|
Answer: Most bumpers on late model cars are what they call "composite"
bumpers. Instead of a massive hunk of chrome plated steel, the bumper has
become an integral part of the car's "energy management" system.
The outer covering is usually colored plastic designed to blend in smoothly
with the lines of the vehicle (for enhanced aerodynamics as well as esthetics).
Underneath the soft outer skin may be a waffle-like layer of plastic honeycomb,
styrofoam, and/or a fiberglass or aluminum bar. When such a bumper takes
a minor bump, the "give" in the soft plastic outer skin usually
absorbs it without causing any visible damage. But when it takes a harder
hit, the plastic eggcrate, styrofoam or reinforcing bar may be heavily damaged
-- yet you can't see the damage from the outside. If you crawl under the
car and look up behind the bumper cover you may see broken bits of plastic
hanging down or other obvious damage. In many cases the only way to truly
evaluate the extent of the damage is to remove the outer skin. Why do the
auto makers make bumpers this way? Because that's the style today. Chrome
bumpers are out. Molded, soft bumpers are in.
But
there's more to it than that. Government crash standards require vehicles
to be capable of sustaining minimum impacts when tested against solid
barriers. The standards are really a joke because many that supposedly
meet the government standard result in hundreds and sometimes thousands
of dollars of damage in minor accidents. The reason this happens is because
the bumpers are designed to self-destruct and absorb energy in a collision
-- which is just the opposite thinking from the purpose bumpers originally
served which was to protect the vehicle, not necessarily the occupants.
|
