Beautiful car!!! Enjoy her. Definitely comment back when you get that MGW shifter installed.

 

The car looks great. Kona cleans up soooooo nice.

 

Great looking car & color choice!I think the Kona Blue is the most popular color 10-12.

I was thinking about going black again but after seeing the Kona in person it was all over!

So when would you like to visit me & detail my car?Bring your car & I'll help with the MGW install & you can help detail my car!

I'm sure you'd like to put some miles on her right?

 

Congratulations, outstanding car and color. (Fwiw, there were 4 thousand 3 hundred and 2 reasons for me not to go w/Nav and glass roof as well).

15K awesome miles on mine in 5 months and I still have dreams about it.

Suggestions regarding shifting;
-Clutch pedal all the way to the floor.
-Use an open grip when shifting to 3 and 4 and let the strong centering spring take you there instead of trying to go 'up and over'. Converserly, always remember to counter that spring appropriately when shifting w/in either outside pair of gates (1/2, 5/6)
-When cold, easier to shift from 1-2 if you first let the shifter spring to center, or double clutch.

Have a ball and be safe...car looks excellent.

Hope this doesn't come off as tacky, but my Kona wants to say 'hey' to yours.

 

Good gosh that is STUNNING!!

 

Thank you! I figured it out tonight, and the steering is a little more crisp. Not a night and day difference, but it's there.

Thank you much! The rims are one of my favorite parts. I got compliments on them at work today too...

Hey B-man, thanks for props man... your car will come soon! When it does, it will be worth the wait! Yes, I hardly slept at all... I was all giddy! In fact tonight, guess what I did? I installed the GT500 exhaust! More details to follow.

Surprisingly, this vehicle has the best (by which I mean LEAST) orange peel of any car I've had. There's still some, but not as evident unless you look for it really hard. I must say kudos to Ford for having high quality paint. Even better than my Nissan and Infiniti were!

Thanks Lou! Your car is one of the few that made me get a 5.0 in the first place, and a Kona one at that. Compliment from you is very humbling... thank you.

Thank you very much guys...

 

I apologize guys... I am used to the Autogeek and Autopia forums where everyone knows detailing inside and out...

OID = Optimum Instant Detailer
LSP = last step protection (the final beauty wax you put on)
PC = Porter Cable, great brand of dual action polisher, good for novices... I have both the PC and a Flex (more advanced)
Pinnacle = brand, awesome brand that makes the coveted Souveran.
Clay bar = self explanatory
Menzerna = brand of polish liquids used with buffers... best brand imo.

Anything else I missed?

 

Thank you kindly! Yes, I will let folks know about the post MGW install. The stock shifter is not bad... but I can see where MGW will elevate it to perfection. It could use some help with the return to center, and overall throws,,,

Thank you and I agree. There's some spots now that I see, that might need some spot buffing from me. I am guessing it's from folks who helped me remove the factory tape. It's ok, I will get all that to disappear.

Thank you for the props and the advice. I will be sure to do that. You have a gorgeous car too. I like the black rear... is that a cali special?

Thank you sir!!! Detailing is my passion... well driving first

 

UPDATE: 70 miles on her tonight already, and so I spent the night tonight installing my GT500 exhaust! Should have taken less than 2 hours, but I spent the time correcting the fitment on the GT500... there was a flat spot, so the over axle pipes weren't fitting in right. I love the new Sound though... I had the wife come to garage and step on the gas as I checked for leaks, and she said it sounded scary!!!

LOL.

Here is a vid I posted on you tube. Next up MGW shifter install. I am stoked about that. I will report back once that's done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkW4hj69bHo

 

My pleasure, and thank-you.

Not a CS. I had a GT500 Spoiler added and had the vertical portion of the trunk lid painted to match the black in the GT emblem.

Meant to comment on your choice of mufflers. I have them also and they're perfect. Not 'high school' loud, but nice and 'Dad' loud.

