Edmunds.com Editors Hit Aluminum 2015 Ford F-150 With Sledgehammer
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2024
- Is the aluminum-bodied 2015 Ford F-150 more expensive to repair? Edmunds.com Editors hit it with a sledgehammer to find out. Read more at our long-term road test blog:www.edmunds.com...
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This is actually a very useful real life situation test. I'm so tired of driving down the road and people running up and smashing my car with sledgehammers.
hit it hard enough to shake the whole truck and did almost zero damage.
When you have 3 or 4 girlfriends this can be quite useful
I do this to all my cars just to see how expensive it is the repair
lololol
Gotta sell something....
legokingiscool ko
SoCal Pilot fail they need the hulk or hulk Kogan to smash it withthe slash hammer
I do it to the neighbors cars in the middle of the night, then wait a week and ask, hey how much did it cost to fix the damage those damn punks did last week?
It’s 2019 and I’m still waiting for the conclusion of this video.
Halfway through 2020 now, sorry you missed this-----> czcams.com/video/Um7UpIA4X0s/video.html
We hit our brand-new long-term 2015 ***** F-150 4X4 SuperCrew with a sledgehammer. On purpose. Here's why: edmu.in/1JtFqOd
I expected to see much more damage, a side by side comparison with a non aluminum truck as well as the F 150 would be interesting
With a same controlled and measured force in the hit. This falls in false non scientific advertisement. Slicks50 style.
The question I have to ask is whether the damage is more extensive on the aluminium body truck or the steel body truck?
Mexicans still be like.....
Ey, don't worry, I got this friend that has a cousin that can fix it for 500 bucks. Save your deductible ey
I am wondering about the repair and how it will last over time. Will the repair last as long as the payout of the typical loan period?
Seems pretty straightforward to me. Don't hit your F-150 with a sledgehammer.
If you get hit by a car it gonna do a fuckton more damage then that
madbear3512 liability insurance. Everyone is required to have it so someone else will be paying for it if you get hit. If you caused the accident then you get what you get.
I was surprised to see how much the panel moved and dissipated the blow.
Wow, killed all my skepticism on the aluminum body.
I bought my '78 F150 for $1000 four years ago and I've spent another $1000 or so replacing rubber seals on the body and suspension and some gaskets on the i6 300/4.9L. It has very little rust as it was a southern truck. It also is a long box standard cab which I like and it has a tough Borg-Warner T19 manual granny gear transmission. It doesn't have the bells and whistles that the newest trucks do and it doesn't tow 10,000 pounds but it does what I need it to do and I paid cash for it and it's clean enough to actually get compliments from someone who likes old Fords. And no! This old Ford hasn't been found on the road dead! And it has never left me stranded. I also drive a Toyota car that Gets 40+ mpg I bought 14 years ago. I paid cash for that one too. I just can't see making payments on cars or trucks any longer. I did that in my twenties and I took it in the shorts after selling the new cars every few years for the next bigger better thing.
That did pretty well, better than I thought.
Reading through the comments, it's like guys associate their dick size with the brand of vehicle they buy. Do you do the same with everything? "I buy Uniball pens and they shit all over your Pentel!" Seriously?
Ryan Murray Your girlfriend likes my Uniball.
+Ryan Murray Wanna be part of the PEN15 club?
+Ninth Cinema Down "Like" as in, she finds it funny that you only have "one ball".
Doug S Hahaha!
No u gotta see the crash test it does terrible
I have to laugh since Chevy is now going to aluminum. Ironic don't you think. lol
Just the door panels, hood, and tailgate are aluminum for the 2019 Chevy.
@@Jsuarez6 replying to two year old Post? Lockdown isn't going well for you I see. LoL
So much idiocy in these comments. The vehicle has an ALUMINUM body not steel like virtually every other truck on the road. Edmunds wanted to find out how it would hold up to an impact as well as the cost of repair. Not only do they explain the reason for this action in the video they also provide a link to the article discussing it! Is this really so hard to understand?
The aluminum in the new body styles is stronger than steel. You think that just because it is aluminum, that it would buckle under pressure easily. News flash!! Pop cans are paper thin, and comparing the new body style to a pop can is like comparing single gage steel to twenty gage steel.
Aidan Payne actually it is made of paper thin aluminum that is 1/3 the strength of most steel, they just happened to hit an area with one of the main structures. Please do more research.
Actually it isn't paper thin aluminum and I did do my research. If they hit it any where else on the pickup the results would have been the same. You are just mad because I am right and you are wrong.
Aidan Payne I'm sorry the aluminum on the truck is not stronger than steel. High strength steel can have tensile strengths well over 100KSI, even the strongest aluminum alloys will never reach this. However you can have a very tough and ductile aluminum which is what the truck has.
I_suck_at_LoL The aluminum on this truck is thicker than the previous generation's steel so therefore it very well can be stronger. When it comes to strength to weight ratio, aluminum wins over steel.
Well if it were your typical sheetmetal body panels you would have a dent 5x the size so either way the creasing really means nothing because the dents are dramatically smaller and they are still going to have to repair the whole panel.
