Posted on 07/11/2010 2:36:41 PM PDT by Amerisrael
Notice anything missing on many of today's new automobiles?
How about sturdy chrome front and rear metal bumbers?!
Plastic bumpers with a styrofoam inside. What does that protect against!
Forget the chrome, many of todays new vehicles don't even have bumpers. Instead, their front end just sticks out a little more. Like the ones pictured in a new car lot below:
Your off to work early in the morning before the sun comes up. At 5:30 in the morning the parking lot is nearly empty. The sun is just now coming up. For a split second you get "blinded" by the sun. In that second, you have a 2 mile per hour collision with a metal parking sign.
Metal sign pole meets plastic bumper. Guess which one withstands the impact and which one sustains the damage?
These days a minor 2 mile per hour mishap can cost hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars in damage that may have been prevented with adequate "chrome" bumper protection.
Not to mention the inconvenience of "shop-time" for your vehicle.
But that's the whole idea behind why the auto industry keeps making vehicles harder to repair yourself, and more damage-susceptible.
Take a good look at this 1985 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the photo below. Notice the front and rear chrome bumpers. That's not all, check out the headlights. Easy to adjust and remove "headlights". No-headlamp "assembly". In addition, there is a chrome metal grill that runs all the way across the front end.
Now here's a photo of a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee below:
Plastic bumper with styrofoam inside. Also notice, instead of normal "headlights", there is now a "headlamp assembly". Also, notice the lack of a "metal" front grill. And behind that front
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I don’t know, but the British have bumbershoots
I rear ended a late model BMW at around 10 miles an hour a couple years ago. I was driving my 83 Mercedes 240D.
My car didn’t have a scratch but the BMW had a couple thousand in damage. I can’t believe insurance companies aren’t throwing a fit with automakers.
Not only a heavy chrome bumper, but two chrome bullet penetrators to take out your opponent’s radiator.
Those were the days.
Nice picture, thanks!
These plastic and styrofoam “bumpers”are likely a result of CAFE standards. Lighter vehicles get better gas mileage, but at the sacrifice of crash protection. Wait until Obama’s new CAFE standards kick in and we will be driving around in glorified golf carts that have the crash protection of a bicycle.
It's noteworthy that automobile designs have changed to anticipate ACCIDENTS. Today the vehicle collapses into the collision. That way the fenders, bumpers and other parts are bent and NOT the passengers.
One day we were stopped at an intersection and a car coming in on the right smacked into a car coming in on the left ~ a near head-on collision!
Both cars were going about 40 MPH, and both collapsed ~ all their bumpers fell off, and all the passengers and drivers walked away without injury. BTW, their seatbelts also worked great ~ the airbags too.
Kind of entertaining!
Don’t like chrome either...
I hate the constant “burn spots” that shiny garbage keeps putting in my vision.
Imagine that you’re having your car washed and someone presses too hard on the front end of the car. Bad news! The whole plastic front end falls off in pieces and the repair bill is $3000 in parts and $100 in labor.
Friend of mine had a VW van with a homemade wood bumper. Probably a 2x8 if memory serves. Stained and finished, it looked pretty nice. And I imagine it had pretty good shock absorbing properties.
To anyone who hasn’t driven a car like that there is no way to explain the experience. Ahhhh...Them were cars!!!
To anyone who hasn’t driven a car like that there is no way to explain the experience. Ahhhh...Them were cars!!!
I usually don’t have Hulk Hogan polishing my car.
Here's a better view.
It’s a device for pushing bums from in front of the car.
There’s nothing more satisfying than waxing a car and seeing the shine on the chrome bumper.
Crash protection on newer cars is far, far better than older cars.
Yes, an older car can deal with a 5mph parking lot ding, but they will kill you in a high speed crash.
The same high speed crash will be very survivable in a modern car designed to crumple while keeping the passenger compartment intact.
With front ends made by Dixie Cup who needs Hogan?
What year Caddy...’53...’54?
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