Rust again, aluminum Ford the answer?

[Stimw]

Aluminum does not rust!!
It corrodes.

 

[Clint S]

Like the Saturn with the plastic components you will still deal with the rusty undercarriage, brake lines and frame. Maybe look into the Autosaver rust thing.

 

[sandman2234]

Aluminum does not rust!!
It corrodes.

Exactly, but Ford did it for the weight, and people think it is the answer to corrosion. I can just imagine what steel bolts going thru aluminum is going to look like (dissimilar metal reactions) in a few years. By then most of the original owners will have learned.
David from jax

 

[WilliamBos]

Freightliner has used aluminum cabs for years with no issues.

I am buying an F150 to replace my 11 Sierra. No more rust is one reason. I will get it Krown'd to protect the chassis.

 

[ray66v]

The problem with corrosion on pick up trucks, over the rear wheels, has been a on going problem for a long time.

I worked in the auto body repair business my whole life. And, I have fixed a ton of them.

The manufacturers could do things to stop it from happening, or at least keep it from happening so quickly. As well as, many other things that lead to the trucks demise. The truth is, they really don't want to. They need you to buy a new truck periodically.

As mentioned, the shift to aluminum, was made to save weight, not to correct these issues.

Aluminum parts have been used for decades. And, though they may look good longer, as they don't perforate as easily from corrosion, they do corrode.

No matter what the propaganda says, aluminum is more expensive to repair. And, aluminum parts require replacement more often, because aluminum is not as repairable as steel.

Ford is allegedly keeping the cost of the aluminum parts the same as the steel ones for now. This is a marketing ploy. Everyone knows aluminum costs more than steel.

I have seen steel parts, swapped out for aluminum ones by manufacturers many times. Aluminum parts have always historically been much more expensive, than the steel parts they replaced. I see no reason for that to change. And, I believe, Ford will creep the prices of the aluminum parts up, once there are substantial numbers of them out there.

The proper repair of aluminum vehicles, requires a dedicated area, where only aluminum repair is done. As well as dedicated tools. This is a substantial investment. That cost has to be recouped.

Eventually, most vehicles will probably use a lot of aluminum. And, I don't expect much to change, except we will all pay more.

 

[crazyal]

I think composites will be the answer sooner or later. But for now Aluminum might be better for corrosion but I have to question how much better. If you open the hood on a car up here after a few years in the salt and the aluminum starts to look pretty bad. Things like steel bolts interact poorly and often after 5 to 6 years they start to break when trying to remove them. As a vehicle ages the paint seal starts to crack where two panels join and allow water/ salt to get to the bare metal. Once that happens it's just a matter of time.

 

[coobie]

I've had a 2011 Chevy extended cab for about a year and a half now. Yesterday I notice rust just starting to bubble out above the rear wheel on on side. Truck has 55,000 miles on it. Im really disappointed. I'm not going down the road of trying to fix it, been there done that.

We've had a couple of F150 at work and I liked them but they weren't aluminum.

First off, what year did Ford go aluminum? I think 2015 on F150 and 2017 on the F250 2017?

Second, how are they holding up? This is directed at how the body is holding up.

I'm probably looking at a F150, 5.0 or Eco-boost, or F250 gas.

Can't comment on the aluminum body fords but when I bought my 2016 Ram 2500 I had it rusted proofed by a Krown dealer.Best $179 we have spent,the under carriage looks like new after 2 michigan winters.The salted roads in michigan are hard on them.

 

[Redcut]

I bought my F150 in 2015. Love it. I live in NH and have had no problems with the aluminum truck. I think Ford did a lot of research before introducing such a radical change to their best selling vehicle. I trust that they've addressed all the foreseeable problems, but we'll see over time.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Ford engineering is second to none; note that Ford was in charge when Jaguar started building aluminum vehicles (and Tata has continued the switch). Corrosion is well understood; many of us fly on jet airplanes made of the stuff, and I had a 1965 Cessna Skyhawk that had spent decades outdoors, with little corrosion. But, as mentioned, Ford went that way to save weight (Ford had always been the "fatty" of the big three, for comparable vehicles), and because it was a huge gamble (the F-150 already being the top selling vehicle in the US) I'm certain that the corrosion issue was thoroughly addressed. I know for a fact that the steel fastener issue was addressed.
Also, whilst the term rust is used for ferrous materials, it is merely another term for oxidation, which is the same as aluminum corrosion but not all corrosion (though pure aluminum "self protects" with an oxide layer, so sheets of aluminum alloys that may be subject to corrosion are sometimes clad with the pure stuff).
If I can swing it (depending on whether the little woman wants new granite or whatever in the kitchen) I'll be driving an aluminium Ford in the spring.

 

[Redcut]

Hope you like it. It's an awesome truck. And, on an unrelated issue, the ecoboost engine is also well designed and awesome.