Mark, I see an issue with comparing the cost between Aluminum verse Steel. You needed to take the same truck with steel body panel and apply the same force of hit. Then get an estimate of cost for steel body panel. I would think the high tensile strength steel would have more body damage verse the Aluminum panel and would require longer time to repair and bring the cost closer together.
Kids in Africa could ve eaten that truck
Kids in California could ve drunk that drunk
+justa crlon xD
Jim Jiang I'm done lmao 😂😂
Kids in Africa could’ve eaten that joke
Some say the Ford dealer is still fixing the damage
All we know is, he's called the Stig.
LMAO!!!
some say its found on the road dead RIP FORD
Cypress Thunder they are a pain in the ass to fix, with them being aluminum and all. Ask any body shop.
They say it will be ready next week
If you have a chance, check out our full walkaround of a brand new 2016 Ford F150 Lariat Special Edition that just hit our lot! czcams.com/video/RQMwE3uRMQw/video.html
I would think the aluminum body would be good for us up here where road salt is used in the winter on the roads? Body rust has always been a big problem.
Aluminum doesn't rust
+Luh Robert & T-Slim I know that lol...that's what I was saying.
no, aluminum does something way worse than rust. corrosion of aluminum is the nastiest, hardest repair their is. it's so much nastier than rust. definitely a bad idea. then think also about summer and winter. during winter truck out in the sunlight all day and then take off down the road and the expansion of the aluminum and then shrinking back. rips and tears
Ya, thats why every single long haul truckers vehicle is made of aluminum and have been for many many years.
Cuz they never drive through bad conditions right?
+P Rage and have you seen the corrosion on those bad boys? apparently not
Thankfully this video is not intentionally biased like the Chevrolet videos but each video makes one HUGE mistake in many small ways:
What matters is tensile strength, impact resistance, and yield strength. You can't explain those terms in a 30 second TV commercial or a 2 minute video. The facts are that aluminum can take more deflection than steel before it yields (permanently bends). This means smaller door dings and no rust later on, and less chance of a dent when hit with something in real life such as a baseball or a kick. No car maker designs panels for being hit with a sledge hammer (large specific pressure - large force in a small area). In a car-car or car-tree crash, everything yields, steel or aluminum. BTW, when you and your friends all stood on those empty Coke cans with one foot...did you think aluminum was weak then?
For any sledge hammer test you need multiple size hammers struck with increasing forces, each hit in the same place, on equal sized and supported pieces of steel and aluminum. With small enough graduations in the test process you would find the aluminum lasts longer than steel before taking damage. If this is your work truck, you may not want to take it in for repair and risk insurance hikes, but at least you know it won't rust.
"BTW, when you and your friends all stood on those empty Coke cans with one foot...did you think aluminum was weak then?" Bad example. I can make a cardboard cylinder and stand on it without it bending. Cylinders are strong when force is taken longitudinally. .
Stood up surprisingly well. Is there a video of the other brands and how they fared?
Nero Fluidis top gear (clarkson era) did more to a toyota hi lux pick-up.
Great concept for a video! Painful to watch, yes, but worth it in the end. Can't wait to see what the bill comes to and if they are able to fix the crinkles.
the picture in the article taken during the first impact tells alot, look how much flex that aluminum has. a steel panel would not pop back like that.
services.edmunds-media.com/image-service/ximm/?quality=85&image=media.ed.edmunds-media.com/ford/f-150/2015/lt/2015_ford_f-150_det_lt_115152_717.jpg
Plus alot of people dont realize how long these trucks are going to last. A major problem for all brands is Body Rust. the frames never have too much issues but the rocker panels, cab corners, fenders, cab mounts and support braces usually rust out. not with aluminum. its one of those things where once Rust starts showing it usually too late and very expensive/time consuming to remove and repair properly. Iv seen plenty of trucks that's drive trains are still very reliable but have to be Auctioned offed as is or scrapped due to Body Rust.
its military grade aluminum, of course its strong. people think of aluminum cans, hit a steel truck with a sledge
This question could have been answered by making a phone call to a body shop, didn't need to damage a new vehicle. The upside to aluminum besides weight reduction is corrosion resistance, if you live in northern US ten winters is enough to cause considerable rust damage to a steel body. And the damage is from the inside out so when you see it coming through the paint the surfaces underneath are already rusted and need repair. So there is pluses and minuses, I would take the aluminum.
Al will outlast steel by a factor of 10.
Aluminum does oxide, like Steel. Just a bit slower. Plus it doesn't hold paint as well, so the paint may chip faster.
There sure are alot of aluminum boats on the columbia river, has been my whole life many are well over 30 yrs old...funny they havn't just fell apart! Haha. 😂 my 2 cents!
What you fail to do in this test though is assess fairly the damage inflicted by 2 sledgehammer hits onto a steel body F150 to compare the amount of damage.
Grab a 2014, smash it in the same place twice, see how much MORE damage is inflicted by the same two strikes, then take the truck to the same dealership for repairs.
Then you'll have a fair comparison.
The aluminium that they use on the new f150 is military grade. It's way stronger and tougher than people think.
Yes, the IIHS just crash tested it and it did very well and even aced the Amal overlap crash test in crew cab configuration.
Small*
WTF is "military grade" supposed to mean? I went to my metal supplier and asked for "military grade" aluminum and they said there is no such classification.
