Jump to content

A good reason to avoid the new aluminum F-150

foghorn23

By foghorn23
in The Off-Topic Bar

Recommended Posts

foghorn23 Senior Enthusiast

foghorn23

Posted
Posted

Saw this thread posted on the F-150 forum:

 

http://www.f150forum.com/f118/crash-299581/

 

Poor guy was involved in an accident in April, with no fault of his own. Still waiting on body parts to fix his truck and nothing but excuses from F*&d. Has no truck, but gets to keep sending F*&d his monthly payment.

 

On a positive note, it looks like it held up well, but in the long run, I believe I'd stick with "high strength steel."

SnakeEyeSS Senior Enthusiast

SnakeEyeSS

Posted
Posted

I can understand, but IMO, Think of The miles he is saving. The other insurance should have put him in a comparable truck rental. I wouldn't be too mad, still driving a relatively new vehicle.

foghorn23 Senior Enthusiast

foghorn23

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Reading through the thread I think they put him in a Tahoe or Yukon. Ford's launch on the F150 must be tight if they cannot get a spare bedside to a body shop customer in over two months.

DaveH71 Enthusiast

DaveH71

Posted
Posted

I don't see a problem with aluminum. Ford saved over 700 lbs by using aluminum in the body. Sounds pretty good to me. It's a new truck with new materials being used, they are going to be hard to find for awhile.

 

GM and Chrysler will be doing it eventually with the new EPA ratings coming up, it's only a matter of time.

 

It's nice to see forward progress, without it we would still be using carburetors and bias ply tires.

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

This has nothing to do with aluminum and everything to do with part availability. We have a member here with a new Colorado who couldn't get body parts after an accident too.

truckofwinandawesome Senior Enthusiast

truckofwinandawesome

Posted
Posted

Saw this thread posted on the F-150 forum:

 

http://www.f150forum.com/f118/crash-299581/

 

Poor guy was involved in an accident in April, with no fault of his own. Still waiting on body parts to fix his truck and nothing but excuses from F*&d. Has no truck, but gets to keep sending F*&d his monthly payment.

 

On a positive note, it looks like it held up well, but in the long run, I believe I'd stick with "high strength steel."

 

and to add insult to injury, the poor guy has the THOUSAND DOLLAR Tail Lights! I STILL Can't wrap my head around the fact that a F*YAY*ING TAILLIGHT for a Ford Garners the Same Price as a HIGHLY Engineered SIR System Part for my 5 YEAR OLD AVEO!

BlackZ71Silverado Senior Enthusiast

BlackZ71Silverado

Posted
Posted

It's always difficult to find parts for a newely released, first year redesign. Manufacturer of said vehicle doesn't matter, they are all the same. There are no spare parts for brand new vehicles.

.......and GM has been using aluminum on our truck hoods for years without issue. Pretty sure I read that the C7 Vette also used aluminum, the entire chassis actually.

 

The aluminum the auto industry uses is as strong as or even stronger than steel. Not sure why people are up in arms about Ford trucks having aluminum body panels, it's actually a great idea.

 

 

Sent from my crappy iPhone 6

using Tapatalk

truckofwinandawesome Senior Enthusiast

truckofwinandawesome

Posted
Posted

It's always difficult to find parts for a newely released, first year redesign. Manufacturer of said vehicle doesn't matter, they are all the same. There are no spare parts for brand new vehicles.

.......and GM has been using aluminum on our truck hoods for years without issue. Pretty sure I read that the C7 Vette also used aluminum, the entire chassis actually.

 

The aluminum the auto industry uses is as strong as or even stronger than steel. Not sure why people are up in arms about Ford trucks having aluminum body panels, it's actually a great idea.

 

 

Sent from my crappy iPhone 6

using Tapatalk

 

as Mike mentioned before, the issue here is not the fact that Ford Chose Aluminum to make the F150 out of, the issue is the Availability (or in this case, the LACK of Availability) of repair panels to fix the poor man's truck! his truck sat in a Ford Body Shop for TWO MONTHS, because Ford Executives thought it would be cheaper to forgo having a national inventory of spare parts ready to go at the truck's Launch!

Bad Bowtie2 Enthusiast

Bad Bowtie2

Posted
Posted

The other problem with Ford's all aluminum truck is finding a body shop with the new repair requirments.

 

Shops are required to have a seperate, stand alone facility to even repair a panel on these new F150's!! Ford even requires special approved "tools" to fix these new aluminum body panels- Otherwise their body/metal warranty is void. STUPID!!

 

I haven't heard, but one would also have to imagine the hassel of CORES now on a Ford replacement door, fender, or bedside. After all, that is a good chunk of aluminum, worth plenty good money. Ford already has cores on plastic bumpers, lamps, etc!!

