MRGTX

So this thread was moved by the mods from the new members forum to the 4.6L engine tech section... so I thought I would post the non engine related questions here... Thanks for your time and any words that you can share.

Hey, guys! At long last, I have my Mustang! Its a black 2009 GT Deluxe...my first new car! I bought it off the lot but its pretty much how I would have ordered it- base model, cloth seats, 5spd, GT appearance package and that's about it. So far, I'm in love with this machine. Its exactly what I hoped it would be.

I do have a growing list of questions though and answers/suggestions to any of them would be greatly appreciated!

1.) I was crawling around under the car to check things out and I found quite a bit of "dusty" surface rust on the rear axle, various nuts, etc! Is that normal? Shoudl I worry? The car was aparently sitting on the lot for a while.

2.) On the topic of rust- Are the oldest versions of the current gen Mustang (2005) holding up to exposure to winter road treatments (salt, etc)? This will be a year-round driven New England car...should I get any kind of underbody treatment? Which one? ...Thanks so much for any help!!

...

Can anyone offer advice on breaking the car in, must-do mods, etc?

Again, thanks for your time. This forum has a great reputation and from what I have read so far, I'm starting to see why.

BeeStang

Surface rust is pretty much a given on these cars. Many have did some PM on keeping it to a minimum, such as, spraying all sorts of different types of lube etc. (i.e. WD40 and even regular motor oil, which can get real messy if you don't do it right, LOL). This will keep rust from creating a long term problem over time.

Mods are pretty much a personal choice, depending on what you want to accomplish and, your current budget. I'm sure the question many will pose is, "what are looking for show or go". This will uleash many opinions and suggestions from members on what you should do. Many will almost always suggest a cold air induction or CAI. This will be under the "go" category. It will add anywhere from 15-30 HP to your ride and significantly add to the fun factor. You can add a K&N filter or a complete custom system with a tuner to adjust the EOC (electronic on-board computer) to change how the car performs. Go to Brenspeed.com (one of the more popular vendors) and you will get an idea on options and costs. The other popular mod is an exhaust system which will make the car sound meaner, louder and just plain cool. Then you have all sorts of show mods (list is too long to list here) which is only limited to your imagination. Be careful though, the Mod Bug has a visious bite and can get addictive, not to mention expensive! Been there done that, LOL.

Welcome to the forumn and have fun with your new ride!!

deekum1627

that rear end rust in normal your car will hold up fine in the winter man dont worry about anything, but i would paint it black to make it look good and it def will protect it and stop anymore rust so just enjoy the new car also congrats and welcome to the forums man

Xeno

hey, congrats on the new ride and welcome to the forums

as far as rust goes in my personal experience, i drove mine through one of the roughest kansas winters i've ever seen, and don't think i really picked up any more rust from the salt than i would have otherwise. if you can (even if it's cold ) just give it a quick rinse through the car wash on a 'nicer' winter day, and that should help prevent any additional rust from forming.

as far as mods go, the two (technically three) most popular ones are a cold air intake and tune, as well as axleback mufflers. there are plenty of reviews and sound clips floating around on the net, so read up and see which ones you like best

have fun modding

MRGTX

Thanks, guys!
I feel a bit better about the prospect of rust.

It looks like the factory CAI is available... I like the idea of sticking with Ford parts. Does that intake a long with the retune get you up to the Bullitt's 315hp? Does that void your warranty?

I sold a fairly beastly turbo Miata in favor of the Mustang and if I can make the Mustang "almost" as fast, I would be satisfied.

Sorry if these questions have been asked a million times. I have been reading up as much as I can...

Xeno

the ford cai/tune combo, i believe, should probably boost rwhp about 15-20 hp and, since they are ford racing products, should not void your warranty. however, if you go with an aftermarket cai/tune (such as a cai from c&l, jlt, and airaid, as well as a custom tune from brenspeed or bamachips) you will get a much better boost in performance; on the downside, the tune will probably void your warranty... if you leave it on your computer. but if you need work done, you can always reflash the computer back to stock, if need be, and retune when you are done at the stealership.

your best bet for power boost (as far as a cai/tune goes) is probably a c&l intake paired with a custom tune (brenspeed and bama are both excellent companies); that combo will probably gain 25-30 rwhp.

cobrakiller347

get the bullitt intake and sct x3 tuner from brenspeed lol the cai wont void the warranty and it looks great and the tune makes a huge difference and you can just reflash the cpu if u get the car serviced..... also i would reccommend getting some mac boomtubes you will forget all about that miata lol

S281 E

Congrats on the new ride. Start with the CAI and than work your way to uncerdrive pullies and exhuast. Once you do a couple of mods and get the car tuned you'll be surprised at how quickly these cars pick up power.