Aluminum-compliant repair shops such as this one, Autometric in metro Detroit,
are sure to proliferate.
When the new F-150 lands in Ford showrooms later this year, we’re betting it will be more expensive to buy, insure, and repair than its predecessor. That’s because the cab and bed are made from aluminum to trim weight and boost mileage. And replacing steel with aluminum always costs more. While F-150 prices are still secret and insurers are loath to quote premiums, large dollar signs are already hovering over repair shops. Aluminum bends and dents differently than steel does, so before Ford starts selling its nonferrous pickup, it has to train and equip its collision-repair army. We’ve done some digging to see what it will cost for shops to become aluminum compliant, and it won’t be cheap.
This is no trivial pursuit. Only 20 percent of Ford’s 3100 dealers fix crash damage in-house. The rest delegate repairs to the 35,000 independent body shops in the U.S., which run the gamut from Joe’s Heat-N-Beat Emporium to the craftsmen schooled in the fine art of straightening aluminum Audis, Ferraris, and Teslas. If he’s not already equipped to do aluminum work, Joe will need to invest almost $40,000 in training and upgrades. To encourage early adopters among its dealers, Ford is pitching in free training for one technician per dealership in courses covering both generic aluminum repair and techniques that are specific to the F-150. Tools, however, are the bigger cost. To avoid galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals, tools previously used on steel cannot be used to beat aluminum. Ford is offering dealers a 20-percent discount against the first $50,000 spent on the new equipment.
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Autometric Collision, a premier suburban-Detroit enterprise with nine shops and seven aluminum specialists, has been down this road. President Larry Smith says he invested $400,000 in tools, training, and facilities dedicated to aluminum work on Jaguars, Porsches, and the like. Asked to compare the cost of aluminum versus steel repairs, he explains: “There are cases where aluminum actually costs less [over time] because it’s stronger and less susceptible to distortion than steel.” To assure that aluminum stands up to abuse, especially in cargo beds, Ford will surely use much heavier-gauge material for the F-150’s sheetmetal. Also, the best aluminum has a higher yield strength than some steel. Smith adds: “But unlike steel structural members, which can be straightened, similar aluminum parts and castings always have to be replaced. A key difference between the two metals is that steel has a memory, but aluminum does not.”
While the upfront costs might be intimidating, prospects look good for the shops that can stomach them. Until now, aluminum has been used in relatively low-volume vehicles. With Ford expecting to sell more than half a million F-150s in 2015, repairing the lightweight metal is about to become a vastly more lucrative business.
Keep ’Em Separated
For toolmakers, aluminum body work is the biggest payday since teens started driving. Here’s how much body shops should spend to get their operations up to snuff:
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