Wacky thought.
1. Buy a panel for a 2015 Aluminum F-150.
2. Hit bought panel with a sledgehammer.
3. Take panel back to the dealer and get a replacement and a repaired cost. Compare those costs to a 2014 F-150 with the same panel.
Watch the video again. This isn't just a panel you can replace. The whole bed is one piece.
sugonmaballs
They still sell replacement panels. It's just not as simple as bolting on a new door or fender, as they explained in the video.
Is this really the way you test out a real world scenario? Because it's wrong.
Think of the panel and where it is located. There is the frame of the truck underneath, and all of the other things connected to or near the panel. Case in point - they had to replace that taillight, even though he did not aim his sledgehammer at it. The way a panel absorbs impact is different if you take it out on its own and put it on the ground, vs having it on the truck in the place where it had been installed from the factory. The aluminum panel transferred some of that force to the taillight and busted it somehow - would this have happened to a steel panel?
They should have perhaps set up some kind of machine to swing a sledge hammer at an exact spot on the panel, at an exact level of force, then used that machine on an aluminum-bodied F-150, and a steel-bodied F-150, then compared the costs associated with the repair.
Wouldn't it have to have another panel since you are in possession of the panel you damaged and are now taking back.? It could not be the very same panel.
And since you just bought the panel you damaged, why would you have to ask for a replacement cost.? You just bought one.
Ivan Vojt still aluminum, still shit
My new mustang gt has a aluminum hood and the paint is bubbling up. I wonder how the trucks will do after a few years?
Does it sit in the sun all day? and did you check to see if the hood was actually aluminum by using a magnet?
Most new vehicles have aluminum hoods besides aluminum has nothing to do with the paint bubbling
I painted for 10 years and in my opinion ford didn't use the right primer. I agree that aluminum is ok for paint, but it needs to be done right.
More a sign of bad prep/paint in the factory my '02 Volvo has an aluminum hood and even with a few stone chips it's got no signs of corosion.
REALLY
HOW DO VOLVOS STAND UP??????????????
EXPENSIVE TO FIX?
SEEN A LOT OF 240S HERE IN CT
I do this to my cars very often it just great to know you test it for us
Great idea. Looking forward to the result.
Labor costs / hourly rates account for most car maintenance and repair expenses. Since those are relatively small damaged areas, it won't be too bad. You'd be surprise with aluminum's strength, if engineered right. I had a Mazda RX-8 that was struck at an angle on the left side by a Toyota Corolla at around 20 to 25 mph during a lane change. The Corolla's right side, from bumper corner all the way to the rear right quarter panel had buckled, and the insurance company declared it totaled. My RX-8 had some creases on both aluminum "suicide" doors, scuffed paint at rear wheel well, but no structural damage. The mobile dent repair guy was able to reshape the door panels and buff out the light scratches, so it wasn't too costly. He said aluminum is a bit harder to work with, but do-able, and the silver paint made it easier. Darker paint, especially black, is more difficult to work with, for even something as simple as waxing.
I had a deer slam into the left rear door of my RX8 a while back, and the damage was not bad at all. I don't think I'm even going to have it fixed. The worst part was it also got the 1/4 panel, and a little damage to the back edge of the front door.
Next time, hit it with your purse, Travis.
Couple more tattoos and he might be able to hit it like a man
If I lived in a region that has alot of snow I would trade up for this truck NO Rust. This will truly be the longest lasting truck on the road. Each Manufacturer has unique tech for each truck, I shop for bang for my buck I have a Ram and love. It just sucks that the customer experience sucks with all dealers and warranty work. Now that where these guys need to focus on the product is great but I hate taking my vehicle In it always come back with a new scratch. There's a bike shop the does a walk around with you and notes all damage before they start working on it. ASK anyone how was your experience most people will say it sucks, or have to drive 3 hours to go to the one dealer that has great values. Thanks for the vid.
this is the future Strong, Light weight will not rust. I would like to see a steel truck hit with that force I dont think there will be a small dent.
Yep up north rust plagues our vehicles, its either rhino line the rockers and fenders and undercoat it and wash it frequently or deal with a rusty pile of shit. Its going to be sweet never worrying about rust ill tell you that right now.
Amazing how hitting an inanimate mass produced vehicle that no one should care about can evoke so much emotion. My heart sank on that first hit.
If you do that to a chevy or dodge it will need to have the whole panel replaced and then it would be recalled minutes after it leaves the body shop
Here's my take on why labor is double to repair aluminum compared to steel. I am an A&P licensed aircraft mechanic and an experienced welder and machinist by trade. Auto repair shops are set up to work with steel and that is what they know. TIG and MIG aluminum welding is a whole different beast compared to steel. I say lack of equipment, supplies and most importantly...experience is why labor costs are double. If you are used to welding steel, working with aluminum is like trying to weld two sticks of butter together.
If they hit a Chevy the doors would've fell off on the driver side.
Yeah and Chevy would have another recall on it
+123benitezm ford isnt that great they stolen all there tech from volvo so no wow factor . plus the frod ecojunk is having problems with a miss fire on start up caused by the idiots the design them
+Tonykart18 lmfao
so why do dumb people buy this junk . is say its all the bull shit lies . its kinda like the same thing with hillary more lies
very true
Contrived - Edmunds didn't go to one of the 750 Ford dealers initially trained, authorized and equipped for the aluminum body. Panel cost is almost the same and repair costs are actually less as acknowledged by the insurance companies and their rates.
You hit a sheet metal bed with a sledgehammer the damage will be just as bad if not worse. The issue is the cost to repair.What's the next test, shoot it with a .45?
One thing in this video which we chatted about at one of our morning meetings , is Edmunds didn't take this F-150 to a certified ford dealership with certified ford mechanics that know how to fix this not just properly but efficiently , so the cost of the repairs are not reflected properly and ford contacted Edmunds about this.
built tough proud ford owner
I hope you read this if you question the aluminum bed still... chevy and dodge like to try and sell us on a stronger, easy to fix beds. To me the most important selling point on aluminum is that this bed will not get cancer (rust) on the fender wells. The one part on a truck that always rusts is now taken care of. Thank you ford, i hope this is the new standard for pick-up trucks, i know it will increase the longevity
wow that truck is strong. A sledgehammer to the quarter panel and that was the only dent.
Gotta give credit where credit is due. Ford is on top of its game with this truck
I wonder if putting a bed rack that holds ladders, I wonder if putting weight on that would crease the top of the bed too.
The clip should've ended with the Ford driver returning out of the other end of those gates in a Dodge. Then redo the whole thing with the Dodge snapping it's tie rod ends off and being replaced with a Chevy. But bad news - Its got an engine knock. Did I cover all buyer loyalty trolling bases here?
You gotta hit the "foreign" trucks like the Titan and Tundra too.
- the Nissan truck driver not being able to afford to replace his parts....
*****
My Nissan truck doesn't need parts replaced because it never breaks down. The old D21 body code trucks were considered practically "unkillable" by most people. And Toyota SR5's are built to be beaten.
ohh boy here we go
*****:SiGh: If I have to explain the joke - its not really a joke any more. Also, 3 Wheelers were made from the late 60's to mid 1987 By Honda. Regardless, Welcome to the Internet, Champ.
There are 2 kinds of people who drive these trucks. People who use them for what they were made to do and people who are posers trying to look rugged/tough. The former realize a truck takes wear and tear so they do not fix dents/scratches regardless of what it costs (even if it was $200 to fix the whole thing). The latter don't really scratch/dent their trucks going to the mall or Starbucks in them. The repairs could cost $800 per hour but it is not something they will need. Insurance will be higher for the truck for repairs needed from collisions; that is the only real difference. If someone can afford the $50K version of the F150 they can afford the expensive tail lamp too. Besides, once a year goes by the used parts market will be flooded with parts of this truck and $200 will buy a like new tail lamp with the blind spot sensor/LED strip. People are just resistant to changes. When nearly all American cars had steel chromed bumpers on them the import cars were looked at as being odd for having matte black or body color rubber bumper covers over the crash bars on them. Fast forward to now and virtually all new cars have plastic bumper covers. It will be the same with aluminum body parts on pedestrian vehicles; the material will not be considered exotic in a few years.
man id love to see them slam a sledge hammer into a new chevy bed, i bet it would fold it in half
Soft panels are amazing, both bumpers on my ford focus are fearly soft, one backing I hit a guy behind me pretty hard, he had a focus as well, no damage what so ever was done. My cousin has a BMW and it has hard bumpers, it takes nothing to crack them and it's expensive to replace
Wow, i'm really suprised. Plus the aluminum body would stand up to rust much, much better than steel. Good job ford.
Aluminum will corrode to white dust aluminum oxide same as sand paper
@@nickking1510 that comment was 3 years ago i hate all new vehicles and it's stupid to make anything that isn't a race or sports car out of aluminum
when I get mad I beat my truck with a sludge hammer and it doesn't make a hole but thank you Chevy I realized I just need a tool box.
🤗👍👍 I thought it was getting a hole in the bedside amazing job ford love you chevy is the second option when you dont get aproved by ford credit.
I had a front on collision in my 2015 f150 and totally cut through the other 1/2 truck that hit me like it was nothing. The Aluminum is bad ass. Plus it didn't cost anymore to fix
If you don’t get approved you probably shouldn’t be buying a vehicle at all
What people like to forget is that the 3.5L Ecoboost is turbocharged and the 5.0L V8 is not. I think V8s can be made to be more efficient, they just got to start making them smaller and slap turbos on them(which appears to be the trend now). For example, the 4.0L V8TT in the Mercedes-AMG GTS gets 27mpg highway and compared to the 6.2L V8 from the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG which gets 20mpg.
Anyone else see the video of the guy peeling the door skins apart like a soup can?
+T. Price I seen that ! $2 Malwart Pliers were used !
+jackpontiac52 cant even spell Walmart right
+darrian klein 'Mallwart' as in Mall Wart. Lacking a sense of Humour , I see !
+jackpontiac52 walmart
Correct ! I like to say Mall Wart
All things considered, that held up really well. Let's see steel hold up like that.
