When most folks buy a new truck, they lovingly take care of it, making sure not to scratch its paint or dent its bodywork. Well, that’s not the case with Edmunds.com and its 2015 F-150 long-term tester. The editorial crew took a sledgehammer to the rear quarter panel of the brand new truck – in the name of science, of course.

The test is the first part in an ongoing series to see how well the F-150’s new aluminum skin stands up to abuse and how easy (and expensive) it is to repair. Following the fender smashing, the F-150 was driven to Edmunds' local Ford->ke31 dealership for repairs. The second installment to the video should reveal the process of getting the fender repaired from the customer’s point of view.

In the fender bending testing, the Edmunds editors noted the aluminum body withstood the beating rather well. Besides the point of impact, the body had only minor creases along the top of the bed rail, around the taillight, and just above the exhaust pipe. The second hit made the creases slightly larger, though the panels still held up well.

The rear quarter panel was chosen specifically because of it cannot be easily swapped with a replacement piece, meaning it will have to be repaired. It will certainly be interesting to see the outcome of this test. Stay tuned for more.

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