[anand.shankar]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Sharing few more pics as requested, for more google "Full white Thar"

Hideous! Will it transform into a snowman? If thus was mine I'd name it Olaf.

[dsuman]

I prefer to have Black cladding on my cars especially towards lower half of the front and back bumper, doors. Too many possibilities of scratching the paint in not just bumper to bumper traffic but low lying plants, shrubs, and what not. Bikers too have a habit of resting their bike wheels on the rear bumper leaving tyre marks

[Zinda]

Yes for cladding, with these 3 considerations -
It should be subtle - can be functional or just to break the monotony
Never get it polished by service/wash centres - that glossy polish is such a dust magnet
I myself detail it once a month

Here is my 3.5 years old, 70k run XUV500 W8

[Kosfactor]

I do not have any issues with black plastic bits except that some manufacturers like Renault have removed the metal from underneath - so they aren't really protecting anything underneath.

As long as you do not water wash the vehicle often, the black plastics will stay - Black. We use only Proklear for regular cleaning, so all plastics look as good as new considering the vehicle used to sit under the sun all day for so many years. There are plastic trim restorers to bring the blackness back and one can simply use a 20Rs bike polish sponge a few times a year to keep them in good nick.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

As long as you do not water wash the vehicle often, the black plastics will stay - Black. We use only Proklear for regular cleaning, so all plastics look as good as new considering the vehicle used to sit under the sun all day for so many years. There are plastic trim restorers to bring the blackness back and one can simply use a 20Rs bike polish sponge a few times a year to keep them in good nick.

I use Proklear waterless wash for regular cleaning (every 2-3 weeks) and the plastic trim still loses its shine in about 2-3 months time. Then I use the Turtle Trim Restorer and that sponge to bring the trim back to new. In the end, it's not much of a hassle.

[ChethuGowda]

Black cladding adds to the look in my opinion, cleaning is easy and chemicals wont harm plastic much. It makes ground clearance to appear higher, its common to see them on compact SUVs.
I think they also help in easy maintenance compared to their rusting counterparts which need painting for scratches.

[WorkingGuru]

Used to love it, thought is functional & works great, but an acquaintance got into a minor frontal accident and the insurance covered only 50% of the dealership price of the bumper, headlights, side cladding etc, after which I realised it's not always worth it unless one spends a premium on a bumper-to-bumper 0% depreciation insurance policy.

IMO designers are sometimes covering up their inelegance with them, while car companies are deliberately adding them to bank on repair revenue for their service centers.

Still voted YES because some cars have designed them well & they help freshen the design every few years for low cost cars.

[Yossarian]

Oh yes. Thats the only reason my car is relatively scratch minimized. In india - cladding is protective armour. Visually, a well designed cladding adds character.

[.HEM]

Voted Yes, Apart from the look, it just gives an extra protection for my car. I will park the car in a tight spot and will open the door with confidence that the door won't scratch as my armour is in place!

Living with W124s, I really love the plastic cladding that runs across the entire stretch of the doors; like an extension of the bumpers

[amitayu]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I'm a big fan of plastic cladding as they are infinitely cheaper to repair /replace especially in Indian manufactured models than sheet metal. Speaking out of experience from the wheel cladding on my indica which everyone says looks ugly but have saved pretty penny on bodywork bills

Fully agree with you. With the new car design style of bulging wheelbase, there is a higher risk of scratching these areas. The plastic cladding is a great penny-saver in that respect.

[tbppjpr]

Those awkward moments when pleasure of eyes remains more important than the pratical logics.

[ashwinprakas]

I'm of the opinion that painted bumpers are a pointless waste of money, heck! They're called 'BUMPERS' their sole purpose is to bump, why paint them?!?

So my choice would be to add them as much as possible provided they can easily be replaced and are inexpensive. Just like my preference for bumpers I'd prefer they be unpainted as painting such consumables makes no sense to me considering their built with the sole intention of getting battered.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

I'm of the opinion that painted bumpers are a pointless waste of money, heck! They're called 'BUMPERS' their sole purpose is to bump, why paint them?!?

Correction here, what you are calling as "painted bumpers" are not actually bumpers, they are "bumper covers". Actual bumpers are behind those covers which are technically made of "absorber + impact bar", they are part of the chassis structure.


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[Leoshashi]

It all depends on the implementation. In some cars, claddings are tastefully done while others like that on my XL6 are plain ugly. However, I love the practical aspect of these thick claddings. It has saved the bodywork umpteen number of times. So I've learnt to live with it.

[adisan]

Yes.
Plastic does not show scratches easily. Personally I like the appearance of black bumpers than body-coloured ones.