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According to Ford, Expect 10% Jump in insurance costs for Aluminum Fseries

20K views 150 replies 38 participants last post by  richmond2000 
#1 · (Edited)
Less than 10 percent of the more than 30,000 independent repair shops in the United States are certified and meet training and equipment requirements to work with most aluminum auto body parts, according to an estimate by Darrell Amberson, chairman of the Automotive Service Association. While some dealerships do in-house body work, independent businesses handle the vast majority of collision repair in the United States, he said.

Ford is betting buyers will accept what it estimates will be a 10 percent jump in costs to insure the pickup in return for improved fuel economy, towing and payload. Ford must also get the aftermarket industry up to speed as it debuts the highest-profile vehicle to swap aluminum for heavier steel, long the industry's material of choice.

"You don't get any more mainstream than the F-150," Amberson, who is also vice president of operations for LaMettry's Collision Inc. in Minneapolis, said in a telephone interview.

Insurance companies charge less for coverage of the outgoing F-150 compared with the competition, Doug Scott, Ford's truck marketing manager, said last week in an interview from the company's stand at the Detroit auto show.

"At the end of the day, that's sort of a wash," he said. "We've spent a lot of time and feel very comfortable that that's not going to be an inhibitor."

Aluminum's memory

Repair shops need separate hand tools for aluminum and steel such as wire brushes, grinders and sanders, because corrosion can happen when dissimilar metals come in contact with one another. The auto body repair industry also has less experience with differences in how aluminum springs back from impacts compared with steel.

"Aluminum has a very poor memory and it resists straightening attempts," Jeff Poole, a coordinator for I-CAR, a collision-repair industry training organization, said in an April 2013 webinar. "Experience really pays dividends here, and this is where we've got a learning curve ahead of us."

Ford's internal data show that 90 percent of customers live within two hours of a capable repair facility for today's F-150, and 80 percent are within 30 minutes, Ford's Scott said. Buyers of the aluminum-bodied F-150 will have the same access by the time it arrives in dealerships late this year, he said.

"We've just been waiting for the reveal to unveil a certification process for dealer-owned body shops and the independent channel," Scott said.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/201...nce-rate-repair-shop-challenges#ixzz2r5Y1rF81
 
#2 ·
Wow, Not only are your insurance rates going up, but your average Repair shop will not even be able to fix it. Wow. That sux :tdown::

I sure hope GM doesn't go to Aluminum for the approx. 200 lb weigh savings the Ford may have over you. They need to juust keep making their engines more efficient and that alone will nullify any gains that ugly, boring truck will get over the beautiful Silverado and Sierra.
 
#20 ·
Couldn't agree more! If I were GM I would just do a couple panels in aluminum along with other ways to improve gas mileage (HOPEFULLY ITS BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE WITH MY NEW TRUCK) and build extra panels that a repair shop can just swap out instead of trying to do body repair.

Oh and his statement that Ford trucks have the least insurance cost is BS, F150 is one of the highest stolen vehicles. Where's the proof otherwise its just marketing.
 
#3 ·
I would enjoy the corrosion/rust resistance of an aluminum body and would deal with the additional cost, except that I'm not in the market for a fullsize pickup
 
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#5 ·
The increase won't be huge - if you are paying $100 a month the increase is only $10. Though the higher repair costs may deter the fleets....

but this is only fleeting, I'm sure we will see more and more usage of aluminum over the next 10 years and therefore the repair shops will become adept at fixing & insurance costs will come down.
 
#6 ·
Quote: "Insurance companies charge less for coverage of the outgoing F-150 compared with the competition, Doug Scott, Ford's truck marketing manager, said last week in an interview from the company's stand at the Detroit auto show."

Aware me of the 5 star crash rating of the outgoing F150?
 
#10 ·
Cars across the board are safer then ever and insurance rates have not gone down don't matter if it's 5 star or not and I believe has very little influence on your premium compared to age, drivers training course, year of the vehicle etc... The insurance industry is a pure off the world over
 
#8 ·
#34 · (Edited by Moderator)
I thought that was the case, but in the great state of CT, my premiums increased every year for the past several years. No accidents, no speeding tickets, same carrier for 20 years. I recently moved to NH and my premium (same carrier) dropped > 50%. I started shopping around for alternative insurance companies prior to moving, but with the rate decrease upon moving, I pretty much forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder.

Look at these mugs.. CHEVY ALL THE WAY!!!
I like the sculpted hood of the F150, but I really dislike the rest of the front end. Personally, I prefer the Sierra over both the F150 and Silverado. To each their own.

The increase won't be huge - if you are paying $100 a month the increase is only $10. Though the higher repair costs may deter the fleets....

but this is only fleeting, I'm sure we will see more and more usage of aluminum over the next 10 years and therefore the repair shops will become adept at fixing & insurance costs will come down.
I'd be more concerned about the 'less than 10% of body shops' that are equipped to repair them at this point in time rather than the cost to fix them. Ford will sell plenty of these and every time that one is an accident and needs body work done, there will be a limited number of shops that can repair them. This can potentially lead to a much longer period of time that the vehicle is out of service for the customer. Again, after a few years, I'm sure that many body shops will have upgraded, but in the short term, this could be a problem.
 
#12 ·
Most shops can't handle the high strength and ultra high strength steels that companies are using and a lot of the time those sections have to be replaced. If you try to heat those types of steel to straighten them, they become standard mild steel and you lose the safety aspect.

