Mother Effer!!!!!
FTE Legend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 80,535
Likes: 97
From: Norlina NC
thats partly because the NTSB keeps changing the rules for "vehicle safety".. they want the vehicles to take more and more of the beating with longer/bigger and softer crumple zones to protect the occupants inside.. so that when its in an accident the insurance companies can just total the vehicle and you gotta go buy something new.. vs the old days when you could take our a telephone pole and still fix it back up to run for work the next week.. (yes i know thats an exaggeration there but you get the point im trying to make there)..
I miss the old days when vehicles were heavy steel tanks that could take a beating and keep going... yeah i know Ford wants to claim they went to the aluminium bodies to save weight for better fuel mpg.. but we all know it was really just to meet the newer stricter safety standards being imposed where they wanted vehicles to compact more in an accident to absorb more...
ok off my soap box now... can resume the regular scheduled chatter..
I miss the old days when vehicles were heavy steel tanks that could take a beating and keep going... yeah i know Ford wants to claim they went to the aluminium bodies to save weight for better fuel mpg.. but we all know it was really just to meet the newer stricter safety standards being imposed where they wanted vehicles to compact more in an accident to absorb more...
ok off my soap box now... can resume the regular scheduled chatter..
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,962
Likes: 11
From: Fairbanks, AK
Wow - that's super disappointing that the bumper folded so easily. This makes me want to upgrade both the front and rear bumpers on my '17 SD DRW.
ps. Don't feel bad. I damaged my aluminum bed the very first day I had my '17. Strapped the old, smaller water tank (200 gallons) near the tailgate. Filled up and on the way home, had to stab the brakes to avoid an accident. Water tank broke loose of strap and SLAMMED forward into front bed wall. Dented it at the middle all the way to the cab and tore the aluminum on the passenger side where the front and sidewalls join. Talk about feeling like a dumb ... anyhow, I took it back to the dealer and it was actually a simple fix in my case. I didn't have the spray-in bedliner yet so that just bent it back into place, reinforced it, and to mend the tear they bent a thick piece of aluminum at a 90 then riveted it in place. I think the shop foreman said they might've put some sort of epoxy on it too. It's been solid since. Then I had the bedliner sprayed in and you don't notice anything unless you're really looking for it.
I'll go take a couple pics of it in a bit. Not sure if it'll help in your situation but I agree with the other guys - it's worth trying the repair.
ps. Don't feel bad. I damaged my aluminum bed the very first day I had my '17. Strapped the old, smaller water tank (200 gallons) near the tailgate. Filled up and on the way home, had to stab the brakes to avoid an accident. Water tank broke loose of strap and SLAMMED forward into front bed wall. Dented it at the middle all the way to the cab and tore the aluminum on the passenger side where the front and sidewalls join. Talk about feeling like a dumb ... anyhow, I took it back to the dealer and it was actually a simple fix in my case. I didn't have the spray-in bedliner yet so that just bent it back into place, reinforced it, and to mend the tear they bent a thick piece of aluminum at a 90 then riveted it in place. I think the shop foreman said they might've put some sort of epoxy on it too. It's been solid since. Then I had the bedliner sprayed in and you don't notice anything unless you're really looking for it.
I'll go take a couple pics of it in a bit. Not sure if it'll help in your situation but I agree with the other guys - it's worth trying the repair.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 682
Likes: 4
From: SF Bay Area
Look for Tesla certified shops
Tesla’s are all aluminum and have pretty high standards.
No one I’d Ford Alum certified....but many are Tesla certified.
Just need one with a big enough Bay for the beast.
No one I’d Ford Alum certified....but many are Tesla certified.
Just need one with a big enough Bay for the beast.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 5,227
Likes: 4,242
From: Kaysville Utah
Back in 2011, I let a friend take my truck and he jackknifed a trailer and dented my bed. The Autobody shop wanted $3000-$4000 to fix the damage.
I bought a take off bed for $1200 and swapped beds. Cost $400-$500 to get it painted and it was good to go.
I bought a take off bed for $1200 and swapped beds. Cost $400-$500 to get it painted and it was good to go.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 196
Likes: 5
From: Stanwood Wa.
