Budget sports cars are awesome, but the upkeep is awful.

"Upshift" (Upshift) 08/26/2014 at 20:19 • Filed to: Mustang, Budget, Sports, Car, expensive, repair, fix, clutch, flywheel, broken, V6, Manual, money, parts, problems, ford, 2012, Upshift, fml, Canada, Upkeep, tires, awesome, awful, cars

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(Please note this is in the format of a rant)It's a great time for car lovers when you can get 300+hp in an affordable package. But you need to wonder what was sacrificed in order to make said car affordable.

So my Mustang is 3 and a half years old. Gently abused but properly maintained and occasionally tracked in the summer. I am also considered by myself and my friends to be a quite masterful stick driver, being smooth and skilled at launching the car and shifting with no fuss and I also rev match all the time and can pull off even perfect smooth and seamless 6th to 3rd gear downshifts on the highway for passing or shenanigans. But I'm not saying this to boast but more to distance myself as a potential cause for the next reason this car is going to murder my wallet in the somewhat near future: The clutch.

You see, Ford, in order to make the starting price of this 305hp angry horse cost south of $23K Canadian, had to sacrifice the quality of certain components and below, are a few examples:

A driveshaft that is known to catastrophically fail above 130mph. Aftermarket solution available.*

Very thin paint that chips easily.

Paint and metal so cheap that the bottom inside edge of the trunk lid has started to rust nicely.

Rear Sway bar bushings so terribly cheap I ate through two whole factory sway bar replacement kits in the first two years after which I decided "f*ck it" and replaced the front and rear sway bars with an aftermarket kit.*

Front lower control arm bushings that last less than a year before they start creaking like a rusty ship anytime you go over a speedbump. Gotta replace that again but I'm past the bumper to bumper warranty so it will be out of pocket. No aftermarket lower control arm kits available as of this writing.*

a waterpump that blows after 40k miles.*

A low-rent shifter bracket that is made of cheap rubber and litterally zip-tied to the shifter assembly. This causes issues like the shifter refusing to slide into gear completely, especially third, or going into gears 1 and 2 only half way. Aftermarket solution available.*

*= Asterix denotes a widely known issue that is well documented amongst owner circles and on online forums. None of these issues have true solutions from Ford other than replacing with parts that share the same inherent weakness that will fail again. Some aftermarket solutions are available but not for everything.

And, to add to the list, I discover that there are documented clutch issues with these Mustangs. Specifically, the factory clutch slave cylinder/throwout bearing assembly is a piece of crap and known to be problematic which ends up causing a lot of weird shifting issues onto itself as well as weird clutch behavior and premature wear.

My symptoms? Clutch grips fine even with the high-gear+low-rpm+full-throttle test. But it will randomly start to smell like I just burned it to death while I am either driving in town or just cruising on the highway. Also, clocking in at 51000 miles, clutch pedal "sweet spot" is much later in pedal travel then it used to be. Brand new it was smack in the mid-point of travel and now it starts to grab when the pedal is 3/4 released. Another interesting thing I noticed that I have never felt in any other car I've driven and that has been going on for a long time with this car: Clutch pedal to the floor, if you slide the shifter from neutral to first gear on a flat surface, you will feel (and even see) the car nudge. This is also, apparently, related to said slave cylinder/TOB. OHH Yeah, I've noticed this a few times, mostly in cold weather, revving the engine, be it with the gear selector in a gear with the clutch depressed or in neutral, you will hear a lot and I mean a LOT of meshing noise coming from the transmission (though the car doesn't budge).

Anyways, I can't 100% certify that this is 100% the cause of my woes, I'm not a mechanic, but the evidence seems compelling, though I admit I could be wrong.

But so far it is looking like my clutch is slowly degrading because of this which means an expensive repair is in my future. Sure, I could try to claim it under warranty if the dealership doesn't pull the "everything seems normal" routine on me and they could just decide that the clutch is a consumable so no warranty coverage for that. Even if that proved fruitful, I would still be stuck with the same, unimproved, craptastic factory parts that were created for the sole purpose of lowering the price tag of the vehicle. Which means they will fail again. I want something more... permanent. So off to the aftermarket solutions!

