[Chris B.]

Back in February, a woman who shouldn't be driving backed into my car at the gas station. Not that she shouldn't be driving because she is a woman, but because she has a torn ligament and a leg brace and she has had difficulty hitting the brake pedal. She told me that this isn't her first accident caused by the torn ligament and leg brace. She dented the front of the hood and scuffed up the paint on the front bumper on the Mustang. Originally they wanted to pay for it out of pocked instead of involving insurance, but after 3 and a half weeks I didn't receive a penny toward the repairs, so I filed a claim with their insurance company. I recently received a check from their insurance company for the damages.

The 2005-2009 Mustangs have an issue with the hood lifting and wobbling at high speeds due to air being trapped under the hood. The hood never becomes unlatched and its not a safety issue. The 2010+ models have this happen less frequently due to differences in aerodynamics. For the 2005-2009 cars, adding a longer belly pan from under the front bumper to the rear of the oil pan helps and so does adding a louvered hood. This reduces front end lift and also reduces drag. I originally was going to have the hood and bumper repaired and repainted. However, I'm thinking of getting an aftermarket carbon fiber hood and maybe and aftermarket bumper cover.

Because the stock Mustang hood is aluminum, most of the aftermarket fiberglass hoods weigh more than the stock aluminum hood. To prevent adding unnecessary weight to the car, I'd need to add a carbon fiber hood if I went with an aftermarket hood. Most of the carbon fiber hoods of good quality are in the $700-$900 price range.

Some of the aftermarket front bumper covers have larger brake duct cooling air scoops than I can fit easily in the stock bumper. This may be beneficial for track days.

Between the cost of the carbon fiber hood, locking hood pins, aftermarket bumper cover, and paint for the aftermarket bumper cover, it would cost a few hundred dollars more than repairs to the stock parts. I'm undecided if its worth the cost.