The reality of aluminum body panels.

[roadhunter]

I deal with dozens of boat trailers, both steel and aluminum. The aluminium is no more prone to electrical problems than the steel.

Chris

Is this like the time you told us you have only had 1 vehicle break down in your life which was a dash cluster going out and then the next week you told us about a driveshaft breaking in a vehicle while you were driving?

You might think people take you seriously but it is blatantly obvious that you are biased and will say anything to bake your beloved Ford look good. I always laugh when I read the posts on these threads as it's so predictable. Once the article was posted the Ford boys got upset because the thought they were being singled out. So they follow up by claiming the article was rigged and results are not legitimate. Funny as **** to watch.

Setting up a shop to repair aluminum costs money.
Aluminum body panels cost more money to make than steel panels.
Repairing aluminum costs more than steel.

Those are all facts. You can dance around, make excuses, etc.. but it won't change those facts. Likely in time the cost difference will shrink but any manufacturer who uses aluminum panels will have to deal with those issues, not just Ford.

 

[jejeosborne]

Is this like the time you told us you have only had 1 vehicle break down in your life which was a dash cluster going out and then the next week you told us about a driveshaft breaking in a vehicle while you were driving?

You might think people take you seriously but it is blatantly obvious that you are biased and will say anything to bake your beloved Ford look good. I always laugh when I read the posts on these threads as it's so predictable. Once the article was posted the Ford boys got upset because the thought they were being singled out. So they follow up by claiming the article was rigged and results are not legitimate. Funny as **** to watch.

Setting up a shop to repair aluminum costs money.
Aluminum body panels cost more money to make than steel panels.
Repairing aluminum costs more than steel. Those are all facts. You can dance around, make excuses, etc.. but it won't change those facts. Likely in time the cost difference will shrink but any manufacturer who uses aluminum panels will have to deal with those issues, not just Ford.

I think you may have selected the wrong post to quote. I think diamond pilot was pointing out that aluminum panels won't have an affect on electrical problems. Same thing Copperhead mentioned just a couple posts ago.

Guess you must live totally off the grid and roads, or you are just being facetious. I have to wash my semi truck, at a minimum, weekly and sometimes more than that to wash off all the salt, calcium chloride, dirt, etc from all the snow storms I go thru. Not sure how others view it, but primarily running Nebraska to Ohio, including MN, WI, and MI seems to put me dead in the "Rust Belt" of the country salt game. I run that territory year round. I have aluminum body, aluminum side boxes, and aluminum fuel tanks. I put 1.4 million mile on my first owned semi, 1 million on my last one, and now have 368,000 on my present one. I have never had any corrosion related issues with aluminum. I suppose if something never got cleaned, it could be an issue. My electrical issues have been no more frequent that any other truck or vehicle.

I don't think anyone is arguing that aluminum will cost more to fix. What I am seeing from this thread is that most people don't care if it cost a little more to repair and it is a non issue with the exception of the guy that hurried and bought a new F350 before they changed them to aluminum.

 

[KennyG]

I deal with dozens of boat trailers, both steel and aluminum. The aluminium is no more prone to electrical problems than the steel.

Chris

After years of experience, I run a separate ground back to the battery every time I add any electrical service. These days, with the complex body structure, anticorrosion coatings, and the electronics, I am not confident of any grounding other than a wire.

 

[roadhunter]

Hopefully this will quiet the Ford Fanboys. But I doubt it. I've said this already. This is not a Ford issue. All manufacturers are facing the same problems. The sensitivity and insecurity of the ford fanboys is nauseating. So hopefully this will get their panties straightened out. This is not a Ford issues.


GM To Produce Aluminum Body Pickups, Secures Alcoa and Novelis As Suppliers - The Truth About Cars
GM To Produce Aluminum Body Pickups, Secures Alcoa and Novelis As Suppliers

GM Welding Breakthrough Enables More Use of Aluminum
GM Welding Breakthrough Enables More Use of Aluminum

GM Moves Toward Production Magnesium Body Panels | Car and Driver Blog
GM Moves Toward Production Magnesium Body Panels

List of all manufacturers who use aluminum panels.
List of Car Manufacturers who use Aluminum Body Panels

 

[Ford850]

Hopefully this will quiet the Ford Fanboys. But I doubt it. I've said this already. This is not a Ford issue. All manufacturers are facing the same problems. The sensitivity and insecurity of the ford fanboys is nauseating. So hopefully this will get their panties straightened out. This is not a Ford issues.


GM To Produce Aluminum Body Pickups, Secures Alcoa and Novelis As Suppliers - The Truth About Cars
GM To Produce Aluminum Body Pickups, Secures Alcoa and Novelis As Suppliers

GM Welding Breakthrough Enables More Use of Aluminum
GM Welding Breakthrough Enables More Use of Aluminum

GM Moves Toward Production Magnesium Body Panels | Car and Driver Blog
GM Moves Toward Production Magnesium Body Panels

List of all manufacturers who use aluminum panels.
List of Car Manufacturers who use Aluminum Body Panels

I don't think it has anything to do with "fanboys". It's that some people are trying to make it seem like there's a problem when there is none. So, more manufacturers are using aluminum. Who cares? It's been shown over and over that aluminum has been used for decades with no more issues than steel. Different issues, yes. More issues, no. The article that started this has been trashed throughout the media industry as poor journalism. It ranks up there with the National Inquirer, trying to fabricate a story when none exists.