Five Story About Automobile Bumpers

FAIRY TALE #1 All Automobiles Manufactured In The United States Have 5 MPH Bumpers.

FACT: In 1982, the federal government bowed to pressure from automakers and rolled back impact test requirements from 5 to 2.5 mph for 1983 and later model cars. The 2.5 mph standard also allows unlimited damage to the bumper and attachments - and most of today's flimsy bumpers cost considerably more than the old 5 mph bumpers to fix.

FAIRY TALE #2 Todays 2½ MPH Bumper Standards Apply To All Vehicles Manufactured In The US.

FACT: Federal bumper requirements apply only to passenger cars. There are no federal standards for Minivans, Pickup Trucks, or SUVs.

FAIRY TALE #3 Bumpers Don't Need To Be More Effective.

FACT: Consumers want stronger bumpers and they want them on all vehicle types. In a 1998 Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) survey, 77% of respondents said the government should require car bumpers to withstand a 5 mph impact with no damage. Eighty-eight percent said federal bumper standards should apply to all passenger vehicle types, not just cars.

FAIRY TALE #4 New Bumpers Are Better Than Old Ones.

Generally no. Bumpers used to be stronger. Example: "The 2004 F-150 is all new, but its bumpers are just as flimsy as before and even a little worse," says Adrian Lund of IIHS. "The highest damage total was in the rear-into-pole test. The whole bumper was pushed downward, and the tailgate was crushed. In addition, the left and right ends of the bumper were driven into the rear fenders." But it's not just Ford.

FAIRY TALE #5 All Bumpers Are The Same.

No. Bumpers vary a lot in terms of both components and performance. In fact, some vehicles don't even have bumpers. According to Adrian Lund of the IIHS; when one Toyota RAV4 was crashed into another Toyota RAV4 at 10 mph, "it didn't engage the rear bumper because this SUV doesn't have a rear bumper. Instead, the striking RAV4 hit the spare tire mounted on the tailgate," Lund says. "This spare tire was the 'anti-bumper.' It didn't absorb any energy. It didn't prevent any damage. In fact, it caused most of the damage to both vehicles.

Why It Costs You Money...

Bumpers play a significant role in insurance costs because so many physical damage claims are for relatively small amounts of damage involving the front or rear of vehicles--damage that a well designed bumper could prevent. Half of all collision claims are $1,500 or less. Repair costs for these minor incidents are a major factor in overall collision insurance costs.

So, How Can Consumers Tell If A Vehicle Has A Good Bumper?

Consumers cannot tell a good bumper from a bad one by looking at it. The federal government does not require automakers to disclose information about bumper performance.

Car Bumpers Most Manufactured In China

China has begun to emerge as the economic force to reckon with in the global market. Its billion strong population has made it possible to break through almost all the markets, and these include the car bumper market. It seems that there is no dearth to car bumper manufacturers in China. Below is a list of some of the more visible Chinese manufacturers who have made their presence felt online, plus an overview of their companies.

Xiamen Kingtom Rubber-Plastic Co., Ltd. Is established and located in the province of Xiamen. This ISO 9001 certified company is 400-strong with 60 production lines. They are specialized in rubber and plastic parts for sanitation, automobiles (which includes car bumpers) and electrical appliances. Their monthly capacity is around 400 tons finished items, so items can be delivered in less than a week. Their vision is to turn their company into a large scale company operating for the international market.

Changshu Jianan FRP Products Co., Ltd. specializes in FRP (or fiber reinforced plastic) technology. They have a comprehensive range of products: from the automobile bumper to the motorcycle casing to the cable jacket, they all have it. Although they have a much lesser number of employees – 120 – they do have a vast factory area of over 12,000 square meters, and their annual production capacity is 10,000 MT. Also, the proximity of their location makes it convenient for them to transport their deliveries on time. They mostly cater to the international market, with their products reaching as far as UK, Australia and America. Their annual sales are US $2,200,000 and their main buyers are the Hitachi Medical Corporation and the Import Trenz, among others.

