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Top Steelmaker Fights for Autos After Ford Defects to Aluminum


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what happened to the so called nano-steel the industry was touting a while ago....

 

NanoSteel is a company that has expertise in nano-scale crystal structures for various steel chemistries. Its product categories include sheet steel (AHSS), engineered powders, stainless steel foil, and metallic coatings (both weld overlay and thermal spray).

 

The company is a partner of the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Detroit, and recently received $10 million in venture capital from Horizon Technology Finance.

Edited by aneekr
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My 05 Mustang hasn't had a problem. It is discussed on some Mustang boards. Some claim that every Mustamy has the problem. That is obviously not true, but it does occur. Of course, the new F150 is using aluminum with Alcoa's new coating process. I believe this will address the paint bubbling issue.

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My 05 Mustang hasn't had a problem. It is discussed on some Mustang boards. Some claim that every Mustamy has the problem. That is obviously not true, but it does occur. Of course, the new F150 is using aluminum with Alcoa's new coating process. I believe this will address the paint bubbling issue.

 

 

You sure about that? I had a major front end accident with my 2006 Mustang GT in Spetember 2007 and I'm assuming I got a OEM hood on the car and it was repainted at a body shop, and I still have paint bubbles under the hood where the front lip of the hood and rest of the hood meet on the underside.

 

It hasn't spread to the outside of the hood, so i'm not worrying about it since its going to be 10 years old next year also.

Edited by silvrsvt
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The 11-15 Explorers are having the same issues with the paint bubbling on the hoods in the same area as the pocs posted here.

 

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Let's not defend Ford on an issue that is an actual issue. I don't care if it is a very small percentage of hoods, it is clearly an issue and the fact that it is happening on the hoods on different models in the same exact spot shows that there is an issue with a process that Ford uses/does. They are all happening on the underside lip of the hoods on the Explorers. Open up the hood and look closely, sometimes you have to peel the rubber gasket away.. It is happening on my 2011 as well (none of these pics are of mine) but none of the bubbles have opened up exposing metal.

Edited by blwnsmoke
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it is clearly an issue

 

I have an issue with people blowing things out of proportion.

 

People who assume that because it has occurred more than once, it affects 'everyone' or people who make a big deal about it because they're the one affected by it: "You don't understand. This problem is different. This problem affects me personally!"

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Wonder what percentage of Ford vehicles with aluminum hoods are experiencing this paint issue? This may have already been mentioned, anyone know the root cause? Seems strange that it doesn't affect every vehicle. And yet it is still occurring in recent model years.

Would Ford still be going so heavy into aluminum if they thought was an issue of major concern? or didn't have the issue figured out? This was a pretty big gamble if they did.

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Would Ford still be going so heavy into aluminum if they thought was an issue of major concern? or didn't have the issue figured out? This was a pretty big gamble if they did.

 

 

I would say no. My guess is they have the issue worked out but only time will tell. I can't see Ford taking so big a gamble with their best selling vehicle. It still does not change the fact that for a number of other models galvanic corrosion on the hoods is a fairly common issue. Furthermore, whether or not the issue was corrected once brought to the attention of a dealership was very much a hit and miss sort of thing. My dealership had no problem taking care of the corrosion as soon as I brought it to them. Other owners, however, have had dealerships flat out refuse to fix the problem or even acknowledge that the problem exists, like some posters here.

Edited by BlackHorse
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My dealership had no problem taking care of the corrosion as soon as I brought it to them. Other owners, however, have had dealerships flat out refuse to fix the problem or even acknowledge that the problem exists, like some posters here.

 

Well then this clearly demonstrates that Ford doesn't have an issue repairing the hoods but some dealerships do,

owners not getting a favorable response should try another dealer and keep trying until their hood is fixed.

 

The internet is not a reliable source for quantifying problems with cars, negative reverberation takes over

and the issues with a few thousand vehicles over takes the silent majority that is millions of satisfied owners.

 

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You sure about that? I had a major front end accident with my 2006 Mustang GT in Spetember 2007 and I'm assuming I got a OEM hood on the car and it was repainted at a body shop, and I still have paint bubbles under the hood where the front lip of the hood and rest of the hood meet on the underside.

It hasn't spread to the outside of the hood, so i'm not worrying about it since its going to be 10 years old next year also.

Am I sure my Mustang didn't have it prior to the accident? Yes. I just checked the current hood and it doesn't have a problem either. It's been almost 4 years since the accident.
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I have an issue with people blowing things out of proportion.

 

 

 

And I have a problem with people who turn a blind eye on something that is an issue with Ford's vehicles. I didn't say this was a major issue, I said it is AN issue. IF it is happening with the same type of part (e.g. hood) across multiple vehicles that have aluminum hoods, then it IS an issue. It doesn't matter how small of an issue it is, it shouldn't be happening period.

