The Trunk Cubby You Should Know About
This Article is based on a blog post from the original Redpants website. It was first posted on December 13, 2015.
There is an often-overlooked cubby in the rear hatch of an Aston Martin that owners should definitely know about. The carpeted cover blends into the rest of the trunk lining so it's easily missed. But there's a pull tab sticking out to let you know where to find it. Inside are a few important things.
DVD Drive for the Volvo Navigation System
First is the DVD drive for your navigation if you’ve got a Volvo-based system. It's right there in the middle of the cubby. Can't miss it.
If you don't have navigation in your car, you probably don't care about the DVD drive. But if you do, this is where you change out the discs for the navigation. The DVD-based navigation system uses regional discs, so you need to have the proper disc for a given area. Pro tip: Buy the discs from Volvo. They're half the price that they are from Aston, but are the same thing and are totally compatible. To open the DVD drive, push downwards on the cover. The disc will auto-eject. To load, insert a disc then push the cover back up to close it.
Paint Code and Color
Second is the color your car was painted. You can see it on the label in the pic below stuck to the chassis just above the navigation system DVD drive. My 2007 V8 Vantage that I usually refer to as “my grey car” is actually Mercury Silver and the paint code is AST1300D.
Needing to verify the paint color is a bit odd for most cars, but Aston offers so many options that it's good to be certain. The exact paint used is actually printed on a label inside the cubby, taking away any question regarding which of a dozen shades of silver you have, or which yellow or several reds or a few greens... you get the point. It also comes in handy for custom paint colors that Aston did at the factory. I've seen first-hand a couple V8 Vantages painted in Ferrari colors from the factory.
As a side note, another place to find the paint code and color is on a crossmember underneath the slam panel in the engine bay.
Fuel Filler Lid Manual Release
Third is the manual release for the gas cap cover. It's that white loop positioned above and to the left of the navigation system DVD drive.
What I’d consider the most important thing in the cubby is the manual release for the fuel filler lid (AKA gas cap cover). The button-activated electronic release can get misaligned over time, needing to be adjusted. You might not realize this until it stops working. Stuck at a gas pump and the button to release the gas cap cover isn't working? Pop open the rear hatch, pull open the cubby, and give the manual release a tug. Notice the arrow on the white tab showing which direction to pull it.
If the manual release also fails to open the fuel filler lid, you can pry it open with a credit card while pulling the release.