Hood bent when i pressed down to close it!!! | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Hood bent when i pressed down to close it!!!

Rudsther2435

Elite Explorer
Joined
June 6, 2013
Messages
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City, State
Yuma, AZ
Year, Model & Trim Level
2013 Ford Explorer XLT
I replaced my bulbs today on my 13 Explorer (3 weeks old) and when I went to close the hood I tried the soft approach, it didn't close, then I used my hands to push it down to lock. When I lifted them I saw I had dented the hood with one of my hands. I'm not happy, I didn't push down hard enough on the hood for something like this to happen, well obviously I did, but it seems these hoods aren't very durable, I'm not a strong person. Has anyone else had this happen to them, I wonder if I take it in if they would do anything about this....
 



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I replaced my bulbs today on my 13 Explorer (3 weeks old) and when I went to close the hood I tried the soft approach, it didn't close, then I used my hands to push it down to lock. When I lifted them I saw I had dented the hood with one of my hands. I'm not happy, I didn't push down hard enough on the hood for something like this to happen, well obviously I did, but it seems these hoods aren't very durable, I'm not a strong person. Has anyone else had this happen to them, I wonder if I take it in if they would do anything about this....
Welcome to the Forum Rudsther2435.:wavey:
The hood is made of aluminum. The only way I've been successful in closing it is to let it drop from 1 - 2 feet, or slam it. I would guess that if it doesn't pop back out, that it would be a body shop repair and likely not under warranty. Take it in and see what the dealer suggests. Good luck.

Peter
 






This is why I own a POS 98... Lol. My brother in-law punches my hood, dented it. I punched his face and everything is fine now.... Besides my dent.
 






Just have a PDR service fix it if Ford doesn't.
 






Depending on the size of the dent, location, etc, one old trick is to leave it in the sun until very hot, then put an ice cube in the middle of it dent area. The idea is the metal will contract relative to the surrounding metal and help pull the dent out. Sometimes works for hail damaged roofs. I've also heard of using a plunger for bigger dents. One risk is the paint cracks when the metal is moving either when the dent was made, or when the dent is pulled out. Good luck with what every you do.
 






ice cube, or canned air... vids are on youtube.

Can you push it out from the underside?
 






I replaced my bulbs today on my 13 Explorer (3 weeks old) and when I went to close the hood I tried the soft approach, it didn't close, then I used my hands to push it down to lock. When I lifted them I saw I had dented the hood with one of my hands. I'm not happy, I didn't push down hard enough on the hood for something like this to happen, well obviously I did, but it seems these hoods aren't very durable, I'm not a strong person. Has anyone else had this happen to them, I wonder if I take it in if they would do anything about this....

Hope you get the dent worked out, I've successfully used the blow dryer + upside down can of air trick in the past.

In the future the easiest way to close the hood is hold it up 4 to 5 inches and drop it. The hood is heavy and will close itself, pressure from the top should only be done on the very front edge of the hood (where the explorer lettering on the sports would be).
 






I keep my paintless dent repair guy on speed dial for just such occasions.
 






That's what happens with aluminum.. PDR is your best option.. they will either roll it out or pop it out. I doubt Ford would nor should do anything.

As Peter said' drop it from 12-18" high and it will close.. DONT push on aluminum.

Sorry to hear about that on such a new EX.
 






Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I will give them a try this weekend. I bought the ford dent removal insurance when I bought the car, I'm going to give that a shot first. Thanks again!
 






Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I will give them a try this weekend. I bought the ford dent removal insurance when I bought the car, I'm going to give that a shot first. Thanks again!

Never heard of that before.. what did they soak you for that and how long is the coverage?
 






I think that is in the Owners link / website in the Warranty section. You can order various extended warrs. right from there.
I looked a few times, not sure if the pricing changes but its cheaper than what the dealer offered me when i got the car...
 






Paid $540 for the insurance 5 years from date of purchase, and they're supposed to repair and dents and dings smaller than a quarter. I thought it was actually pretty good price.
 






I replaced my bulbs today on my 13 Explorer (3 weeks old) and when I went to close the hood I tried the soft approach, it didn't close, then I used my hands to push it down to lock. When I lifted them I saw I had dented the hood with one of my hands. I'm not happy, I didn't push down hard enough on the hood for something like this to happen, well obviously I did, but it seems these hoods aren't very durable, I'm not a strong person. Has anyone else had this happen to them, I wonder if I take it in if they would do anything about this....

