So I taped my car back together--How important is a bumper anyway?

[DeniseNJ]

My kid bumped into a parked car--again.  As he was driving home the front bumper fell off.  I can't imagine how he could be going to fast parking that he would loosen the bumper.  Anyway, it was a big piece of plastic.  Had a crack in it and the other pieces holding it on the car broke too.  There were about 4 pieces total.  It was held on with bolts through plastic tabs.  All the tabs snapped off so basically I need about a million all new parts, including bottom lights, the front, top and inside of the bumper and a bunch of small stuff.  I have a thousand dollar deductible which I don't want to pay, but parts alone cost hundreds.  So I shoved the pieces back together like legos and taped it all in place with this really strong black tape.  I did a really good job actually.  I'm thinking of going to a junk yard and getting the parts I need.  That might take a while to find.  So I've been driving my franken-car for a few days.  Seems fine. 

So how important is a bumper?  I read that it's to protect the internal parts from severe damage in a low speed crash.  It doesn't seem to be a driver/passenger saftey issue, like if you crash with a crappy bumper you'll be injured or killed.  I think the air bags probably do most of the work at high speeds and you aren't likely to get hurt at low speeds.  I might need to drive around for months with my taped car.  Is that OK?  There are other lights on the front and the inspection is good for over a year.  It's a 2014 Kia Sorento that I bought new in 2013 and financed pre-MMM--instant regret.  It's been paid off for a while, and has been in a few accidents since my kid started driving 2 yrs ago.  I hate this car but I can't imagine getting anything for it if I tried to sell.  It sucked when it was new and is now a hot mess.

[dcheesi]

I'm not an expert, but I think the key question is whether the actual metal bumper underneath the painted plastic "bumper [cover]" is intact. That's the part that's actually safety-related and legally mandated equipment.

Depending on your state, you might also be responsible for making sure that all attached parts are properly secured. I had a much smaller incident with my car that left just a corner of the bumper cover loose; it passed inspection in Virginia, but in Maryland there is a specific requirement for bumpers and fenders to be properly secured, and the mechanic wound up reattaching that corner to the fender somehow (not sure how, 90% sure it wasn't to mfr. spec, but it saved me the cost of a new bumper cover!).

In any case, I doubt that any tape-based solution is going to work long term, so if the bumper cover is salvageable and you want to keep it, I'd act sooner rather than later to try to permanently reattach it. Otherwise, check into local regulations as to whether you can drive it with a bumper cover at all?

[Enough]

I can sympathize, but would recommend heavy duty zip ties (maybe drill a couple holes in the bumper as needed) over tape.

[BudgetSlasher]

My kid bumped into a parked car--again.  As he was driving home the front bumper fell off.  I can't imagine how he could be going to fast parking that he would loosen the bumper.  Anyway, it was a big piece of plastic.  Had a crack in it and the other pieces holding it on the car broke too.  There were about 4 pieces total.  It was held on with bolts through plastic tabs.  All the tabs snapped off so basically I need about a million all new parts, including bottom lights, the front, top and inside of the bumper and a bunch of small stuff.  I have a thousand dollar deductible which I don't want to pay, but parts alone cost hundreds.  So I shoved the pieces back together like legos and taped it all in place with this really strong black tape.  I did a really good job actually.  I'm thinking of going to a junk yard and getting the parts I need.  That might take a while to find.  So I've been driving my franken-car for a few days.  Seems fine. 

So how important is a bumper?  I read that it's to protect the internal parts from severe damage in a low speed crash.  It doesn't seem to be a driver/passenger saftey issue, like if you crash with a crappy bumper you'll be injured or killed.  I think the air bags probably do most of the work at high speeds and you aren't likely to get hurt at low speeds.  I might need to drive around for months with my taped car.  Is that OK?  There are other lights on the front and the inspection is good for over a year.  It's a 2014 Kia Sorento that I bought new in 2013 and financed pre-MMM--instant regret.  It's been paid off for a while, and has been in a few accidents since my kid started driving 2 yrs ago.  I hate this car but I can't imagine getting anything for it if I tried to sell.  It sucked when it was new and is now a hot mess.