 

Dealing with cores are a huge pain in the neck for already busy body shops to keep track of...

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

 

as Mike mentioned before, the issue here is not the fact that Ford Chose Aluminum to make the F150 out of, the issue is the Availability (or in this case, the LACK of Availability) of repair panels to fix the poor man's truck! his truck sat in a Ford Body Shop for TWO MONTHS, because Ford Executives thought it would be cheaper to forgo having a national inventory of spare parts ready to go at the truck's Launch!

 

If you read my post you'd know GM has done the same. No one has crash parts at launch.

truckofwinandawesome Senior Enthusiast

truckofwinandawesome

Posted
Posted

If you read my post you'd know GM has done the same. No one has crash parts at launch.

 

you'd think the automakers would have the foresight to stock spare parts BEFORE a vehicle launch, so that horror stories like on the F150 Forum never have a chance to happen; but knowing this day and age, all the manufacturers care about is the Bottom line, and the all mighty Profit.

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

It happened at the dealer I worked at. A sales manager had a then all new 2006 Sonata get rear ended by a F-350 at a good speed. Basically made the trunk go away. It somehow wasn't totaled but it was ages before the body guys got parts (this was the first Hyundai built in the U.S. too so no delays in shipping from Korea). They then sold it at a discount with a notice advising about the work and as far as I know the owner never came back for anything but oil changes and the like so they did a good repair.

06pirate Enthusiast

06pirate

Posted
Posted

Wait a few years until these vehicles start getting intergranular corrosion, electrolytic corrosion, etc., and all the other fatigue/chemical related things we used to deal with on aircraft. Aluminum alloys can have great benefits, and are perfect for some applications, but not without drawbacks, and do have characteristics very different from steel in the long term. The new road surface deicer chemicals are eating the aluminum parts of my motorcycles like a rat eats cheese. (Of course, also eating up the steel parts, and on my GMC and Toyota.)

MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

Wait a few years until these vehicles start getting intergranular corrosion, electrolytic corrosion, etc., and all the other fatigue/chemical related things we used to deal with on aircraft. Aluminum alloys can have great benefits, and are perfect for some applications, but not without drawbacks, and do have characteristics very different from steel in the long term. The new road surface deicer chemicals are eating the aluminum parts of my motorcycles like a rat eats cheese. (Of course, also eating up the steel parts, and on my GMC and Toyota.)

 

Aluminum parts have been used on vehicles for decades. And Audi has done aluminum bodies for quite some time too.

Daly Senior Enthusiast

Daly

Posted
Posted

I'd think the fitment problems they are having with the aluminum panels would be a bigger reason not to buy one. Was at a ford dealer the other day looking at Focus' for my brother, and I noticed a lot of the panel gaps are horrendous…

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    250.4k
    Total Topics
    2.7m
    Total Posts

  • Member Statistics

    342,824
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    Ryanwehr14
    Newest Member
    Ryanwehr14
    Joined

  • Who's Online   4 Members, 0 Anonymous, 525 Guests (See full list)

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • Ryanwehr14
      2018 Sierra 1500 Transfer Case Leak

      By Ryanwehr14 · Posted

      A while back, my truck (2018 GMC Sierra 1500 5.3) went in for an o2 sensor and routine service. The tech identified that my rear output seal on my transfer case was leaking, and recommended I have them replace it. At the time I didn't think anything of it, and had them do the repair. Less than a month later, I noticed that the recently repaired seal was leaking again. I called the shop that did the repair and they warrantied the repair and replaced the same seal again. A few months later, I noticed that once again the same seal leak had come back. It wasn't a great time to bring it in and I ended up just living with it for 6 months or so, noticing small (smaller than a baseball) size oil stains below the truck when it would sit for a while, as well as oil spray on the frame (to the point where it actually took the underbody coating off in that one spot). Finally got around to brining it in again, but this time I took it to a dealership service center since I am in a different part of the state for school. They identified the same output seal leaks and recommended they replace them. They also said there was no scoring on the inside of the transfer case, so it didn't need to be replaced. They chalked up the original repair failures to non oem seals and a job that wasn't done correctly. Now they called and said the seals are holding after driving/sitting for a while, but they found a very small leak in the middle, that they recommended they seal with some kind of silicone/jb weld (not sure what they are using). I haven't picked up the truck yet, but I have been reluctant about this whole repair process because I feel like they are just fixing the same thing that keeps coming back, and I am concerned there could be another root cause for the seal failing. Has anybody else experienced anything like this, or have any ideas on other things that could be the root cause?
    • Fishbones
      2012 Sierra 1500 AC issues

      By Fishbones · Posted

      I just started having AC issues with my 2012 Sierra. The symptom is blowing warm air on all vents.  Here is what I have checked so far. Compressor clutch appears to be engaging and cycling  I checked all fuses and relay, no issues. The only thing I have notices is the short line that comes from the firewall is very cold / frosted. This line is approximately 12 inches long. The coldness stops when it hits the first line connector. As far as AC compressor - At first start the clutch engages, runs continually, Short AC line frosts up. After idling for several minutes the AC line thaws out some but is still cool and the compressor clutch starts cycling on and off every 5 seconds.  Any suggestions on what to look at next would be appreciated.  
    • Grumpy Bear
      OCI, not when but why?