I have worked in a repair facility for aircraft. I have done a lot of sheetmetal repairs on Airplanes. Stop drilling holes is Normal. Drill it with a 1/4" drill bit. Have NDI Inspected for a cracks. No Cracks? Then drill it with a 5/16" Bit. Slap a Doubler on it with a bunch of rivets (2 rows of rivets around the Damage to hold the doubler on). It is in the Structure Repair Manual ie SRM. Approved repair by Boeing, Airbus and every other Plane Manufacturer from the smallest to Boeing and Airbus on Aluminum Skinned Aircraft. Done it to Titanium Skin as well. Drill it, NDI, and Slap a repair on it.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 123
Likes: 1
I was rear ended about a month ago, damage looks almost identical. The total was 2600 and that includes a new trailer hitch at around $570. That total includes fixing the damage to the aluminum lower panel and paint, so 4K is high. I’m just gonna get a ranch hand probably.
Tuned
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 346
Likes: 11
From: Austin, TX
Five years ago I was driving thru Austin in rush hour on I35 when everyone started hitting their brakes hard. That is everyone except the idiot on texting his phone five cars behind me. Everyone was coming to stop when I heard a BAM-BAM... I looked in the rear view mirror and saw plastic pieces flying as the texting guy rear ended the fourth car behind me who rear ended the third car who rear ended the second who.... you get the idea. I braced and felt the mass of five cars slam into my truck... knocking me into the dodge 1/2 ton ahead of me. The VW Tiguan behind me was shortened by two feet overall... wasn’t pretty. Anyway my ranchhand had a couple scrapes but no issue. Insurance replaced my tailgate as the VW’s hood crumpled and knuckled over, scathing the tailgate a bit. The dodge in front of me lost his bumper and took a heavy dent in his bed. Again, the front ranchhand was good- a few dings but you had to look for them.
And the entire time the cops and tow trucks were trying to pull us apart and get us off the road, I sat in my truck idling...never shut it off. Cops were amazed I just put her in drive and moved on.... dragging Tiguan guts across the interstate.
Very impressed with my ranchhands.
And the entire time the cops and tow trucks were trying to pull us apart and get us off the road, I sat in my truck idling...never shut it off. Cops were amazed I just put her in drive and moved on.... dragging Tiguan guts across the interstate.
Very impressed with my ranchhands.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,541
Likes: 5
From: Weatherford Texas.
that is coomon practice on all aircraft, the hole stops the crack than we rivet a patch around the damage for reinforcment, fill the hole and crack, and paint the outside. Google aluminum crack repair. http://www.eaavideo.org/detail/video/4913881501001
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 416
Likes: 2
From: Texas
Five years ago I was driving thru Austin in rush hour on I35 when everyone started hitting their brakes hard. That is everyone except the idiot on texting his phone five cars behind me. Everyone was coming to stop when I heard a BAM-BAM... I looked in the rear view mirror and saw plastic pieces flying as the texting guy rear ended the fourth car behind me who rear ended the third car who rear ended the second who.... you get the idea. I braced and felt the mass of five cars slam into my truck... knocking me into the dodge 1/2 ton ahead of me. The VW Tiguan behind me was shortened by two feet overall... wasn’t pretty. Anyway my ranchhand had a couple scrapes but no issue. Insurance replaced my tailgate as the VW’s hood crumpled and knuckled over, scathing the tailgate a bit. The dodge in front of me lost his bumper and took a heavy dent in his bed. Again, the front ranchhand was good- a few dings but you had to look for them.
And the entire time the cops and tow trucks were trying to pull us apart and get us off the road, I sat in my truck idling...never shut it off. Cops were amazed I just put her in drive and moved on.... dragging Tiguan guts across the interstate.
Very impressed with my ranchhands.
And the entire time the cops and tow trucks were trying to pull us apart and get us off the road, I sat in my truck idling...never shut it off. Cops were amazed I just put her in drive and moved on.... dragging Tiguan guts across the interstate.
Very impressed with my ranchhands.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,962
Likes: 11
From: Fairbanks, AK
Here are the pics I promised of the damage to my aluminum bed and how they repaired it. Total damages were $700, which I thought was a good price given they had to take the bed off, do some bending, some reinforcing, and the riveting noted earlier. All work was done by my dealer's body shop.
You can hardly tell unless you're looking for it.
Zooming in or being real close, you can see the plastic rail cover is raised a tiny bit.
Super closeup of the repair of the tear. Glued and riveted. Solid.
I've pulled the plastic up here to show you the top of the fix.
Here's the front wall. You can see they did a good job straightening it.
