[sharanvenu]

As I was driving away from a fender bender today with nothing to do, I gave this serious thought about the necessity of having body colored bumpers. I was stationary at an intersection waiting for sufficient clearance to make a crossing, the Auto driver behind me was impatient and tried to squeeze through my right to show me how to cross an intersection and scratched my cars right rear corner in the process. I stepped outside to check and saw 2 underaged boys sitting at the front seat of the auto loaded with drinking water cans. I felt like screaming and shouting and perhaps enter into an altercation but I just told them I am calling the police and asked them to wait. Clearly underaged and terrified despite the fact that I was not speaking the local language, I let them go after 5 min, just thinking that its a waste of time.

I remember the early days when I was a small child and my Dad used to drive his Premier Padmini, we never visited a denting/painting shop for fixing a bumper. Then we had this Maruti 800 which had unpainted FRP bumpers which was this model:
Then we had this 1st gen WagonR which came with body colored bumpers and after that we started getting close to the people in body shops in both Authorised Service Stations as well as detailing shops in our town.

Back in the days, I remember when the Zen was launched and it came with black FRP bumpers, it looked like a car from the future.


Then came Ford Escort, Daewoo Cielo, Opel Astra (My Favorite), Ford Icon, Opel Corsa etc. I remember seeing everyone of them with black bumpers at least for some time. Back then, I believe lower end versions used to come with Black FRP bumpers and the higher end models came with body colored bumpers.



And then in some years, the unpainted FRP bumpers vanished from the market. I hate to admit, I seriously don't know how my car's bumper looks like without paint. And the only parts I have touched up in the last 15 years on various cars are the corners of the bumpers. Touch Wood! I have had very few instances where I had to do denting on any metal surface'! And they constantly take up any where from 2,500-10,000 Rs every year. Driving in the city incidents happen and despite being the most defensive driver in my friends circle, I spend so much. I can imagine others spending a lot more than this.

I seriously wish the old times came back where there were a lot of less touch ups required and having unpainted FRP bumpers were normal!

It is worth remembering that I spend the said amount every year to maintain the aesthetics of the car above the amount I spend for the annual service and I have definitely seen years where the repainting costs towered over service costs. 2-3 fender benders every year and this happens in our beater car easily - a 2011 Alto K10.
Today I was on my 2012 Duster 110 and I have to vouch for the quality of the plastics. I have had so many small incidents in the city and It has never had even a broken locking clip. Still going strong after 10 years with zero rattles in the car. So it has been mostly only touch ups on this car unlike the Alto.
Touch Wood! I have had very few instances where I had to do denting on any metal surface'!

So my point is, I am starting to believe that body colored bumpers are more about economics than aesthetics. The ASS body shops will be making more money than the service workshop when it comes to the revenue. So, is it likely that we have been gradually made to believe that the body colored bumpers are associated with high-end models and that it is the norm? What do you guys think about this?

[Bhodrolok]

Originally Posted by sharanvenu

So, is it likely that we have been gradually made to believe that the body colored bumpers are associated with high-end models and that it is the norm? What do you guys think about this?

I can say I would never buy a vehicle with a generic black bumper, the aesthetics of the vehicle matter and this is a very basic component. Heck even buses and autos have body colored bumpers now.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by sharanvenu

...So, is it likely that we have been gradually made to believe that the body colored bumpers are associated with high-end models and that it is the norm? What do you guys think about this?

Are body coloured bumpers a fad? I believe it has become more of a norm now. Not to say, todays bumpers are designed in such a way that black coloured bumpers stand out awkwardly. Especially the rear end where bumpers have raised upwards and make almost 1/3rd of the whole rear end.

I remember when the body coloured bumpers started to become the stylish new thing. Most cars sold in Riyadh in the 80s had the huge rubber bumpers, like the US style 5mph bumpers. So people got used to slight bumps and hits at parking speeds as the bumper did the job of a bumper. Heck, I even remember our '81 Cressida getting stuck in a flood, when a young Saudi in his Y60 Patrol helped us by pushing our car to a higher ground. No damages. Try that stunt in a new car. And then with the arrival of the MX80 Cressida, the Grande variant had body coloured bumpers. A white Cressida with body coloured bumpers and brush steel finish alloys was the one that made everyone take notice. Ofcourse, people were used to the bumps and hits at parking speeds, and it wasn't a long time before the body coloured bumpers started to get black mosaic designs , ruining the whole look. Back in India, our Omni had black steel bumpers, so light hits were not a bother. But the Ambassador Mark 4 and Nova had chrome bumpers which were thick, but would get damaged easily ina fender bender, harder to repair too.


But then modern cars, especially from the late 90s started to be designed not just with body coloured bumpers, but flush fitting bumpers from the concept itself. Great for aesthetics, bad for bumper duties. Even proper SUVs nowadays come with body coloured flush fitting bumpers. Ofcourse, with new crash safety and pedestrian safety norms, huge black bumpers are a thing of the past. Or are they? Most of the raised on stilts hatchbacks and stationwagons masquerading as SUVs today have black coloured claddings and lower part of the bumpers. So they kinda take slight bumper/fender hits in a good way.

Then again, the bumper that we see today is no longer a bumper, but technically a bumper cover. The real bumper is inside, to protect the metal body. Just see what word the official service centres use in their repair bills. They mention it as bumper cover, instead of bumper. Ofcourse, not in cheaper Marutis, but check them in Fiat/Ford service centres. Can see those thick black bumpers. Though there are a few miserly people who go around without painting their new bumpers after replacing them in an accident, I do see a small trend of youngsters deliberately putting black bumpers in their riced up Zens and Altos.

[Bluengel180]

If a practice has been prevalent for 25+ years it is not a FAD.

Current bumpers are different from the legacy bumpers. They are made to protect pedestrians. So irrespective of whether they are coloured or not they will require similar maintenance when they are damaged. Repainting them is a choice and not mandatory.

Also aesthetics matter. Most modern cars will look ugly as bumpers are a larger part of their design.

[Samba]

I don't think it's a fad.

This will solely depend on the type of vehicle.

If I buy a stylish sedan, a fancy crossover or a premium hatch, I will definitely go for body colored bumpers. When I drive these car, I drive them more carefully. A sedan, crossover or a hatchback with black bumpers will look very odd.

But if I want a car with peace of mind, I will choose something rugged, like the Thar, Jimny or Gurkha with body cladding. It will be hard to damage these cars with a slight nudge in the traffic.

These cars not only offer peace of mind in traffic, these can be driven without worry on bad roads and water logged streets too.

Even when we go for offroad drives, these cars are safe from the scratches caused by the bushes or tree branches.

But again you gain some, you lose some! For this peace of mind you will lose the comfort, handling and the premium feel of the sedans, hatchbacks & the crossovers!

[Jeroen]

So, is it likely that we have been gradually made to believe that the body colored bumpers are associated with high-end models and that it is the norm?

I don’t think so. It is certainly not high end. These days just about every brand/model car here in Europe has body coloured bumpers.

Back in the olden days, we had of course chrome bumpers. My Mercedes W123 still has those. Manufactured moved to different type of bumpers because of various safety regulations. It also meant the bumpers could be more integrated into the body style of the car, which has an added bonus of potentially reducing drag. So these days bumpers are far more integrated into the overal design (and production) of a car. On many cars, leaving the bumper untainted would be down right very ugly.

So it’s a combination of regulatory, airodynamics/technical and aesthetics and of course cost consideration that drive these changes I believe. And not just high end car. Our Ford Fiesta has body coloured bumpers too. We own the cheapest Fiesta available!

Jeroen

[alpha1]

You need to understand a few things:
1) trends / fashion / fads (and therefore user preferences - we humans follow the crowd) come and go in cycles
2) the marketing department in each organization "creates" the demand by pitching "new" stuff as "desirable". This leads to additional revenue and profits.

Black bumpers were the norm till 90s.
In 90s and 2000s: body-colored bumpers were portrayed as more "premium" and upmarket" and hence customer should pay more for it (in order to look more premium than other brethren)
In 2020s: black colored bumpers are portrayed as "sporty" "SUVish" and therefore customer needs to pay more for it (compared to sedate body colored bumpers)


I have seen this similar flip-flop in Enfield motorcycle shock absorbers where Upside down were the norm earlier (and thus pedestrian), telescopic were introduced as up-market due to technical superiority.
In 10-20 years time, the telescopic shock absorbers became the norm.
And then again recently the USD shock absorbers have somehow gained technical superiority over the Telescopic ones

The see-saw continues because people want to differentiate themselves from others (to gain social superiority), and companies want to differentiate themselves from others (to command premium); but it ends up making the differentiating factor so common, that it loses the appeal (and profits). Technical stuff is usually tweaked up to make for an appealing marketing literature to justify the new trend.

[anjan_c2007]

The Mahindra Scorpio and Toyota Innova (also the older Qudlus') till about 6-8 years ago came with black bumpers. I am yet to sight a Scorpio N or an Innova Crysta/Hycross with black bumpers. And yes, the rider was "only for government supplies at DGS&D contract rates" for such black bumper variants.

So whenever one sighted such black bumpers it would undoubtedly be a government vehicle purchased at the lowest price. Else, the old Scorpio MDI for taxi use would also come with black bumpers.

Hence, from the general trend of black bumpers for all in the past, today it is black bumpers for some of the government vehicles and for taxis (lowest variants).

I do not foresee a return to black bumpers anytime soon.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The Mahindra Scorpio and Toyota Innova (also the older Qudlus') till about 6-8 years ago came with black bumpers. … yes, the rider was "only for government supplies at DGS&D contract rates" for such black bumper variants.

So whenever one sighted such black bumpers it would undoubtedly be a government vehicle purchased at the lowest price.

Facts:

Not just Govt vehicles but also Civilian vehicles, especially the lower variants.

My Bolero Sportz in 2005 came with Grey Metal Bumpers. The moment they moved to FRP based bumper covers the Boleros (Sportz and GLE and GLX) had black as well as body coloured bumpers.

My Scorpio in 2008 (LX) came with Black Bumpers (FRP coverings with a steel member underneath).

Maruti Gypsy which was sold right up to 2019 also always came with Black steel bumpers with FRP end caps.

[self_driven]

Now that I think of it, there are many crossovers in the market today that offer an almost unpainted rear bumper. Brezza, Seltos, Creta, Harrier and Scorpio N are examples. Not only does this give a more purposeful appearance to these cars, it also saves painting cost for the manufacturer. The 'higher repair cost' argument seems weak as users do not necessarily visit ASS for these repairs, esp. for older cars.

Speaking from personal experience, it is a real pain to keep these bumpers black in our dusty conditions. On the other hand, you can clean a painted bumper with a simple wipe and go on with your day.

Plus there's an option to apply PPF on painted bumpers to prevent minor damage at crawling speed. Now with more stringent pedestrian safety norms, bumpers hardly serve their original purpose. So the painted body panels are anyway bound to be damaged at more than crawling speed impacts.

[1LR-GUE]

It depends on the body type. For sedans, I definitely prefer body coloured bumpers and for SUVs that are used mostly offroad I prefer black bumpers.

[Gansan]

At least in the case of Maruti, the body colored bumpers are just the black bumpers painted to the body color at factory. It is even offered as an after market service in their workshops. When I bought my Alto back in 2009 the color I wanted was not available with body color bumpers, so they offered to convert it before delivery. Cost of painting was about 5.5k. Cost of bumper? 2.5k! I declined and decided to keep the black one. If and when some damage occurred to the bumper (after all they are meant for that) a black bumper can just be ignored, or replaced cheaply if required.

[SmartCat]

When all cars had black bumpers, body coloured bumpers looked unique and hence was a desirable feature. But now, the tables are turned - all cars have body coloured bumpers. So when a car comes out with black bumpers, it looks cool:



Once upon a time, all cars had steel wheels. And alloy wheels were a desirable feature because of its rarity and uniqueness. But now, all cars have alloy wheels. But some folks are noticing that steel wheels actually look cooler. We now have a thread on steelies:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...el-wheels.html (Cars that look awesome with steelies (steel wheels))



Similarly, two decades ago, all cars had grey/black interiors. But cars that came out with beige interiors became desirable. But now, beige is gone and black interiors are back.

We see this in motorbikes too. We went from this design:



to this:



But now, most of us find this attractive:

[myavu]

I like black bumpers and when finalizing my KWID it was a major criteria then. It is easy to maintain/replace and look unique too.

[anjan_c2007]

While discussing body coloured versus black bumpers, it would be worthwhile to say that Ambassadors were coming with OE body coloured bumpers for the Grand/Avigo variants, whereas the conventional ones mainly for taxi use were all fitted with the old chrome plated bumpers. The body coloured bumpers of the Grand/Avigo got no complaints from private car owners. Hence by early 2009, Hindustan Motors decided to do away with the chrome plated bumpers for taxis too. The Kolkata taxi market was nearly as a whole buying Ambassadors and only Ambassadors. The body coloured FRP bumpers came to be fitted on the Kolkata taxis and such a change lasted for less than two years. HM was too stodgy to make quick changeovers based on customer demand all through its history. But here they relented and quickly changed over back to the chrome plated bumper option in 2011 for all Kolkata taxis till their last day in business on 24.05.2014. Of the 500-600 odd Ambassadors sold per month during their last years, 450 plus were sold in Kolkata as taxis.

We would also find taxis with aftermarket, front chrome plated bumpers later on, while the rear ones were OE FRP for those made between early 2009 till 2011 or so. The front ones were the first to succumb to hits and taxi owners bought the chrome plated bumpers from the scrap market, discarding their damaged FRP bumpers. It would be common to sight Ambassadors with one OE FRP and one chrome plated bumper for a few years thereafter. Lately, OE FRP bumper sighting for Kolkata taxis has become very rare as all (2009-2011) are presumably changed over to the chrome plated ones. Kolkata traffic is notorious and taxis bear the brunt due to constant use, the bumpers being the first victims in minor mishaps too.



The old conventional bumpers- pls check the registration. Its WB 04 C.



A brand new taxi in an Ambassador showroom in Kolkata clicked in May 2009 !







Above three pictures: the hey days of the FRP bumpers. The series was WB 04 E !





Above two pictures: trouble in paradise for the FRP bumpers- please note the "shocking" breakages !





Please note the OE FRP and also aftermarket chrome plated bumpers on these taxis - hybrid cars !



From September 2013 at a HM showroom in Kolkata, post the launch of the Ambassador Encore on 09.09.2013. Taxis started to be painted in white with NO REFUSAL painted in bold, wherein the taxi availed a state duty concession and could not refuse passengers.



White Encore taxi



Back to 100% chrome plated bumpers for all !
All is well that ends well!

(all pictures are clicked by me at various points of the Kolkata taxi's history)

Off topic concluding remark : Any car that needs an endurance test can be put on test in Kolkata as a taxi for one to two years. If it survives without much mechanical failures and with no concave or rattled surfaces on its bodyline, it can be termed as a survivor !