Has anyone had to deal with body damage to the aluminum body? Maybe I am wrong, but I would think the typical body shop isn't going to know what to do. Seems to me that Claritys are going to be totaled out in a heartbeat, if there is any damage, particularly in and around that packed engine compartment.
Aluminum body panels
- Thread starter Pete H.
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petteyg359
Well-Known Member
The "typical body shop" has been dealing with aluminum cars for years and is going to know what to do.
Every little bit is expensive on modern cars. Thousand dollar headlight, windshield, mirror with camera, laser beams, $1100 per wheel, pop off a few air bags, crumple a few mystery items under the hood, on and on and on. They’ll probably total it out before they even get to the aluminum body panels.
Boston_Pilot
Active Member
It’s welding Aluminum that can be the tricky part. Not every shop will/can do it….and even worse, do it well. Although we’ve seen on the FB group very recently of someone’s Clarity getting smacked up……15K of damage, but not a total based on her insurance company policies.
Remember, the most popular vehicle in the US, the Ford F-150 pick-up (which became electrified tonight), is now made from aluminum body panels. The skillset for working with aluminum bodies is becoming more widespread.
To get my aluminum-bodied 2000 Honda Insight repaired 18 years ago, I had to drive 40 miles to the body shop that repaired the Ferrari and Lamborghini cars driven by Detroit's professional sports stars. I got to hold the replacement rear quarter-panel and was astounded at how light it was.
To get my aluminum-bodied 2000 Honda Insight repaired 18 years ago, I had to drive 40 miles to the body shop that repaired the Ferrari and Lamborghini cars driven by Detroit's professional sports stars. I got to hold the replacement rear quarter-panel and was astounded at how light it was.
ClarityBill
Active Member
I have an 8" dent about 10" from the plug-in port (Front left fender).
It looked like an easy paintless dent repair to me. Body shop said aluminum does not have a memory, and the dent cannot be pulled out, they would need to replace the panel for about $1600. This included painting the panel, and blending the paint into the hood.
I have not gotten the dent fixed.
It looked like an easy paintless dent repair to me. Body shop said aluminum does not have a memory, and the dent cannot be pulled out, they would need to replace the panel for about $1600. This included painting the panel, and blending the paint into the hood.
I have not gotten the dent fixed.
With my 2000 all-aluminum Insight I got into the habit of parking as far out in a store parking lot as possible to avoid people parking next to me. If the parking lot is crowded, I'll park at a nearby store with a less-crowded lot. I've maintained that habit ever since, always telling myself as I make the hike to the store it's healthy to get a little walk in.
However, one time after hiking out to my steel-bodied 2010 Insight I found black truck tire tread marks running up the side, higher than the rear wheel well! That day I was glad the 2nd-gen Insight's body was steel. The tread-marks rubbed off and only a small dent remained. If I had been parked close to other cars, that truck couldn't have blind-sided my poor Insight. I've always wondered what happened that day, not wanting to believe it was just a vandal having what he counts as a good time.
However, one time after hiking out to my steel-bodied 2010 Insight I found black truck tire tread marks running up the side, higher than the rear wheel well! That day I was glad the 2nd-gen Insight's body was steel. The tread-marks rubbed off and only a small dent remained. If I had been parked close to other cars, that truck couldn't have blind-sided my poor Insight. I've always wondered what happened that day, not wanting to believe it was just a vandal having what he counts as a good time.
Carbon fiber. High end road bike frames weigh as little as 700 grams. That’s ~1.5lbs. Yet they’re capable of supporting a 185lb rider who can put out 2000 watts of power, descend mountains at 70mph, endure rough cobblestone roads and even survive some nasty crashes.
My now empty coffee cup weights 500 grams.
@Landshark, I remember photos of your nice bikes attached to your Clarity. Yes, carbon-fiber bicycle frames have come a long way since the early ones experienced catastrophic failures before the material was better understood. The designers of my Moulton Speed bicycle played it safe by reinforcing its carbon-fiber front forks with a layer of heavier Kevlar. The company hasn't figured out how to make their unique frame out of carbon fiber yet (at least not at a price anyone could afford). So I have to accept a weight penalty (22 lbs) to get an ultra-stiff steel frame with a lower center of gravity and a comfier ride (this is not a folding bike. BTW).
Some remarkable design ideas and engineering technology have gone into bicycles over the years. Many of the bikes that the cycling elite use are so light that weight has to be added to meet the minimum weight requirements for competition.
My lightest frame is ~850 grams and I’m at peace with the fact that a 700 gram frame would not measurably improve my performance. I’ve saved a small fortune buying expensive lightweight wheels, rather than expensive lightweight frames.
I agree. Lighter wheels make a much greater difference in the ability to accelerate than a lighter frame. The old adage is, "A pound on the wheels is worth two on the frame." (Always thought it should be "A pound OFF the wheels..."). The lightweight 20"-diameter wheels on my Moulton impose less angular momentum than larger wheels, which helps compensate for it's heavy frame and full suspension.
Yeah, you wonder how some people think. I have done the same and parked out in the ‘boonies’ area of a parking lot with at least ten spaces between me and the next closest car. Lo and behold, I come out of the store only to find that someone has chosen to park in the space right next to me! It leaves me scratching my head wondering why in the world a person would make such a decision.
MrFixit
Well-Known Member
If you look on the bright side, perhaps that person is a like-minded individual who knows his car will be safe parking next to you (and vice-versa).
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I’m surprised they didn’t opt for titanium
Interestingly, the time trial bikes have heavier frames and wheels. The focus is on aerodynamics and to some degree, a bit of a flywheel effect.
Had the happen at Home Depot today. Took the car to get a few small items. Parked away from the Pro/Contractor end of the lot where the pickups with trailers congregate. Found a coveted end spot and favored the end. Came out to find a pickup truck parked all Kattywompus next to me that looked like it fell off a car carrier 30 years ago and had been decomposing in a hay field ever since. I’m thinking there wasn’t a whole lot of thinking going in with the driver of that truck.
Kerbe
Well-Known Member
Have you tried contacting a paintless dent guy? From what I gather the fact that aluminum does NOT have "memory" makes it a JOY for PD guys to fix! The "memory" in steel panels makes the dents want to come back after they've been flattened - the fact that aluminum stays where you put it is a benefit! I would not return to that body shop if I were you...
Robert_Alabama
Well-Known Member
I would think that if you could get to the inside (may have to take the fender off) that it could be pretty easily "rolled" out by a good paintless dent person.
craze1cars
Well-Known Member
I will concur from first hand experience that aluminum panels are substantially more difficult to paint less dent repair than steel panels are. When estimating for hail damage and whatever, any aluminum panel would get a 35% up charge just because it’s simply harder to work with. Every dent is different. Some can be taken out PDR, some cannot. I also agree that 2nd opinions are always wise. One shop’s “we can’t do that” is often another shop’s “no prob we got this…”. And any shop that does conventional body work is far less likely to be willing to give paintless a fair shot because they will make more profit doing the conventional repair than a paintless dent repair. Paintless specialists that don’t have paint shops are far more aggressive at attempting a challenging repair…
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David Towle
Well-Known Member
They use titanium for bikes? Its not very light (but lighter than steel), usually used for mid to high temp aerospace applications. Nothing like carbon.
Yes. Dozens of frame builders use titanium. Moots, Linskey, Litespeed and Seven come to mind.