2003 ASTON MARTIN DB AR1 Q ESP

ii Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the particulars
contained in this Owner's Guide, neither the Manufacturer nor the Dealer, by
whom this Owner's Guide is supplied, shall in any circumstances be held
responsible for any inaccuracy or the consequences thereof.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, electronic, mechanical, photo-
copying, recording or other means without prior written permission from Aston
Martin Lagonda Limited.
The manufacturer reserves the right to vary specifications without notice in
accordance with its policy of continual product improvement.
Produced by the Technical Publications Department
ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA LIMITED
Banbury Road, Gaydon, WARWICK, CV35 0DB, England
Telephone: (+44) 01926 644700 Fax: (+44) 01926 644733
Issue 1 - December 2003 Part No. (ROW) 40-150064-AA
Part No. (North America) 40-150065-AA

viii
Maintenance and Servicing
Regular maintenance and servicing is the responsibility of the owner.
Regular routine maintenance helps to prevent unnecessary breakdowns
and inconvenience. Each vehicle is given a full Pre-Delivery Inspection to
ensure that all systems function correctly and that the vehicle meets its
specifications. Failure to carry out maintenance at the recommended
intervals could result in deterioration of vehicle performance and possible
infringement of regulations. Such lack of proper maintenance may also
adversely affect your warranty protection.
Your Aston Martin dealer will arrange for appointments on a distance or time
interval basis to ensure that all routine and corrective maintenance work is
undertaken and recorded in the 'Service Schedules and Service Records'
section of this Owner's Guide.
Location of Components
When reading component descriptions or when
following procedures in this Owner's Guide, the
following convention is adopted for locating items
within the vehicle.
All directions are described as viewed from the
driver's seat. Thus the fuel filler cap indicated on this
diagram will be described as "located at the rear left
side of the vehicle".
DB AR1 Owner's Guide

B - Controls
1-B-15
Windscreen Washer Control
The windscreen washers are switched on by pressing the button on the end
of the right column stalk. The washers and wipers operate whilst the button
is pressed. On releasing the button, the washers stop immediately but the
wipers continue for a few strokes to clear any residual washer fluid from the
screen.
If the washer button is used during normal wiper operation, the washers
operate whilst the button is pressed and the wipers operate continually
irrespective of the washer operation.
Steering Wheel
Horn Push
The horn is sounded by pressing either of the
horn buttons above the steering wheel pad.
An alternative three spoke sports wheel is
fitted to cars with the Touchtronic transmission
option.
Two buttons marked '+' and
'-' are fitted to
the steering wheel horizontal spokes. These
buttons are used for gearchanging when in
Touchtronic mode.

B - Controls
1-B-21
Electric Window Switches
On either side of the gear selector lever are two identical
rocker switches to control the movement of the electric
windows.
With the ignition on and the doors closed, press and hold
the down (hollow) arrow to lower the window.
Press and hold the up (solid) arrow to raise the window.
Note: The electric window will only operate if the door is
closed.
Electric Window 'One Touch Down' Feature
Briefly press and release the down (hollow) arrow to lower the window fully.
Pressing the button again will stop downward window movement.
WARNINGS: Clear all obstructions before raising the window. When leaving the
vehicle, remove the ignition keys. Misuse of window switches, especially by
children, can cause injury.
Note: If battery power to the electric windows has been interrupted for any
reason, they will fail to operate correctly until reset using the procedure described
in 'Owner Maintenance'.

C - Driving
1-C-9
Running-In
Your DB AR1 engine is fully hot tested during manufacture and no special
running-in procedures are necessary. Nevertheless it is prudent to limit
engine loads (e.g. by using lower gears on steep hills) during the first 4,000
km (2500 miles).
Maximum Engine Speed - Fuel Cut-Off
The maximum safe engine speed is 7,000 RPM on manual transmission
vehicles (6,400 RPM on auto and touchtronic transmission cars). If this
speed is exceeded, fuel supply to the engine is gradually reduced. As the
engine speed reduces back to a safe level, fuel supply is progressively
restored.
Driving in Wet Conditions
When driving in wet conditions, water can build up under your tyres so that
they ride on a layer of water. This is called aquaplaning or hydroplaning.
When this happens, you have little or no control. Aquaplaning is more prone
to happening at higher road speeds if there is a lot of water on the road and
particularly if the tyres are also under inflated or approaching minimum
tread depth. Slow down when it is raining.
It is important to take bends or curves at a safe, reasonable speed,
particularly when driving on wet or slippery road surfaces.
Rapid acceleration or deceleration can cause loss of control, especially on
slippery surfaces. Use extra care when driving on such surfaces.

