2000 Aston-Martin Background Info
The 2000 Aston-Martin Vibe
The year 2000 was a weird time for the boys in Newport Pagnell. Everyone was panicking about the Y2K bug while the DB7 Vantage was busy proving that a V12 could actually fit under that slender hood. In our shop, we've focused on the survivors of this millennium transition-the colors that define the brand's soul. You've got Racing Green Metallic, which screams "old money and wet English mornings," and Stornoway Silver, the shade that ushered Aston into the modern, high-tech era. Back then, these cars were still hand-sprayed by guys who knew their way around a booth, but the tech was shifting toward the heavy-duty clear coats we see today.
Paint Health Check
Welcome to the heart of the "Peeling Era." By 2000, Aston was using sophisticated basecoat/clearcoat systems, but the marriage between the two wasn't always a happy one. The clear coats of this period were high-solids and meant to look like a mile of glass, but if they spent too much time baking in the sun or vibrating against composite panels, they started to get restless. We see a lot of delamination on the horizontal surfaces-hoods and roofs-where the clear decides it's done being attached to the color. If you see a white, chalky edge starting to lift around a stone chip, you aren't looking at a scratch; you're looking at the beginning of a divorce.
Restoration Tip
In this era, your best friend is speed. Because these clear coats are thicker and more brittle than the old lacquers, a single rock chip is basically a "Start Here" sign for moisture and air to get under the clear. Once that bond is broken, it'll spread across the panel like a bad habit. Seal your chips immediately. Don't wait for the weekend. Even a small dab of clear over a nick in your Stornoway Silver can stop the delamination in its tracks. If you're respraying, don't skimp on the flash times-give that solvent plenty of time to escape before you bury the base under the clear, or you'll be chasing bubbles for a month.