roadhunter
Elite Member
Now we have actual confirmation of what common sense told us all along.
What's Crazier Than Smashing An Aluminum Ford F-150 With A Sledgehammer? The Repair Bill - Forbes
What's Crazier Than Smashing An Aluminum Ford F-150 With A Sledgehammer? The Repair Bill
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Ever since Ford Motor F -0.99% launched the industry痴 first aluminum-bodied pickup truck, skeptics have wondered what it would cost to repair damage to the F-150′s 杜ilitary grade aluminum panels after a crash.
Now, thanks to a clever stunt by the folks at Edmunds.com, we have a good idea. And it痴 not pretty.
Editors at the consumer advice website bought a $52,000 F-150 4X4 Super Crew for their long-term test fleet, then promptly took a sledgehammer to the rear quarter panel twice intentionally denting it so they could investigate the repair costs. (My first thought was, 釘rilliant! Why didn稚 I think of that?!?
Edmunds goal, in the name of consumer awareness, was to test the theory that it痴 more expensive to repair an aluminum truck than a steel one. Their answer? Way, way more. (There are a few flaws in their approach, however, which we値l get to later.)
Here痴 what Edmunds found: It wasn稚 just the two fist-sized dents behind the rear wheel that needed repairing. The energy from the blows also left at least four creases in the aluminum panel. And, it turns out, that energy was enough to crack the rear tail light as well, which drove up the repair costs (way more, in fact, than you might imagine).
Even so, Edmunds Editor-in-Chief Scott Oldham says his team was surprised at how strong the F-150 was. 展e were impressed with the resilience of the aluminum panel. We hit it and thought it would have far more damage than it did. So we hit it again. That was eye opening.
Still, the real purpose of the stunt was to see how expensive it would be for major collision work. Ford helpfully pointed out that the price for a replacement right rear-quarter panel is exactly the same on a steel-bodied 2014 F-150 as it is on the aluminum-bodied 2015 model: $967.48. But Edmunds deliberately chose to smash the rear quarter panel because it痴 a body part that is less likely to be swapped out like a damaged door, hood or front fender. Instead, it needed meticulous body work.
The problem is that the work has to be done in a segregated clean room away from other metal particles that could cause contamination or paint adhesion problems by trained experts in 殿luminum-capable body shops or dealerships using special tools. This isn稚 that rare; after all, lots of cars have aluminum body panels so there are plenty of experts around. But the equipment is expensive. Ford pegs the cost at $30,000-$50,000 for a single service bay. Some dealers gripe they致e spent closer to $70,000, which could take years to pay off.
The other issue, according to Edmunds, is that the dealer and an independent body shop told them the labor rate for aluminum repairs can be up to $120 an hour twice the rate for traditional collision work and aluminum is more difficult to work with, so the job takes longer.
When all was said and done, the bill to fix the bludgeoned pickup was $2,938.44, which included more than 20 hours of labor to straighten the panel, apply a specialized aluminum paint filler, then prime, paint, color sand and buff the panel. That was a discount, actually, because the Ford service technician took pity on the brand new truck owner (never identified as Edmunds to protect the integrity of the experiment) and charged him the regular $60-per-hour labor rate, instead of the $120-per-hour aluminum labor rate. If the dealer had charged the full $120 rate, Edmunds figures the bill would have come to $4,138.44 $1,800, or nearly 77 percent, more than the cost of repairing a steel panel for a typical 10 hours at $60 per hour.
Here痴 the flaw in Edmunds findings. They never took a sledgehammer to a 2014 F-150 to find out what it would cost to repair similar damage to a steel body panel. I壇 like to take a look at that repair bill. Ford says the cost of pulling a dent from an aluminum body panel should take no longer than a steel one. Ford spokesman Mike Levine also says that in many cases the new F-150 will actually be easier to repair, because of its innovative modular structure which reduces repair time and helps save costs. Major body damage like the type Edmunds inflicted on the 2015 F-150 is rare only about 1 percent of repair work, according to Ford. The majority of F-150 collision repairs will be non-structural and can be completed by most body shops today (e.g. bumpers, grilles, mirrors, dings, dents).
In fact, Ford offers up a fun video of its own, showing professional athletes whacking golf balls, baseballs and even a shot put into the reinforced truck bed to demonstrate that the aluminum F-150 is actually about 30 percent more ding- and dent-resistant than the outgoing steel model.
What痴 clear is none of this is cheap. Remember the broken taillight? That turned into a big ticket item, too: Not only was the broken lens integrated into a single assembly that needed replacement, all of the sensors for the truck痴 blind-spot monitoring system are housed in the same unit. Crack a lens and you have to replace the whole taillight for a whopping $887.75. Of course, that would be true on any vehicle equipped with such high-end safety technology. But even replacing the damaged 鉄port 4X4″ decal cost $64.
What痴 still unknown is the impact of such repair costs on insurance rates, which could drive up the truck痴 total cost of ownership, despite the gas savings F-150 owners can expect from a lighter truck. So far, most insurers aren稚 charging more, but loss experience over time will determine the true cost of collision insurance.
So what conclusions can be drawn from Edmunds little stunt? Here痴 what Associate Editor Travis Langness wrote: 典here痴 plenty to speculate about when it comes to the new 2015 Ford F-150, and we致e got a year to keep testing out our theories, but there are a few things we know for sure. One: It takes more time, unique tools and specialized training to fix aluminum body panels. Two: Those repairs, whether through higher labor rates or longer service times, cost more money than repairing steel. And three: It痴 really fun to smash things with a sledgehammer.納/U]
More of Edmunds three-part video diary of its sledgehammer adventure can be found here.
