Quote:
Originally Posted by cyphorx
Actually the majority of cars made today the front ends are plastic the rear ends are plastic and in minor accidents the plastic is shattered all over the road, you can't just putty out something that has been shattered. The plastic front ends and rear ends cannot be "just hammered out" or straightened the way the old metal bumpers could. The photo below is damage to a modern vehicle that 30 years ago and accident at that same speed would not have cause nearly as much damage,
and a metal bumper would be able to be straightened out as good as new any damage to that side would have either been straightened hammered or putty good as new, or at least only noticeable under close inspection, but since they started making bumpers and fenders out of plastic, minor fender-benders that the average person can fix themselves are major examples of cosmetic damage these days. And the repair job on something like that could run you in the hundreds if you can find undamage matching plastic at the junkyard or thousands if you cannot,
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Some of the things you are pointing out (bumper covers, grills) have been plastic for decades. There is still a metal bumper underneath the cover that actually absorbs the impact. Fenders are still made of metal and can be hammered out and repaired with body filler but often are cheaper to replace than repair.
What you show above if far from a minor fender bender - today or in day's past. In reality, minor fender benders with today's cars are probably easier for owners to repair with easily replaceable parts.
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