Quote:
Originally posted by dcarrb
Seems I read somewhere recently that the SVX retained the "five mile per hour" bumpers that were for years a Federal requirement; the premise being that a car should be designed so that a bumper impact of up to 5 MPH would inflict no damage, aside form minor scuffing. (I'm thinking the rear bumper standard might have been 2.5 MPH.)
Whack a newer car hard enough to make it jump a curb and the body shop would take a very large bite from your wallet. Consumer Reports uses a hydraulic ram to simulate a 5 MPH impact on the bumpers of the vehicles it tests, and the repair tab is often astonishing.
Another sterling example of the folks in D.C. letting automakers off the hook.
dcb
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It also depends where you hit/get hit. I bumped my neighbors car going like 1.5mph, but I bumped directly into the back corner. Looked ok for about a day, then the paint started to spiderweb. A couple of hours, some sanding, and some paint, and no more spiderwebbing.