantage of its restoration side as “our ability to source Heritage parts”, says that “in addition to stock parts we also have access to tailor-made and other rare items”, and positions itself as “one of the few suppliers globally that can supply parts and accessories for almost every model in Aston Martin's history from DB4 to present day cars”. It also states that it “can supply new and authentic parts developed with complete provenance to original cars”.

The part of this most useful to a restorer is the panel work, because it changes what “unavailable” means. Where a panel does not exist to buy, it can be made: Works describes hand-rolling and shaping panels on the English wheel, says that a new panel is produced in “material of identical thickness … using traditional tools and methods”, and that “every effort is taken to preserve as much as of the original body and chassis as possible”, with a pre-fit process to “ensure that each panel is perfectly aligned”. For a workshop weighing up a corrosion or accident repair on a heritage car, fabrication is a real option alongside searching, and the two should be priced against each other rather than one being treated as a last resort.

Where the heritage route does not cover an item, the remaining options are the ones any obsolete search uses, worked in order: marque specialists who have concentrated on these cars for decades, genuine new-old stock, good used genuine parts, and remanufactured or reproduction items last. We describe every option by its actual category rather than calling it all “genuine”, so the decision is yours and your customer's. See classic and vintage car parts, parts for restoration projects and our guide on how to source hard-to-find car parts.

Body panels, aluminium structures and repair methods

Body requests on this marque split in two. On the heritage cars the question is usually whether a section is repaired, fabricated or replaced, and availability differs sharply between those three — which is why we quote fabrication alongside supply where both are realistic. See genuine body panels and parts for restoration projects.

On the modern cars the question is structural. The material statement issued at the DB11's launch described the car as built upon “a new lighter, stronger, and more space efficient bonded aluminium structure”, and bonded aluminium construction is characteristic of the generations either side of it. For a bodyshop that matters more than it sounds: a structure assembled by bonding is not a structure a technician should make judgement calls about, and the permitted repair options, the materials and consumables specified, the components that must be replaced rather than reused, and the checks required afterwards all come from the manufacturer rather than from experience with steel cars.

We do not publish repair procedures and we do not infer them. Where a repair needs the manufacturer's documented method, we source the method for the vehicle and the repair area you describe — see manufacturer repair methods — and where a manufacturer does not publish information for a particular repair, we tell you that rather than substituting generic guidance. On most of these jobs the sensible order is to request the method and the parts in the same enquiry, so the estimate reflects the replace-only items and the calibration work before the car is stripped. Bodyshop support covers how that runs in practice.

Imports, left-hand drive and market specification

A meaningful share of the older cars in UK workshops have spent part of their lives abroad, and the modern cars come off a line serving every market from one catalogue. The genuine part number is issued once by the manufacturer and used worldwide; what changes from market to market is stock and specification. Before we search we confirm which specification the car in front of you actually is.

Lighting is the one that decides whether a part is usable at all. DVSA's MOT inspection manual records that it is “acceptable for masks or converter kits to be fitted to right hand dip headlamps” to temporarily alter the lamp for use in the UK — see section 4: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. For a repair going back to a customer the correct left-dipping lamp is almost always the right answer, and that is what we source unless you tell us otherwise. The wider picture is on our international parts sourcing page.

Historic cars, engines and substantial changes

On the oldest cars, sourcing runs into registration rules, and it is worth settling before an order rather than after. GOV.UK's guidance on historic vehicles states that a vehicle “built or first registered more than 40 years ago” does not need an MOT — but only where “no ‘substantial changes’ have been made to the vehicle”, and the example it gives of a substantial change is “replacing the chassis, body, axles or engine to change the way the vehicle works”. Vehicle tax is set out separately and by build date: a vehicle “built before 1 January 1986” can be taken out of vehicle tax, and the keeper has to apply for the exemption rather than it happening automatically.

That matters on this marque because engine changes and rebodies are part of the history of a good many surviving cars, and are rarely documented on the car itself. We are not advising on a vehicle's registration status — that sits between the keeper and DVLA — but it changes what a workshop should be sourcing, and whether the search is for the unit that is in the car now or the one originally fitted. Tell us which, and we will search for that rather than quoting both and leaving the question open.

When the UK network has nothing

Three situations send an Aston Martin parts request to us, and each points at a different search.

