F-150 Repair Cost

New Ford F-150 Actually Cost LESS to Repair

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The last thing most people want to think about when they purchase a new vehicle is how much repairs will cost. However, that issue has been at the heart of some media stories and ad campaigns about the 2015 Ford F-150. They claim that aluminum is not as good as steel, and aluminum repairs are more costly.

Foundational assumptions go like this: Because the new aluminum body is more exotic, fewer repair experts are certified, repairs are more complex, and hourly and material costs will likely be higher than conventional steel repairs.

However, from what we're seeing, the truth is very different. The monthly newsletter for the Assured Performance Network, a nonprofit third-party repair-advocacy organization, is reporting that the 2015 Ford F-150 is actually less expensive to repair when comparing the average cost of its repairs to the average cost of repairing 2014 models. And it's less expensive by a wide margin.

Early statistics collected by Assured Performance from the Certified-Recognized Ford National Body Shop Program shows that the average cost of repairs on the 2015 aluminum-alloy F-150 is almost $870 less than the average cost of repairs for a steel-bodied 2014 F-150.

To be fair, these early 2015 F-150 repair costs are based on just 337 repairs so far this year from 121 Assured Performance member shops, while the full 2014 average is taken from a much larger — 1,238 — number of repairs from over 300 shops. The average repair cost for the 2014 Ford F-150 was $2,345.97, while the average repair cost of the new F-150 to date was $1,476.93.

Here's exactly how the newsletter delivered the information:

"As most know early on controversy swirled around cost and complexity of repairing the new aluminum alloy-bodied 2015 Ford F-150 compared to its steel-bodied predecessor.

"And the answer is? Early statistics provided by you and others in the Certified-Recognized Ford National Body Shop Program, show that average cost of repairing the 2015 F-150 is $1,476.93 based upon 337 repairs. Compare that to [the] 2014 F-150 at $2,345.97 based upon 1,238 repairs, or $869.04 less! This is also comparable to other full size pickups.

"Albeit early, and based upon limited data, that is significant!"

Whether 2015 F-150 repair costs will continue to trend low throughout the rest of the year remains to be seen (from what we're told, repair costs typically jump a bit during winter months), but it looks like preliminary reports from the repair industry about the new half-ton's modular construction and advanced materials are saving Ford buyers money.

It should be noted this repair data makes no distinctions between cab configurations, which could become an issue for truck-makers (particularly half-ton makers) that have modified structural designs for different cab configurations that could result in varied crash test results. This topic is likely to become more popular as more comprehensive testing is done.

Finally, common sense would tell you that if this Assured Performance report does pan out, insurance costs (also speculated to rise) could remain similar to last year or even drop a little. At a time when average prices for new pickup trucks keep climbing, wouldn't it be nice if we could save a little money when insuring the vehicle?

PickupTrucks.com

How many of the small sample size 337 have bumped or scratched their wife's Prius, versus mangled some sheet metal around a moose or something? Any small repair now days is $500 per panel give or take.