The Haiyan Zhenda Automobile Fittings Factory, established in 1976, has been a leading manufacturer of auto parts, including brake lining, rubber parts such as the car bumper, and engine bolts. They are an OEM supplier to major vehicle assemblers, and they are vouched for by their ISO 9001 and TS-16949 certifications. It is no wonder then that their sales top US $10,000,000 annually and that half of the products they make find their way throughout the world.

The L&C Auto Parts is relatively young compared to the abovementioned. It was established only in 19990, although they have been in fact steadily growing over the years. Their annual sales tip $ 8,000,000. Their main products include the car bumper, the guard rail, the solenoid, the armature, the exhaust manifold, et al. Their two main factories specialize in producing hardware car parts for assembly and creating starters and armatures, respectively. They place great stock in the quality of their products as evidenced by the investment they put in their R&D and QC departments.

The Anhui Technology is a large trading company that supplies mostly the US and European markets. They have a variety of product offerings, from appliances to chemicals to machinery. This contributed to their export volume of $524, 000,000 last year. Their branch, the Anhui Technology Auto Parts & Accessories, offers automotive break parts, automotive suspension parts and accessories (the car bumper being one of these) and automotive battery terminal/fittings.

The Shanghai Tengkun Consulting Co., Ltd. offer a broad range of products, from auto spare parts (like the car bumper, car mirror, or car tire) to furnishing parts and telecommunication equipment. Their products have proven to be a hit in the Japanese, European and North American markets. They are engaged in the export and import service, and also have a Commission agent for their documentation works agency and inspection agency.

And to think that this is only a drop in the sea that is the car bumper business, and the ocean that is the automobile industry. The plethora of car bumper choices is a boon for consumers who wan the best value their money can buy.

Bumper Destroyed Can be Repaired

You can say you have had a bad day if you get rear ended, in a car accident, or if you accidentally run or bump into something. However the day you take it to get repaired could be an even worse day. Most times people are discouraged by taking their vehicle to be repaired not only due to the high costs involved, but the fact that they may be out of a vehicle for days or weeks. Finding an honest mechanic can be a challenge as well. Things to consider: Every 17 seconds a reported rear end collision occurs, and every 8.5 seconds an unreported rear end collision occurs. The most frequent accident on the road is the rear end collision, at almost 29.7%, and 75% of these accidents occur at less than 10 mph. Something else to consider is that 36% of all minor auto body damage is to the front or rear bumper.

More than a third!

One in three people with auto body damage have plastic bumper damage.

So if you unfortunately find yourself in a situation where your bumper needs repair know that you are not alone. There are some practical solutions for you so, read on about what can be done.

Some mechanics or auto body shops will tell you that your bumper will need to be completely replaced. Well that will involve an average of two days to repair depending on how busy the shop is at that time. Also it will cost you at a minimum 500 dollars and up from there. This is an option for you, however it is not the only or most cost effective option you have.

The fact is that bumpers have changed as does everything else in time. They used to be made of sheet metal, now the metal bumper is covered by a plastic fascia in hopes that minor abrasions might pop out more easily. However the plastic can bend, break or rip.

The best solution would be to bring it to auto reconditioning shop. Auto Reconditioning, also known as Minor Damage Repair, is defined as the repair of vehicles that do not require welding or frame work. The majority of these repairs require between 2-6 labor hours (actual hands-on time) to repair. These repairs include body and paint repair, replacement of "bolt" on parts, and glass and interior repairs. Typical damage includes scratches, dents, chips and gouges. This type of shop can repair your bumper and save you money. Also in most cases it can be done in just a few hours. This would save you time and money, since you will not have to rent a car or be totally out of car. If you find a really good shop they may even offer to come to you to fix your bumper! For this to work in your favor you will need to choose a shop that is professional, experienced, and that uses the highest quality paints and sealants.