First comes a Exedy Hydraulic throwout bearing and slave cylinder kit. You know, to not prematurely kill my next clutch. 180$

Clutch comes next. Since I'll be replacing the clutch, may as well get an aftermarket upgrade which will serve double-duty as extra insurance for my planned future performance upgrades. So, I want a stronger clutch but I also want something that will still be fairly comfortably streetable. Spec Stage 1 clutch (rated for 550 ft-lbs) will do. 280$ +10$ clutch alignment tool.

Normally, when replacing a clutch, you need to resurface the flywheel to ensure a flat, even mating surface for best performance and to maximize the life of your new clutch. Problem is, the 3.7L Mustangs are fitted with a dual-mass flywheel. You can't resurface them so that means you have to replace the entire thing unless by sheer luck it's still perfect, which it won't be. DM flywheels are expensive and they're heavy so screw that: Spec Billet Aluminum flywheel. 490$

Lastly, since we're in the business of overkilling a problem thatn shouldn't be a problem, may as well go all out and get a stainless steel braided clutch line. 60$

Shipping? 188$, because I'm in Canada and thus don't qualify for free shipping from my american distributor of choice.

So, about 1200$ in all to replace a clutch and related parts, plus labor. Add to the fact that I paid 400$ to replace the sway bars because they sucked and the fact that I need to spend another 1200$ for sure next spring to replace my now-worthless summer "performance" tires because sticky rubber means shorter tire lifespan(this will be my 3rd set of summer tires, I also had a set of winter tires, also 1200$, which lasted only two winters). That's quite a bit of extra expenses that you wouldn't normally see(with the exception of tires, though with a much lower frequency at a much lower cost) on a wholesome Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.

So the lesson today, kids, is that there's no such thing as a budget sports car. Sports cars, especially when driven as such, have extra upkeep expenses that are way beyond what you would experience with a similarly priced "regular" car. Expenses like performance rubber that costs more and has a much shorter lifespan, as well as fuel (often premium) which will be sipped at a much higher rate. And if your sports car so happens to be budget priced, keep in mind that usually means there will be corners that will have been cut and you will end up paying, one way or another, for maintenance/upgrades related to these accountant-inspired shortcomings.

It all truly sucks, until you drive your little monster and all the worries melt away because of all the fun you're having. Truly, a love/hate relationship.

Conan > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 20:28

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I suddenly feel even better about my SN95. I'd still dig a GT500 or a Bullitt though.

Ducky > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 20:29

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jesus dude at that point dump it on CL and start spending money on a GT

gkwilly > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 20:37

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This author of this article seems to be under the impression that expensive sports cars are somehow more reliable. Actually just hugely more expensive for the same repairs.

RallyWrench > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 20:39

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Didn't these Mustangs have issues with Chinese-made transmissions as well?

Upshift > Ducky 08/26/2014 at 20:41

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I would if I didn't already own a second car and a jetski lol. Plus insurance for me on a GT would be insanely expensive. The GT also has it's own issues. On the bright side, once the whole clutch assembly (and eventually the driveshaft) gets upgraded, my drivetrain will be pretty much indestructible. Save for the waterpump in another 30something thousand miles lol.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 20:42

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I get the same feeling in the FRS. They cut corners and there has to be problems somewhere and you can find it pretty easily. Although they dumped a lot of money into developing that engine. . . and it still has problems.

Textured Soy Protein > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 20:47

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I've had my 135is for a year. In that time, I have had the following maintenance and repairs performed:

1 coolant top-off in response to coolant light coming on - $8 - I went to the dealer thinking I wouldn't have to spend anything but this is apparently not covered under the maintenance plan. Otherwise I would've just gotten a bottle of coolant for myself. Well, maybe.

1 oil change - $0 - free under maintenance plan

1 nail in tire removed and tire patched - $0 - Discount Tire comped me on this for no particular reason

Total cost: $8

But...I'll probably need to buy a set of tires. BMW says runflats have to be on it when returning it at the end of the lease. The OE ones won't last til then (rears last 10-15k), and I don't want to buy more runflats. Which means buy a set of regular tires when the runflats still have some tread, and put the runflats back on when I return the car. Looks like $700-900 range.