Won't even dent steel
@@YankeeDoodle2 😂😂😂😂😂
Wow these guys are crazy but I am impressed by the abuse this new truck took. We fix things over on my channel not break things.
more work for u :)
FordTechMakuloco now replace the whole bed for that litle damaged
FordTechMakuloco ii
Hi
put a 3000lb pallet in that bed lol
the only thing that aluminum is good for is no rust
Why would you do this? And you should of tested other bodies too!
It's a "tough" work truck unlike most other luxury aluminum bodied cars.
JaySee5 luxury cars are meant for luxury, not to be work horses. Want to commute at 250kph to work on the auto bahn while listening to your favorite track and not road noise? You go luxury.
Want to ride in a janky sack of shit that rides like a 20 year old honda after 50k miles? Buy ford.
Fuck off you idiot. Ford make the best cars, vans and trucks.
I work at a ford dealership with a body shop the parts are actually cheaper for the aluminum trucks and the insurance companies are so tight with there your money they really do not pay anymore to fix them... but there are a little more difficult to fix
they couldn't test this on a chevy because if they were to hit it with the hammer to..it would just all fall to pieces lol..
+Tannerman amen, ford for life.
+Tannerman Yea you're right man, the hammer probably wouldnt last past the first hit
+Tannerman well anything the government does turns to crap
+XxmuncsterxX but the Chevy
would have been crushed and crumbled in the way of the hammer and the door would have flown off and hit you in the nuts
+HillbillyFishing Dodge and Ford life right baby
consumer reports did a update on this n edmunds didnt take it to a dealership that was prepared to fix aluminum. if you take it to a dealership that has the tools and stuff it will be about the same as fixing steel body and not cost more or take longer.
I'm guessing that's going to be expensive...
TVfanfanatic maybe $200
Can't believe it has been seven years since this video was released; Travis flexed his muscles for the sake of consumer education!
How many vehicles has Edmunds hit with a sledgehammer before...? Kinda stupid of a test.
Because of the body lines where it's stronger than a large flat area it did better then expected. Hit it in a flatter area and you'll see how the aluminum cracks as opposed to steel
And that is how you know that the chevy commercials where they drop the toolbox in the chevy truck bed and the ford truck bed is fake! That dude used all his power with a damn sledgehammer against the truck and there was barely anything. In the chevrogay commercials, the dude dropped a simple little toolbox in the bed and there were so called "holes" in the bed. Seems weird how a sledgehammer barely did any damage but a toolbox put actual "holes" in the bed. Fake af commercials!
GTR_Scott Agreed! Chevy is still mad cause they didn’t come out with the ecoboost lol so they are being little titty babies about everything
Lmao now Chevy is trying to beat Ford by putting a 4-cyl in their new trucks! What a joke.
Lieutenant Turnipage they are actually shooting themselves in the foot by doing that, it’s kinda like Chevy is waving the white flag cause Ford keeps dominating lol
Lmao, Chevy is just trying to fail.
GM=general miscarriage.
In 1969, Camaros were made of steel. In 1970 and later, they were made of aluminum. GM and owners found out that Al body work is much more expensive to do. Repairs often are not easily made to match the original. I guess FORD will find out that this may be a way to save a few pennies on mpg, but will result in much higher insurance rates with the difficulty of repairs.
I've never cringed so hard in my life
Nicholas Bell why
That truck now have a savage title .
How bout get another car and smash into the side and see the outcome... This is just silly.
Probably because totaling/severely damaging 2 vehicles is more expensive than doing cosmetic damage to one, and the IIHS and NHTSA will be doing that anyways for crash test ratings.
True good point!
Let's see the results!
Who cares how expensive it is to repair the aluminum panels? The bigger problem is that it's a Ford and it's going to need a replacement engine and transmission.
Ain't that the truth. My cousin hasn't even had her brand new espace 2 years yet and it just had its transmission replaced.
+Puss Energy TM Escape*
+Perry Hvegholm i have a 1994 F-150 and the 5.0 V8 has well over 200,000 and is running perfectly
+Nickolas McCollum Older Fords last longer than brand new ones. I broke a brand new fusion when I had it as a rental for 2 weeks, the transmission stopped shifting at 30k miles.... but a 1990 crown victoria will still drive just fine.
well i have 2008 ford fusion also
weve fixed a decent amount in our collision shop these things buckle like crazy
The obvious solution is to buy a truck made before 1970 so it will last and take a beating.
Yeah obviously...
***** Yes, indeed. Auto Corporations are doubling down on planned obsolescence. They are making everything so that you MUST take it to the dealer to fix anything, which costs so much money the repairs for, say, a transmission costs more than what the vehicle is worth.
I bought a 1966 Ford dump truck that was sitting in a grass field for fifteen years straight. The person I bought it from added a little starting fluid and new gasoline and it fired right up.
Lets take a new truck right off the lot, use it hardcore for 40 years or more, push it into a grass field, and let it sit there for another fifteen, and see if it starts. It wont make it to 40.
The auto company's BRAG about a ten year lifespan. I remember when the BATTERY on trucks lasted five years.
The new headlights are a huge pain in the ass to change. You need to remove the plastic bumper to change them. Auto corporations say the bulb will last for the lifetime of the truck. They dont, and they are essentially saying your truck will last as long as a light bulb.
New trucks use cast aluminum engine blocks which wear out faster and are more susceptible to piston side thrust.