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      Unless you are using a bypass filer system with a Beta of 1000 at 2 micron the commercial filters we have access to, even the very best of them, are poor at the 5 to 10 micron range the typical UOA test can 'see'. Point is there are some truly awful filters being sold A 45 micron Beta 75 filter is what Dyson used to call a screen door on a submarine. That leaves wear metals disconnected from filtration unless particulates are larger than the test can 'see' and yet captured by the filter...which is its job. If that is true then you have a major issue screaming at you.    The graph isn't mine. It belongs to GM and their study on this area. I looked up those studies and provided those SAE tech paper addresses multiple times. Machinery Lubrication displayed it and confirmed it. So if you have doubts about the study you'll have to take it up with GM Engineering. Just like you would have to take up a difference in opinion about the meaning a word with Webster or the length of on inch with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.      Most manuals have two schedules. "Normal Service" and "Severe Service". On it's face it tells you that oil in severe service is more highly stressed and doesn't "Last as Long". The item to bore in on is LAST...what does that mean?    It's the same question one asks about how long to toast bread. What are the inputs? Bread type? Wattage of the toaster? Distance from the elements? What is your preferred level of done?    So lets paint this with a broader brush. Oil is made up of the base and the additive package. The first is altered by heat and oxygen and later is sacrificial with a finite life subject to inputs toward that end. Resistance and supply.    It is the reason an OEM's OCI's are determined by 1.) the specifications of the recommended lubricant and 2.) risk management toward the bottom line. Those lubricants are also subject to cost effectiveness for the OEM.    There is a tendency for most people to believe that the OEM recommended oil rest on the top shelf and that anything other is lesser than. Truth is there are more oils on higher shelves than those on the lower shelf below the OEM's. They make that choice on COST TO THE OEM. Testing is incidental to the margin.    GM makes MONEY, the car/truck is a TOOL to leverage MONEY. Insert whatever car brand you like. Until you forking over a million plus COST not quality is the driver. Thus it is by DESIGN the recommended OCI's and oils fall well short of 'best practice protections'. Proof isn't hard to find. GM Ecotec I-4 2400 breather system and cold start PCM tuning has killed more motors and resulted in more litigation for those that used the 'recommended' practice than GM could bear. What was their response? SHORTEN THE OCI. TWICE.    I don't know how long to leave oil in an I don't know how the oil will respond to MY circumstances and because I don't and can't blanket statement or anecdotal evidence my way out of it.....I TEST and FIND the right OCI for the oil I CHOOSE. There is no shortcut but there is blind allegiance. I don't blindly trust anything.    People hear the word 'detergent' and believe that in the context of oil it means the same thing as laundry soap... Only in the most rudimentary way. It's the first additive to give up on you and they are putting less and less with each new API standard. Solvency can be used but it cost. Some unique undisclosed chemistries can be used. Valvoline R & P in example. OEM's haven't an interest in anything they see as limiting market participation. Whatever.         
    • KARNUT
      OCI, not when but why?

      By KARNUT · Posted

      For some unexplained reason my father wanted a salvage yard. As we were getting the family business off the ground one brother ran the salvage yard. We gathered there when rained out working on pipelines in the eighties to pull parts. Perfectly good running vehicles would come to us simply because they wouldn’t pass emissions inspection. We were able to swap parts and sell some of them. I got a clean old nova with a bad engine. I pulled a perfectly good small block out a Camaro. A father and son project with a rebuilt engine. The son couldn’t get the engine running right. The problem was the spark plugs weren’t gapped. The 90s vehicles probably widened the gap of shade tree do it yourself engine repair. My do it yourself hot rod repair stopped at the 70s. After that my trusted mechanic kept them in running shape. 
    • Atlas
      Wow I'm in a pickle. (Broke down truck) and a story.

      By Atlas · Posted

      I have an old dental chair in my shop. Something I got for free and apparently it has more than scrap value? People collect them although mine isn't restored or anything. It's visually interesting (1930's Ritter) which is why I like it. And it IS decently comfortable if you kick back.   When a good buddy of mine saw it he said, let me guess, Atlas. It's a conversation piece? As in, you ask the questions, they do the talking?   Where do you hide the jar of teeth?   I would never.   

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...