I haven,t really looked at them or into them . but being a bit older , well 52 ish I remember the joys of having to work on Fiats and English cars back in the 70,s , Lada,s .. they had lotsa aluminium in them an were a disaster .
Will history repeat it self ??.
That gravely voiced guy in the commercials . should be made to drive his truck of the year truck when its 3 or 5 yrs old . ha ha , then announce whether its truck of the year or not . ..77.
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I,m as cool as Milner , but axeually a bit more like Beckwith
Wasn't there a problem with Ford spark plugs not coming out?
They came out in a few pieces. not sure if if they are still using that engine and plug design ? I know it was some stupid price like a grand to change them. I think its just not a ford problem today with plugs lasting 80 to 100k . In an older post Chuck said to pull them out every year to keep them from becoming part of the block.
I was looking to buy a aluminum Featherlit trailer so I phoned the factory and talked to one of the engineers there. Told him I was from Canada and was concerned about the effect of salt from the road. He was quite nice to talk to telling me that the salt is bad for it but they found that the liquid de-icer is just horrendous on it. I thanked him and kept the steel one I have. I also have a car in storage for 6 years with an aluminum hood that the underside the aluminum hood is oxidising and the paint is flaking off. I for one will stay away from Ford.
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Yes they are all crazzzy but me and you........... and I am not sure about you!!!!
Ford's had aluminum hoods for years now.
I had a Land Rover that was aluminum bodied and had no issues with the body
Pre 2003 5.4 engines popped plugs as there was only 3 or 4 threads holding them in, later heads have 8 threads.
Everytime they come up with something that sounds good it time to bendover
Newer laws make it too costly or impossible to repair any aluminum structural parts. No more rivet patches so time to buy a part or replace the truck. Ever notice city buses are riveted together, look and see they corrode from the salt. They can drill out the rivets and pop on new panels.
Stay away.............
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Fords Rule ! If it ain't designed and manufactured in North America it sucks ! I don't do rice, pasta, fish and chips, sauerkraut, Ikea or other third world motor vehicle !
I'm not in the market but if I was I would lease one for three years to give me a good look . I hope Ford addresses the aluminum situation in their commercials ......ANYTHING would be better than listening to that Dodge Ram commercial about " 40 miles to the gallon " . What a crock .......maybe over cliff with a strong tail wind !
Having spent my career in aircraft structural repair I am familiar with aluminum and corrosion. I would be hesitant to buy a new Ford. I haven't heard anything on what they are doing to protect it against corrosion. Aircraft like seaplanes and flying boats operating in a salt water environment have special coatings and undergo inspections often for corrosion.
It will be interesting to see the 2015 Fs in 10 years time.
I think it's all going to come down to how well they rustproof the aluminum. If they use some kind of coating that works well these aluminum cabs might be fine but of course bare aluminum would corrode pretty quickly here in Ontario. (so will bare steel)
A lot of the older highway trucks had aluminum cabs. Kenworth, Freightliner and Peterbilts had aluminum cabs that tended to last longer than the steel cabs used on Macks, Fords, Whites and Western Stars etc.
Getting paint to stick to aluminum can be tricky too, but my experience with highway trucks is that the paint stays on just fine if you use the proper primer.
If I lived someplace like California or Arizona I wouldn't hesitate to get one of these aluminum trucks but it's hard to say how they'll hold up here. I'd probably take a chance on one but I would make sure to get it oiled every year.
I guess time will tell. It'll be interesting to see how the resale value is compared to a Chevy or a Dodge in about ten years.
-- Edited by jim_ss409 on Wednesday 11th of February 2015 07:19:22 PM
Still,wearing the original paint on my 2004 F150 with an aluminum hood and 350,000 km ,still looks great...Peterbilt has made an all a aluminum truck for years... Just like,anything,if you,choose not to look after things,they will disintegrate. Oh,and the plugs had nothing to do with aluminum,it's thser long reach plugs that would gather carbon and simply wouldn't back out of the hole with the poorly designed spark plugs that have now been cured as well...
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Buying selling and trading garage toys and big kid stuff.
Just saw the latest Jay Leno video , new Jag , all aluminum $100k car. I'll have to have a look to see how many more aluminum bodies are being sold . My guess is they have come a long way with any problems otherwise they wouldn't commit billion of $$$ to a potential problem . We'll see .
Have you seen the new ads for "Lease an F150"? Ford will replace the truck on your lease every 2 years. I take that as "the message is clear". Look forward to seeing Fords 'on the pile' by 4 years old.
Always remember the ads that said "85% of Fords sold are still on the road" The Rest of the Story; the rest made it home.
Buyer beware
the Kid
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In the words of Red Green "Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together".
