Vent: I miss the days of just using bondo on everything

Back in 2018 at my shop in Phoenix, I'd just slap filler on any dent and call it a day. Now with these new aluminum panels on trucks like the F-150, you gotta use specific products like 3M's aluminum repair kit. Spent 4 hours on a single door last week because I didn't prep the metal right. Anyone else hate how much extra work these materials add?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_elliot17d agoMost Upvoted

Aluminum is a pain in the ass to work with. One mistake and the repair fails two months later. The prep work takes three times as long as steel. I keep a dedicated set of tools just for aluminum because cross-contamination is a real problem. Bondo on steel was simple and forgiving. Now every repair feels like a chemistry experiment.

the_robert4d ago

Nah you're right that aluminum is a pain, but the chemistry experiment thing is a bit off. The actual issue is more about the aluminum's oxide layer and how it reacts with moisture, not some crazy chemical reaction like you're mixing acids in a lab. The big trick is using the right primer and making sure there's zero moisture trapped under the repair. What kills most aluminum repairs is people rushing the cure time or skipping the etch primer step. That's why the repair holds for a month or two then fails, the moisture slowly gets in and starts corroding from underneath.

james_campbell1217d ago

First time I ran into an aluminum F-150 door it took me six hours because I kept trying to use my regular steel tools on it. I used to think people complaining about aluminum were just being dramatic but now I get it, that cross contamination thing is no joke. Once I messed up and mixed my sanding dust the repair bubbled up like a month later and I had to redo the whole thing.