Fixed up my 2015 GT

[15wile]

I was halfway convinced to buy a new S650. My 2015 GT I've had since the S550 launch had a lot of trouble. Valve cover oil leak causing smoke. Shifter was f'ed up. HVAC controls were halfway broken (I couldn't change defrost/dash/footwell vents - and it wasn't the servo motor, it was the stereo stack somehow sending the wrong signal). The A/C wouldn't hold freon. Both wheel hubs were bad and the ABS system was messed up. There was paint oxidation and peeling on the roof. My aftermarket spoiler and hood vents had oxidized and looked like crap. The stock speakers were blown - they crumbled to dust when I took them out. Plus a number of other misc. problems. Just cumulative issues in a 9.5 year old car that had been daily driven and tracked/dragged hard through its life.

Then I saw the prices of new S650s. I bought this base model GT for $29k back in the day. An equivalent buy today was going to be like $45k. And it wouldn't be much - if any - faster or more engaging to drive. With how bad of shape my car was in, I'd doubt I'd get more than $12k in trade, if even that. So spending $30k+ for basically the same car?

Instead, I dropped about $5k into this car.

1. Had the roof resprayed.
2. Bought a 4dtech Sync 3 upgrade kit and replaced the base stereo with it - which also fixed my vent control issue. Added drive modes as a bonus.
3. New evaporator coil and high side line for the A/C - had to pay a shop to do this part.
4. Shoved a boatload of A/C sealant into the system after that, and now it holds freon again.
5. New wheel hubs - which also cleared the ABS troubles.
6. New Alpine speakers, amp, and subwoofer.
7. New spoiler & heat extractors.
8. Added rear window louvers.
9. New decklid (old one was oxidized).
10. Emblem black out.
11. New lugs & wheel caps. (lugs were rusty, caps had faded and looked like crap)
12. New valve cover gaskets. This was a job and a half - getting to one of the bolts required disassembling what felt like a third of the damn engine.
13. New catback exhaust with blacked out tips. MBRP.
14. New shifter assembly and shift knob.
15. New air filter.
16. Black mirror covers.
17. Cerakote on all exterior plastics + headlight restore.

She's back and drives like new again, and the new stereo + speaker system is fantastic. The blacked out look is way better than stock base GT. Maybe she'll last me another ten years now. But if I ever decide to sell or trade in the future, at least it won't be a steaming pile of hot garbage and I might get a decent price for her.

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[roadpilot]

Nice work, @15wile

 

[Zig]

5k is hard to beat. Nice job, looking good. Testament to the longevity of the durable platform. Pop an airbag with todays units and it’s pretty easy to exceed 5k

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I was halfway convinced to buy a new S650. My 2015 GT I've had since the S550 launch had a lot of trouble. Valve cover oil leak causing smoke. Shifter was f'ed up. HVAC controls were halfway broken (I couldn't change defrost/dash/footwell vents - and it wasn't the servo motor, it was the stereo stack somehow sending the wrong signal). The A/C wouldn't hold freon. Both wheel hubs were bad and the ABS system was messed up. There was paint oxidation and peeling on the roof. My aftermarket spoiler and hood vents had oxidized and looked like crap. The stock speakers were blown - they crumbled to dust when I took them out. Plus a number of other misc. problems. Just cumulative issues in a 9.5 year old car that had been daily driven and tracked/dragged hard through its life.

Then I saw the prices of new S650s. I bought this base model GT for $29k back in the day. An equivalent buy today was going to be like $45k. And it wouldn't be much - if any - faster or more engaging to drive. With how bad of shape my car was in, I'd doubt I'd get more than $12k in trade, if even that. So spending $30k+ for basically the same car?

Instead, I dropped about $5k into this car.

1. Had the roof resprayed.
2. Bought a 4dtech Sync 3 upgrade kit and replaced the base stereo with it - which also fixed my vent control issue. Added drive modes as a bonus.
3. New evaporator coil and high side line for the A/C - had to pay a shop to do this part.
4. Shoved a boatload of A/C sealant into the system after that, and now it holds freon again.
5. New wheel hubs - which also cleared the ABS troubles.
6. New Alpine speakers, amp, and subwoofer.
7. New spoiler & heat extractors.
8. Added rear window louvers.
9. New decklid (old one was oxidized).
10. Emblem black out.
11. New lugs & wheel caps. (lugs were rusty, caps had faded and looked like crap)
12. New valve cover gaskets. This was a job and a half - getting to one of the bolts required disassembling what felt like a third of the damn engine.
13. New catback exhaust with blacked out tips. MBRP.
14. New shifter assembly and shift knob.
15. New air filter.
16. Black mirror covers.
17. Cerakote on all exterior plastics + headlight restore.

She's back and drives like new again, and the new stereo + speaker system is fantastic. The blacked out look is way better than stock base GT. Maybe she'll last me another ten years now. But if I ever decide to sell or trade in the future, at least it won't be a steaming pile of hot garbage and I might get a decent price for her.

Looking brand new! Thanks for sharing this with us!

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