Sometimes All I Can Do is Laugh at Myself

[YellowHammer]

After waiting months for my fancy new Ford Platinum pickumup truck to be delivered, I've finally got it past the break in period and it's time to retire my tried and true Chevy.  The Ford has everything I could want, including a 12" touch screen, steering wheel heater and as I was reminded of today, lots of lightweight aluminum to help it get better fuel mileage.  "Just as strong as the Chevy, but better" as the advertisements proclaimed.  Except..... 

I was reminded of exactly how much aluminum is in the truck today when I went to switch my magnetic Company and DOT signs from my Chevy to my new Ford.  ARGHHH!  I can only laugh at myself, a true Homer Simpson move.  It's like the Ford said "Oh no you don't, you aint putting that thing on me!"  

I thought everyone would enjoy a good laugh.  Old steel Chevy, new aluminum Ford, guess which one the magnetic signs are still on?    :D :D  







  

[Jeff]

Hah! Who'd a thunk.

[DbltreeBelgians]

I was in a funeral procession last year and the funeral home employee walked right past my truck while putting funeral flags on vehicles. He knew. I looked at my wife like why didn't he put a flag on my truck and then I had that ah-ha moment. Duh!!
On another note you're lucky,I'm still waiting for my new F-350 crew 4x4 "Stroke". 
I ordered it April 24th and got word that October 18th was the build date. They said it should be delivered on or before November 5th. We'll see.

Brent

[metalspinner]

My neighbor just got his new F350 delivered. IT IS LOADED - anything and everything that can in, on, or under it.  But I bet he still has an aluminum door  😂

Maybe he will sell it to me in 10, 12 years. 😆

[HemlockKing]

I had no idea the body panels were aluminum, I knew they made them fords with more aluminum now but never cared to look into it as I'm a Toyota guy. Guess it won't be having rocker panel issues

[SawyerTed]

Aluminum is even in the Chevrolet "swing" panels aka doors, hood, tailgate.  

So that sign wouldn't "stick" to the door of a new Chevrolet either.     Just to be sure, I just took magnet out to check the doors on my 2019 Silverado High Country.  Aluminum.

I remember 20 years ago having a new Tahoe.  My children were soccer players.  Like other soccer parents, we decided we needed the league soccer ball logo magnet for the back of our new SUV.  Even back then the lift gates were aluminum!  So that nifty soccer ball league logo had to ride on the rear quarter panel.  : 

Yellowhammer I understand.

[snowstorm]

6.7?  If so there are a couple things about it you my not know. It has a sport mode. Push the traction control twice and it will show sport mode on the screen. The engine brake has two settings. Push it once and it comes on when you tap the breaks and downshifts. Push it twice and as soon as you let off it  it will come on and downshift with out the brake petal.

[firefighter ontheside]

lol.  I'm not sure the aluminum of my 2017 F350 is actually getting me better mileage, but I do like the idea of my aluminum truck.  My 1997 F150 had an aluminum hood.  I think that was the first time they used aluminum in a truck body panel.  They made a big deal of it. 

[YellowHammer]

6If so there are a couple things about it you my not know. It has a sport mode.

Sport Mode?  I'm still trying to get it into Truck Mode.   :D  I had to buy seat covers just to let my dog ride with me because he would mess up the upholstery.  He was starting to feel left out, he made a point of lifting his leg on the Ford's tires every time he walked by.  As of today, my fancy rare Ford Himalayan Sasquatch Leather seat covers are now covered with a piece of fancy Carhartt Canvas.  

I bought some miracle trailer thing that I supposedly mount to the trailer and it will basically back it up with me sleeping.  I guess.  Trouble is all that stuff is still in the little plastic bag.  I don't have time to install all that stuff, I need to get trucking.  