There are a LOT of other reasons.
But no, I 100% assure you my frame up restored 1969 K10 is a LOT more reliable than anything coming off the lot now.
*****
"99% of all old cars have died long ago, suggesting they are not reliable."
-Wrong. Back then cars were much simpler (and inherently more mechanically reliable, this is a basic tenant of engineering if you ever went to College for mechanical engineering, a more mechanically simple device is, almost without exception, more reliable). And because they were simpler, they were much more affordable. People also had a much higher income.
Now, onto your "clunked out" thing. Here's the thing, old trucks do not "clunk out" because there is never a problem with them, never, that can't be fixed for more than 2 thousand dollars. The problem is that people dont maintain their fucking vehicles because they are lazy, incompetent, or just have the expendible income like in the 80's and before to buy new things like cars on a whim. Unlike today.
Now, take for example the automatic transmission. It has hundreds of meters of wiring that can go wrong, hundreds of plastic gears, actuators, etc. which are literally designed to shear and break and wear over time.
"Planned obsolescence" has been proven to be a myth, and suggesting new vehicles with higher tolerances, computer aided design, etc, are somehow less reliable or worse than a 40-50 year old vehicle is just stupid."
-No, its not. Did you know that modern day Jet fighter aircraft have a MUCH lower lifespand than a WWq era bi-plane. They cost MUCH more to maintain, require specialized technicians, service every 800 hours of flight, and on and on and on. A bi-plane requires a simple air cooled engine and basic maintenance.
Modern cars are high performance and high safety (due to airbags, not durability of construction) BUT that comes at the cost of simplicity and reliability, affordability of maintenance, and the ability to maintain your own vehicle.
Think about this, I had to replace my ORIGINAL fuel pump on my 1969 truck recently. Its extremely simple, its pushed back and forth by a lobe in the engine. Oh I can buy a replacement pump for 35 dollars.
-New cars require dropping the gas tank, and replacing the pump, electric wiring, etc. and so much more and the pumps are proprietary and cost over 200 dollars each.
The point is that Henry Ford got it RIGHT when he said the three tenants of car design is
1: Affordability
2: Simplicity
3: Reliability.
1: The car must be affordable otherwise average people can't afford it.
2: The car needs to be simple so that people can afford it. Complicated systems are inherently costly.
3: A car that is reliable, and doesn't require NASA technicians, computer scientists, programmers, and engineers to repair is essential for the common man.
Look, take for example the VW Beetle. Its the most mass produced car in the world and was made into the 21st century. What made it great?
It had no computers
It had no modern BS.
It was simple and reliable. You could replace the entire engine in thirty minute yourself, without a certified technician. Any other component can be equally replaced easily. The components are also simple and hence they are also cheap.
Whats it matter if the car needs its points changed every so often when you can do everything yourself for the cheap with cheap parts with ease?
"Oh they clonked out decades ago"
-Bull. Take those same sitting cars, and give me a day, and they will drive again. I seen a farmer take a 120 year old steam shovel, sitting unused and not even maintained. He fired it up in an hours time, and it moved under its own power. Lets take a brand new car of your choice, place it in the middle of the forest for 100 years, and come back and see what it looks like.
www.army.mil/article/171926/picatinny_engineers_modify_m119a3_howitzer_to_make_it_safer_simpler_more_reliable
Note that in many articles across all industry, simpler and more reliable are used Synonymously. There's a reason for that. Its literally an engineering principle.
Einstein himself said that:
“The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple."
And I agree 100%
Not all things on new cars are bad. Disc brakes are an improvement, the use of rubber seals, and a few other things are better. But for the most part, they are rolling hunks of plastic. Trucks today dont last, are made of paper thin metal, and use cast aluminum blocks which wear out faster. They have overly complicated automatic transmissions that have plastic gears, lots of actuators, fluids, lines, wires, so much crap to go wrong. One loose wire and you're fucked. The average man can't even access the damned fuze box!
What shocked me to learn recently was that new cars use timing belts. BETLS! Thats insane, its subject to cracking, slippage, decay, wear, and so much more. You know what I have in my truck? *A herringbone gear drive.* I very seldom ever need to adjust my trucks timing, and I'm using points ignition.
"Planned obsolescence" has been proven to be a myth"
-Lol. Lolololololololol.
"higher tolerances"
-I dont think you even know what a tolerance even is, going by this statement. But please give me the definition (dont google it!)
"computer aided design"
-I'm an engineer, and I'm trained in CAD and much more. All it is, is digital drawing that reduces how much time it takes to model things out. Thats it. The presence of a computer makes engineering easier, not better. Engineering comes from the mind, not the machine.
*****
"Even if it did, popping it out of it's socket and installing a new one is extremely easy."
-Oh I disagree. Have you ever tried to replace a computer on a car? Also they are proprietary and very expensive.
"there is really nothing to break inside of a simple microprocessor. "
-Water, vibrations, weather, high humidity, and much more all damages the microchips.
-Furthermore, they require sensors, excessive wiring, and a whole host of support systems. Another thing, the computer requires constant energy from the battery otherwise the engine dies. But lets say the negative terminal or wire is damaged or knocked off. The car with the computer dies immediately. The old truck doesn't even notice.
-Wiring is very susceptible to damage, and the more you have the more you have a chance for it to get damaged. And damaged wiring is a pain to track. And OBD-2 doesn't help with finding the shorted wire, especially if it is a disappearing short. See, often times a wire will be damaged so that sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. These little fucking grimlins can't be found with OBD-2 so modern technology is rendered useless and now you gotta backpeddle thousands of feet of wiring.
-Okay, so the microchip is fine. Why have it? Its just one more thing to go wrong, its not like you're going to be able to eliminate the basic mechanical systems with it. More parts just means more things to statistically break. The more parts you have in an interdependent system the more likely things will break.
"Even if it did, popping it out of it's socket and installing a new one is extremely easy."
-Seriously, this is a serious question, are you someone thats ever actually done that? Because most people can't even find the fuze box on their car to find a fuze these days. How the hell are you going to replace the computer?
I dont need an electronic brain in my truck because *I* am the brain of my truck. But hey, most people dont have brains these days so maybe the stupid unneeded chips and bajillions of wires are needed.
My point is this: why pay for crap on a truck thats unneeded, just increases the parts to break, and are expensive? Wouldn't a truck thats so mechanically simple anything can be replaced on the truck, including the engine and transmission itself, in less than an hours time and for no more than 1500 dollars ever be the ultimate solution?
-Thats how the VW beetle became the worlds most popular car. Ever. Thats also how the Model T got successful.
***** One more thing about "old cars clunking out" here's something some lady wrote on a public forum.
"I bought a '68 Buike LaSaber from an elderly women who lived across the street, this was in Lebanon. It had 76k original miles on it. Got it for $900. Mint with gold fleck. Showroom clean! What a friggin land yacht! Talk about cruising, lol. Those bench seats were as big as my living room sofas! Kept it till the u-joints went bad. Couldn't find anyone to work on it. I guess being female they just try and mess with you like you don't know anything. Sold her for &250.00 in the late 80s. Thanks, James. Good memories! Things I haven't thought of for years!"
-Stupid. The U-joints cost less than a hundred bucks and can be replaced with relative ease.
This is why old cars were junked. Not because they were bad, but because *idiots* dont know or care how to repair or maintain their cars. I'll bet the silly female never greased those u-joints, either. I mean, thats greasy dirty work. "EEEeewwwwwwww, I can't get my pretty lil' hands dirty!"
And so its worth it to stupid people to pay thousands of dollars to buy a _new_ car, they lie to themselves and tell themselves its a _better_ car to justify their thousands of dollars of loss so they dont _feel_ stupid (its all about the _feels_ and not the logic). When all they had to do was get on their hands and knees and replace the U-joints.
People are just stupid creatures. Cars of old were designed by engineers who assumed their owners would maintain them and take care of them and replace parts when needed. Thats _why_ they designed everything to be easily replaced the accessible, so the car itself would last theoretically indefinitely. Auto-designers now know people are stupid and design everything to pack in as tight as possible because they know idiots wont maintain it. Like the "permanently lubricated" wheel bearings on cars. You know those are actually going to burn out faster than if you used the old school style, but the old way requires packing new grease in every so often.
"EEEEEeeeeewwwwwww can't get my hands dirty!"
So they put bearings in that burn out and can't be re-greased.
Edmunds.com Do y'all have a comparable video of hitting a steel bed with a sledge hammer? It would be interesting to see how they hold up comparatively. Cheers.
I own a F-350 and love my truck! I also own a body shop and I have repaired probably 40-50 F-150 pick up trucks and I gotta say the new F-150 is a big failure in the collision part. They break and tear apart like a piece of aluminum foil. We repair all kinds of aluminum cars from all over the world but the new F150 from a body stand point is a failure.
But what if you take into account the extra damage that the steal body would have taken. Can you compare the cost vs damage of the 2.
It might have sustained more damage if you had a MAN hit it with a sledge hammer...
Some thing that the should market is that the bed and wheel wells wont rot out in a few years like new steal bodies are doing. Assuming its all actually aluminum
Ford = leading the way. GM = just good enough. If you argue with that, I'll scientifically show your ignorance part by part and innovation by innovation.
GM people will not like this if they engage--no matter the model year comparison.
Ready?
GM half ton: lots of lug nuts on wheels, right? "Looks tough." What are the wheels bolted to? Rotors. How is the rotor held on to the hub? One phillips-head screw.
Funny. The entire GM truck is that way. Looks tough, but where it counts, it is merely "good enough."
Wait, simple headlights.....if they would had used a larger gauge wire, we'd see GMs with both headlights working.....just good enough.
Bought a GM? Sucker.
You bought it because you don't research----and were emotionally or family attached--period.
Funny, replacing this Ford panel is cheaper than a GM's box. You can't get just a panel on the GM.
www.gmpartsoutlet.net/gmc/sierra-1500/22925694/2014-year/slt-trim/5-3l-v8-flex-engine/body-cat/pick-up-box-scat/?part_name=box-assy
Like I said, part for part....so what company gives you the best value for your buck? Ford.
Jason Judd Actually the rotors and wheels are bolted to the hub by the same studs. The phillips head screws only keep the rotors in place while the wheels are off.
