Dodgy Bumpers Costing Motorists Unnecessary Millions

Dodgy designs of car bumpers are costing UK motorists £250 million every year, says recent motor insurance research. This could lead to higher insurance premiums, loss of valuable no claims bonuses and unnecessary inconvenience.

The motor insurance industry testing discovered that under all the secure plastic and rubber cladding, much front and rear protection is woefully inadequate due to poor design and installation.

A collision at just ten mph is enough to cause more than £4,000 worth of damage in some of the worst cases examined by motor insurance testers, on bumpers that were fixed in the wrong place or barely attached at all.

"Underneath the cosmetic bumper cover the bumper beam on many cars is either too small, poorly positioned or missing," said a motor insurance researcher.

"Certain manufacturers have however proved that good bumpers can be cost-effectively fitted," he added.

The increasing popularity of large SUVs exacerbates the problem since height mismatches will often cause the larger vehicle to override the rear of the smaller car exposing to damage vulnerable high cost mechanical components situated behind the bumper. Exposed spare wheels can also be a problem creating unnecessary damage to both vehicles.

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