General Facts to Consider Before Buying Your Rear Bumper

What is a car bumper?

A bumper is a structure which is attached to or integrated with the front and rear ends of a motor vehicle to absorb impact in a minor collision.

The first stiff metal bumpers started appearing as early as 1904 with an ornamental function mainly.

Today, standard passenger vehicle bumpers have a rigid reinforcing bar under the outer cover, with sections of plastic or compressible foam underneath.

Instead of serving merely as an ornament to the vehicle, a bumper nowadays serves as a protector of all the metal work behind it as well.

Because of its exposure, the bumper is usually the first thing that breaks if you have an accident. Most of the time it gets scratched, cracked, faded, etc.

Two Common Types of Rear Bumpers

Standard Bumper

Standard or factory bumpers are the rear bumpers with the simplest design as they stretch from the left end to the right end of the vehicle. Normally they are made of a small amount of steel or aluminum underneath a cover that is generally made of plastic.

Benefits:

Don’t rust just from being outside
Lightweight
Don’t add noticeable weight to the vehicle
They come already installed and are easier to replace

Step Bumpers

Step bumper are typically found on trucks, vans and SUV. Hitch balls can be attached and they can be used for towing but in lower capacities than other types of bumpers.

Benefits:

Make it easier to access tools and equipment
Extra layer of protection
Can be found in various finishes and styles

What to consider when buying a rear bumper?

Will it require painting or is it in textured finish (painting not needed)?
Is it with parking sensors or without?
Is it for short or long wheel base? (vans only)
Is it for standard or sport model?
Rear bumpers depend on the vehicle shape (saloon , estate, coupe, 3 & 5 door hatchback). In very few cases the rear bumper could be the same for 3 and 5 door hatchback models.
Some rear bumpers for sport models have different cut outs for exhausts. Some have double exhaust on one end (with a bigger cut out to fit both exhausts in, known as ”twin exhaust with double cut out”. Others have one exhaust on each end known as “double exhaust with single cut out on each end”.
Most rear bumpers are different because they are usually designed to fit exactly on a car's bodywork. Therefore, it is very important to make sure you have got the right part to match your vehicle.

Rear Bumper Primed With Pdc Holes Saloon Standard Models

Rear Bumper Primed All Models & Gti Gt Sport

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Get The Exact Rear Bumper For Your Vehicle

With our VRM Lookup tool you will be able to find the exact rear bumper that is compatible with your vehicle by just inputting your Reg number. Here are some of the many rear bumpers we have in store: