Bumper Absorber
Many people are surprised to learn when they get into an accident that there is more to your bumper than meets the eye. If you get in a minor fender bender and there is not any substantial damage to your car, chances are you can thank your bumper absorber. Say what? Yes, your bumper absorber! This is a part of the car that most people never learn about, but if you have been in a head on collision than you probably know all about it, and you may even need to replace the bumper absorber.
Your bumper absorber is located inside of the part of the bumper that you can see. Generally the bumper absorber is made of Styrofoam or plastic and is placed between the bumper cover and the reinforcement to help absorb the impact so that the car does not simply crumple under the pressure of the collision.
When most of us think of our bumper we think of the metal or plastic bumper cover that we see when we look at the bumper area of our car. Little did you know, what you see is actually the bumper cover. Inside of the bumper cover is the bumper absorber which is made of plastic or Styrofoam and then on the other side of this is the reinforcement bar. When something hits your bumper if you only had the cover and the reinforcement bar you would sustain more damage. The bumper absorber is there to absorb much of the impact and to keep permanent or catastrophic damage from being done to the vehicle. The bumper absorber lessens the cost of replacement parts that would otherwise be damaged in a collision.
The bumper absorber should be considered a vital part of your vehicle. Because of this, if your bumper absorber has been damaged in a collision you need to get a new one. If the bumper absorber is compressed or torn in an area due to the first collision it will not absorb as much of the impact in a future collision. The cost of a replacement bumper absorber is a lot less than replacing the grill of your vehicle or even the engine components that were pushed back into the vehicle upon impact.
The great thing about buying a bumper absorber is that it is not expensive. If your current bumper absorber has been damaged you need a new one, and generally speaking this purchase is only going to cost you about $50 or less. You may be able to get the new bumper absorber from your dealership, you can order online, or you may be able to special order the bumper absorber that you need from your local auto parts store. Wherever you get it, you will find that these replacement parts are really cheap and definitely worth the cost since they can help to save you thousands of dollars if you get in another accident in the future.
You should know that each bumper absorber is a bit different. This plastic or Styrofoam is cut to the specific measurements of your bumper, which means that each Styrofoam absorber is a little bit different from each make and model to the next. Be sure when you order yours to order the right make and model to make the installation of your new bumper absorber as quick and as painless as possible. If you are having a hard time finding the right make and model in your local area, don't hesitate to look online. Because these are made of light weight material, the shipping costs associated with online orders will be next to nothing and worth it for the ease of ordering.
