ASTON MARTIN CLIENT SERVICES

SERVICE POLICY LETTER
Reference number:

SPL-03-0594V4

Issued: 17 March, 2020

Subject:

Engine Oil Leaks for Vehicles still in Manufacturer's Warranty

Applicable to:

All Dealers

Distribute to:

After Sales Manager
Executive Manager
Service Manager
Sales Manager

Warranty Staff
Technician(s)
Parts Staff

Reason for Version 4 of this Service Policy Letter (SPL-03-0594)
Changes to this document have a black line adjacent to them in the left margin. Please destroy all copies of SPL-030594V3 that you have and replace them with this Service Policy Letter, SPL-03-0594V4.
Dear Colleagues,
We would like to inform you of the correct way to make a claim for an engine with an oil leak. The engine manufacturer
will not accept the claim as a Warranty repair if there is not sufficient evidence to show that it is an engine fault. If you
make a Warranty claim for an oil leak that is related to an engine fault, you must supply us with sufficient information
about the leak. If you do not, the Warranty claim can be refused. When you make Warranty claims for engine oil leaks,
you must do the procedure that follows to give us the correct information about the repair.

Fluorescent dye in the oil
All new engines that are installed in Aston Martin vehicles have a fluorescent dye added to the lubrication oil in the
engine. This dye is Primalec Glo-Leak 1312 (AML number 9G33-M99C104-AA12-PK). To see this dye you must use the
UV lamp supplied in the applicable UV Engine Oil Leak Detection Kit shown in Table 1.
Table 1

Product Code

Part Description

Territory Variant

AML Part Number

UV2165A

Mini Pro UV365
Rechargeable Tracer Lamp
Cased Kit & Spare Battery

GB Type

43-28483

UV2165A-EU

Mini Pro UV365
Rechargeable Tracer Torch
& Case & Spare Battery EU

EU Type C

43-28486

UV2165A-US

Mini Pro UV365
Rechargeable Tracer Torch
& Case & Spare Battery
Americas

US Type A

43-28485

UV2165A-ANZ

Mini Pro UV365
Rechargeable Tracer Torch
& Case & Spare Battery
Aus/NZ

AUS / NZ

43-28484

UV lamps that are of a lower quality can emit too much light that you can see. This can make it more difficult to see an
oil leak that has dye in it. You can purchase an applicable lamp from your local supplier.
When you use the correct lamp, the dye in the oil of new AML engines will glow bright green (refer to Figure 1).

17 March, 2020

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SERVICE POLICY LETTER

SPL-03-0594V4

Figure 1 - Examples of dye in engine oil

To do a check if there is dye in the engine oil, remove the oil filler cap and point the UV lamp into the oil filler opening.
You should see the dye glow green.
Note:

Other fluids can show as a different colour in UV light.

If there is no dye in the engine oil, add dye through the oil filler opening. Start and operate the engine for five minutes to
fully mix the dye with the engine oil.

To find the source of a leak
It is possible on some vehicles that there is leakage or contamination from another component or source. This can look
like leakage from the engine. If necessary, fully clean the area, then do a road test with the vehicle and then look for new
leakage.

To make a Warranty claim
Requests for Prior Authority to perform an engine oil leak repair must be submitted through SpotLight. For a Warranty
claim to be accepted, we need to be sure that the leak is from the engine. Please provide clear, good quality photographs
that use a UV lamp to show engine oil with dye in it.
Note:

If the photographs that you send do not give sufficient data about the source of the leak, we can
refuse to give authorisation for a Warranty repair.

Follow the SpotLight procedure and attach the pictures that show the oil leak. AML will review the photographs and tell
you if a repair is necessary. If a repair is necessary, and you have sent sufficient information, we will issue you with a
Warranty authorisation number (WW).
Note:

You must not start a repair until you receive a Warranty authorisation number.

Feedback about the repair
After we have given the approval to do the repair, during the repair process, please take more photographs. We ask you
to do this to give us more information about why the leak occurred. This will help us to increase reliability and quality in
the future. For examples, refer to Figure 2 thru Figure 5. The photographs must show data about the cause of the leak.

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SERVICE POLICY LETTER

SPL-03-0594V4

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Some usual causes of oils leaks can be:
• Damaged seal
• Loose or incorrect fastener torque(s)
• Damage to mating surfaces or seal groove
• Contamination or debris in the joint or on/under a seal
• Incorrect application or insufficient quantity of liquid sealant (RTV)
• RTV does not bond to the joint surfaces because of incorrect degreasing
• Missing or misplaced seal.
Even if you are not sure about the cause of a leak, still send us photographs from the repair process. Send the
photographs to: [email protected].
If we do not receive sufficient photographs of a good quality to validate the claim, then the claim will be rejected.
If you have any questions about this Policy Letter, please speak to Client Services - Technical on Tel: +44 (0) 1926
644720.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours faithfully

John Cranfield
Senior Manager, Client Technical Services

17 March, 2020

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