Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:20:17 -0400
Reply-To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject: Re: are all after market bumpers created equal?
In-Reply-To: <005601c66a63$8d3057a0$6701a8c0@emachine>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> I bought two after market bumpers over the winter (chrome)
> from two different online vendors we all know. Although they
> looked like cheap plating when I got them they would suffice
> for my need as a finish my restoration this week.
> Upon installation I'm appaled at the fit of either bumper.
> End caps don't fit well, holes don't line up well and
> required additional drilling and all around suck in my
> opinion. Are the all buying from the same crap source to get
> us affordable bumpers?
They all come out of the same factory in Italy, no matter whose brand name
(or alleged country of origin) is on them. (There were some even worse ones
on the market a few years ago from God-knows-where, but I haven't seem them
in a while and never carried them.) The only difference from vendor to
vendor is whether or not they have the holes drilled for the impact strip.
They're offered both ways, and sometimes an importer who doesn't know what a
U.S. spec Vanagon looks like will buy the ones without holes by mistake. (We
sell them with the holes, of course.) I would not call the bumpers OE
quality, but we've sold hundreds over the years and had very few complaints
about them. The fit is generally decent if not perfect, and they look
completely stock once installed. In other words they're acceptable, not
exceptional. Personally, my only gripe (being on the east coast) is that the
chrome plating is not comparable to OE, so they will rust sooner in certain
climates. (Waxing them periodically helps.)
The alternatives? A junkyard bumper of course (if you can find one that
isn't tweaked or already rusting); a non-stock custom bumper (there are a
couple out there); or a genuine VW bumper. Last time I checked genuine ones
were still available, but they're $600 for a front and $800 for a rear. For
the absurd sum of $1400 a pair, you get an easier fit and they will go
longer without rusting ... that is, if you don't ding them up first. The
problem, as we all know, is that it doesn't take much of an impact to dent a
Vanagon bumper (either genuine or aftermarket). The Vanagon bumper is almost
useless as a bumper; it's really more of a cosmetic cover over the crumple
zone. Paying $1400 a pair instead of $300 a pair doesn't improve this - it
just makes you feel a whole lot worse if you ding one.
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
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