The Ford F-150 just happens to be one of the best-selling pickup trucks currently on the market. It’s also part of a growing trend that’s drastically changing how mainstream cars are made. To shed weight and improve fuel efficiency, the F-150 and other vehicles like it are shedding their traditional steel body panels for aluminum – a metal that’s lighter than steel, but also harder and sometimes more expensive to repair.

You’re probably wondering how the switch to aluminum affects automotive repairs involving bodywork, so it’s important to know exactly why steel panels are easier for body shops to work on. Steel panels possess something known as “metal memory,” meaning that the metal has a tendency to revert back to its undamaged state. That’s something that paintless dent repair and other automotive repairs involving body work exploit to bring panels back to their original shape.

Aluminum, on the other hand, lacks that sort of metal memory thanks to its different composition. Aluminum panels are typically thinner than steel and react differently to heat when compared to steel panels. This makes working on aluminum-bodied cars and trucks a bit trickier than vehicles sporting conventional steel bodywork. There’s a narrower threshold for successful repairs and some shops may even order new body panels if the old panels are too damaged to repair properly.

As time marches on and advances in body repair technology are made, it’ll become easier for technicians to make aluminum bodywork repairs with the precision and flawless results you’ve come to expect.

Does your next car repair involve aluminum body panels? K&L Dent Services has the expertise and the seasoned techs to remove dents and perform other automotive repairs, even on aluminum panels. Give us a call toll-free at 469-834-3368 or reach us online to schedule your next appointment today.