F10 Dented
10-27-2010, 04:01 PM
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My one-month old F10 was badly dented on the door after hitting a pillar. Dealer workshop told me the door is made of aluminium and cannot be beaten back like the old E60 steel door. I have to replace the entire door. Looks like while the aluminium door helps to keep the weight of the F10 down, it is bad new if you dent it as you have to change whole door. Same for bonnet and the front side panels.
10-27-2010, 04:07 PM
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mind taking a pic of the damage and posting? Hard to imagine that an aluminum door cannot be manipulated to it's original form by a skilled technician. Where are you located? Perhaps a member local to you can recc another shop close to you...
sorry to hear about the damage
sorry to hear about the damage
10-27-2010, 05:30 PM
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Sorry to hear about the door Kiasu... (BTW, it's nice to see you posting outside the Singapore threads! 
As far as fixing dented aluminum, it is much more difficult to do -- even with a skilled craftsman. I know the E60 hood is aluminum (and I thought the F10 hood was not) but I wasn't aware that the doors are aluminum on the F10. If that's the case, then door dings may be way more expensive to repair!
As far as fixing dented aluminum, it is much more difficult to do -- even with a skilled craftsman. I know the E60 hood is aluminum (and I thought the F10 hood was not) but I wasn't aware that the doors are aluminum on the F10. If that's the case, then door dings may be way more expensive to repair!
10-27-2010, 11:10 PM
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Rudy and Geneatals,
Thanks. The mechanic told me that if the aluminium is "stretched" or has "popped" as a result of an impact, it will be very difficult to knock it back to original condition unlike steel. Yes, the hood, front side panels and all 4 doors are now aluminium. Boot and back panels and roof are still steel though. However, if the ding does not pop the metal sheet, then they can knock it back.
Sorry did not take any pic as car I sent car straight to the workshop and is not being repaired. It is also mentioned in this review.
http://www.autoworld.com.my/v2/news/...RT.ATC.CAR.BTW
Thanks. The mechanic told me that if the aluminium is "stretched" or has "popped" as a result of an impact, it will be very difficult to knock it back to original condition unlike steel. Yes, the hood, front side panels and all 4 doors are now aluminium. Boot and back panels and roof are still steel though. However, if the ding does not pop the metal sheet, then they can knock it back.
Sorry did not take any pic as car I sent car straight to the workshop and is not being repaired. It is also mentioned in this review.
http://www.autoworld.com.my/v2/news/...RT.ATC.CAR.BTW
10-27-2010, 11:41 PM
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Kiasu, I am sorry to hear about your door being dented.
The reason behind aluminum being more susceptible to permenant damage than steel is that it has much lower toughness (ductility). Toughness is the amount of energy that the metal can take before it gets fractured due to stress (pressure) applied to the metal sheet on a blow. It is represented by the shaded area under the curves below.
These curves represent extreme cases of more brittle materials (Aluminum) compared to more ductile materials (steel). As you can see steel will take much more deformation (strain) before it fractures, and it can also take back much more corrective deformation when being repaired after the blow.
From my previous readings I remember that Aluminum sheets can be fixed if the workshop has the correct equipment provided that the deformation did not pass the fracture limit (the vertical dotted line above). However, the equipment used to repair Aluminum is much mroe expensive than that required for steel so some shops might not be intersted in buying them.
As much as Aluminum has its advantages in saving weight for performance, handling, and fuel economy purposes, it also has the disadvantage of being very expensive to repair
.
The reason behind aluminum being more susceptible to permenant damage than steel is that it has much lower toughness (ductility). Toughness is the amount of energy that the metal can take before it gets fractured due to stress (pressure) applied to the metal sheet on a blow. It is represented by the shaded area under the curves below.
These curves represent extreme cases of more brittle materials (Aluminum) compared to more ductile materials (steel). As you can see steel will take much more deformation (strain) before it fractures, and it can also take back much more corrective deformation when being repaired after the blow.
From my previous readings I remember that Aluminum sheets can be fixed if the workshop has the correct equipment provided that the deformation did not pass the fracture limit (the vertical dotted line above). However, the equipment used to repair Aluminum is much mroe expensive than that required for steel so some shops might not be intersted in buying them.
As much as Aluminum has its advantages in saving weight for performance, handling, and fuel economy purposes, it also has the disadvantage of being very expensive to repair
.
10-27-2010, 11:56 PM
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Sorry, but I'm just curious: what happens with the old doors/other aluminum panels after they are replaced? Do they go to rot somewhere or are they actually refurbished by an authorized facility? Don't mean to threadcrap - just seem like an awful waste for the tiny efficiency of maybe 20-30 lbs per door. Especially, if you factor in the added repair costs.
10-28-2010, 03:30 AM
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Went back and re-read some of the press information from the F10 announcement and here's what they said about the make up of the body parts:
Aluminium doors reducing the weight of the car by 23 kg or 51 lb.
Apart from the engine lid, the front side panels and the front spring supports on the body, the doors of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan are also made of aluminium. Indeed, the use of aluminium doors alone instead of conventional steel components serves to reduce the overall weight of the car by approximately 23 kg. With its particular moulding requirements, aluminium demands a far more sophisticated production process than, say, steel. A new structural concept developed by BMW nevertheless allows the use of aluminium in the proven shell plate structure, maintaining the design features typical of BMW also when using this extra-light material.
Apart from the engine lid, the front side panels and the front spring supports on the body, the doors of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan are also made of aluminium. Indeed, the use of aluminium doors alone instead of conventional steel components serves to reduce the overall weight of the car by approximately 23 kg. With its particular moulding requirements, aluminium demands a far more sophisticated production process than, say, steel. A new structural concept developed by BMW nevertheless allows the use of aluminium in the proven shell plate structure, maintaining the design features typical of BMW also when using this extra-light material.
10-28-2010, 07:58 AM
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10-28-2010, 08:08 AM
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+1000 That's what I figured, they get recycled just like aluminum cans and such. Heck, I'd be surprised if the panels on the F10 didn't start life as a soda can or something else aluminum. Very few companies use new raw aluminum in production these days. 
10-28-2010, 08:24 AM
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So does this mean that if you scratch the paint on every F10 door, it could say Bud, Coke, or Pepsi?? 
On a serious note - I'm curious as to whether or not they replace the entire door assembly or remove all the internals and install them in the new door frame (either way would also cause a significant cost increase).
And if they replace everything - do you get screwed if the old window was tinted....
On a serious note - I'm curious as to whether or not they replace the entire door assembly or remove all the internals and install them in the new door frame (either way would also cause a significant cost increase).
And if they replace everything - do you get screwed if the old window was tinted....