• National back order. The number is current, UK stock is gone and the date keeps moving. On a low-volume marque the UK allocation is small to begin with, and the same number is frequently sitting as stock in another market. See back-ordered parts.
• Withdrawn here, still catalogued elsewhere. Lines are retired market by market, and on a marque with a factory heritage operation a part can also become available again after it has run out — so a part written off as gone some time ago is worth re-checking rather than assumed. See obsolete and discontinued parts.
• Never sold here in that form. Market-specific lighting, emissions and equipment parts for a privately imported car were never in the UK catalogue at all, and limited-run and special-series variants carry their own numbers. See hard-to-find parts.

Where a part comes from outside the UK it is an import, so duty and import VAT belong in the quotation rather than arriving afterwards. Rates depend on the commodity code and origin of the specific item and HMRC's Trade Tariff is the authority; we quote the landed figure for the actual source rather than an overseas shelf price.

How an Aston Martin parts request works

1. Send the registration, VIN or chassis number, a description of the part and, where you have them, a part number, an estimate line or a photograph.
2. We confirm which era and specification the car actually is, and the correct part number for it, including supersessions and option-dependent variants.
3. We check the UK network first, then the manufacturer's heritage route where the car is in scope, then overseas markets, marque specialists, new-old stock and — if you have told us it is acceptable — good used genuine parts. Where a panel is realistically a fabrication job, we say so.
4. You receive availability, the category of part, where it is coming from, the price and the lead time for that specific source.
5. On approval we order, handle the import where the part comes from outside the UK, and arrange delivery to your workshop.

Independent, and trade only

REMCAM Automotive Ltd is an independent parts-sourcing specialist and is not affiliated with, approved by or an authorised agent of any vehicle manufacturer. Manufacturer and model names are used to identify the vehicles we source parts for. Being independent is the point of the service here: we are not limited to one franchise's parts system, so a search can run across the manufacturer's own network, the heritage route, overseas markets and the specialist trade in the same job.

We supply the trade only — garages, bodyshops, accident repair centres, restoration specialists, sports car specialists and fleet workshops. Private owners should ask the business carrying out the work to send the request, which also means the part is identified against the car in front of the technician. Send the details through Request a Part.

Common Aston Martin parts requests

The requests that reach us for this marque repeat often enough to be worth listing. Recognising which pattern a job falls into usually decides where the search starts.

• Brightwork, instruments, badges and small fittings for a heritage car. Rarely a catalogue search. Normally the manufacturer's heritage route, genuine new-old stock or good used genuine parts, and often the longest-lead item on a restoration.
• Body and corrosion sections on the older cars. Where the real question is whether the section is repaired, fabricated or replaced — three options with three different lead times, which is why we price them against each other rather than searching first and thinking later.
• Lamps, glazing and painted panels for accident repair. Ordinary bodyshop work, except that the equipment level behind the bumper and the exact colour and finish on the panel both have to come from the VIN rather than the model name.
• Cooling, suspension and braking components on the DB7 and later generations. Frequently superseded, frequently specified differently on a derivative, and a common source of a part that looks right on a diagram and is not.
• Control modules, camera and radar units on the current cars. Where the correct unit depends on the car's build and equipment level, and where several items need coding or calibration after fitting. That belongs in the job plan rather than coming as a surprise at the end.
• Interior trim in a specific colour and material. Seat parts, door cards and mouldings in combinations the model name does not resolve, and on this marque often a special-order finish rather than a catalogue one. Send the codes and a photograph of the material.

What slows an Aston Martin parts search down

When one of these orders goes wrong, the cause is usually on a short list — and every item on it is avoidable at the request stage.

• A model name instead of a chassis number or VIN. On a marque with this much production history and this much individual specification, the model name narrows a search to a family of numbers rather than to one.
• Assuming the car is as the factory built it. Cars of this age and value get rebuilt, re-trimmed and re-engined. The correct part is the one that fits what is on the car now, which a photograph answers and a number does not.
• Treating a build record as a description of the car today. The Heritage Trust is explicit that a certificate covers what the factory recorded at build and will not include later modifications. It is the right starting point and the wrong finishing point.
• Not saying whether the car is an import. Lighting, emissions and equipment parts diverge by market, and a home-market number ordered for a UK repair can arrive correct and still be unusable.
• Taking an old 'no longer available' answer as final. On a marque with a factory heritage operation, a line can become available again after it has run out, so a part written off a year ago is worth asking about properly.
• Not saying whether used genuine parts, or fabrication, are acceptable. On the older cars those two lines are frequently the difference between a part found this month and a part that does not exist new at all.

None of this needs solving before you contact us. Send what you have, and if something is missing we will tell you which detail we need and why it changes the answer.