Straightening Out Aluminum Vehicles

In a classic scene from 1985's Back to the Future, Marty McFly suggests landing Doc Brown's airborne DeLorean on Biff Tannen's 1946 Ford convertible in order to seize the coveted sports almanac upon which the fate of humanity rests. "Marty," Doc replies. "We're in a DeLorean; he's in a '46 Ford. He'd rip through us like we were tin foil." The ever-knowledgeable and 1948 Packard-driving Doc was probably correct: the DMC-12's fiberglass and stainless steel body would've taken a beating from the 1.5 ton, all-steel Ford in a collision. Fast-forward 60 years (or is it 30?) and replace the DeLorean with a Ford F-150, and Doc's quip seems downright prophetic.

In an announcement which burned the automotive industry's rubber early this year, Ford laid out plans for a redesigned 2015 F-150 with a 95% aluminum alloy body. The new design will save 700 pounds of curb weight and, in conjunction with start-stop engine technology, will result in fuel economy improvements of up to five miles per gallon in accordance with new CAFE standards. While competitors are scrambling to follow suit, wary consumers and body shops alike fear the reported cost of specialized training and gear required to repair aluminum parts, as well as the repairs themselves.

The primary difference between steel and aluminum is that the latter does not like to be straightened. Even if a dented aluminum panel is successfully repaired, it will likely be blemished with a crease or fissure. For this reason, consumers are expecting to pay big bucks to have their damaged panels replaced rather than repaired. Collision shops will also need to spring for specialized brushes, grinders, and sanders to remedy the corrosion resulting from contact of dissimilar frame and body metals. Collision repair training organizations have emphasized that quality aluminum repair is heavily dependent on experience, which the vast majority of shops lack.

Industry estimates on the aluminum repair ability of independent shops vary. Bloomberg reported that less than 10% are equipped to handle aluminum, while a more recent estimate by the Automotive Service Association places that number closer to 20%. Early reports suggest that it may cost up to $25,000 to train and certify a single repair tech, an expense which would put smaller shops out of the game completely. Shops which intend to work on steel and aluminum vehicles in the same garage run into another problem: iron oxide byproducts from grinding steel can contaminate nearby aluminum, more or less necessitating the need for a $50,000 dedicated cleanroom.

The use of aluminum in major automotive components is not a new concept. The Audi A8's aluminum body has been in production for twenty years, and other high-end European brands such as Porsche and Jaguar use large amounts of aluminum to conserve weight in their vehicles. Body shops are fretting because Ford's F-series has been North America's top-selling truck for 37 years, and the best-selling vehicle for 32. In other words, there are a ton of F-150's on the road and there will be for some time. Ironically, this may mean that new F-150 owners will flock to import vehicle shops for collision repair, at least until the domestic techs conquer the inevitable learning curve.

Total these worries and it's a potential nightmare for Ford, and many F-series fans are taking to social media and blogs to voice their opposition to aluminum. The company seems well-prepared, though: they're rolling out a new certification process for body shops and have stated that the majority of customers will have a qualified shop within reasonable driving distance from the get-go. Ford's truck marketing manager, Doug Scott, even said a projected ten percent insurance rate hike is "a wash," citing that F-150's are presently cheaper to insure than their competitors from Dodge and GM anyway. And as of May 6, 850 dealerships have enrolled techs in Ford's new repair course, already more than the company's goal of 750 dealerships by the end of 2014. Seemingly in response to consumer belief that a well-placed raindrop could dent an aluminum body (I kid, I kid…), company engineers are claiming that the new F-150 will be more dent- and ding-resistant and are testing this fact by dropping bowling balls onto panels, although I'll believe that when I see it.

All fretting aside, Ford's undertaking is unprecedented and will represent the largest aluminum manufacturing operation in automotive history. A misfire would be a major financial hit, as the material's not cheap to source and assemble, let alone repair. The company has hinted that it's considering widespread use of aluminum in its other models and will likely go ahead with this expansion if the F-150 rolls out well. Barring the use of a flux capacitor-equipped DeLorean, we can only watch and wait for Ford's future in aluminum at this point in time.

Image credit: Tin Can Stuff

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