The high repair costs may dampen the benefits of aluminum-bodied vehicles

The shift in the core material of the Ford Motor’s new F-150 will definitely make the car lighter and more fuel efficient but this sudden shift could mean higher repair costs for the vehicle and others like it.

The new pick up will be using lightweight aluminium instead of steel which means that there is a complete change in the core ingredient. Parts from the older steel versions will not be usable in the aluminium versions. The market that is still not quite prepared for the aluminium body might not be able to offer sufficient spare parts.

These kinds of vehicles are designed in such a way that it absorbs much of the impact to keep the passengers safe. If there is a flaw in the structure that is not repaired, it can seriously compromise the safety of the vehicle, says Tony Canade the COO and president of the Assured Automotive, an organization dealing with collision repair.

The lack of aluminium spare parts and the skill to repair aluminium body could push up the repair costs where, for minor issues, complete panels may need to be replaced. This brings forth the need to facilitate more spare parts and training to deal with the aluminium-body revolution in the automotive industry as more and more manufacturers are using aluminium in their design.