Homework On Cladding - Input Appreciated:thumpsup:

[Avrunner]

I know there are topics on this site somewhere about this, but I can't find them! I just get frustrated with the search. I'm a LITTLE impatient. ?

Anyway, I'm back to doing my homework again, and this time, I have to write about my opinion about something. Now, my teacher said I could pick any topic I wanted as long as it was "appropriate". That gave me an idea...

Since I'm obsessed about the Av, why not do my hiomework on it? find some stuff I like to read, and get marked for it. Woohoo! Anyway, I need to know about cladding. What's good about cladding and bad about none? nd Vice Versa? My opinion is that cladded is better than none, so more good stuff about cladding would help more. Thanks for any help!

Oh yeah. Sorry for the long post. Mesa got carried away. ?

 

[ColoradoAV]

I'd hate to see you go unanswered. All I can say about the cladding is that it's body armor for the AV. If a door on another car dings the AV the plastic protects everything under the cladding. If the cladding is damaged, it's a cost effective way to repair the AV.

Hope this helps.

 

[lightbg]

Let me try to help out with my opinions

Good:

1)Cladding does act as a type of armor on the bodysides of the Av. It is much more effective than smaller bodyside moldings, and is more likely to resist a shopping cart ding or careless door opening from the idiot that parked next to you.
2) It makes the Av look agressive. This vehicle is a major departure for GM - lately it seems that GM was a copier, not a leader. The AV puts their R&D and marketing departments back on top as innovators.
3) The Pontiac Aztek also has cladding, and while it may not be my cup of tea stylewise, once you get inside it it's as big as a house - and it comes with a tent! The cladding theme is also carried by the new Pontiac Vibe (to a lesser extent) and it does make the vehicle stand out.
4) Don't forget that the upper deck around the rear window, the sail panels, and the bed covers also have a dual purpose: they reinforce the body/frame area behind the back doors and bed. The Av was based on a Suburban design, and when the engineers cut away that much material, they needed something to stiffen and brace what was left.

Bad:

1) Time will tell if the colors fade or the plastic starts to craze or crack - it ain't sheetmetal. I use tons of 303 to preserve it, but time will tell if my efforts make a difference.
2) GM has a history of discontinuing parts when the demand falls off a certain level. Usually interior parts and trim are the first casualties, then color keyed body moldings, etc. If you get my drift here, the cladding could be a victim of GM's existing policies and procedures. This means we all will be scrounging junkyards for lower door panels, bed covers and bumpers if the WBH version becomes the standard model.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the subject. If I were you, I'd get online and see if you can download some pictures of a Silverado 4 door extended body pickup and compare it with an Avalanche front, side , and rear and make your points visually, or (better yet) use a Powerpoint demonstration and knock your teachers' socks off!

Jake

 

[Supermobile]

Here is a photo to help you know whether you like the
looks of cladding:
Claddingless Avalanche Photo
For me, it helped me to know that I love the cladding.

Also, I can tell you that the first time you park your
brand new scratchless Av in a shopping center parking space, it is a very comfortable feeling to know that it is unlikely that you will return to see a door ding in your door paint from some careless fool parked next to you! The cladding is high up and sticks out a long ways from the paint. Great body armor! Get cladding before GM starts charging extra for it, as I have heard will happen in about February.

Another good thing about cladding is that it is easier and faster to care for than paint. You can slap some dressing on the cladding way faster and easier than to apply wax and remove wax on a painted service.

 

[Avrunner]

Tghanks Guys! That really helped...