Is the aluminum-bodied 2015 Ford F-150 more expensive to repair? Edmunds.com Editors hit it with a sledgehammer to find out. Read more at our long-term road test …
Edmunds.com Editors Hit Aluminum 2015 Ford F-150 With Sledgehammer
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We hit our brand-new long-term 2015 +Ford Motor Company F-150 4X4 SuperCrew
with a sledgehammer. On purpose. Here’s why: http://edmu.in/1JtFqOd
So much idiocy in these comments. The vehicle has an ALUMINUM body not
steel like virtually every other truck on the road. Edmunds wanted to find
out how it would hold up to an impact as well as the cost of repair. Not
only do they explain the reason for this action in the video they also
provide a link to the article discussing it! Is this really so hard to
understand?
Number 1, the aluminum is stronger than steel so no steel truck will cut it
in half. Number 2 it’s not a panel it’s a box side outer and it’s not the
“whole bed” it can be cut off and replaced. I make these all day at
Dearborn stamping. Number 3 Chevy and dodge/fiat are already in talks with
royalties for fords aluminum patent. Funny how ignorant some people are
about vehicles, yet never even seen one made let alone make one.
That’s a Ford, which basically means it probably needs an engine swap and
transmission service due to those hits. Probably bended the chassis as
well.
The clip should’ve ended with the Ford driver returning out of the other
end of those gates in a Dodge. Then redo the whole thing with the Dodge
snapping it’s tie rod ends off and being replaced with a Chevy. But bad
news – Its got an engine knock. Did I cover all buyer loyalty trolling
bases here?
built ford tough baby…wow u do that to dodge or Chevy you would total the
truck..lol..
How bout get another car and smash into the side and see the outcome…
This is just silly.
Gee…..who would have thought a high initial price would lead to high
repair costs……
You people are idiots……
Very impressive. But I find it ridiculous that ford is making an all
aluminum pick-up to reduce its weight yet it allowed the latest incarnation
of its flag ship pony car (Mustang) to put on 200 pounds compared to the
out going model. Ridiculous
Why would you do this? And you should of tested other bodies too!
Wacky thought.
1. Buy a panel for a 2015 Aluminum F-150.
2. Hit bought panel with a sledgehammer.
3. Take panel back to the dealer and get a replacement and a repaired cost.
Compare those costs to a 2014 F-150 with the same panel.
holy shit, if you would have done that to a chevy or dodge, that whole
panel would be unrepairable. Then they would have to cut off and weld in a
patch panel. I think they could hammer that out.
I wonder if putting a bed rack that holds ladders, I wonder if putting
weight on that would crease the top of the bed too.
Labor costs / hourly rates account for most car maintenance and repair
expenses. Since those are relatively small damaged areas, it won’t be too
bad. You’d be surprise with aluminum’s strength, if engineered right. I
had a Mazda RX-8 that was struck at an angle on the left side by a Toyota
Corolla at around 20 to 25 mph during a lane change. The Corolla’s right
side, from bumper corner all the way to the rear right quarter panel had
buckled, and the insurance company declared it totaled. My RX-8 had some
creases on both aluminum “suicide” doors, scuffed paint at rear wheel well,
but no structural damage. The mobile dent repair guy was able to reshape
the door panels and buff out the light scratches, so it wasn’t too costly.
He said aluminum is a bit harder to work with, but do-able, and the silver
paint made it easier. Darker paint, especially black, is more difficult to
work with, for even something as simple as waxing.
yea. “fuel economy” on this rolling cupboard. and let me guess, there is a
really efficient v6 or v8 motor in it :DD
americans can be so funny
Common sense tells a consumer that this truck will naturally be less
durable than a steel bodied vehicle. You don’t have to hit it with a
sledgehammer to state the obvious!
There are 2 kinds of people who drive these trucks. People who use them
for what they were made to do and people who are posers trying to look
rugged/tough. The former realize a truck takes wear and tear so they do
not fix dents/scratches regardless of what it costs (even if it was $200 to
fix the whole thing). The latter don’t really scratch/dent their trucks
going to the mall or Starbucks in them. The repairs could cost $800 per
hour but it is not something they will need. Insurance will be higher for
the truck for repairs needed from collisions; that is the only real
difference. If someone can afford the $50K version of the F150 they can
afford the expensive tail lamp too. Besides, once a year goes by the used
parts market will be flooded with parts of this truck and $200 will buy a
like new tail lamp with the blind spot sensor/LED strip. People are just
resistant to changes. When nearly all American cars had steel chromed
bumpers on them the import cars were looked at as being odd for having
matte black or body color rubber bumper covers over the crash bars on them.
Fast forward to now and virtually all new cars have plastic bumper covers.
It will be the same with aluminum body parts on pedestrian vehicles; the
material will not be considered exotic in a few years.
I purposely ordered a new 2014 F-150 last spring when I heard about the new
2015 and it’s aluminum body. Sure, aluminum should be better for future
rust but insurance costs and repair costs scared me away. I also have a
rule to never buy the first 1-3 years of a new body design because there
are always “issues” to be worked out. I really hope nothing ever happens
to my F-150 because I wouldn’t want a 2015. I would have to cross over to
the dark side and look at Obama-Motors trucks and I don’t want to do that!
Wow these guys are crazy but I am impressed by the abuse this new truck
took. We fix things over on my channel not break things.
We hit our brand-new long-term 2015 +Ford Motor Company F-150 4X4 SuperCrew
with a sledgehammer. On purpose. Here’s why: http://edmu.in/1JtFqOd
And if you are worried about a small dents and creases enough that you
spend that kind of money to fix em, what are you doing driving a pickup
truck in the first place?
I’m confused. The whole quarter panel needs to be replaced and because it’s
aluminum, your look at a significantly bigger expense. The fact that it’s
less noticeable is irrelevant. Trucks should be made strong with cheap
materials. Nobody wants to spend $50,000 on a truck because you’re going to
be scared of scratching it.
Craigslist ad Never been bought it new, Drove it for a while going on a
different route garage kept never misused no ACCIDENTS 60k OBO
Why not just ask how much it would cost to fix a dent instead of smashing
it. Kind of a waste of money.
If your worried about dents in your quarter then don’t hit it with a sledge
hammer, there will almost never be this situation where theres that much
PSI in a small space. If you got hit by something larger going the same
speed or even at a slightly less angle aluminium would probably hold up
better, maybe not as good as steel though. However the real reason this is
a step forward in the industry is because aluminum doesn’t oxidize as
easily and its lighter. I’ve been a GM guy all my life, but I’m not going
to use my brand loyalty to shit on an innovative feature of another car.
In a minor car wreck this thing will crumple like a tin can.