Preventative maintenance suggestions?

[TREMAiNE]

Hi All

I picked up my new (to me) Mustang GT on Tuesday. It's in fantastic condition having done just 1,000 miles and was pampered by the original owner.

This will be a daily driver for me all year round - about 30 miles per day - somehow I've already managed to get a scratch on one of the vinyl stripes which is quite upsetting, no idea how that could have happened, so I don't expect it to stay as-new and appreciate it will naturally get wear and tear over time but I was wondering if there was anything essential you recommend I do to the car now? With it being 18 months old, is it worth wax-oiling it to prevent rust or not?

I've looked at rubber/plastic boot liners, the official one seems expensive for what it is so was wondering if anybody can recommend third party ones etc?

I also understand that certain mods don't invalidate Ford's warranty? Could anyone advise what these are?

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[maddog1982]

Welcome, congratulations on the purchase! You will not find a better forum.

I'm interested to know the above but what I would recommend is investing in some good quality cleaning products. I use auto finesse these days. I've had my car 6 months and it has 4 coats of wax. Should help come winter time.

 

[Kristian87]

Congrats on the new Stang! Any photos?

Mine is also a daily. Got my fair share of stone chips and scuffs, but that's something I accept for my usage.

Tip for maintenance cleaning is to do it often and use good quality products/techniques. There is a thread in this UK section somewhere with "detailing" in the title - very useful info in there. I put a lot of time & effort in to keeping mine clean, and when it's done, it looks like it's just rolled out of the showroom. Probably don't need to say it, but will anyway - avoid the £10 hand car washes, that's the quickest way to f*ck up the condition of your paintwork. If you can afford it, paint protection film is the way to go. A ceramic coating will make cleaning easier but for a daily driver, my opinion is that it's overkill.

I wouldn't let the warranty put you off mods. I can't recall anyone on here that's had warranty work refused because of a mod, but of course that depends on what it is.

 

[Deleted member 35644]

Invest in a GOOD variable-speed random-orbital polisher (I highly recommend Porter-Cable), and some good pads to go with it (Lake Country). From there, determine what kind of correction your paint needs. Normally, a car this new will only have some light scratching from someone washing & drying it with terry cloth or old towels (glorified sandpaper). It may also have contaminants such as tree sap, rail dust, etc., for which you may want to consider a clay bar to remove.

You'll want to correct all of these issues before applying any kind of wax or sealer. I recently used Meguiars Ultimate Compound, followed up with Ultimate Polish, and I ended up with a slick, smooth surface devoid of scratches or haze. I didn't see the need for claying, so I skipped it. Pinnacle also makes great swirl removers and other paint correction compounds. There are lots of choices, so take heed of the suggestions you see here. There's a lot of guys on this forum using some great products.

Next, pick a wax or sealer. Carnauba waxes used to be the go-to for this step, but they've been replaced with synthetic polymers and other compounds that put carnauba's longevity to shame. There's a lot out there to choose from. My personal favorite right now is Meguiars Ultimate paste wax. I promise I don't work for, or sell Meguiars products, I just find them to be some of the best products that are readily available everywhere. There's a LOT of choices on websites like Autogeek, Amazon, etc. I've used a lot of "waxes" that are only available by ordering, but didn't find that any of them worked that much better than what I can get at WalMart of AutoZone.

On my cars, I follow up the wax with an array of different sealers I've been test driving over the last year. Right now I'm alternating between Renny Doyle Beadmaker, and Torque Detail Mirror Shine. I apply a sealer after every wash, which helps protect the "wax", and my car beads water year-round.

Invest in microfiber....lots of it. Wash mitts, drying towels, wax removers.....everything that touches paint. Relegate any terry cloth, or worn-out cheap microfibers to wheels & glass only.

For the rubber & plastic bits, I'm using 303 Protectant, and really like it. If your car spends time outside, this is a must. The rubber trim at the base of the side windows will quickly turn gray if they're unprotected outside.

Congrats on your purchase!

 

[GOM]

The OP may be referring to Waxoyl, rather than paint protection.

Having a 2 1/2 year old car myself, and using the car over-winter, I wonder if the modern undersurfaces are truly resistant to salt or whether, conversely, a hardening type of underseal would actually trap moisture under it. Are there any downsides to the non-setting types of treatment such as Waxoyl? An old topic, but have any UK cars shown significant underbody corrosion yet?

Currently, my egobooster sports a thin line of underseal, carefully applied to the exhaust pipe prior to delivery.

 

[Gregs24]

I got the Ford boot liner in the end after researching others. You can get it for £75 from a dealer (I did) It is very grippy and provides good protection.

Other options are a bit thin on the ground if you want a rubber mat.

I also got a full set of carpet mats (keeping the original fronts unused for when I sell the car as it always makes the interior look better). I got these and for the price they are amazing value for a set of 4.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Q29QXLT/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_3p_dp_1

 

[v8hgt]

Yes and yes. Go and look at a 10 yr old focus and a 10 yr old Volvo. Get under them and inspect for rust. Both cars were made with ford money at this age. The focus will be rusty, the Volvo will not. The Volvo will be caked in underbody protection and the ford won’t be.

