Bumper Buddy: why?

[Pete from Boston]

As far as I can tell, bumper protection mats exist mostly to protect resale value.  Is there another reason?  It's not to preserve appearance, because all you see is the mat anyway.  Is there a purpose I'm missing?

[briantroutman]

It's the same dilemma with the car bra or the plastic covered couch or whatever. You could keep them pristine for a special occasion (and to preserve resale value), but you, your family, friends...everyone that really matters...has to put up with the protector.

And another thought: maybe they're also trying to protect the other car–and by association, avoid insurance claims from other drivers.

[empirestate]

As far as I can tell, bumper protection mats exist mostly to protect resale value.  Is there another reason?  It's not to preserve appearance, because all you see is the mat anyway.  Is there a purpose I'm missing?

Yes, they certainly can't be for aesthetic reasons, because the bumper guard is far uglier than any blemishes that would otherwise occur. It's kind of like having a case on your phone: sure, it protects the phone against damage, but the you never get to enjoy looking at the pristine phone underneath the case. (Plus, I've had cases that marked up the phone more than their absence would have.)

I suppose if you lease your car, you have some interest in prevent as much damage as you can avoid.

[DaBigE]

It's kind of like having a case on your phone: sure, it protects the phone against damage, but the you never get to enjoy looking at the pristine phone underneath the case. (Plus, I've had cases that marked up the phone more than their absence would have.)

I'll gladly look at the case if it means saving $600 from an accidental drop on a concrete floor. Car bras on the other hand, do next to nothing to protect your car in a collision with anything other than flying sand or gravel.

[empirestate]

It's kind of like having a case on your phone: sure, it protects the phone against damage, but the you never get to enjoy looking at the pristine phone underneath the case. (Plus, I've had cases that marked up the phone more than their absence would have.)

I'll gladly look at the case if it means saving $600 from an accidental drop on a concrete floor. Car bras on the other hand, do next to nothing to protect your car in a collision with anything other than flying sand or gravel.

Sure. For those prone to this sort of thing, a case makes quite a lot more sense (and from the looks of the phones of a lot of people I see, there are a lot of folks prone to it).

[hbelkins]

I always liked the looks of a bra on a car, and in fact had bras on two of the cars I've owned ('84 Camaro Z28 and '94 Saturn SC2.) I didn't get the bras to protect the front bumpers; I got them because I liked the way they made the vehicles look.

Ditto with phone cases. Who cares what the phone looks like? With a case, you can reflect your personality and express support for your favorite sports team, TV show, musical artist, etc. However, I don't do this with my personal phone (an iPhone 4s). I use a Mophie JuicePack battery case to make my phone's charge last longer.

[NE2]

6.0. Not enough product placement.

[jeffandnicole]

The only legit reason I could see someone using them is if they live in a city where cars are parallel parked thisclose to each other, or if someone is constantly lifting something in and out of the truck (like a wheelchair or something).

[GCrites]

You see a lot of bumper protection in NYC

[empirestate]

The only legit reason I could see someone using them is if they live in a city where cars are parallel parked thisclose to each other, or if someone is constantly lifting something in and out of the truck (like a wheelchair or something).

That is where I live, and I still don't see the reason. When cars are parked that close together, you can't hit anyone's bumper with enough speed to do any damage more unsightly than a bumper guard.

[empirestate]

\Ditto with phone cases. Who cares what the phone looks like? With a case, you can reflect your personality and express support for your favorite sports team, TV show, musical artist, etc.

No, with my phone case I can open a beer.

And as for who cares, well, the people who would put a case on it to protect how it looks are who cares. That's the paradox I'm getting at. (The people who would put one on for another reason aren't relevant to the comparison to bumper guards.)

[freebrickproductions]

I guess it makes it easier to clean the car because you don't have to scrub off all of the bug guts from the front bumper.

[empirestate]

I guess it makes it easier to clean the car because you don't have to scrub off all of the bug guts from the front bumper.

I don't think we're all talking about the same thing. Here's one of the more common brands:
http://www.bumperbully.com/

[Pete from Boston]

Yeah, it looks like I got the name of it wrong.