dfstv Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 (edited) Hey everyone. I've been registered on the forum for what seems like forever. Here's some background about the car! I purchased her down in Kansas City, MO in May of 2016. She has every option available except for the large panoramic sunroof. I absolutely love the black on black, but I must say I am not a fan of the wood trim in the interior. I purchased the vehicle used, with 41,000 miles and I opted to purchase the extended warranty to 91,000 miles or 4 years due to the hybrid aspect. I am glad I did opt for the extended warranty as I did face some issues with the vehicle. The timing chain cover was leaking, the oil pan was leaking, the rear lower control arm bushings went out, the center speaker blew, and the rectangular side marker light on the rear passenger side of the car went out. All of which was covered by warranty with a $100 deductible. Apart from what the warranty covered and the window tint, the rest of the aftermarket/accessories were all installed by me. As you could probably tell from the title, this car is beat on. A lot. I've put nearly 65,000 miles on the car in under two years. It has plenty of rock chips on the bumper and the hood. A scratch on the bumper from the previous owner, and a nice scratch and dent in the hood from debris from a car in front of me in a construction zone. This will be getting fixed in the coming month. Cosmetically, there hasn't been much done to the car. The taillights and the front and rear side markers have been tinted. The front grill was plasti-dipped for a more aggressive look. 20% window tint was applied to the front and rear of the vehicle. I am a firefighter & EMT in a very rural fire protection district that spans just over 50 square miles. We are short-staffed most of the time & I work from home - thus needing a reliable way to get around. The car has been outfitted with a custom wiring harness specifically built for the emergency lighting setup which is pictured below. At the front of the vehicle there are two visor lights, that are 3W each. Extremely bright during the day and night. In the back there is a 8 unit, dual color traffic advisor bar as well as a 6 unit single color light bar. The corner lights can be switched off, and the entire bar turns amber for traffic direction purposes. As for communication, the vehicle is outfitted with a CB Radio/PA system as well as a mobile scanner unit. The suspension has been upgraded to H&R Sport Lowering Coil Springs, which stiffens the suspension, reduces body-roll, and drops the vehicle by 1.5"-1.8". The entire frame of the vehicle has been sanded, primed and bedlined. Holes were planned and drilled into the frame, door panels, underside of the hood, etc. and an anti corrosive solution was sprayed on the inside of the body and frame to prevent rust from the inside out. The sound system has been upgraded, somewhat. In the trunk is a dual 12" MTX Terminator set accompanied by a BOSS 1500 amp. These deliver quite the kick. They have been wired in a manner that I was able to keep the stock head unit in the vehicle. In the front driver and passenger compartment, as well as in the center console shelf are solid blue LED light strips. These light strips are wired to the aftermarket amplifier to deliver light that strobes to the low frequencies of the music. There is an override switch that turns the lights off completely. I'm probably forgetting something but I'll keep this thread updated. Tomorrow (Wednesday), the car is going in for an alignment and mounting of four new tires. The alignment is needed as I needed to take off several bushings and suspension components when installing the lowering coil springs. I plan on getting the hood fixed, maybe not painted but smoothened out by the end of winter. It will not rust as it is aluminum. Early spring the entire car will be getting plasti-dipped. I have already ordered some 20" wheels for her, and they will be going on in the spring as well after being powder coated. Don't mind how dirty she looks in the photos, I live in Northern Illinois haha. VID_61390923_155652_432_2.mp4 VID_61401008_014628_518_2.mp4 Edited December 4, 2018 by dfstv Rivard, KenZ and Robert Iggy Cerami 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984Poke Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 What is “plasti-dipped”? I’m not familiar with that. What does it do, and how much does something like that cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 9 hours ago, 1984Poke said: What is “plasti-dipped”? I’m not familiar with that. What does it do, and how much does something like that cost? Hi 1984Poke. It is a plastic/vinyl type coating which can be sprayed on and later peeled off. See here: https://www.dipyourcar.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_sTO58GL3wIVRIGzCh269AnDEAAYASAAEgKAB_D_BwE People use it to "dip" and change the color/appearance of their wheels, grills, trim, and even their entire cars. If you Google "Plasti Dip", you will find tons of informational and instructional/How-to videos. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfstv Posted December 6, 2018 Author Share Posted December 6, 2018 9 hours ago, 1984Poke said: What is “plasti-dipped”? I’m not familiar with that. What does it do, and how much does something like that cost? Plasti-dip is a rubberized, peel-able, spray-able coating. The front grill, which is originally a flat silver is plasti-dipped. You can purchase plasti-dip in an aerosol can at any major retailer such as Walmart for anywhere between $5-$10 a can. Coming this spring, the entire car will be coated in a semi-gloss coating. I know it sounds like a stretch, but the materials have already arrived. I am just waiting for winter to be over to spray the car. I purchased the materials from http://www.dipyourcar.com/. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy3906 Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 Hello dfstv, can you take a pic of the inside of the trunk and can wait to see those 20 inch rim. Enjoy your MKZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfstv Posted December 7, 2018 Author Share Posted December 7, 2018 11 hours ago, Izzy3906 said: Hello dfstv, can you take a pic of the inside of the trunk and can wait to see those 20 inch rim. Enjoy your MKZ. Sure thing. The wiring hasn't been hidden away quite yet as I will be building a custom box for a single 12" to fit on the right side of the trunk, or underneath the lower shelf in the spare tire compartment with a layer of Plexiglass overtop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy3906 Posted December 7, 2018 Share Posted December 7, 2018 11 hours ago, dfstv said: Sure thing. The wiring hasn't been hidden away quite yet as I will be building a custom box for a single 12" to fit on the right side of the trunk, or underneath the lower shelf in the spare tire compartment with a layer of Plexiglass overtop. Nice, can't wait to see it finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKZMark Posted December 8, 2018 Share Posted December 8, 2018 Cool, I think this is our first first-responder MKZ! dfstv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfstv Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 So here's an update for everyone! New wheels & tires finally came in. I put the wheels on the car over the weekend for a fit test and they are coming off today until spring. The car has also been re-tinted, down from 20% all around to 5% all around. Here are some photos of how it sits now! fusionff and Rivard 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusionff Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Nice choice on the wheels, and your car is certainly not dirty in those pictures. dfstv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKZMark Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Great wax job! Are they 20" wheels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfstv Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 23 minutes ago, MKZMark said: Great wax job! Are they 20" wheels? Zero wax applied ? Just a car wash! However, the car was regularly waxed and detailed during the spring/summer months, so I guess the hard work pays off. Yes, they're 20" by 8.5" wide at 5x108. I'm running 245/35/20 tires on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Love the wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy3906 Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 Your Mkz looks great with those wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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