C - Driving
1-C-18Traction Control Operation
WARNING: In all cases it remains the drivers responsibility to drive safely
according to the law and with due regard to prevailing conditions. The fact that
a vehicle is equipped with Traction Control must never allow the driver to be
tempted into taking risks which could affect his/her safety or that of other road
users. The addition of Traction Control cannot overcome the consequences of
applying too much engine power for the prevailing conditions.
The traction control system is designed to limit engine power when driven
wheel slip is detected. This most commonly happens when accelerating on
a slippery road or loose surface.
The system uses the vehicles ABS sensors to monitor the wheel speed of all
four road wheels. As soon as a driven rear wheel starts to spin due to the
application of too much power for the available grip, the system automatically
reduces engine power by temporarily adjusting the fuel supply. The brake
on the slipping wheel will also be applied as necessary until the wheel speed
matches that of the other wheels.
During activation, the system warning light will flash. The driver may
experience a loss in power or temporary 'misfire' as engine power is
reduced. These symptoms are normal and will clear as wheel spin is
eliminated and normal engine power is restored.
If traction control cuts in when driving on extended icy or slippery surfaces,
reduce engine power as necessary until the traction control warning light is
extinguished.
Caution: Do not maintain engine power at such a level that traction control is
activated for long periods (more than about one minute). The reduced fuelling levels
to the engine will cause the exhaust catalysts to overheat. Overheating of the exhaust
catalysts can destroy them.

C - Driving
1-C-21
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
The anti-lock braking system (ABS) fitted to the DB AR1 helps prevent the
road wheels from locking and skidding during emergency braking, helping
steering and directional stability to be maintained.
If, in an emergency braking situation, the braking force applied begins to
exceed the tyre/road adhesion, the ABS system is activated to prevent the
road wheels locking. When this happens a pulsating effect is felt through the
brake pedal. This is a normal ABS effect.
WARNING: In all cases it remains the drivers responsibility to drive safely
according to the law and with due regard to prevailing conditions. The fact that
a vehicle is equipped with ABS must never allow the driver to be tempted into
taking risks which could affect his/her safety or that of other road users. The
addition of ABS cannot overcome the consequences of trying to stop in too short
a distance, cornering at too high a speed, or the risk of aquaplaning - where the
tyres are prevented from contacting the road surface by a layer of water.
The driver should always take road conditions into account. A slippery road
surface always requires more braking distance for a given speed, even with ABS.
Possible extensions of stopping distance compared to locked wheels may occur
during ABS operation on slushy snow, gravel, sand or certain heavily corrugated
or ridged warning sections of road surfaces.

E - Security Systems
1-E-7
The Passive Anti-Theft System (PATs)
The PATs system is a fully automatic engine immobiliser. The system consists
of a transponder inside the head of each ignition key and, around the
ignition lock, a transceiver aerial which communicates signals to the PATs
electronic control unit. The PATs control unit communicates with the engine
management controller to immobilise the engine until a valid code signal is
received from the ignition key.
Two coded keys are provided with the vehicle. These
keys fit both the door locks, the boot lock and the ignition
lock.
In the event of loss of one of the keys, duplicate keys can
be created and programmed from the other key by your
Aston Martin dealer.
Starting the Engine
When the alarm system is disarmed and the vehicle key is turned in the
ignition lock, the PATs controller sends a signal to the ignition key. The
ignition key must respond with a valid code before engine start will be
enabled. If a valid code is received, the ignition system will operate
normally.
If the key code is not received, or is invalid, engine start remains disabled.
Caution: To ensure a trouble-free signal exchange between the key and the vehicle,
do not cover the key head with any metal object (e.g. another key).
ASTON MARTIN