Description:
Bumpers are located at the front and back of the vehicle and
may be chrome, black, matched or coordinated with the rest of the
vehicle's colors. Bumpers usually incorporate a plastic cover and lower panel,
and a reinforcement bar.
Bumpers on 1983
and newer cars are required to withstand
a 2.5 mph impact.
This safety standard does not apply to vans,
pickups and SUVs.
Purpose:
Bumpers used to serve
a largely ornamental function and were almost exclusively chrome.
Today, automobile bumpers
complement
vehicle appearance, but are
also designed to
minimize damage from low-speed collisions by absorbing crash
energy.
Maintenance Tips/Suggestions: Your car's bumpers are not designed to
absorb unlimited low speed collisions. During an impact, the energy
absorbing material will likely be damaged and need replacement. Just
because the bumper looks fine on the outside doesn't mean that it
still can absorb additional impacts. If your car is involved in a
collision—no matter how minor—have the bumper damage evaluated by a
qualified collision repair professional.