 

Owning an Explorer with this problem has nothing to do with this thread. I simply added that the Explorers are having this issue as well when someone posted that it is happening with the mustangs. I don't understand why it is happening but Ford should not be turning a blind eye on this. They have been warrantying them up to the 3yr/36k and telling owners it is on them thereafter. I surely wouldn't want to give up the factory paint quality for a repaint job at a local body shop so the solution is.. Ford, fix the damn issue so nobody has to deal with this. They all seem to be happening where a weld job is done at the lip. Why the paint decides to bubble in that area, I have no clue but it can't be denied that it is happening.

Edited by blwnsmoke
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Living in the rust belt, I've had plenty of steel constructed cars with corrosion and paint bubbling issues. I'm willing to take my chances with aluminum since steel has plenty of its own issues. It seems aluminum mostly suffers from surface corrosion. Once steel starts to corrode it doesnt stop.

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Living in the rust belt, I've had plenty of steel constructed cars with corrosion and paint bubbling issues. I'm willing to take my chances with aluminum since steel has plenty of its own issues. It seems aluminum mostly suffers from surface corrosion. Once steel starts to corrode it doesnt stop.

Indeed aluminum typically only corrodes on the surface. That's advantageous in that it protects from further corrosion.

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Who's turning a blind eye to this?

 

You've got one guy (blackhorse) who has alleged that over half of Ford's hoods are affected with this problem. I'm not buying it.

And I completely agree with you on that. I think it is a very tiny issue with the amount of vehicles produced but when you quote me and make it sound like you are replying to my comment directly, then I'm going to reply back. I don't think this is something that Ford should ignore and being that this has been going on for years, I think they are ignoring it.

 

example, I am in a salt state but I also have my vehicle washed several times a week (touch free) and it is always garaged. There are no paint chips anywhere on my vehicle with the 80,000 miles on it. It looks close to showroom condition yet I just noticed this. How long it has been there, I don't know. Am I going to do anything about it?? Nope because it's not chipping away and it is underneath where it can't be seen. Am I upset about it, no not really but I sure would be if the paint was flaking off or it was on the outside.

 

Regardless, aluminum is not a turnoff for me and I'll definitely be getting an Aluminum SD within the next few years. I'm not scared of it.. just hope Ford doesn't start having these tiny issues start showing up on a vehicle that is almost pure aluminum, after all, it's not just a hood anymore.

Edited by blwnsmoke
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Who's turning a blind eye to this?

 

You've got one guy (blackhorse) who has alleged that over half of Ford's hoods are affected with this problem. I'm not buying it.

 

 

I haven't alleged any such thing. I said it is a "common problem" and then your natural tendency to try and find issue with anything I say took over, which is a big part of the reason why you don't matter.

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Maybe Ford might have changed the particular alloy of aluminum?

 

There are many different aluminum alloys. Some, like those used in Russian MiG 15's, 17's and 19's, etc., are designed to oxidize; the aluminum oxide protection eliminates the need for painting. Then there's early Porsches, where on a cold, quiet winter night, it has been said that you could actually hear the faint hissing of the aluminum reacting with the salty slush and water. :)

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I am in a salt state

 

That has nothing to do with this issue. Aluminum doesn't corrode. This is another chemical process.

 

And the anecdotal evidence presented here suggests that Ford's paying warranty claims in some instances and that dealers are refusing to submit them in others (as far as I've seen, it's not that dealers are submitting claims and having them refused, it's that they're not submitting claims in the first place).

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I haven't alleged any such thing.

 

Yes. You did:

http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/59160-top-steelmaker-fights-for-autos-after-ford-defects-to-aluminum/&do=findComment&comment=944455

 

You said that an individual who had no issue was 'in the minority'. Under what definition is that not an allegation that a majority of Ford's aluminum hoods have this issue?

Edited by RichardJensen
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That has nothing to do with this issue. Aluminum doesn't corrode. This is another chemical process.

 

And the anecdotal evidence presented here suggests that Ford's paying warranty claims in some instances and that dealers are refusing to submit them in others (as far as I've seen, it's not that dealers are submitting claims and having them refused, it's that they're not submitting claims in the first place).

The sheet metal is not the problem. Aluminum and steel paint well. The process is the same, but as you increase the surface area with more aluminium, your pre-treatments

are affected. Changing from all steel to all aluminum creates 7 times the sludge in the zinc-phosphate bath and affects the e-coat baths as well. This causes problems with the pumps and the tubing. Switching from zinc-phosphate to a zirconium bath stops the problem but is more expensive. If either of the metals is prepared properly,with the

cleaning and the e-coat,and than painted properly there would not be a problem. What can go wrong? Not maintain 125 degree zinc phosphate, not cleaning e-coat electrodes , not cleaning grates and walls in prime and color booths, not changing the filters, not cleaning robots, a sudden change in weather , a power outage , a booth fire,

too much sludge under the grates affecting air flow....or a repaint after system damage. At 75 an hour a sudden thunder storm that changes the atmosphere well affect some

cars in paint . I don't remember aluminum being a problem from Ford's internal reporting or reports like JD Power. A paint problem is a paint problem...not a metal problem. Not since the early 1970's

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