Ford's high-tech ding-stopper
2011-09-23 08:28
DENT PREVENTION: Ford's new Door Protector will make its debut in 2012 and will feature on the new Focus.
Cologne, Germany – Ford is introducing a feature designed to prevent dents and scratches and called it the Door Edge Protector.
Or you can get the same effect for a few rands from you local parts shop or supermarket, but whatever - perhaps this is "a better mousetrap". Here's what Ford's engineers in Cologne, Germany, created...
A protective flap, concealed within the door, moves into position as the door opens. The system is designed to prevent damage to paint and bodywork and to deploy automatically when the door is opened. The flap retracts in 60 milliseconds to allow for doors being slammed shut and includes a clutch to prevent damage if the flap is obstructed when returning.
A special rubber compound is used which can withstand constant use and creates a minimum of noise as it springs into position. The protective flap is quickly and easily removed by heavy users, with a replacement unit simply clipping into place.
According to research conducted by Ford, 72% of car-owning households across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK have damage to their vehicle doors. Vehcile owners in Spain are most likely to suffer damage such damage as research - 83% of vehicles have such scuffs.
'FRUSTRATING FOR CAR OWNERS'
Matthew Avery, crash and safety research manager at Thatcham, says scratches and dents are often too minor to be covered by vehicle insurance companies and prove costly for owners to repair themselves
“The small scuffs and scratches that result from a car door being opened into obstacles, or from having a car door opened on to it, can be frustrating for car owners – often too small to be covered by insurance but expensive to have repaired.
“Ford’s new door edge protector is an excellent innovation for preventing these annoying dents and scratches. Any system that can reduce the risk of damage is worthy of recognition;”
The new system will debut in January 2012 and will be available on the new Ford Focus.
Or, of course, you could buy a few plastic door reflectors. They're not as high-tech as Ford's design but they're pretty effective at reducing dents. But whatever, watch the Ford Door Protector (their capital letters) in action below:
Now, wasn't that exciting! See you at the parts shop...