Going from Chevy to Ford is a little difficult.  It's like they decided to swap up all the controls and buttons and put them in the exact opposite places.  I reach for a button where it used to be in the Chevy and it's not there in the Ford.  The other day I was leaving my Nephew in Law's house after dark, and I couldn't get the headlights to turn on.  After all, it was dark.  He opened the door and said "It's automatic, but you've got the button tuned off." I said "What button, how can it be automatic if there's a button?? And if it was automatic, why didn't it turn its own button on?"  He just laughed.  Sometimes I just feel old....

I guess Chevy owners can't use magnetic signs either.  What's the world coming to?  I think I'll just pop rivet the thing on.  That'll sure nuff look Alabama redneck.  

[Resonator]

You could put your company name and numbers in vinyl letters on your back windows, and then just roll them down when you want to go incognito. ;D

[firefighter ontheside]

I will have to try putting my truck in sport mode.  I've had the truck almost 4 years and I've never heard of such a thing.  When I push exhaust brake button once it says exhaust brake on.  When I push it a second time it says brake on auto.  That's what I always do.  Supposedly when you put it in auto it also engages the tow/haul mode, but I always push that button too when i'm hauling a heavy load.  I like to see the light on the dash telling me its on.

[hedgerow]

I remember 50 plus years ago my dad bought a new cabover semi truck that had a aluminum cab on it and him trying to switch the magnet signs off the old steel cab truck and them not sticking and him having to put signs on the fuel tanks that could be changed as he ran trucks under a couple different names as the permits of that time would allow. He had private and common carrier permits. 

[Raider Bill]

YH, you need a full body wrap. Get wild and creative! 

[Bruno of NH]

YH,
Watch how much weight you place on top of the tail gate then sticking down in the bed.
My friends f 250 had a small issue  :D
It's a very nice truck the diesel is very quiet. 

[snowstorm]

Mine had a couple recalls one for the power tailgate. They could come open without pushing the button on the dash or the transponder. The button is below the head light knob two of the others are for the lights on the mirrors.the other recall was for the seat belt lock. They said there was gun power used to lock the belt in a crash and if it went off it could set the carpet a fire. Who knew they had gun power in them

[snowstorm]

The new style tail gate step is a bit better than the older one except when you load your snowmobile with carbide runners on it. The plastic and carbide dose not play well together. 

[Walnut Beast]

The smell of a new truck inside that's always nice 👍

[WV Sawmiller]

   Since it is a Ford and since it is aluminum just go ahead and drill and rivet your sign in place. :D

 I laugh but I am envious since we get "body cancer" real bad up here around the fenders and mine is bubbling up now. A couple years ago when visiting Mom in N. Fla we popped across the state line into Atmore Ala and bought a good used bed for my wife's 2003 Dodge, had it delivered to a local paint and body shop and he got the paint code off her door panel and painted it. We returned 2 months later and he swapped beds.

 I used magnetic door signs and they kept blowing off. I finally had a local lady make me a pair of vinyl door signs. They have paid for themselves many times over. People see them in a parking lot, come see me to talk and get a card or just photograph the sign with contact info and I have picked up several very good jobs from a pair of simple $25 door signs.

[YellowHammer]

I may just make up some yard signs like you say and stick them in the stake pockets of my truck bed.  That would look Alabama for sure.  

After reading the posts, now I know what that little button below the light switch is, it must be the tail gate drop mode, and I guess it won't work while going 60 miles an hour, because I kept hitting it wondering what it was supposed to do. :D :D

I'll also suggest to Ford that they use bigger writing when labeling all the little doo dads, because I can't read them without putting my glasses on while I'm driving.  So where I used to pass the time listening to the radio, now I just start pushing buttons seeing what they will do because I can't read them.  This stupid truck has more buttons than a typewriter!  Buttons everywhere.  

