Body and repair shops need not worry about encountering much aluminum when it comes to the 2018 GMC Terrain, but shops should note there is an intricate mix of high strength steel involved.
Repairer Driven News breaks down the important takeaways for shops who may encounter a damaged 2018 Terrain. Repairers may have more considerations than the outgoing Terrain did.
The new Terrain weighs in 400 pounds lighter than its predecessor through a mix of mild and higher-strength steels. The ultra high strength steel sections come with some sectioning and repair restrictions, but everything else is fairly standard, according to the report.
GM didn’t use any extravagant joining techniques that warrant special consideration from body shops, though the tailgate does include some aluminum for repairers to take note of.
For crash worthiness, GMC stated the following:
Additionally, the front suspension cradle is hard-mounted to the body structure at six points, enabling better front end crash energy management across a wide spectrum of impact severities. It features a two-stage release strategy that allows the middle and rear mounts to disengage separately depending on the crash situation. This design is key to help preserve the integrity of the occupants’ safety cage during collisions.
One final, important takeaway? Shops should be careful not to order Denali parts for lower trimmed models as they do not work properly. The 2018 Terrain will reach dealers this summer.
Comments
So that means insurance would be higher?
Yup. And with every new model coming out with ever more added electronic crap, complex body structures etc it will just keep soaring up until your average consumer will no longer be able to afford it.
It already is high.
It is just the reality of the chase if MPG.
GM is is trying to lower cost with high strength steel and a mix of aluminum vs going all aluminum or composite that would be even more expensive.
Even more special attention required to shift the dang thing.
yep pressing a button can be a a real problem for the digitally challenged.
Give me a normal shifter like the Equinox any day of the week. The day I want to have to keep looking at the lower part of the dash to try and identify where park, reverse and drive are is when I need a hole in the head.
This has zero nada zilch to do with being digitally challenged. More like GMC giving an answer to a question nobody asked.
I am old enough to remember when cars and pickup trucks had steering wheel column gear shifts and when auto companies moved to floor gear shifts, everyone went crazy. When the Art and Science design language of the Cadillac debuted, everyone thought it was a shock. We’re moving into an era of more electronics, and fewer mechanical parts that add weight and can break down. Yes, it will be a change of mindset and it could have been designed better, but overall the GMC team did great work in designing the Terrain to compete with foreign competitors and appeal to contemporary tastes.