Ford 3.5 L V-6 with elec. 6 sp.

[94BULLITT]

The aluminum thing is bothering me. I know what to expect with steel, but I don't know what to expect from the alum. I am phobic about rust, or what ever it is alum does. There is no cure for this and it is terminal. I'd hop right on the first stainless or plastic (bodied) truck that came out.

Ford has been using aluminum body panels since the early 90's.

 

[HHR]

Ford has been using aluminum body panels since the early 90's.

And they had very little success in preventing the paint from flaking off.

 

[ModMech]

And they had very little success in preventing the paint from flaking off.

There were a few hundred thousand Crown Vic/ Grand Marquis/ Town Cars with AL hoods and trunks and you NEVER see the factory paint flaking off them.

The '70s and '80s pickups sure had issues with the galvanized windshield frames tho!

 

[CJONE]

And they had very little success in preventing the paint from flaking off.

With that thought I had 2 GM pickups repainted under warranty because they failed the tape test. [tape pulled paint/primer off] It was bad prep not a issue with the underlying metal. There have been many manufactures that have used aluminum for years with no issues. Now the part I am concerned with is the repairs on older panels and keeping the paint on them. I will say I have never seen a aluminum panel corroded through. Curious if anyone has seen that? CJ

 

[tcartwri]

With that thought I had 2 GM pickups repainted under warranty because they failed the tape test. [tape pulled paint/primer off] It was bad prep not a issue with the underlying metal. There have been many manufactures that have used aluminum for years with no issues. Now the part I am concerned with is the repairs on older panels and keeping the paint on them. I will say I have never seen a aluminum panel corroded through. Curious if anyone has seen that? CJ

The seams swell up with white oxides, and also around any metal fastener. On my 05 explorer it happened around the hood latch, but only after 9 years of service. The panel never failed though.

 

[Diamondpilot]

With that thought I had 2 GM pickups repainted under warranty because they failed the tape test. [tape pulled paint/primer off] It was bad prep not a issue with the underlying metal. There have been many manufactures that have used aluminum for years with no issues. Now the part I am concerned with is the repairs on older panels and keeping the paint on them. I will say I have never seen a aluminum panel corroded through. Curious if anyone has seen that? CJ

Same here. My 05 Dmax was repainted at 6 months old. Never had any other vehicle repainted, about 24 total.

Chris

 

[GPintheMitten]

My 07 Jeep Commander had an aluminum hood. Never had a problem with it, driving in salty Michigan winters.

I traded it with about 160K miles last spring when I bought my 2014 F150.

 

[Garandman]

There have been many manufactures that have used aluminum for years with no issues. Now the part I am concerned with is the repairs on older panels and keeping the paint on them. I will say I have never seen a aluminum panel corroded through. Curious if anyone has seen that? CJ

My 2006 Outback has an aluminum hood. Car has 192,000 miles and a lot of underhood metal shows corrosion but not the hood.

There are tons of old Grumman aluminum trucks around.

 

[Btown]

Maximum speed for the highway portion of the EPA tests is 60mph. Average speed is 48mph. The numbers are all BS.

I think these speeds were the old EPA tests. They updated it to higher speeds and quicker ( no fast) accelerations back in the late 2000's. The old test gas powered cars never met the fuel economy numbers, but the diesel cars were right on. Then the new test gas powered cars are right on and diesel cars are rated well under what they get. My 2013 Passat TDI ( I know diesel gate) is rated 30 city 40 highway. I get around 42-45 around town and 47-50 highway. Never had a tank under 42 mpg.

 

[Garandman]

We have two Chevrolet Cruze turbodiesels. They are averaging just about 40mpg in mixed highway and city use. Unlike our gas Cruze the trip computer is pessimistic.

The Truth About EPA City / Highway MPG Estimates - Feature - Car and Driver