I still don't see the benefits of going to aluminum body panels, especially when you factor in the number of these F-series trucks in the commercial workforce. Look at all the number of F150s wearing commercial decals, everyone from your local contractor to state DOTs.
 
#95 ·
I still don't see the benefits of going to aluminum body panels, especially when you factor in the number of these F-series trucks in the commercial workforce. Look at all the number of F150s wearing commercial decals, everyone from your local contractor to state DOTs.
Our newest trucks have the logo painted directlyon the side doors and tail gate.
 
#13 ·
Wow, real aluminum grille on that F150 Platinum.

That said, this is the price for being the innovator. My F250 costs me $400 a year for full coverage. If this was the F150, it "could" be an extra $40 a year. Woohoo.

Yes, the costs will be higher initially. However, like every innovator knows, there is a small price to being first (and in this case, a very small price). What it will do is force collision repair companies to enter the 21st century. Also, a small point being, most panels today, on newer vehicles, are replaced and not repaired (until they reach a certain age). Thus, while the entry price of the panel may be higher, the greater dent resistance of the new aluminum panels (remember this is an alloy with a coating) plus the "recycle" price of the bad panel, will probably make the cost very similar. Yes, shops will have to learn something new. With the greater implementation of aluminum panels, in the upcoming years, they will only come out ahead.

Basically, it is much ado about nothing.
 
#16 ·
The issue will be in smaller markets like the town Im in. Only ONE shop in town will do repairs on aluminum bodied vehicles.

Its not about learning, its about the added expense of completely new equipment to do with ONE vehicle. Yes, it is one that has a high number of sales but its still one vehicle in a rather large market.

As far as the corrosion, its true that aluminum doesnt rust but it sure does corrode. Its not immune to the elements either.
 
#17 ·
In Canada anyways. True Insurance cost's are more to do with the Occupant's saftey than the price of fixing a Vehicle.

Medical Cost's Govern Insurance Cost's. A $30-$40000 vehicle is nothing compared to Emergency Room visit with a short stay. I am not really sure how Anyone's Crystal Ball is seeing that far in the future already.
 
#22 ·
I thought that was F250/F350??

The insurance on my SD is high, compared to our risk. I had asked on a 2013 F150 Platinum, and the rate would have gone down ALOT.

As an example, the insurance rate on our 2013 Explorer Sport is pretty much exactly the same as it is on our 2008 F250 (within $3 every six months).
 
#23 ·
Just replace the wrecked body panels with new from the factory. This will lower theft rates and insurance. Chop shops are the biggest reason for theft, part sales. I would think most shops could install new panels with minor training.
 
#24 ·
Quote: " My F250 costs me $400 a year for full coverage."

I'm guessing this is a very old truck, Arizona is a no-fault state, or other insurance factors are in play here.

A new "half-ton" 4x4 in my state with full coverage ($50k liability, med pmts, uninsured motorist, ect) and a good driver (no teenage boy drivers in the household) will set you back an easy $150 a month. Easy. Have a bad driving record, it could jump to $250-$500 in a heartbeat.
 
#25 ·
Correction, the rate is for 6-months with well over minimum coverage and everything else. Sorry, I boo-boo'd.

Husband 52-years-old................. no tickets or accidents in, forever.

Me, 49-year-old .................. no tickets or accidents in, forever.

We live in a small community in Northern AZ, thus very little theft risk. Driving appx 6200 miles per year with the F250 (44K miles in 7 years).

BTW, our truck is a 2008 F250 CC V10 Lariat. MSRP was $47,210 and we bought it new.

We basically pay what you state, per month, for both vehicles with very high coverage.
 
#36 ·
Insurance rates are high on the Corvette for many a reason! While all C7s are aluminum, the C6 Z06 also had an aluminum structure. Anyone have the average repair cost on an C6 Z06 vs the C6 non-Z06? It would be interesting to see.

This makes me laugh though as it reminds me of a few people here claiming last year that the new F150 would actually have an aluminum frame! Now that would be revolutionary, and incredibly expensive.
 
#39 ·
What ever the weight is of the bumper of the Silverado, it is simply so much better looking than that ugly tundra wanna be Ford F 150. Add in the 5.3l over the Turbo v6 and my heart goes crazy over the K2s
 
#52 ·
Ehhhhh, there is a NSX in my apartment complex and it's body panels look like any other car that's been on the road for that long.

The hood will see much less significant wear from the elements than, say, the wheel wells. Again, it's NOT the metal but what happens when other elements react WITH the aluminum. Again, it's why nylon washers are required when using certain bolts and so on.

Care to comment on the part where Ford expects people to travel at least 30 minutes to get body work done? Less than 10% of the body work businesses are equipped to work on the trucks and no one is concerned about costs going up? Even if 40% of independent body shops become equipped in two years that is a significant issue.
 
#53 ·
Ehhhhh, there is a NSX in my apartment complex and it's body panels look like any other car that's been on the road for that long.

The hood will see much less significant wear from the elements than, say, the wheel wells.

Care to comment on the part where Ford expects people to travel at least 30 minutes to get body work done? Less than 10% of the body work businesses are equipped to work on the trucks and no one is concerned about costs going up? Even if 40% of independent body shops become equipped in two years that is a significant issue.
I drove 30 minutes each way to my GMC dealer...about once a month for almost 2 years. :lmao:
 
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