|
Ford may have succeeded in its attempt to reduce the weight and improve the fuel efficiency of its F-150 pickup truck by opting to build its body almost entirely out of aluminum, but now it seems that this decision might have a significant drawback that could deter some consumers from buying one in the future. According to a report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the all-new aluminum Ford F-150 is considerably more expensive to repair than the 2014 F-150, which is made of steel.
The IIHS performed various crash tests on the 2015 F-150, and found that, while it fared pretty well on most tests, it takes longer and costs more to repair than its predecessor. According to the IIHS, it costs 26% more to repair damages on the aluminum F-150 than on the steel-bodied one. This suggests that it's more expensive to own a vehicle with an aluminum body than one made of steel, which could easily outweigh the advantages that aluminum has over steel in terms of durability, weight, safety and energy efficiency, and affect the consumer purchasing decision process when considering buying an F-150.
"From a simple bolt-on parts replacement to a more-involved removal and installation of entire body panels, fixing the aluminum F-150 is more expensive than repairing a steel-body F-150," David Zuby, the Institute's chief research officer, said in a press release.
The aluminum F-150 was put through a series of tests, including a small overlap front test, which was the only test it received a worse rating than the steel-bodied F-150. In this test, the right rear corner of the aluminum truck was hit by the front left corner of the steel-body F-150, as it was traveling at 10 mph. After the collision, researchers found that the aluminum truck has sustained more severe damages, and later took both trucks at a Ford dealership and had them repaired, with the repairs for the aluminum F-150 costing $4,147, whereas the steel model cost $3,759 to repair.
One of the reasons why it was more expensive to repair the aluminum truck was that it took longer, because certain components had to be reassembled. Also, some of the aluminum parts that had to be replaced cost more than the parts that were replaced on the steel model. On top of that, labor costs for the aluminum model were 22 percent higher, the IIHS said.
The fact that repairing the aluminum F-150 is more expensive than the steel version makes it more expensive to insure, as well. When determining their customers' premiums, insurance companies take repair costs into account, among other factors, so higher repair costs translate into higher premiums.
However, even though the aluminum model didn't earn the highest rating in the small overlap front crash test, it did very well on all other tests, which suggests that trucks featuring an aluminum body are as safe as steel-body trucks.
"Consumers who wondered whether the aluminum-body F-150 would be as crash-worthy as its steel-body predecessor can consider the question answered," said Zuby.
| 
3
Re: Repairing Ford's Aluminum F-150 Is More Expensive Than Steel-Bodied Cars, According to IIHS
Comments rated to be Good Answers: