First Modification


Sinovac

GT Owner
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Jul 18, 2006
5,862
Largo, Florida
Will anyone trust their closest NGT service dealer for regular maintenance or ship their car?

Ed

I'm hoping the NFGT is anvil reliable like the FGT and won't require intensive service. Just looking at the car makes it apparent that a simple thing like changing the spark plugs will be very challenging.
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
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Apr 7, 2006
7,904
NorCal
I was thinking more like tire changes, oil change, tune up, etc. I'm not getting trust (warm, fuzzy) feelings from some of my local dealers.

Ed
 

dbk

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Jul 30, 2005
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Metro Detroit
I'm hoping the NFGT is anvil reliable like the FGT and won't require intensive service. Just looking at the car makes it apparent that a simple thing like changing the spark plugs will be very challenging.

Plug change is no big deal. Can be carefully done in around a half hour.
 

Ed Sims

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Apr 7, 2006
7,904
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Oil change?

Ed
 

AJB

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Jun 28, 2006
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Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
also , the Certified Servicing Dealers had to purchase all new NFGT Specific tire change / mounting equipment and the special Trailer to pick up / deliver the car as needed. I recall plugs last 100,000 miles.
My dealer had his Service Manager and GT Mechanic both trained on the New FGT. So, I am thinking normal maintenance ., tire change , oil change, fluids , even plugs (but only Jeff will add those type of miles ) should be ok..
what I am really concerned about are the electronic and software 'glitches' that could creep into this "rolling mainframe computer".

andy (ajb)
 

Ed Sims

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There are 3 tiers of service dealers. Im thinking basic maintenance would be the lowest level. I don't even trust my local service dealer for this.

Ed
 

Sinovac

GT Owner
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Jul 18, 2006
5,862
Largo, Florida
Plug change is no big deal. Can be carefully done in around a half hour.

It looks like a very long, awkward reach over the bodywork and into the engine compartment.
 

AJB

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Ed - you need to move to Michigan.
andy (ajb)
 

dbk

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It looks like a very long, awkward reach over the bodywork and into the engine compartment.

I mean if you're a midget I'm sure it's a bitch, but it's not bad if you're not. I've seen it done.
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
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Apr 7, 2006
7,904
NorCal
Maybe Sinovac has short arms or small hands! LOL

Ed
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
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Apr 7, 2006
7,904
NorCal
Ed - you need to move to Michigan. andy (ajb)

Or use Reliable Transports!

Ed
 

Indy GT

Yea, I got one...too
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Jan 14, 2006
2,545
Greenwood, IN
Paul, interesting spark plug topic but I doubt it will really be a concern to most owners.

If as related by Andy the plugs are good for 100K (or even half that mileage) you or most owners will not have to worry about this service issue in your ownership.

I have never even thought about changing the OE plugs in my 06. Less than 20K on the clock so at that rate I certainly will never have to worry bout it...(heirs might:lol)
 
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AJB

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What would really be cool would be if we could get one of the Ford Motor Co. FCSD (Ford Customer Service Division ) engineers (One of Mike Berardi's guys) who worked on the NFGT to come to Rally 12 in Salt Lake City and have a 2 hour seminar on this topic.

Short of that , Have one of the Servicing Dealership Service Managers.... who was trained for the NFGT Attend and do the seminar.
Dave - maybe you and Rex and I could work on this... I would be happy to lead.

andy(ajb)
 

Indy GT

Yea, I got one...too
Mark IV Lifetime
Jan 14, 2006
2,545
Greenwood, IN
What would really be cool would be if we could get one of the Ford Motor Co. FCSD (Ford Customer Service Division ) engineers (One of Mike Berardi's guys) who worked on the NFGT to come to Rally 12 in Salt Lake City and have a 2 hour seminar on this topic.

Short of that , Have one of the Servicing Dealership Service Managers.... who was trained for the NFGT Attend and do the seminar.
Dave - maybe you and Rex and I could work on this... I would be happy to lead.

andy(ajb)

Andy, the heck with "one of Mike's guys"! Let's get Mike himself.
He's a great guy and might be interested.
I have attended a presentation Mike gave and it was really special. He knows his topic well and very interesting from the service side perspective!

I am sure the ownership ranks would enjoy.:biggrin
 

dbk

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That's a topic for a different time, not a GT Rally.
 

dbk

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Just about done. Black. Pretty much invisible from 10 feet unless you know it's there.

screen.jpg
 

ChipBeck

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Excellent Dave. Now a black plastic or aluminum guard or lip to protect the painted inner rear edges of the front and rear wheel opening arches in the fenders. I think that area will need more than just double clear bra as it's going to get hit hard. Once that's done I'll put in an order for something else!! Hopefully somebody has a good photo log of what got beat up on the factory GT's that have been track and street driven so we have a good idea of what needs to be protected. Areas on my current GT looked OK until the clear bra was replaced and the fractured paint that was hit came off with the film and repairs were needed.

Thanks to all involved in this GREAT mod.

Chip
 
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dbk

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The template for the rear lip guard is already done. The front one is gonna be a challenge because of the way the door closes.

It's a lot quicker to note which areas did not get up than the ones that do. PPF this thing to the max.
 

ChipBeck

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Feb 13, 2006
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Scottsdale, Arizona
The template for the rear lip guard is already done. The front one is gonna be a challenge because of the way the door closes.

It's a lot quicker to note which areas did not get up than the ones that do. PPF this thing to the max.

What took you so long? Perhaps I should ask which areas had the deepest damage.

Chip
 

dbk

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Here's my worthless two cents:

IMG_0077.jpg

The areas that are outlined in red are the areas I would put clear bra on no matter what.

  • The shaded red areas I would do immediately. I wouldn't drive the car without them done. You've been warned.
  • All of the red areas are in the line of fire. The area in front of the rear tire can also sustain serious damage under hard use.
  • I included the small triangle that has the keypad because it's polycarbonate and that stuff scratches super easy without nearly as much opportunity to remediate as the rest of the paint. The a-pillar on most of the cars is going to be gloss black, so same situation.
  • I would especially apply the same theory to all the carbon fiber lowers if you have them in gloss black. Satin Exposed CF is more forgiving, but if you have the gloss black and it gets whacked, it will be a nice white dot. Then many white dots. Those got absolutely destroyed on the hard track use cars Ford has.
  • I put the hood in yellow because I haven't seen too much damage there, but that's a Murphy's law area. Same with hood vent areas. I once watched a giant rock kicked up by a truck arc through the air and land right in my 06 FGT hood extractor, of course removing a fingernail sized chunk of paint with it. Yay.
  • The two outermost fin areas of the rear fascia/diffuser also get drilled. Would definitely do those.
  • I would do a base layer of PPF behind the rear wheels and then perhaps add a second piece that you'll expect to replace. Or if you're going to the track, use that tracwrap shit I used.
  • I would at least do the top and leading edge of the wing, as it's high when up and tilted when used as an air brake.

Sound like enough? I think both the cars we have here now will have the underbody done. At a minimum, the whole keel area where the LCAs attach. The "shelf" in front of our screen fills with rocks. It's exactly the same on the Porsche 918. You go 50 feet, you have pebbles there. Double clear bra it, get the screen, then blow it out after a drive with compressed air. Pain in the ass? Yes, but it's the cost of all that stuff being so pretty.

Personally, I would just basically do the whole car. Or at least the majority of the car. The roof and the rear decklid are unlikely to get hit, as are the tops of the rear fenders. :willy With the clarity of the PPF available now, and how f-ing nice all these components are on the GT, I'm just committed to doing it.