Advertising on Vehicles with Aluminum Bodies

Aluminum vehicle bodies are a newer advancement to the car manufacturing industry. While aluminum makes vehicles lighter, they have a downside: you can’t stick a magnet to them. This is not so great when you want to get new magnetic decals for your work vehicle. So, what should you do? What options do you have to get a new truck decal for your business?

The Problem: Magnetic Decals Don’t Stick to my Ford Truck

If this is the issue you have run into, you are not alone. Back in 2015, Ford decided to switch their F-150 to an all-aluminum body. The switch was made because Ford needed to go on a diet. And the switch to aluminum lightened the F-150 by 700 lbs according to Autoweek.com. At the time, many thought Ram and Chevy would follow suit, but they ended up not doing so.

So, while that last bit may be helpful information if you’re on the market for a new truck, it doesn’t help much for those currently looking for a solution.

How to Add a Decal to a Ford Aluminum Body truck

If the end goal is to add a company decal or logo to your truck, what are your options here? Well, there are a couple paths you can take in order to add a vehicle decal to your truck.

Get a truck vehicle wrap.

If you’re seeking out a magnetic vehicle decal because you want to advertise your business, a vehicle wrap is a solid option. Vinyl truck wraps provide the same results as a magnetic decal but last for over 5 years! A vehicle wrap also provides more flexibility and design options than a magnet because the material itself doesn’t cost as much. So, for the same budget, you can end up with more coverage and a more custom design.

Add some metal to the inside of the door panel.

The largest issue is that magnets won’t stick to an aluminum door panel. One fix we’ve heard of is to add back the metal. You could take apart the door panel and add some metal sheeting within the door panel itself to make it magnetic again. This would fix the problem without affective the appearance of your vehicle. But it is a lot of work, and not always guaranteed to work.

Add something to the area you want to stick your magnet.

If removing the door panel is not something you want to do, you could apply magnetic material to the outside of your door. An example of this would be adhering something like magnetic tape or a sheet of something similar. Most often, the purpose of the magnetic decal is so that it can be removed when the truck is not on the job site. This would achieve the same results. Again, results may vary.

AP Graphics is Your Maryland Truck Wrap Expert.

For help with wrapping your vehicle, whether it be a wrap for a truck or any type of vehicle, AP Graphics can help. We are Maryland’s most certified vehicle wrapping company offering quality-first installations at a fair and honest price.