Upshift > RallyWrench 08/26/2014 at 20:47

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The transmission issue seems to have been blown out of proportion in the first year of the model and was done by a very vocal minority. Looking back at what I remember, a lot of these issues could likely be attributed to either getting a lemon of a transmission or the whole clutch and shifter bracket problem. People who do all of this seem to be happy with the way the transmission shifts, though I gotta add that it's a noisy transmission and a stiff heavy-duty shifter bracket makes the noise worse. Overall, complaints about the MT82 transmission have been pretty quiet and isolated for almost two years after the initial uproar died down. They didn't really upgrade the transmission at any point in the current 2011-2014 production run and it was used in those 4 model years in the V6, the GT and the Boss 302.

Tuners do agree, however, that if you want your 2011+ mustang to produce monster power numbers, the automatic transmission is much stronger and thus, the recommended choice.

Upshift > Conan 08/26/2014 at 20:48

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Glad I could help hahaha!

RallyWrench > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 20:48

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Interesting. Good info, thanks.

Upshift > Textured Soy Protein 08/26/2014 at 20:51

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Thus, proving my point that cheaper sports cars are more of a pain in maintenance and that there's no such thing as a budget sports car. You either pay more for maintenance, repairs or upgrading factory weak points or you pay a higher price tag. Also I'm slightly jealous because that 135i seems like a sweet car.

Upshift > YSI-what can brown do for you 08/26/2014 at 20:54

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Yup, I remember reading about a lot of people that ended up with a ton of problems in the first 30 000 miles and a lot of engine rebuilds in the first 10k. Reminds me of the ringland failures that plague STi owners.

Upshift > RallyWrench 08/26/2014 at 20:54

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You're welcome!

BigBlock440 > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 20:58

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You do realize you can put Civic tires on your Mustang, and they'll last just as long if you drive it the same way, right?

Upshift > gkwilly 08/26/2014 at 20:59

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Well, many more expensive sports cars (british and italians excluded) with similar performance benchmarks as the budget cars usually have far superior build quality and better-engineered parts because the higher purchase cost allows gives the company more room in the production budget for this extra layer of quality. if a $23k car is to have the same performance as a $50k car, it's going to need to cut a lot of corners compared to the more expensive one to get those performance benchmarks at half the price. However I do agree that the trade-off is more expensive repairs when said repairs are required and of course, the higher purchase cost.

Upshift > BigBlock440 08/26/2014 at 21:06

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Yes I do realize that. I also realize from experience that even with the optional 235 section tires, Pirelli P-Zero Neros (okay, it's technically an all season tire, but a performance all season) are barely adequate in grip for normal driving. I can get a tire to spin from a fairly gentle start from an intersection if there happens to be just a little bit of dust between that tire and the otherwise clean pavement. The same tires are almost useless once you start being generous on the throttle and I can get the car to spin those tires rather effortlessly shifting from 1st to 2nd or even from 2nd to 3rd without even violently dropping the clutch.

I'd have to drive it like an old granny if I put "regular" car tires on it.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 21:07

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"if you want your 2011+ mustang to produce monster power numbers, the automatic transmission is much stronger and thus, the recommended choice."

That makes me sad.

Textured Soy Protein > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 21:09

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To be honest, I shared that without a conclusion because I'm not sure what exactly it says about your point.

I haven't spent much yet but still those tires won't be cheap.

Upshift > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 08/26/2014 at 21:11

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Me too, But then I remember that Hellion makes a twin-turbo kit for the 2011+ Mustang GT that, with the included base tune, out of the box, at barely above 5psi, produces over 600 wheel horsepower and they have a working street legal drag monster built with the same kit making 1400 crank HP with forged internals and I think to myself, maybe the automatic is a saner idea lol.

DoYouEvenShift > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 21:11

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Knowing what you know now, would you go back and buy the GT or a different car altogether?

Upshift > Textured Soy Protein 08/26/2014 at 21:14

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You could look at it this way: you paid more for a car that has about the same amount of horsepower as mine. However, the overall build quality is likely far superior. Tires, however, are an unescapable burden for all sports car owners lol.

