Scratching someone's bumper while parking (Hope: transfer to, to buy, live)

[BlakeJones]

Originally Posted by bg7

Exactly. Your bumpers will be scratched within a week of getting the car on the streets. Its like living here in a city of millions and worrying about breathing in other people's germs, or smelling urine on the subways in the summer. Its unavoidable.

The Lexus SUVs actually have a nice solution on the back and front with steel bumper guards that wrap the middle and corners. That should be a standard option for all cars sold in NYC

The alternative is installing razor blades on your bumpers so the other guy drives away in worse shape

[ShirlMastic Beach]

I always assumed bumpers were exactly for that. Bumping cars while trying to squeeze into spots that some would have thought to be physically impossible.

[BlakeJones]

Originally Posted by G-Dale

I always assumed bumpers were exactly for that. Bumping cars while trying to squeeze into spots that some would have thought to be physically impossible.

One would think. One would also think said bumpers should be made out of rubber, WRONG. Some exec at a car company figured out that if you made all bumpers out of breakable compounds like plastic and metal and painted them over, they could make a fortune on replacement parts and detailing

[BugsyPal]

Originally Posted by BlakeJones

One would think. One would also think said bumpers should be made out of rubber, WRONG. Some exec at a car company figured out that if you made all bumpers out of breakable compounds like plastic and metal and painted them over, they could make a fortune on replacement parts and detailing

One night a woman sitting in her Mercedes-Benz (IIRC it was a C class) was rear ended in front of our building. She was waiting for the light to change and got busy with her cell phone so didn't notice when the thing went "green" when the driver behind her didn't slow down...... Anyway nearly cracked up with laughter as the entire rear bumper of the MB simply fell off. So much for the famed German design I thought.

[BugsyPal]

Originally Posted by boatshoe

If you park on the street in Manhattan, you're basically writing off your bumpers. I'm much more upset by the little yellow paint squigglies you get on the car body from taxi passengers throwing their doors open than some bumper scratches.

Again, if persons are that worried over their precious bumpers then do what many leased car owners do; but the thing in a garage. Otherwise as noted above within two weeks or less of parking a vehicle on a NYC street you *WILL* see some sort of damage.

Even NYC car rental places do not count scratches and small dings below a certain line on bumpers. You just cannot control such things. Now side doors are another matter.

[bagz1]

Originally Posted by boatshoe

If you park on the street in Manhattan, you're basically writing off your bumpers.

not really ... i had a transparent bumper pad from clearbumper put on car and so far so good..

[Be Mad]

I think they meant if you didn't go the extra mile and put a bumper guard on your bumper.

[ShirlMastic Beach]

That's what bumpers are for anyway. This is NYC...its a daily occurrence that really can't be avoided unless you want to be that guy driving around all the time with his bumper guards on.

[85dumbo]

My daily beater lives in the streets of Brooklyn and I have become an expert at Bondo and spraypaint.

[ughhnyc]

Originally Posted by BlakeJones

One would think. One would also think said bumpers should be made out of rubber, WRONG. Some exec at a car company figured out that if you made all bumpers out of breakable compounds like plastic and metal and painted them over, they could make a fortune on replacement parts and detailing

This is completely wrong.

Car bumpers actually sit underneath the bumper covers. You do not see them.

Bumper covers are molded into the fenders now for aerodynamics (drag coefficient-fuel economy) and aesthetic looks. Auto manufacturer's do not make any money from paint or detailing shops.

Unfortunately in a place like NYC and it's tighter parking contrainst's aren't taken into consideration by design engineer's at the auto manufacturers. BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz started this design trend in the eighties and the japanese and american auto manufacturers followed suit.


My biggest beef is people driving 7 passenger vehicles or larger vans and trucks with just one occupant.
If you live in the city and park on the street you should be driving either a subcompact or at maximum a mid sized 4 door sedan.

I once had a a woman driving a Honda Odessey Caravan mark up my rear bumper with her front license plate frame bracket on my 2006 Audi A3. The rear bumper was perfect before she decided to try and squeeze her 7 passenger vehicle into a subcompact parking spot. And to top it off she was the only one in her van. No passengers.

I waited until it got dark and with a flat head screwdriver I carefully gouged the hood, front and rear bumpers and all four doors of her Honda. Hopefully it gave her something to think about.

but knowing the mindstate of the average NYer, I doubt she even would have even noticed, until came time to trade the car in or sell it outright.

The biggest problem is most people in the city don't actually know how to parallel park correctly.