The idea of a long-term new vehicle test is simple: over the course of 12 months, the vehicle gets subjected to real-world testing that covers everything from daily driving to random acts, like using a truck to to something or taking a performance car out for a track day. It’s a great, if not drawn-out, way to see if the promise of a new car holds up over time. Edmunds.com has been testing vehicles for years, and is one of the benchmark groups that is a go-to for information. So when they took delivery of a 2015 Ford F-150, they decided to go straight for the new truck’s #1 concern for potential buyers: the new aluminum body. How would it hold up? Would it be strong enough for work duty, and if something did happen, how expensive and difficult would it be to repair?
Normally, this kind of question would be answered only if something inadvertently happened during the testing period, like a minor fender-bender. But in the case of the F-150, nobody was going to wait for a crash to happen. Instead, Associate Editor Travis Langness got to have a very good day at work that involved a little pent-up aggression and a sledgehammer. Two good hits resulted in two impact marks and a few creases in the Ford’s bed. The F-150 was then returned to the Ford dealership, where the damage will be repaired. Once the cost has been tallied up and the repair work judged, expect a follow-up on how this poor Ford fared.
Aaaaand cue the usual naysayer(s) in 3…2…1…
The guy with the BFH must be a Chevy guy. Most certainly.
My only question is, did they do this to the pickups made of steel? If not, are they going to so they have a comparison?
The results would be the same as thin as the metal is on steel vehicles
I think what they want to know is will it really cost the more to fix the aluminum one. Or is that just some more Chevy hype.
Everyone is making a big deal out of these trucks being aluminum and how body shops wont know how to repair them. I’m pretty sure ’99 and ’01 F-150’s both had aluminum hoods, so this is nothing new. I think my S197 Mustang has a aluminum hood as well.
It’s impressive that there is as little damage as there is after 2 solid whacks with a sledgehammer. would have figured there would be a lot more
Me too. Doesn’t look like it got dented much worse that sheet steel. I presume you could use the usual slide hammer and Bondo approach on aluminum as well, but it is good to see what it costs to fix aluminum bodywork.
“Military grade” aluminum, as the Ford advertises doesn’t “work” like steel. A hood, roof or trunk lid is NOT the same as a quarter panel or bed side. I’m waiting to see part two.
I`m a bodyman of 45 years experience now working for Ford as a certified aluminum tech. Aluminum takes lots of talent and finesse to get it back in shape.Treat it wrong and it work hardens and cracks. Nobody will ever get rich repairing these trucks.
I would think when repairing aluminum body panels you would use some of the space-age adhesives for aluminum rather than welding it? Obviously surface prep would be key to a successful repair if that’s the case.
Interestingly I haven’t seen that anyone has praised the fact that in the rust belt, the aluminum body will hold up WAY better than the traditional steel body. Obviously the frame and other steel bits will fail over time. Nearly every 15 year old truck around here is missing the bottom two inches of the body, yet still runs strong. Aluminum bodies will now last as long as the new long-lasting modern drive train!
I don’t think they’d necessarily hold up that much better. GM tried using aluminum bumper cores at one point and the salt and water and electrical harnesses would cause electrolysis and dissolve them faster than the steel.
Wow…how incredibly stupid is that!
Wow, honestly I expected some serious keyboard commando bashing from that TJ Martin guy, given his attitude toward the GTO, which has a lot of the same tech going on as here.
Notwithstanding, I’m impressed by how well that held up to the hammer blow, and the 600 pound weight reduction by the switch is actually a huge step forward.