The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #139367   Message #3196108
Posted By: Gurney
26-Jul-11 - 04:41 PM
Thread Name: BS: What ever happened to bumpers (fenders)?
Subject: RE: BS: What ever happened to bumpers (fenders)?
Wing mirrors are mirrors that pre-dated door mirrors, on the wing/mudguard/(fender?). Unlike the door mirror, you could see a car that was beside/alongside you. Older drivers often prefer them, and you could get extensions for towing.

One of the reasons why 'bumpers' today are expensive to repair is that the paint that is required to stick to the plastic is different to the paint on the rest of the car bodywork. It is expensive and poisonous, which means it isn't applied casually but in a carefully-ventilated paintshop, with the bumper removed.

The earlier black plastic bumpers quickly looked very shabby unless they were treated with silicone spray. Then you had all that silicone smearing the windscreen/windshield.
You still do to some extent, but it is now applied, often by dealers, to make tyres look good.