The other night I'm driving at night, and my headlights are in automatic high and low beam mode.  It will automatically switch to high beams, and I mean airport landing strip, scorch your eyes if you look at them, high beams.  When it detects another car's headlights, (or a reflective road sign) it automatically switches to low beams, then as soon as the vehicle passes, it will immediately switch back to high beam mode.  So I'm driving down the road, high beams on, and another truck is approaching, with its high beams on.  I see it switch to low beams.  So as we get closer, my truck switches to low beams too.  Then the other truck blinks its high beams on and off, like I'm blinding him except I'm in auto low beam mode.  I didn't do anything.  Then my truck blinks it high beams back on, then immediately off.  My wife asks me why I'm high beam flashing the other driver, its not nice, and she guesses I made him mad because he's flashing me back.  I tell her, I didn't do anything! The two trucks are either talking to each other using Morse code, or they are mad at each other.   :D :D I didn't even have my hand near the light switch!  Since then, I'm still gun shy, I switched out of auto high beam mode until my truck learns it manners.   :D :D  Is there a way to set the sensitivity on this?

And what about all the cameras?  It's got cameras everywhere!  I'm scared to scratch an embarrassing itch because for all I know it will automatically recored it and put it on the UTube or something.  

And I've got to ask, is it using the perimeter or blind spot cameras to read the speed limits signs when I pass them?  I think it is.  Whenever I pass by a speed limit sign, and I mean within feet of driving by it, the dashboard automatically displays a picture of a speed limit sign with the correct speed, on the screen.  I feel like I'm in the Beverly Hillbillies where Granny used to be mystified by the door bell.  "Every time it rings, thar's someone at the front door.  How's it know?"  Same thing with this speed limit sign thing ...how's it know?? I'm telling you, it creeps me out a little.   

What about the built in spotlights?  Where I live in the hills of North Alabama, there's only one reason for a truck to have a spotlight in it, and the game wardens know when they see a redneck and a spotlight in a truck, they start looking for a dead deer or a deer rifle.  Well, this things got not one, but two spotlights, built right into each mirror!  DanG!  And I can control them with a button as to where they point!  Talk about possibly getting me in hot water.  I can imagine the conversation "Well officer, I was driving down the mountain road, and I see this deer on my truck cameras.  The truck automatically switched its spotlights on, and shined the deer.  Then it must have reflected back out of the deers eyes, because it automatically switched to low beam mode.  Then it chased the deer down, the automatic collision control and steering system kicked in, and the tail gate automatically dropped, and the next thing I know the deer is in the truck bed.  Honestly, I didn't do anything!"

[Resonator]

Speed limits are probably built in navigation, I had a truck route GPS in the semi that did the same thing as soon as you drove past the sign.

[Larry]

  Since it is a Ford and since it is aluminum just go ahead and drill and rivet your sign in place. :D

Hot melt glue would work just as good and be faster!

I think maybe the kind of problem I would like to have, how to attach a sign to a brand new truck. ;D

[snowstorm]

Yes the speed limit shows on the nav screen. No need to know what all the buttons do except the voice button. Just tell the truck what you want it to do. 

[customsawyer]

On my 2017 truck the one that made me about jump out of the truck was the auto windshield wipers. First time they came on and I didn't even know I had them was not good for the heart. I went through the manual and turned a lot of that auto stuff off. I'm pretty sure I know when to turn the wipers on or when to dim the lights.

[btulloh]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that's having a little trouble getting used to a smart truck.  Mostly I like all the features but I kinda feel like the truck is in charge and not me. 

The first time I was hooking up a trailer was kind of a shocker. I was two-footing the pedals to get the hitch lined up and the traction control decided something was amiss and disabled power to the wheels.  :(  

Not sure if there's aluminum in these Ram trucks or not but I don't use any magnetic signs so not an issue for me.  Interesting how some of these changes in materials, etc. have unintended consequences. 

[WV Sawmiller]

Yes the speed limit shows on the nav screen. No need to know what all the buttons do except the voice button. Just tell the truck what you want it to do.

Great! After all these years having my wife tell me how to drive now my truck is going to want to argue with me too! I hope there is a mute button for at least one of them.