Upshift > DoYouEvenShift 08/26/2014 at 21:17

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Knowing what I know now, I would have saved up my money and bought a more expensive, better built, AWD sports sedan so I can get performance, practicality and quality all in a single package instead of having the different roles split into two cars. Plus, while the parts for said sports sedan would be more expensive, they would fail on me far less often. That and ford scarcely cares about post-purchase problems their customers have with their cars and are the masters at denying the existence of any issues even if it's glaringly obvious, they will paint it as "normal".

DanZman > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 21:18

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First: Thin paint is something every enthusiast complains about, unless its one of the European brands.

Next every car has issues. I have a C6 z06 and these things have issues with dropping exhaust valves and grenading the engine. They also have issues with the clutch seals transferring clutch dust into the clutch fluid. Many people recommend swapping the fluid in the reservoir every time you fill up with gas. These cars notoriously shitty interiors(doesnt bother me). The early cars had issues with the dry-sump system. The transmissions are robust, but not what you would call refined. Part of my rear window molding falls down every week. The seat memory is a joke. The nav system is ugly. The steering wheel is from a cobalt!

DoYouEvenShift > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 21:22

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So true, I wonder how long untill recalls start flying out like GM did.

Upshift > DanZman 08/26/2014 at 21:25

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It wouldn't be a GM car without something related to a window being a problem. But see, the Corvette, compared to it's exotic peers, is technically a "Budget Sports car". Sure, the budget bracket is higher but the performance bracket it's fighting in is normally located in a price bracket 3-4x it's own. If you're gonna make a fast car for much cheaper than the competition, some corners are gonna be cut.

Upshift > DoYouEvenShift 08/26/2014 at 21:26

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Never because none of these are safety related and Mustangs sell in low numbers, relative to normal cars.

DanZman > Upshift 08/26/2014 at 21:47

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That is actually my point. I have no problems with the issues I have because every time I drive the car, I fall in love again. and I'v had it for almost two years.

Upshift > DanZman 08/26/2014 at 22:23

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I express that exact same feeling in my closing comments on my post. Still love the car over three years later.

BigBlock440 > Upshift 08/27/2014 at 08:23

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Hmm, seems excessive. I run Cooper all-seasons on my Charger, though they're 275s. They're rated to 40,000, and the fronts may get that. I also don't have a problem with grip driving normally, but can (and do) spin the tires when I want to. I've also been through a set of "normal" tires in 10,000 miles in a FWD beater (high school). I'm just saying that tire usage depends on driving style more than what car you'r driving.

Upshift > BigBlock440 08/27/2014 at 08:35

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I agree that tire wear depends on driving style. But it also depends on the tire type. A high grip max performance summer tire is going to wear faster than a general purpose all-season tire if both sets are driven the same way because of the softer rubber compound. Sadly, because my wheels are narrow for the power made, I need grippier than average tires for the car to be driveable at anything other than total granny mode lol.

BigBlock440 > Upshift 08/27/2014 at 08:53

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I know soft tires wear out quicker, that's why I suggested putting on "Civic tires" would make them last longer. You apparently tried that and weren't happy with it. Maybe you've got a heavier foot than me or, being Canada, the roads are colder. I don't know. (I also don't drive the car in the winter though, so cold roads may actually be an issue) I've never had a traction problem running all-seasons (unless I wanted to), and I just didn't think it was a valid complaint against a "budget sports car".

Upshift > BigBlock440 08/27/2014 at 09:57

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I haven't gone with "civic" tires. Like i've mentionned. The Pirelly P-Zero Nero performance all-seasons that are the "factory" model of tire for this car are barely adequate in terms of traction. Possibly due to a combination of horsepower and narrow wheels at only 235 wide. If I had wider rear wheels maybe I could get away with civic tires. But as it stands they would be useless. If you intend on driving a sports car like a sports car, tires are going to be an issue. It comes with the territory and should be an accepted trait before purchase. If you insist on tires that last a long time or driving your car like a granny-driven corolla then don't get a sports car.

The whole point of my post is that there are extra costs associated to owning a sports car, especially if you drive it as such. It was an informative rant.