Plastic bumper repair can be done; you just need to find the right bumper repair shop for the job!

Tips Body Kit Installation

Prior to installing a body kit on your car, you should take proper steps to ensure that it is done correctly. We encourage you to have the parts installed by a professional but for those you who want to do the project on their own these directions will get you started.

Prepping & Cleaning Procedure:

Using a good quality paper towel and grease remover or lacquer thinner, completely and thoroughly clean the painted surface area on the car where you will apply double sided tape. Do not allow the paper towel or cloth to remain on the car for too long as it will cause damage to the painted surface. Once cleaned, use a minimum amount of adhesion promoter (just enough to fully coat the surface) on a clean lint-free cloth and apply a thin coating to the surface where you will apply the double face tape. All the adhesion promoter to completely dry before you attempt installing the new part(s).

Note: If you do not intend to paint your entire car, we highly recommend that you paint the bumper prior to installing it on your car.

Front Bumper Installation:

Remove your old factory bumper and save all of the hardware to use later. You may need to remove the styrofoam insert as the new bumper may not fit properly over it. Pre-fit the new bumper on the car to make sure that everything lines up. If it does not, make adjustments by sanding or grinding. Use your old factory bumper as a guide to drill new holes into your new bumper. Once you have done so install the new bumper with the original factory bumper hardware.

Side Skirt Installation:

After removing your old side skirts, use a cloth to clean the using the procedure mentioned above. Once prepped, pre-fit the side skirts onto the car to make sure parts are properly aligned. Use a grease pencil to mark where you want to install the side skirts. Now you will need to measure out a strip of double sided tape and attach it to the side underside of the side skirt if they did not come with it. Peel back about 2" of the plastic backing from the tape, so you can position the part on the car with the remaining plastic backing still on the tape. Position the part on the car and once in place pull the plastic backing to expose the double sided tape and press firmly to assure good adhesion. If screw holes do not align properly you will need to drill them yourself at this point. Use a screwdriver to attach screws.

Rear Bumper Installation:

Remove your old factory rear bumper and trim panel that is located above the bumper. Save all of the original factory hardware for later use. You may need to discard the styrofoam absorber as the new bumper may not fit properly over it. Place the bumper on the car to test fit it. Once you have it lined up properly and fit is assured drill holes into the new bumper using the original factory bumper holes as a reference. Using the original factory screws, attach the bumper to your car. You may need to drill additional holes into each wheel well to secure the bumper.

Car Bumpers Protect Your Car

When you are looking at bumpers for your car, you may not know what you really need them for. This is a great question and you can get an answer.

When you are looking for a bumper for your car and your auto parts needs, you will need to look for certain things with your bumper. This may include what kind of car you are driving so that you can get the right bumper for your car as well as the auto parts that you may run across. You can go looking for these auto parts in other places too.

This may include the auto parts store in the area that you live in. Car bumpers are popular auto parts that many people will need with their cars. So it is easy to find there. If you are not finding the one that you need in the auto parts store, you can have it ordered for you and pay for it when it gets in to the store.

You may also buy it from the Internet if you are willing to pay for the shipping costs that may be associated with the auto parts. This can be pretty high if you are not ready for it and are not willing to shell out the money for it.

The last place that you can look is in the local junk yard. This will have many cars and auto parts that you can pick from for your bumper needs. You may be able to get one for a great low price if you are willing to go and take it off of the car that you are working with. This can be an ordeal, but you can do it in a weekend if you have the right tools and the right auto parts for it.

Take some time and find the bumpers that are right for you and what you are working with. This will make sure that you have a great help if you are ever in an ascendant in your car or if you accidentally hit a small poll in your parking area. You want to get the right auto part from the start so that you can make sure that is stays on your car and that you are getting the most out of your auto parts and bumper. You are in control of what your car will look like and what it will stand up to.