Your research is correct, a bumper is an important part of the crash structure of a car.

But, what most people call a "bumper" in actually a "bumper cover". The plastic (or other material) painted and styled piece is the bumper cover and as far as safety is concerned is of little-to-no-value. The actual bumper is the metal structural member located behind the bumper cover.

From your description what was damaged is likely the bumper cover . . . if that happened to me I would have not issues repairing it with tape, zip ties, or other method (or even doing without).

[Rural]

I (and my vehicle) can personally attest that heavy zip ties work better than duct tape. If you drill a few inconspicuous holes, it can even be invisible.

[Cranky]

Our teenager drove our very elderly van for several years, and it was definitely worse for wear. I recommend the high quality duct tape. It will last for a good 6 months.

[Car Jack]

The plastic bumper cover is for looks and aerodynamics.  Using zip ties and duct tape is what holds bumpers onto racecars and they're under far more strenuous conditions than your daily.  I know....I owned a racecar for many years and it's very well known that any race team has as their first line of defense a good stock of zip ties and duct tape.  And no, I'm not kidding.

[DeniseNJ]

My kid bumped into a parked car--again.  As he was driving home the front bumper fell off.  I can't imagine how he could be going to fast parking that he would loosen the bumper.  Anyway, it was a big piece of plastic.  Had a crack in it and the other pieces holding it on the car broke too.  There were about 4 pieces total.  It was held on with bolts through plastic tabs.  All the tabs snapped off so basically I need about a million all new parts, including bottom lights, the front, top and inside of the bumper and a bunch of small stuff.  I have a thousand dollar deductible which I don't want to pay, but parts alone cost hundreds.  So I shoved the pieces back together like legos and taped it all in place with this really strong black tape.  I did a really good job actually.  I'm thinking of going to a junk yard and getting the parts I need.  That might take a while to find.  So I've been driving my franken-car for a few days.  Seems fine. 

So how important is a bumper?  I read that it's to protect the internal parts from severe damage in a low speed crash.  It doesn't seem to be a driver/passenger saftey issue, like if you crash with a crappy bumper you'll be injured or killed.  I think the air bags probably do most of the work at high speeds and you aren't likely to get hurt at low speeds.  I might need to drive around for months with my taped car.  Is that OK?  There are other lights on the front and the inspection is good for over a year.  It's a 2014 Kia Sorento that I bought new in 2013 and financed pre-MMM--instant regret.  It's been paid off for a while, and has been in a few accidents since my kid started driving 2 yrs ago.  I hate this car but I can't imagine getting anything for it if I tried to sell.  It sucked when it was new and is now a hot mess.

Your research is correct, a bumper is an important part of the crash structure of a car.

But, what most people call a "bumper" in actually a "bumper cover". The plastic (or other material) painted and styled piece is the bumper cover and as far as safety is concerned is of little-to-no-value. The actual bumper is the metal structural member located behind the bumper cover.

From your description what was damaged is likely the bumper cover . . . if that happened to me I would have not issues repairing it with tape, zip ties, or other method (or even doing without).

Thanks to all.  I took it to a mechanic and that's what he said too.  The bottom lights are fog lights I don't need.  A bumper cover costs a fortune so I'm keeping the tape for now and going to get some zip ties.

[dougstash]

consider using fiberglass resin and fiberglass cloth instead of duct tape or zip ties (if you care that much anyway). I’ve used zip ties for beaters that I plan on selling or junking in the next year but otherwise fiberglass is a better more permanent way to go. That is assuming you don’t want to buy any new parts or new used parts.

[Mntfloppy]

I also agree zip ties over duct tape. But either solution should probably only be a temporary one.

[Le Poisson]

I hooked a small tree with teh corner of the plastic bumper cover on my car a while back. Replacement bumper - $1200 plus paint and labour. Two screws out of the odds & sods collection - priceless.

It's been like that for at least 2 years now. The screws are a little rusty.

[cashistrash]

On my wife's car I used epoxy putty on those tabs to form a solid surface.  Then after it dried I drilled holes through the solid surface big enough to put the bolts back through.