Other than the ill-conceived cylinder deactivation, there is nothing I'd change about my Silverados.
FORD will never be as good as GM, no matter how you look at it.
Consumer reports show that ford is the worst rated car company right after Fiat. Research top 20 worst cars, ford will have 2 if not 3 cars in there.
GM will always dominate in innovation. I have yet to see anything good in ford vehicles, except for maybe the mustang finally getting IRS lol. Just look at how corvettes are selling and how camaro has outsold the mustang since its return.
GM has a superior suspension that is being sold to ferrari and audi. Cyclinder deactivation... i mean should i go on?
CCZ hm where did you see that at all the websites I've been on said ford was better than gm. Kid you don't know anything stop spreading false information around. The transmissions are horrible and the engines takes years just to fix all the problems and resolve them by that time the engine is already out dated gm takes forever to fix there trucks
CCZ really you haven't seen anything good out of ford. The numbers are higher. The ford is safer. More American the trucks are assembled in America and the power plants were moved to Michigan and scraped in Mexico. Gm is always on bailouts. Ford always end handled there money better than gm. May I go on
Neat video a probably 25lb sledge does some serious damage if if swung slow. Not to mention anywhere salt is used body damage from rust is $$$ and many shops won't do that at all. I think you also save around 3/4 of a ton which helps handling along with fuel economy.
soda cans recycled lol
lol lol comparing a HUMVEE to a pos ford truck!!!! Humvee body panels ARE NOT paper thin aluminum alloy like the ones on a ford and are of a totally different and even higher grade alloy than what comes on a ford!!!!!
I Love The 2015- 2020 F150 More Then The 2021 Because My Grandpa Has A 2018 Or 17 And It’s An Incredible Truck! Absolutely Love It!
lol throw a toolbox on it and it will make a hole in it
I know you got butt hurt because Ford post one video and chevy fans and Chevrolet got mad so they had to post 3 videos.
u have been brainwashed bye Chevy...this is what happens when ford is the king of trucks...
MR.SINISTER you could look at the commercial and tell that the one on the ford was full of weights and they threw it on the same spot several times
not a very stong hit. big arms , not tattoos and a hipster haircut make a man strong. misses travis has not swung a sledgehammer verymany times either
there's a vid on you tube shows that the same tool box perforated the Chevy bed too
Notice how they said they didn't do the doors which could be replaced. In other words we didn't hit the door or the front fender because that would have been destroyed and we don't want u to think what will happen in an accident if we did that.
As a Chevy guy, I enjoyed watching these guys destroy a Ford.
As a Chevy guy you also love your cousin more than a family love.
destroy lol it didn't even get scratch
im a ford guy bt I think all trucks look sexi when lifted except them toyota trucks and lil Nissans
+1210skater You just showed you maturity, and lost that one, big time.
Looks like they failed at "destroying" it. lol
Hope they redo this test in a year... i bet price have come down atleast 40 to 50%. Right now alumium is so expensive to repair because it needs a different equipment than the one they have normally in store for steel, and the workers need special training and not everyone has it. So with the best selling vehicle in America been made from Aluminium and other cars comming soon too, will dramatically drop the price as what is now a speciality will become the norm, so don´t be so scare on buying aluminium F150, after all insurance company are not charging more for their policy, that means the cost of repair is about the same for them
this makes me sick
My opinion of Ford has been hammered for years.
ford making another garbage design to go with the eco boost garbage design. ford outsells chevy, yet there are still more chevys on the road today. haha. next ford is gonna twin turbo a briggs & stratton motor and make the body out of cardboard and duct tape
Mr.TooTall 939 you really know nothing about ford do you
You should drive one before you call it junk. The 3.5 rivals a lot of diesel motors with hp and torque specs.
What they aren't telling you is. It's 80% harder to fix than steel and considerable more money. 1100 in a steel panel will cost you 2500 in aluminum. I just went through the process.
I'm a body technician and I can tell you two things. These dents would not be fun for me to fix, and they would be very expensive. Aluminum body repair is double that of steel.
Thats a pretty good hit to have that little bit of damage
A hit like that on a steel bed would have caved in a huge dent. I did it to a 04 chevy bed and it left a big dent. I had one that was wrecked up front so I did not care if I dented the bed.... Same could be said for any other steel bed truck..
That aluminum bed hit I would not even worry about fixing on a work truck...
personally I wouldn't mind the trade off. so long as you don't beat up your truck, you have a better performing vehicle. sill, nothing beats the reliability of a toyota
True it costs more to fix but if you have collision insurance you still will only have to pay the deductible. If you are planning to keep your truck for 10 years or more and you live in the northeast you will be dealing with rust issues on a steel truck and insurance doesn't cover that.
The Bradley Infantry fighting vehicle is constructed with aluminum to save weight.
And if you are worried about a small dents and creases enough that you spend that kind of money to fix em, what are you doing driving a pickup truck in the first place?
Recent photos online show that the aluminum beds literally rip apart when load shifts. Steel beds don't do that.
funny how they hit it right where the inside bumper impact rob is... try hitting it on the hood or the front fenders it wont be the same outcome
I got this truck yesterday "what happened to the fender" oh I just smashed it two times with a sledge hammer