WESTLAND, Mich.––You know your Ford looks good on the outside, but the interior is the part you spend time with the most. There's a lot of work that goes into designing the interior of a Ford, but there's also a lot that goes into the testing of the materials Ford uses. Ford is constantly innovating to make your driving experience top-notch and unforgettable, and it doesn't stop at the care they put into the interior. Take a look at what goes into your Ford - Ford material testing.
Owning a vehicle unfortunately means wear and tear. Your vehicle may never look as good as it does the day you drive it off the lot. Ford has taken this into consideration to give you quality materials that'll stand through regular wear and tear and be able to look just as good as when you first got it. Ford materials go through what they call SNIFF, SNAG, and SPILL tests.
SNIFF
Not only do Ford vehicles contain materials run through durability testing, but also scent testing to make sure your driving experience is comfortable to all the senses. Testing materials are put into jars, then the jars are put through emulated climate like "humidity" or "sat in the sun all day". The qualified scent assessors then go through to determine what would be the most overall liked by Ford drivers. Check out the video below to see how they test scent:
SNAG
The plastic surfaces and fabric can go through quite a bit of wear in a day, and most definitely throughout its complete ownership. Fabrics and plastics need to be able to withstand every normal action that comes along with its owner. Scratches from jewelry on the plastic, squeezing of the seats that stretches the fabric, snags from putting items in the backseat, etc. A few tests they use are:
- The Five-Finger Scratch Test-which uses 5 spikey "fingers" to run across materials at different pressure levels to look for damage
- The Resistance Dye Test-which rubs materials of different colors (think blue jeans) against leather to look for stains
- The Fabric Stretch Test-which is where fabric is stretched using different weight to find thresholds
- The Mace Snaggin Test-which hits a spiky iron ball over fabric on a roller to test stength
SPILLS
Fabrics also go through spill testing. One in particular is The Soil and Cleanability Test which spills different liquids like grease, coffee, sunscreen, etc. onto the fabric to test for stains and to test how easy it is to clean.
All these intense tests benefit you, the driver, in the long run. All the tested materials that made it into your vehicle make it easier for you to enjoy your normal life without worrying about the wear and tear on your vehicle's interior. Haven't been inside a new Ford? You can come check out the quality on the inside and the quality drive with the 2016 Ford Fusion and the 2016 Ford Escape. Want more tips for taking care of your vehicle? Check out our updated FAQs section on our website!
Visit our website: www.northbros.com
Follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Google+