What your tires tell you...

It was easier to explain this with a video.

Two Year Anniversary

In February, I celebrated the two-year anniversary of owning the Mustang GT. It's been a great car, and I still look forward to driving it. I love the power and the quick response. If you've never had a Mustang, and if you're in the market for something sporty, I would highly recommend it.

Dented No More!

As I showed in my previous post, the beautiful Sterling Gray Mustang GT was the victim of a parking lot door ding. More than a ding. I was told today that it was a crease. I was also told that creases are typically not repairable by PDR. 

In addition, I was told that my PDR insurance (that I bought at the dealership when I bought the car) did NOT cover any repair for a crease. Naturally, I argued my case on the phone with the insurance carrier, but to no avail.

So, I called my dealership - Shawnee Mission Ford, in Shawnee, Kansas. After a few minutes explaining my situation to my contact there, he told me to have to the PDR shop go ahead and fix it, and have them send the bill for services to his attention at the dealership. Done deal.

An hour later I was driving home without my dent. I wanted to give Don Zimmerman at Z's Paintless Dent Repair in Belton, Missouri, a big shout out. He ignored the accepted wisdom that a crease cannot be repaired by PDR and worked his magic to restore the Mustang's dented body to its original pristine and perfect condition. The man is an artist when it comes to metal.

Also, another big THANK YOU goes out to Greg at Shawnee Mission Ford. I feel much better about the whole thing now. If you're in the Kansas City area and need a new Ford, you know where to go. And if your new car gets a door ding (or a crease) Don at Z's Paintless Dent Repair can fix you up in short order.

DING DING DING!

Yep. Got my first door ding, and it's a dandy. We were out at the Bass Pro Shop, having a great time looking at the fish and the boats and the guns. And when we left, I spotted the ding in the right rear quarter panel. Naturally, my heart rate increased.


It settled down a bit when I recalled that I had purchased the PDR option at the dealership when I bought the car. I called when we got home and they're supposed to come to the house in the next few days and  return my GT to its former perfection. I will post a photo of it when they get finished so you can see the result.


END OF DAY 163 - 3,788 MILES - 17.9 AVG MGP

Keeps getting better...

My gas mileage is increasing. That may be because I'm driving a bit more sensibly, or it may be because we've taken a few longer trips on the highway. 

When I picked the car up, the average miles per gallon on the computer showed 16.1. Not great, but it only had 11 miles on it at the time. Now that it has over 3,000 miles, it's currently moved up to 19.4. That's a good increase. On the highway, it typically averages out to about 26 mpg which is very good for a V8 with the displacement this one has.

Fortunately, I have not experienced any issues with the car so far. I'm glad that I have NOT noticed any of the problems that some buyers are having with the MT82 6 speed transmission. Mine shifts great with no notchiness. I hope it stays that way.

END OF DAY 138 - 3,026 MILES - 19.4 AVG MPG

Day 114 - and I still love it.

Yes, I still love it. In fact, I can't remember the last car that I enjoyed as much as I'm loving this Mustang. It must have been my 1964 Chevy Impala SS that I drove when I was in high school. (William Chrisman Class of 1967 - Go Bears!). 

If you're not a Mustang owner, you're probably wondering what it is about this car that I find so captivating. Explaining my enjoyment of this car is sort of like describing what a good cup of French roast coffee tastes like. But let me give it my best shot...

It begins with the looks—captivating. The Mustang has always had a great look, but the body on the 2012 is a classic blend of high-end (Made in USA) sports performance and sleek elegance that competes in style with any European import, all wrapped up in an affordable package that will keep a smile on your face every time you drive it. 

And since we're talking about driving—it drives like the wind. The V8 5.0L Coyote engine puts out 412hp with a stock tune. And when you punch the accelerator, it goes. I mean, it GOES! And it's a great feeling being in control of all that power.

So, in the 2012 Mustang GT, Ford has combined a classy and classic exterior with one of the best power plants in the pony car arena. If that wasn't enough, they've topped it off with one of the nicest interiors in this price bracket. The layout is perfect, the leather is soft and rich, and the visibility is better than any car I've owned in years. 

Being a perfectionist, you would think that after four months of living with this car, I would have found something, anything, that irritated me or that I didn't like. Well, there is one thing that bothers me about it: I regret the fact that I didn't buy one sooner. Simply put, I really do love this car. If you've ever considered a Mustang, I'll offer a prediction. If you buy one, you will love it.

And there's more to love than we've covered here, but we'll talk about some of those things on another day. I need to go for a drive.


END OF DAY 114 - 2,245 miles - 16.5 avg mpg

Day 90 — A Scratch No More

The first photo is the left hand side of the steering wheel. You'll notice a tiny chip or scratch in the surface finish. Naturally, I didn't want to live with that imperfection, so I decided to fix it.


The second photo shows the product I used. This is a transparent water-based acrylic paint that you can find online or at most art supply stores. There are several brands, but I've used this one in my wildlife paintings to create shadows. It works great because it's transparent and doesn't cover the detail below it. 

Look at the third photo and check out how it worked for this application. It appears that Number 12 Medium Gray is a perfect Mustang match.

That's it. The scratch is gone and life is good once again.