Comments on: Car Diapers

By: KelBel

KelBel — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:18:57 +0000

I miss my old Volvo (made much later than the 70s, mind you). I backed into cars and things all the time when I was learning to drive, and you could never tell the difference.

By: Bristol Traffic Team

Bristol Traffic Team — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:00:50 +0000

A root cause here is probably the adoption of body-coloured bumpers. In the olden days -say 1992 and earlier- your bumpers would be a grey black colour that looked the same after parking as before, no matter how badly you did it. Then the marketing departments realised people would pay more for bumpers that matched the cars paintwork, and presumably that they would pay to have damage repaired more often.

Amusingly, the SUV trend went the other way -away from single colour and towards “rugged look”. Same with integrated roof bars. Big vehicles: mount points for luggage like bikes and skis on the roof. Small vehicles, the ones with less room inside for bikes and skis: nothing.

By: Tony Toews

Tony Toews — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 21:17:51 +0000

“anti-theft’ stickers Ahh, now that’s why I haven’t washed my vehicles in over twenty years. Indeed after a drive in rain on the highway I find a gravel road just to get a layer of dirt on the vehicle.

After all which is a thief going to smash the window to steal some stuff or the vehicle? My dirty POS (Piece of ****) or your shiny, clean vehicle?

Also I simply don’t care what I drive so long as it’s functional. And it’s long been paid for. In cash.

By: Peter Smith

Peter Smith — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:44:33 +0000

almost took a picture of one of these weird diaper things on a nice car in SF the other day. so bizarre.

By: Opus the Poet

Opus the Poet — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:30:28 +0000

The reason cars no longer have bumpers that protrude from the side is the same reason they no longer have decent door handles, pedestrian safety. In spite of no known incidents of pedestrians getting caught and dragged by door handles, protruding bumpers, or wheel spinners, all of those were outlawed back in the 60s and 70s for new cars. Now I have to fight with the door every time I try to get in an unfamiliar car. And while they were messing with the door handles on the outside you think someone could have noticed that no 2 models of cars have their inside door release in the same place making panicked passengers have to search for a way to escape from a car in an emergency. I have literally had to run my hand over the inside of a car door searching for the door release, because it was the same color as the rest of the door panel and dark inside the car. Why doesn’t somebody do something about that if safety is such a big thing?

By: Vin

Vin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:30:18 +0000

Other places where those thing exist: Bay Ridge, Astoria, Flushing, Midwood, Jersey City….OK, yeah, they all seem to be in the NYC metro area.

Somewhat more seriously, those things perplex me. They look a lot sillier than some scratches on a bumper, or even a minor dent. I’d say most cars on the road in NYC have some scratches and dings, especially on the bumper. Even on their own supposed merits, they don’t make sense.

By: JamesR

JamesR — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:36:12 +0000

The Bumper Bullies are pretty common in dense urban neighborhoods with overnight parking. I think the majority of the users buy them because they are leasing their cars and want to be able to avoid any surcharges for body damage at the end of the lease. They do look ridiculous, I’ll give you that. I’ve actually seen cars driving around the city with the contraption still exposed.