Brand New truck with mixed and matched aluminum and steel panel?

[Mike Paul]

.

Lettered a brand new 4 door $65 thousand, 2022 Toyota Tundra today. Beautiful truck,

The Front doors were Aluminum, back door were steel? bed sides were aluminum or fiberglass, tailgate gate was steel, fenders aluminum or fiberglass, hood aluminum or fiberglass.
Never seen this Frankenstein mix on a new vehicle before...


Probable manufactures slapping anything together to unload vehicles because lack of material and parts?

Thoughts?

 

[2B]

.

Probable manufactures slapping anything together to unload vehicles because lack of material and parts?

Thoughts?

Exactly,

currently working on a 2022 Silverado, a mix of materials
hood plastic,
front fenders steel
doors a mix
bedside walls alum
bed floor steel
tailgate alum

 

[GAC05]

.

Lettered a brand new 4 door $65 thousand, 2022 Toyota Tundra today. Beautiful truck,

The Front doors were Aluminum, back door were steel? bed sides were aluminum or fiberglass, tailgate gate was steel, fenders aluminum or fiberglass, hood aluminum or fiberglass.
Never seen this Frankenstein mix on a new vehicle before...


Probable manufactures slapping anything together to unload vehicles because lack of material and parts?

Thoughts?

I'll bet paint and body shops are going to love this material mashup when they get them in for repair.

 

[Gino]

Kinda sounds like the winners around here. Everybody uses everything under the sun using wrong vinyls, wrong laminates, wrong techniques then come here and ask why the customer is p!ssed off.

 

[James Burke]

Never seen this Frankenstein mix on a new vehicle before...


Probable manufactures slapping anything together to unload vehicles because lack of material and parts?

Thoughts?

100% purely intentional.

Just down the road from me was a laser-cutting plant that made the entire side-body structural panel blanks for the Chevy Cobalt. They actually "stitch together" (laser weld) panels of different thicknesses and alloys, and then they profile cut the entire panel (in the shape of a car) so it's ready for the forming press.

I asked why they'd go to all the trouble of saving a few thousandths of an inch thickness here and there, and his answer was stunning: "To save billions of dollars and make more energy-efficient vehicles".

These engineered panels utilize the thicker and more "exotic" alloys for the critical structural areas where more safety is needed. The thinner and less expensive alloys are placed in more strategic areas where there is less need for the aforementioned.

For the life of me, I can not figure out how they can draw stamp and finish those panels well enough to hide those lasered seams, but they do. It's just mind-boggling.

So, to answer your question about entirely different materials: Yes, they know what they're doing...and so do their bean counters.

JB

 

[James Burke]

The Front doors were Aluminum, back door were steel? bed sides were aluminum or fiberglass, tailgate gate was steel, fenders aluminum or fiberglass, hood aluminum or fiberglass.

And I'd be willing to bet that they have extremely detailed statistical data from their actuaries concerning accident damage for each model they make.


JB

 

[Eric H]

What do you guys think Toyota is building stuff in a garage somewhere, oh shoot we're out of steel doors I'll just throw this fiberglass one on I have laying in the corner on it. It's all steel and aluminum. It's a combination of strength, weight and cost. All figured out years before it's made.

 

[White Haus]

What do you guys think Toyota is building stuff in a garage somewhere, oh shoot we're out of steel doors I'll just throw this fiberglass one on I have laying in the corner on it. It's all steel and aluminum. It's a combination of strength, weight and cost. All figured out years before it's made.

Their designers must be working out of a basement somewhere.....new Tundras look like absolute crap.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Their designers must be working out of a basement somewhere.....new Tundras look like absolute crap.

The old ones did too. Maybe they were trying to one up that ugly Nissan?

 

[White Haus]

The old ones did too. Maybe they were trying to one up that ugly Nissan?

Could be, those Titans are fugly too.

Too bad they can't figure out how to make a nice Tundra. I've always liked the Tacomas but I don't mess with girl trucks. If the Tundra was just a bigger/beefier version of the Tacoma I'm sure it would be a hit. Now it just looks like a Silverado had an inbred baby with a Ram.

I'm no Ford fanboy but am on my 3rd F-150, and honestly can't say I really like any of the other new half-tons out there. Silverados are growing on me but not enough bang for your buck.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Could be, those Titans are fugly too.

Too bad they can't figure out how to make a nice Tundra. I've always liked the Tacomas but I don't mess with girl trucks. If the Tundra was just a bigger/beefier version of the Tacoma I'm sure it would be a hit. Now it just looks like a Silverado had an inbred baby with a Ram.

I'm no Ford fanboy but am on my 3rd F-150, and honestly can't say I really like any of the other new half-tons out there. Silverados are growing on me but not enough bang for your buck.

I'm partial to ford but have a ram 2500 because I'm a cheap schmuck. I hate the toyota trucks, they're just chinsy like all japanese vehicles. Very plasticy, body panels feel light, paint is thinner than american or german vehicles. We have a few tacomas here for lettering, the sticker is as much as an F150. Now the old ones are a different story, basic truck and the 22R was bulletproof.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I went from an 07 f150 to a 2011 tundra, and at first I hated it. Stupid captain's seats and big console and floor shifter all make me feel like I'm in a coupe, I hit my head on the side mounted oh sh!t bars, and the suspension is tight as hell, so you feel your teeth rattling out. The 150 had suicide doors which I loved, and the best goddang suspension I've had in a vehicle except for my 88 towncar's airbags.
But after a couple of months it really grew on me. I can get up to 80 in about 8 seconds, so I'm usually hitting 75 while I'm still on the onramp. It'll smoke all 4 in 4 wheel drive, and if you turn all the nannies off it gets real exciting...

