Why 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series Buyers May Pay Higher Insurance Premiums to Cover Costly Repairs to Damaged Aluminum Alloy Body Panels

In the new LC300, several body panels are made from aluminum alloy.

The news that the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series will feature large amounts of aluminum in its exterior panels came as some surprise.

For reference, the LC300 (as Toyota calls it) will have most of its exterior suspension panels made of aluminum.

The new car will have an aluminum roof, hood, doors and front guards, while three-quarters of the rear panels will remain steel, as will the basic ladder chassis structure.

The first questions potential owners of a new Cruiser usually have are about accessories and repair costs.

Starting with the last one, a large independent panel punching shop in Victoria told. Cars Guide that any car with aluminum panels has certain requirements when it comes to repairing damage after an accident.

The biggest caveat is that serious or structural damage must be repaired by a workshop certified by the vehicle manufacturer.

Compared with a conventional steel car, the ability to pull the aluminum structure immediately after the shunt is less; ideally, the damaged section should be cut off and a new section either welded or glued to replace the damaged part.

Given the tolerances and exotic materials used, this is simply beyond the capacity of the vast majority of panel repair shops, which is why manufacturers have created their own network of repair shops authorized to do this kind of work.

However, the new LandCrusier sticks to its steel frame, so these concerns don't bother every buyer.

But even a smaller repair of an aluminum car imposes its own conditions.

A small bump or scratch can be repaired in a fairly traditional way, but if the panel has stretched during the accident (not uncommon for both aluminum and steel body panels), then the aluminum panel should not be heated. shrunk as hard as a steel panel can.

At this point, replacing the part is the best solution, and the repair cost will suddenly skyrocket.

The truth is that many traditional workshops don't take on an aluminum-paneled car (including the one we spoke to), making their repair a very specialized process, often reflected in insurance premiums for those makes and models.

Based on this, owners may find that their insurance premiums have gone up compared to previous LandCruiser models.

We contacted the insurance company RACV, who told us that while many factors affect the final premium, they confirmed that they can take into account "make and model (including the materials from which the car was made)".

It comes down to individual insurers and policyholders, but it's worth keeping in mind.

In terms of accessories, switching to aluminum exterior panels shouldn't make any difference.

steel; The structure will continue to ground electrical equipment, and the attachment points for winches, double-beam tie-rods, wheel mounts and cross beams will remain good old steel.

Meanwhile, the advantages of aluminum panels are most closely related to weight savings.

The new LandCruiser is claimed to be 100-200kg lighter than the old car depending on the model, and much of that reduction is certainly due to the aluminum panels.

This tactic is by no means a first for Toyota; since 2015, Ford in the US has been selling its popular F-150 pickup truck with an aluminum body and a pallet draped over a high-strength steel frame. The company claimed a weight reduction of more than 300 kg.

Combined with an optional aluminum-bodied F-150 diesel engine, it became the first full-size pickup truck in the US to hit the magical 30 mpg.

Clearly, improved fuel economy is a big benefit of this reduced curb weight, and we hope this translates into the LC300 in real-world conditions.

Rust resistance will also be a by-product of switching to aluminum panels, since this material, unlike steel, does not rust.

But aluminum will oxidize. And the process is fast because aluminum has a great affinity for oxygen, which starts the corrosion process.

The good news is that once the entire surface of a piece of aluminum combines (reacts) with any oxygen it is exposed to, it forms a hard surface layer and then the process stops.

The painted finish may still need to be repaired, but a corroded perforated panel is far less likely.

However, it's also important to remember that the construction of the new LandCruiser is indeed made of steel, so driving on the beach at low tide will still require a thorough cleaning afterwards.

There's another big reason not to be afraid of this new material technology: aluminum body over steel chassis has been a successful method of building SUVs since the late 1940s.

Developed just after World War II, British engineers resorted to aluminum body panels for the Land Rover due to a shortage of steel at the time (most of which was shelled or air-dropped in the general direction of Germany).

But the British military aviation industry was on par with aluminum, which led to the decision to equip Land Rover with aluminum panels.

The Range Rover followed suit in 1969 with similarly successful build technology, and the die was cast.