HEY! I didn't know the hood was aluminum!

[finz04]

I love the lightweight hood, but it makes me uneasy in that I have to raise and lower it at least once a week to "plug in my hybrid". If I try to baby it when closing it won't latch, and I keep having a visual of slamming it down and having a big dent pop up!
When I permanently attach my charger leads I'll try to adopt one of the solutions that lets me plug in with the hood down.

That would explain the the precision directions for closing the hood, included in the owners manual. Complete with the height from which to drop it from.

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[Cherokee]

That would explain the the precision directions for closing the hood, included in the owners manual. Complete with the height from which to drop it from.

Never saw that,
I drop mine just enough to get through latch one. Then I press it down through latch two.

Sometimes if I’m in a hurry a foot high drops works.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

So, I’m confused, happens often with me.

Under the lip of the hood, a key box. What about the rear bumper ?

inconvenient, damp/dirty, and predictable.
I don't have a keypad like you sophisticated types, and attempts to have one installed involved a dealership disservice center, which failed as expected, costing me an entire day of waiting around before they discovered they didn't have the right part after all.

Hopefully Ford corrects this mistake and allows owner-programmed keypads again in the future.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

That would explain the the precision directions for closing the hood, included in the owners manual. Complete with the height from which to drop it from.

Lawyers require these precision instructions, but in an inverse way. If people with no common sense or mechanical ability do something that damages themselves or the product, lawyers are ready at a moment's notice to parachute out of a plane with class action lawsuits.
By clearly stating things like "do not place head under rolling tire of vehicle", the mfg mitigates potential lawsuits.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Aluminum can be fairly strong, depending on the alloy and heat treat, but I'm guessing they probably used a lower strength alloy with good corrosion resistance and ductility. The stronger alloys are more susceptible to corrosion and can/will crack if you try to form them too drastically.

yes; my correlation is related to bicycle frames. The aluminum ones are made with thicker walls and larger diameter tubing because there isn't any "give" to aluminum without damaging it, and even regular use creates microscopic fissures in the material that add up over time. Thus, the aluminum bike tubes are larger and thicker to have the same life expectancy before failure as steel. Despite the mass difference, the aluminum is still lighter. All bike frame materials have their pluses and minuses. A rigid aluminum frame transfers power more efficiently than a flexible steel or titanium one, but that rigidity also transfers more bumps and vibrations to the rider, causing fatigue. I kind of like carbon fiber for mountain bikes; way back in the 90's I got a Kestrel MX-Z and it soaked up the little vibrations and bumps like a sponge (this was pre-suspension days) yet was still rigid and responsive. Subsequent bikes were various Specialized FSR models, both aluminum and carbon, currently a knockabout Marin 29er with just front suspension (cuz I rarely ride anymore).

Thinking about it, with today's vehicle internal skeleton to protect passengers in a crash, I wonder why there aren't more vehicles made with plastic or fiberglass panels. I guess that wouldn't work for the unibody construction such as the Maverick. Unibody was developed to make construction cheaper, not better. I don't really know how difficult it is to work with aluminum material panels in the mfg process vs steel.

 

[dochawk]

I thought that was Chevy not Dodge that did that commercial?

If so, I guess it was a particularly ineffective commercial!

By clearly stating things like "do not place head under rolling tire of vehicle", the mfg mitigates potential lawsuits.

My favorites are

"do not look back into laser with remaining eye"

and (in a Scandinavian tongue)

"do not stop chainsaw with crotch"



I once got a suit back from the cleaners with a warning printed on the plastic bag--warning that the ink was toxic (the only writing on the bag!)

 

[Prickly Pear]

That would explain the the precision directions for closing the hood, included in the owners manual. Complete with the height from which to drop it from.

That's funny! I have read through the manual pretty well but probably skipped the section "Opening and Closing The Hood" as kind of redundant.

@Cherokee , if you drop it from a foot you are apparently "in spec"!

 

[Prickly Pear]

yes; my correlation is related to bicycle frames. The aluminum ones are made with thicker walls and larger diameter tubing because there isn't any "give" to aluminum without damaging it, and even regular use creates microscopic fissures in the material that add up over time. Thus, the aluminum bike tubes are larger and thicker to have the same life expectancy before failure as steel. Despite the mass difference, the aluminum is still lighter. All bike frame materials have their pluses and minuses. A rigid aluminum frame transfers power more efficiently than a flexible steel or titanium one, but that rigidity also transfers more bumps and vibrations to the rider, causing fatigue. I kind of like carbon fiber for mountain bikes; way back in the 90's I got a Kestrel MX-Z and it soaked up the little vibrations and bumps like a sponge (this was pre-suspension days) yet was still rigid and responsive. Subsequent bikes were various Specialized FSR models, both aluminum and carbon, currently a knockabout Marin 29er with just front suspension (cuz I rarely ride anymore).

Thinking about it, with today's vehicle internal skeleton to protect passengers in a crash, I wonder why there aren't more vehicles made with plastic or fiberglass panels. I guess that wouldn't work for the unibody construction such as the Maverick. Unibody was developed to make construction cheaper, not better. I don't really know how difficult it is to work with aluminum material panels in the mfg process vs steel.

Yeah, most aluminum bikes are stiff as hell, but at one time I had a Raleigh Technium that was thin gauge aluminum tube bonded to steel lugs. That thing was the least stiff bike I have ever ridden. The chain would rub going up a hill and I swear you could look down and see the rear end fish tailing! My current two road bikes are a titanium Litespeed and a Reynolds 531 steel Mercian. Both are stiff but extremely comfortable. I think the steel damps the road vibratipns more but that may just be the additional 15 pounds that bike weighs.

 

[Chops]

My Maverick is the first vehicle I’ve owned that I don’t have to feel around under the hood for a latch.

Very convenient - is this a Ford thing? I suppose some more expensive cars have them.

 

[Prickly Pear]

Yes, I love the double latch! First time I went to open the hood I figured it would work like all my other cars. I saw the 2X on the latch and thought "I wonder what that means". That satisfying pop on the second pull told me all I needed to know.

 

[Prickly Pear]

Since there seem to be a few of us interested in aluminum AND bicycles, check out this article

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ar...bicycle-classic-expands-to-four-days-in-2026/

 

[Chops]

Since there seem to be a few of us interested in aluminum AND bicycles, check out this article

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ar...bicycle-classic-expands-to-four-days-in-2026/

Cyclingnews.com brings back fond memories. Back when I owned a bicycle shop 25+ years ago, I was a regular long time contributor on their forum. Eventually banned for trolling all the Armstrong Haters. “Polish” was my username

 

[Chops]

Since there seem to be a few of us interested in aluminum AND bicycles, check out this article

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ar...bicycle-classic-expands-to-four-days-in-2026/

Official Opening of Aluminum Velodrome today in Tucson AZ…picture courtesy of local news:

 

[Prickly Pear]

I did a few laps on my road bike at our local velodrome - It's a strange sensation riding on the sloped surface, especially as slow as I am.

 

[Flyangler]

Oh yeah it’s a light weight hood. Ever see it ruffle in the wind under the car wash dryer? That was enlightening.

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