I know as I have a 16 old Volvo that gets the crap beaten out of it all yr round, and underneath it looks new.

Having said this the Volvo is protected using what looks like epoxy paint so similar to raptor bed liner offered by modurstang. This would have been applied in the factory when clean. Your car is no longer factory fresh so would need to be cleaned down and dried before being treated. I personally had my car coated with dinitrol when new. Ether works well. If you are on finance and plan to chop it in within 6 yrs then don’t bother with the extra expense.


Things to bare in mind. If you are going to do it then it’s best done as early as possible it’s £500 that you won’t get back when you sell it. Most people don’t end up keeping the car long enough to reap the reward, even if you initially plan to keep it for ever. Circumstances change, jobs change, houses and kids take priority on finances etc. You may even get board of it and fancy something better built or more upmarket in a few yrs. personally I have a sneaking suspicion that I will never get the benefit of my outlay on dinitrol

 

[Supersolo]

Agree with Gregs24, the Ford liner is Ok & while not exactly a bargain, it's reasonably priced compared to prices for similar, from other OEMs, ime.

Some folk here have fitted discrete mud flaps, which IIRC you could source from a forum member, I forget who, but I think they're mentioned on Alfa Male's project GT thread, if I'm not mistaken.

Not much beside PPF going to help protect against paint chips & road rash, but as you've stated you realise with time & miles the paint work will be exposed to the natural wear & tear.
Then all I can recommend are a combination of Autoglym & Meguiars resin polish & wax products after a two bucket wash, to keep your new ride looking it's best.

Again, some owners have gone to a 3rd party to have their cars undersealed. From the few pics I've seen on here, the underseal job seems extensive & comprehensive.

Welcome to the Mustang gang, enjoy!

 

[Gregs24]

Yes and yes. Go and look at a 10 yr old focus and a 10 yr old Volvo. Get under them and inspect for rust. Both cars were made with ford money at this age. The focus will be rusty, the Volvo will not. The Volvo will be caked in underbody protection and the ford won’t be.

This may be true but a 10 year old daily driver is going to have it's fair share of battle scars and I'm not sure how much difference it would make to the value having loads of extra underseal. It isn't going to rot out in 10 years, but may have some surface rust in places underneath. Rust just isn't the issue it was, Aluminium corrosion (bonnet) is more likely to be an issue, as is the case with most Aluminium car body panels.

If it's a daily driver I wouldn't worry - just drive it and enjoy it, wash it once a week and polish it once a year.

 

[Manders Mustang]

This may be true but a 10 year old daily driver is going to have it's fair share of battle scars and I'm not sure how much difference it would make to the value having loads of extra underseal. It isn't going to rot out in 10 years, but may have some surface rust in places underneath. Rust just isn't the issue it was, Aluminium corrosion (bonnet) is more likely to be an issue, as is the case with most Aluminium car body panels.

If it's a daily driver I wouldn't worry - just drive it and enjoy it, wash it once a week and polish it once a year.

This is after someone had their car media blasted to prep for underseal.......

 

[Gregs24]

This is after someone had their car media blasted to prep for underseal.......

That looks like it has been physically damaged from the wavy bottom edge ? Distinctly dodgy repair style silicone as well with the look of it ?

 

[W111BOB]

Some folk here have fitted discrete mud flaps, which IIRC you could source from a forum member, I forget who, but I think they're mentioned on Alfa Male's project GT thread, if I'm not mistaken.

Not much beside PPF going to help protect against paint chips & road rash, but as you've stated you realise with time & miles the paint work will be exposed to the natural wear & tear.
Then all I can recommend are a combination of Autoglym & Meguiars resin polish & wax products after a two bucket wash, to keep your new ride looking it's best.

Again, some owners have gone to a 3rd party to have their cars undersealed. From the few pics I've seen on here, the underseal job seems extensive & comprehensive.

Welcome to the Mustang gang, enjoy!

See Symone thread "Stone guards and mud flaps" in Member classifieds at top of screen...
I cant comment on underseal - but I use Meguiars ultimate products (from Halfrauds) for cleaning / polishing / waxing- really good and easy to use

 

[Charlie Brown]

I had mine undersealed with Raptor at Modurstang and it’s clean as a whistle underneath after 2.5 years and 12k miles I also had a ceramic coat which helps prevent stone chips and keeps the paint looking fresher and stops a lot of sunlight uv damage - both of these are sound preventative maintenance investments in my experience - and are a positive feature if you sell the car on

 

[Bullitt66]

If it's a daily driver I wouldn't worry - just drive it and enjoy it, wash it once a week and polish it once a year.

I’m with Greg’s24

Generally you won’t get your money back on any mods, including underseal and fancy ceramic waxes.

Modern cars aren’t like the rusty crusty wrecks from the past. Old cars are now more often scrapped due to expensive mechanical failure than tin worm. Just keep it clean, properly maintained and enjoy it. It will give you years of pleasure

 

[TREMAiNE]

Congrats on the new Stang! Any photos?

Many thanks all for the advice!

Loving the car so far. The engine is incredible and it is such a lovely place to sit.

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