[RatRipper]

Thanks. I don’t keep up closely. I was just going on what I thought I heard from my body man last week. I have a 2010 F-150. Got rear-ended by a couple of dope-heads a couple of weeks ago and it went into the shop this morning to be fixed. My body man said they have not had very good experience with repairing the trucks with aluminum parts. He did not elaborate, so I don’t know the specifics of his complaints. But he is personally staying away from the aluminum.

[Spktyr]

It takes considerably different techniques and materials to repair an aluminum body panel than it does steel. Body men complained bitterly when cars got plastic and composite fenders for much the same reason.

It should be mentioned that a number of different panels on the aluminum bodied F-150 (and indeed many of the aluminum cars that have been around since the 90s) are not intended to be repaired but simply replaced.

[IYAS9YAS]

He did not elaborate, so I don’t know the specifics of his complaints. But he is personally staying away from the aluminum.

Aluminum is harder to weld (takes more skill and different equipment) that steel, and it works differently from steel when trying to re-form it (i.e. bang out the dents). Plus, I'm not sure how the aluminum alloy is with respect to body fillers, but I'd think they'd have them figured out by now.

It's basically no different from aircraft aluminum, and repairs have been being made to aircraft with aluminum skins for decades, so the knowledge is out there, but maybe the proper equipment just hasn't made it to automotive repair shops yet.

[taildragger]

"Thanks. I don’t keep up closely. I was just going on what I thought I heard from my body man last week. I have a 2010 F-150. Got rear-ended by a couple of dope-heads a couple of weeks ago and it went into the shop this morning to be fixed. My body man said they have not had very good experience with repairing the trucks with aluminum parts. He did not elaborate, so I don’t know the specifics of his complaints. But he is personally staying away from the aluminum."

Some dear friends on another coast own a large successful independent body shop. They are getting close to retirement, and the next thing they may work on in the next few years will be their golf swing. I spoke to them about the F series w/ the aluminum body. It would take a capital investment for the special tools to fix them, so given their place in life and the number / yr that come through the door it wasn't cost effective.

What goes un-discussed is that the reason for finally going to an aluminum body for mileage was they had come up with a system that is repair-able, and not cost a fortune to fix like an Aluminum Audi, Jag, etc etc.