Another tip...Ford Racing Pro Cal tune. If interested, talk w/your serv rep about warranty concerns. Got mine with the GT500 mufflers in the form of their Power Upgrade Pkg.

Sweetens up the throttle response, adds ~60# of torque @ 1500 rpm and takes the peak ratings to 428/397. Pulls harder throughout, especially down low. Very pleased with it. Also gets rid of the skip shift, although that never bothered me...only had it activate once.

 

Ah I see... very nice modding there sir. So about this tune... it's warrantied??? I would LOVE to get a tune, as long as it's warrantied. So not every dealer offers it??? And how much?

And yes, I agree 100% with your assessment of the GT500's... they're PERFECT... "dad" loud... lol. Exactly what I'm looking for I might still opt to remove the resonators.... we'll see. Do you still have yours?

 

Thanks. Still more to do.

Yes, warrantied. Read all of this and the various links it takes you to, then talk w/serv rep. I think it can be purchased through any dealer, and that they have to install for warranty to be in effect. Likely will charge 1 hour of labor. Easily loaded. $410 retail, but have seen it for $335, maybe less at other places.

Got mine as an accessory when I ordered the car.

Haven't removed my resonators.

http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts...KeyField=12346

http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-procal-2011gt.html

 

From one Kona to another YES!!!!!! I agree, KONA BLUE is the best color!!! I have the white stripe on mine and she stands out. It's my daily driver and I LOVE DRIVING HER!!! Lucky for me I live in florida so I can drive her all year round. Enjoy your new toy.

 

beauty mustang...with that exhaust...wife will always know when your home...neighbours too ;-)

 

Thx for those links man. So there is only a warranty if my Ford dealer installs it? And I am guessing not all Ford dealers install them. My luck, my dealer doesn't. By the way, what's the skip shift thing they are talking about?

Thx!!! I already have 100 miles on her! Took the wife and kid out to dinner tonight. Was a blast.

You are right on! I wonder it neighbors really notice?

 

You're welcome.

I think the dealer has to install to get the warranty...have read of guys paying $40, 1 hr labor, $100. Mine installed the tune and mufflers for $100. Read all the warranty junk linked to the webpage above (I prinited it all off, used highlighters and a red pen) jot down any questions and talk w/your Serv Mgr until you're comfortable before ordering.

The way I understand the warranty is for the first 3 yrs/36K miles, if you've a drive train issue that needs repair and the tune makes the cause suspect (Ford thinks the cause is because of the tune), then the Ford Racing warranty picks up the repair tab. After that, you ride the rest of your Ford Powertrain warranty. My dealers Serv Mgr felt that the tune is so mild, Ford would not blame any potential issues on the tune. (if they do, however, they can then deny you warranty coverage for that repair).

Don't know if some dealers won't install...I have read they have to be authorized to install Ford Racing products...just call.

Skip shift is an EPA mandate to encourage better fuel economy. If you're taking it real easy in first (fairly low rpm...don't know the value), and upshift, a solenoid picks up and throws a gate block across 2nd and 3rd, forcing you to shift to 4th.

I drove my car for over 4 months before the Pro Cal was avail for the 2012 models (waited on CARB approval...CA emmissions...~ 15 states, including mine, have adopted it) and only had the skip shift activate once, 1st shift on the 1st morning I drove it after bringing it home the night before.

 

I have never had any issue shifting into 3rd when Skip Shift was activated.

 

Great looking car!

I even have that on my 2012 v6 mustang with the interior upgrade, I tried different adjustments for the steering feel and went backs to the standard setting, so obviously you should have it too.

 

I'll be taking delivery of my 2012 GT next month and also intend to tell the dealer NOT TO TOUCH MY CAR. Unfortunately I dont know anything about car detailing. So I was wondering, what should I look for in a professional detailing service to have my car cleaned up and shiny? I intend to call some local detailers but want to make sure they know what they're doing.

 

That's just beauty.