Now what I hate is the new Rangers. The old one's went unchanged for 20 years or something, and were still worth quite a bit after 10 years on the road. These new ones just look dumb, they increased the bed height dramatically, so now short folks are even more screwed.

you seem like someone that would drive a toyota..... and like it.
I liked the extra cab suicide doors too but a crew is more space for me to throw my garbage

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

All those foreign cars feel cheep and cost just as much as the American cars. Can't speak for their dependability, but American car reliability has been going downhill fast. I travel a lot and have rented a TON of different cars. Ford and Chevy make some nice trucks... that break down and have issues. I like my F250 much better than the Chev 2500. Not a fan of Dodge RAM, Tundra or Titan. I drove a Kia K5 when I was in Memphis... THAT was surprisingly a nice car. I went off road with it to drive up to a pole sign and it handled like an SUV. Kia has the Telluride, that brand used to be cheap shit but it's right there up there with the rest.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

All those foreign cars feel cheep and cost just as much as the American cars. Can't speak for their dependability, but American car reliability has been going downhill fast. I travel a lot and have rented a TON of different cars. Ford and Chevy make some nice trucks... that break down and have issues. I like my F250 much better than the Chev 2500. Not a fan of Dodge RAM, Tundra or Titan. I drove a Kia K5 when I was in Memphis... THAT was surprisingly a nice car. I went off road with it to drive up to a pole sign and it handled like an SUV. Kia has the Telluride, that brand used to be cheap **** but it's right there up there with the rest.

Still a kia and they have had more than their share of issues with their engine fires. Expectations are extremely high now too which skews many reliability studies, you used to just shrug your shoulders when the window crank fell off or a door stopped opening. Cramming folded up paper in the dash once a week to stop the rattles was a weekly family affair. That took 2 people, 1 driving and another to strategically place the wedge. Now people bellyache if they hear a tiny bit of wind noise or their Bluetooth won't stay connected.
I have a feeling that you've never driven a pinto or a Chevy chevette Tex.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Nope, but had my fair share of issues. My 2021 suburban had a collapse a lifter after 3000 miles... then fuel leak out of the engine... then something else which caused it to go into limp home mode. The car drives so smooth and everything feels like top quality, but that stuff with the engine kind of ruins it.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

My friend is pushing 400k on his tundra.

 

[White Haus]

Nope, but had my fair share of issues. My 2021 suburban had a collapse a lifter after 3000 miles... then fuel leak out of the engine... then something else which caused it to go into limp home mode. The car drives so smooth and everything feels like top quality, but that stuff with the engine kind of ruins it.

Ouch, that's no fun after only 3k miles.

I've been looking at the new Suburbans and Tahoes, considering moving to that once my lease is up on F150. More room for kids and gear, but would hate to give up the box for work stuff.

I finally got a Lariat after always getting XLT's (I really wanted LED headlights/taillights lol) and there are so many features that can and do go wrong.

Every time I tow my boat I have alarms going off about features being disabled and trailer lights malfunctioning (they're working fine).

Last time I left my trailer hitched up my battery drained overnight without explanation.

Lots of little flaws and recalls but the ride is pretty damn smooth and I personally like the look of the F150's more than any other truck out there.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

All I've had were Suburbans and Tahoes. The newer models ride like a dream. The 2021's had a massive issue with collapsing lifters. Mine was in the shop multiple times because I think they didn't close things up right when they did the repair. AND while it was being repaired, someone hit the back of it so it sat in the body shop for 2 months waiting on new bumper. I think I got a $6 or $7k check for diminished value after that happened. I like the looks of the chevy pickups over the F250s, but the Fords ride so much better.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Ouch, that's no fun after only 3k miles.

I've been looking at the new Suburbans and Tahoes, considering moving to that once my lease is up on F150. More room for kids and gear, but would hate to give up the box for work stuff.

I finally got a Lariat after always getting XLT's (I really wanted LED headlights/taillights lol) and there are so many features that can and do go wrong.

Every time I tow my boat I have alarms going off about features being disabled and trailer lights malfunctioning (they're working fine).

Last time I left my trailer hitched up my battery drained overnight without explanation.

Lots of little flaws and recalls but the ride is pretty damn smooth and I personally like the look of the F150's more than any other truck out there.

Same just happened to my friends 2021 Silverado 1500 with around 15k miles. 5.3 V8, apparently it is a common issue. What I don't get one bit is why manufacturers have known issues yet continue manufacturing using the same parts. Well, I do know why. Really though, how long did Ford make the 5.4 without ever addressing the spark plug problems, Dodge has valvetrain issues on its 3.6 V6, Ram had major problems with the main bearings and EGR coolers causing fires with it's VM Motori 3.0 Diesel, Kia engine fires, Tesla autopilot, Ford Focus transmissions, 6.0 EGR and injector issues, Dodge 2500 transmissions on the 2nd gens..... the list is really endless but they make zero production changes year after year.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Same just happened to my friends 2021 Silverado 1500 with around 15k miles. 5.3 V8, apparently it is a common issue. What I don't get one bit is why manufacturers have known issues yet continue manufacturing using the same parts. Well, I do know why. Really though, how long did Ford make the 5.4 without ever addressing the spark plug problems, Dodge has valvetrain issues on its 3.6 V6, Ram had major problems with the main bearings and EGR coolers causing fires with it's VM Motori 3.0 Diesel, Kia engine fires, Tesla autopilot, Ford Focus transmissions, 6.0 EGR and injector issues, Dodge 2500 transmissions on the 2nd gens..... the list is really endless but they make zero production changes year after year.

THATS what ticks me off. You have cars with KNOWN issues, yet they stay silent on it while thousands and thousands of people complain about the same problem.. then they don't change anything and keep that design going. The manufactures hold back about $2k per vehicle for warranty repairs, guess it's cheaper that way than redesign it.