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Ford GT Attends Ford Car Show, Has Sirius and Idle Problems

In May, 2007, I finally took my Ford GT to the popular “Cars and Coffee” PAG car show in South Orange County. At that time this show was 100 miles from my house, and you had to be there by 6 a.m. to get a parking spot, so it required getting up at 4 a.m. Ironically, now I live 5 miles from this show…but it stopped happening about a year after I moved to Orange County (boo!). That month I also wrestled with weak Sirius satellite radio reception (this was pre-SiriusXM merger) and a low idle speed with occasional engine stalling. The odometer turned over 8,800 miles.

2005 Ford GT PAG Car Show

The Ford GT was the celebrated model at a recent car show

Ford GT Attends Car Show for Fords

May 14, 2007 at 8,560 miles

One of the best Southern California car shows happens every Saturday morning in the parking lot of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group headquarters in Irvine. While the weekly show — dubbed “Cars and Coffee” — takes place at a Ford property a wide variety of vehicles show up and the weekly “theme” for the show can range from Ferrari to Chevrolet. But this past Saturday the theme was indeed “Powered by Ford” and as expected a goodly number of Blue Oval iron showed up. Included in the festivities was a collection of 20 Ford GTs, one of which being my Midnight Blue model. All eight Ford GT colors were represented, though ours was the only blue one on site (there were several red, a couple black and Tungsten, and one each in white, yellow, silver and the Heritage colors).

Ford GT Fix-a-Flat, Owners Rally, Fuel Filler Nozzle, Fabulous Fords Car Show and Bluetooth

This month a question about the Ford GT’s fix-a-flat chemical sealant was asked. Specifically, how long does it last before it needs to be replaced? Other topics of discussion included the confirmation of a second annual Ford GT Owners Rally, the specific nature of the GT’s fueling procedure, the car’s popularity at Ford car shows, and the need to install a bluetooth microphone to keep phone calls legal. The odometer turned over 8,200 miles in April of 2007.

2005 Ford GT Long Term Fix-a-Flat

The Ford GT doesn’t have a spare tire, just a fix-a-flat system

Ford GT Fix-a-Flat System

April 2, 2007 at 7,928 miles

In my battery-charging adventure last weekend I had occasion to take a close look at the Ford GT’s “tire repair kit” (being a modern performance car it, of course, has no true spare). The kit is pretty impressive in that it combines a tow hook, air compressor and “fix-a-flat” tire sealant into a compact package that fits in the GT’s compact cargo bay. But in looking at the kit I noticed the “expiration date” of the sealant — in this case it’s February of 2009. It made me wonder what an owner is supposed to do post February 2009?

Ford GT Gets a New Head Unit and Needs a Battery Charge

In March of 2007, 18 months after getting my 2005 Ford GT, I had finally lost patience with the weak factory audio system. When I ordered the car I didn’t want the “upgraded” McIntosh audio system for reasons I’ve already mentioned, but that base Sanyo head unit, even by 2005 standards, was simply archaic. Basically, it offered AM, FM and CD as media options. No satellite radio. No DVD. No audio inputs. My tech-geek nature simply couldn’t deal.

Thankfully, even with the limited options forced by the GT’s single-DIN housing for a head unit I was able to find a highly advanced (by 2005 standards) JVC unit and install it myself. The installation process did kill the GT’s battery.

2005 Ford GT Long Term Audi Head Unit

My 2005 Ford GT’s base factory head unit was too archaic for my tastes

Ford GT gets a New Head Unit

March 12, 2007 at 7,610 miles

After several months of considering a head unit upgrade for the Ford GT I’ve taken the first steps. The factory unit is passable, but that’s about it. Sound quality is rather impressive for a two-speaker system with no external amplification, yet the Sanyo head unit can’t even play MP3s. And if you’re looking for an external audio input to play satellite radio or an iPod through…well, you’ll have to look really hard.

Ford GT Luxury Climate Controls, Flat Tire Woes and a Windshield Crack

My Ford GT suffered its first real damage in December of 2006. Twice. The initial damage was caused by road debris that punctured a tire and also took a small nick out of the bodywork. The second instance happened just 2 days later, in the form of a nasty rock chip in the windshield. But that’s what happens when you drive your car versus sticking it under glass. Speaking of driving, the odometer crossed 7,000 miles this month.

2005-Ford-GT-Long-Term A-Pillar-Gouging

The A-pillar metal and passenger door weatherstripping (pictured) showed signs of gouging

Ford GT Door Gouges

December 4, 2006 at 6,286miles

Something weird is going on with the GT’s passenger-side A-pillar. There’s an unmistakable “gouging” in the Midnight Blue paint where the A-pillar’s weatherstriping meets the painted section of the passenger door. It’s almost as if gravel got in between the weatherstriping and door frame, and then chewed into the door each time it was shut. There’s even a white, chalky dust on the weatherstriping (shown in picture), but no actual “chunks” of anything large enough to cause the gouging are present (maybe whatever it was has all been ground into dust by now…). The upside is that this is an area you normally don’t see (certainly not when the door is closed), so the damage is more a curiosity than anything else…

Ford GT Toggle Switches, Mid-Lite Glass, Gauges and Shifter

After more than a year of ownership my 2005 Ford GT had over 5,700 miles on it. A few quirks had shown up, including gauges that occasionally stopped working and a mid-lite window that required special attention after washing the car. But the GT continued to be one of the best-driving sports cars I’d experienced, with a superb transmission, intuitive steering and the ability to effortlessly devour open road miles.

2005 Ford GT Long Term Switch

The Ford GT toggle switches are a throwback to GT40 race car

Ford GT Toggle Switches

September 6, 2006 at 5,082 miles

The Ford GT team used many of the original GT40’s styling cues on the new model, both inside and out. The dash has a long layout with the tachometer front and center. The seats have “holes” to allow better ventilation for when you’re on your 103rd blast down the Mulsanne Straight. And of course the doors extend well into the roof, making it easier to swing them wide and plop down into the seats during those “running” starts…

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