August of 2008 marked 3 years of Ford GT ownership, and the final month of its official coverage in my extended ownership report. I had the windshield replaced to finally deal with the large rock chip it received over a year earlier. After 3 years and 16,000 miles the car had performed nearly flawlessly while providing the most rewarding vehicle ownership experience of my life (and I’ve owned over 20 vehicles).
The Ford GT was dropped off at the dealer for a windshield replacement
August 2008: Ford GT Windshield Replaced
August 1, 2008 at 15,978 miles
Since that first, nasty windshield “star” happened to the long-term 2005 Ford GT in December of 2006 it’s picked up a few other love marks in the front glass. That’s the bad news.
The good news is Santa Monica Ford has a company that can replace the windshield without removing the entire front clip. I know of another Ford GT owner who had this performed at the same dealership and the process was performed with no complaints or issues.
So this week my Ford GT was dropped off at Santa Monica Ford at about 7:45 a.m. to have the windshield replaced and the slight buzz in the driver’s door panel (coming from the loose aluminum door panel trim ring) addressed.
The windshield was already paid for last year, but I’d held off on the replacement because I knew a Denver run was coming and it seemed foolish to put in new front glass before such a trip. Fortunately for me, Santa Monica Ford was willing to let me “store” the windshield in their parts department for 15 months (thanks guys!).
I was called by the service manager a little after 3 on the same day and told the car was done (both the windshield and the door panel adjustment). The door panel adjustment was free and related to an earlier TSB for the trim ring fasteners that Santa Monica Ford performed last year. And the cost of replacing the windshield? A cool $140 (on top of the $700 I paid for the windshield last year). Sure beats the original figure of $1,500 in labor I was given when it involved removing the front clip.
I must confess that a close inspection of the area around the windshield revealed some scratches in the clearcoat that weren’t there before, so the company Santa Monica Ford used probably could have (and should have) been a little more mindful of covering the surrounding areas with cloth. But the actual windshield installation looks solid, and the price was certainly right. We’ll see how it holds up after the next car wash.
It should be noted this month marks three years since I purchased my Ford GT, so the warranty is about to end. At 15,978 miles I’ve certainly put it through a solid ownership regimen of daily commuting, performance testing, track duty, aftermarket mods and even a 2,400-mile road trip.
I’ll post a 3-year ownership assessment soon, and if any Ford GT owners out there have useful information to add based on their own experience please post it here.