The same thing happened to me on my new 2014 Explorer. I was refilling the washer fluid and when I was done I let the hood drop from about 8 inches high and it didn't latch all the way. I used two hands and pushed down to get it to latch. The hood was so weak that it bent in two places where my hands were. It flexed so bad that the paint is actually cracked in one spot.

I cannot believe that Ford would make the hood so weak that the amount of pressure it takes to latch the spring closed is enough to cause damage. I have been working on cars for over 20 years and have never seen such a thing.

Ford won't cover it under warranty and now I have to shell out $500-600 to have the hood repaired and painted. They need to put a warning sticker under the hood or something, these things are thin as a tin beer can. I was considering one of the new aluminum Ford F150's but now I won't go anywhere near them.
 






Quick question....if your door didn't properly latch when you closed it....would you open it and close it again or would you push on it with your hands or hit it with your hip to close it tight? We all know what the right answer is, but if you choose to push on it versus reopen and close it....you get what you deserve....I haven't tried pushing down on an unlatched hood for any vehicle I've owned for years, as it is obvious that they are all made a lot thinner than they were 20 years ago.....Chalk it up to a lesson learned versus a quality issue......
 






Welcome to the Forum duckworth.:wavey:
It is unfortunate that you had to find this thread after the fact. Yes, the hood does not latch easily, as you found out. I also tried to push down on a few times when I first encountered this issue but with no damage. I then learned to let it drop from a higher point or forcibly help to slam it closed. The hood is aluminum. By reading your post, it doesn't seem like these indentations can be simply popped out.

Peter
 






Quick question....if your door didn't properly latch when you closed it....would you open it and close it again or would you push on it with your hands or hit it with your hip to close it tight? ...
My answer is YES. I have opened and closed the door a second time and have also on several occasions pushed on it with my hand and/or 'hip checked' it to latch it. Works every time. :thumbsup:

Peter
 






Quick question....if your door didn't properly latch when you closed it....would you open it and close it again or would you push on it with your hands or hit it with your hip to close it tight? We all know what the right answer is, but if you choose to push on it versus reopen and close it....you get what you deserve....I haven't tried pushing down on an unlatched hood for any vehicle I've owned for years, as it is obvious that they are all made a lot thinner than they were 20 years ago.....Chalk it up to a lesson learned versus a quality issue......

Yes, it is an expensive lesson I learned the hard way although I'm not sure what I did to "deserve it". I probably wouldn't have read the owners manual before closing the hood but even if I did I couldn't find anything in there on the "proper way nor that it was made of aluminum. The fact that the hood is so light means you have to drop it from pretty high to get it to latch. I have had a hood damaged in the past from dropping it from high up and the hood crossbar wasn't seated right and dented it up from underneath so I guess I just have bad luck with hoods.
 






Yes, it is an expensive lesson I learned the hard way although I'm not sure what I did to "deserve it". I probably wouldn't have read the owners manual before closing the hood but even if I did I couldn't find anything in there on the "proper way nor that it was made of aluminum. The fact that the hood is so light means you have to drop it from pretty high to get it to latch. I have had a hood damaged in the past from dropping it from high up and the hood crossbar wasn't seated right and dented it up from underneath so I guess I just have bad luck with hoods.

So I guess the new F150 you can't slam the doors now lol.
 



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Ditto above sentiments- The proper closing of a hood has always been to drop it and use it's own weight to latch it (well, since the 70's, when my Dad showed me how to do it, plus any competent mechanic I've encountered), whether it's made from steel, aluminum, or kryptonite. Once you know the height to drop from (no higher, no lower) for your particular vehicle, Bob's your uncle.

It IS possible to close the hood by pushing on it (even aluminum, you could do it 1000 times without denting it) but you MUST push in an area, usually around the edge, that is supported from underneath.

Sorry to hear this story - better to try and fix the dent sooner than later, the longer you leave it the longer the metal (and paint) will have to take a "set" which will make it more difficult to do a neat job. Also, do it when it's warm, but not so warm that it softens the paint. Be careful of scratching the paint, too, of course.

IMHO - aluminum is THE way to build a quality automobile. The more aluminum in a vehicle, the better, and aluminum is no stranger to Ford, who has been using it variously in production for more than a decade and a half. The use of steel is illogical, but it's cheap. Titanium is ideal for many applications, but its price is kept artificially high by political protectionism left over from WWII. When that changes, (a lot comes from China now) and the price becomes set by conventional market forces, it will the next logical metal for use in cars.

The new 150 leapfrogs Ford wayyyy above the competition, who will now be scrambling to do the same thing to catch up...

"To add speed, add lightness" -Colin Chapman.
 






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