What's Crazier Than Smashing An Aluminum Ford F-150 With A Sledgehammer? The Repair Bill - Forbes
What's Crazier Than Smashing An Aluminum Ford F-150 With A Sledgehammer? The Repair Bill
Comment Now Follow Comments
Ever since Ford Motor F -0.99% launched the industry痴 first aluminum-bodied pickup truck, skeptics have wondered what it would cost to repair damage to the F-150′s 杜ilitary grade aluminum panels after a crash.
Now, thanks to a clever stunt by the folks at Edmunds.com, we have a good idea. And it痴 not pretty.
Editors at the consumer advice website bought a $52,000 F-150 4X4 Super Crew for their long-term test fleet, then promptly took a sledgehammer to the rear quarter panel twice intentionally denting it so they could investigate the repair costs. (My first thought was, 釘rilliant! Why didn稚 I think of that?!?
Edmunds goal, in the name of consumer awareness, was to test the theory that it痴 more expensive to repair an aluminum truck than a steel one. Their answer? Way, way more. (There are a few flaws in their approach, however, which we値l get to later.)
Here痴 what Edmunds found: It wasn稚 just the two fist-sized dents behind the rear wheel that needed repairing. The energy from the blows also left at least four creases in the aluminum panel. And, it turns out, that energy was enough to crack the rear tail light as well, which drove up the repair costs (way more, in fact, than you might imagine).
Even so, Edmunds Editor-in-Chief Scott Oldham says his team was surprised at how strong the F-150 was. 展e were impressed with the resilience of the aluminum panel. We hit it and thought it would have far more damage than it did. So we hit it again. That was eye opening.
Still, the real purpose of the stunt was to see how expensive it would be for major collision work. Ford helpfully pointed out that the price for a replacement right rear-quarter panel is exactly the same on a steel-bodied 2014 F-150 as it is on the aluminum-bodied 2015 model: $967.48. But Edmunds deliberately chose to smash the rear quarter panel because it痴 a body part that is less likely to be swapped out like a damaged door, hood or front fender. Instead, it needed meticulous body work.
The problem is that the work has to be done in a segregated clean room away from other metal particles that could cause contamination or paint adhesion problems by trained experts in 殿luminum-capable body shops or dealerships using special tools. This isn稚 that rare; after all, lots of cars have aluminum body panels so there are plenty of experts around. But the equipment is expensive. Ford pegs the cost at $30,000-$50,000 for a single service bay. Some dealers gripe they致e spent closer to $70,000, which could take years to pay off.
The other issue, according to Edmunds, is that the dealer and an independent body shop told them the labor rate for aluminum repairs can be up to $120 an hour twice the rate for traditional collision work and aluminum is more difficult to work with, so the job takes longer.
When all was said and done, the bill to fix the bludgeoned pickup was $2,938.44, which included more than 20 hours of labor to straighten the panel, apply a specialized aluminum paint filler, then prime, paint, color sand and buff the panel. That was a discount, actually, because the Ford service technician took pity on the brand new truck owner (never identified as Edmunds to protect the integrity of the experiment) and charged him the regular $60-per-hour labor rate, instead of the $120-per-hour aluminum labor rate. If the dealer had charged the full $120 rate, Edmunds figures the bill would have come to $4,138.44 $1,800, or nearly 77 percent, more than the cost of repairing a steel panel for a typical 10 hours at $60 per hour.
Here痴 the flaw in Edmunds findings. They never took a sledgehammer to a 2014 F-150 to find out what it would cost to repair similar damage to a steel body panel. I壇 like to take a look at that repair bill. Ford says the cost of pulling a dent from an aluminum body panel should take no longer than a steel one. Ford spokesman Mike Levine also says that in many cases the new F-150 will actually be easier to repair, because of its innovative modular structure which reduces repair time and helps save costs. Major body damage like the type Edmunds inflicted on the 2015 F-150 is rare only about 1 percent of repair work, according to Ford. The majority of F-150 collision repairs will be non-structural and can be completed by most body shops today (e.g. bumpers, grilles, mirrors, dings, dents).
In fact, Ford offers up a fun video of its own, showing professional athletes whacking golf balls, baseballs and even a shot put into the reinforced truck bed to demonstrate that the aluminum F-150 is actually about 30 percent more ding- and dent-resistant than the outgoing steel model.
What痴 clear is none of this is cheap. Remember the broken taillight? That turned into a big ticket item, too: Not only was the broken lens integrated into a single assembly that needed replacement, all of the sensors for the truck痴 blind-spot monitoring system are housed in the same unit. Crack a lens and you have to replace the whole taillight for a whopping $887.75. Of course, that would be true on any vehicle equipped with such high-end safety technology. But even replacing the damaged 鉄port 4X4″ decal cost $64.
What痴 still unknown is the impact of such repair costs on insurance rates, which could drive up the truck痴 total cost of ownership, despite the gas savings F-150 owners can expect from a lighter truck. So far, most insurers aren稚 charging more, but loss experience over time will determine the true cost of collision insurance.
So what conclusions can be drawn from Edmunds little stunt? Here痴 what Associate Editor Travis Langness wrote: 典here痴 plenty to speculate about when it comes to the new 2015 Ford F-150, and we致e got a year to keep testing out our theories, but there are a few things we know for sure. One: It takes more time, unique tools and specialized training to fix aluminum body panels. Two: Those repairs, whether through higher labor rates or longer service times, cost more money than repairing steel. And three: It痴 really fun to smash things with a sledgehammer.納/U]
More of Edmunds three-part video diary of its sledgehammer adventure can be found here.
