Ford Won't Actually Require Shop Certification for F-150 Aluminum Repairs
Though a Ford Motor Co. executive told the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in New Orleans that repair shops would need factory certification to work on the new aluminum bodied F-150 pickup truck, in a report by Karl Henkel at the Detroit News, Ford now says it will not require service center and repair shops to be certified if they they want to do body work on the new F-150. However, Ford will have a voluntary training program, and those businesses that do participate will be certified and be able to use that certification in advertising.
The automaker says that it expects most Ford dealers to get certified, which in addition to the training will require new tools for working with aluminum panels that will cost an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 per shop, before up to $10,000 in rebates that Ford is offering as an incentive.
Other automakers that sell aluminum intensive cars are a bit more restrictive. For example, Audi will not ship aluminum body parts to repair shops that are not certified.
Ford won’t necessarily object if independent body shops opt out of certification. The Dearborn based automaker has been trying to increase service and repair business at its dealers, citing that 80% of all automotive repair work in the United States is done by independent shops, not factory authorized dealers.
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Considering the gross profit in trucks I would imagine Ford will absorb some of this cost and count on their volume to hold them through the transition. Al bodies have been used in lots of situations the demand high strength, and the body on frame light duty truck is a perfect place for it. GM and Dodge can do all they want but Ford is basically pulling off the ultimate power to weight advantage and the others will follow in due time. Now I'll give dodge the diesel in the small truck but it has a high cost premium too. It's also not too hard to engineer such a power plant so anyone could enter that market if they want. The turbo sixes (frankly the stock 3.7) provide more truck then most truck owners ever use. Guys who want the 5.0 will still have it, despite the EcoBoost being a better truck motor. I think Ford may see a tick up on the Super Duty sales for the first year or so, but I doubt that they would be upset with that. And my wishful prediction.... If cost are much higher on the F150, then the Ranger again has a solid place in the market as a cheap small truck!
As I mentioned in another thread, before this discussion turns into a 100+ hate posts thread, we should change the subject to the merits of bottling beer in aluminum cans vs. glass bottles.
Does anyone really think that Ford is going to nail this out of the gate? I'm not sure what planes and buildings and Marmons and beverage containers have to do with anything.
I just gotta say, to everyone harping on Boeings and Aston Martins and beer cans.. IT'S A TRUCK! It's a Sodding Truck. It is not an airplane. It is not a luxury sports-car. It is a TRUCK. It is designed to haul stuff, lots of stuff, around.... Because Truck. It needs a whole lotta motor to do it's Trucky Truck-type things, a big V-8, big Diesel, or small turbo-engine while on-boost will produce that power.. but won't be economical.... Because Truck. It essentially has the aerodynamic properties of a brick.... Because Truck. WHY is everybody applauding and offering congratulations for a move that makes trade-offs veering away from it's Trucky-Truck-Truck roots in order to offer an improvement in one performance metric that is tertiary at best in measuring 'What Is Best In Truck' and is only foremost in the minds of those who buy trucks because they secretly want a 70's muscle-car but are too cheep to buy one... and too cheep to buy the gas to run one as well it seems. ... >.