Bumper covers are the most frequently replaced body part since most all makes and models use them. They cover a reinforcement bumper bar made of steel, aluminum, fiberglass composite, or plastic. Some bumper bars are designed to absorb energy on low speed impacts.
The theory behind the plastic cover is that it deflects and deforms when hit lightly and pops back into its original shape. If you really bang one hard, or even hit it lightly on a sharp object it will abrade or tear. The plastic bumper evolved for several other reasons, primarily design aesthetics and aerodynamics, but also for cost and durability issues when compared to chrome.
Warren Struz, owner of Midland Park Auto Body, a shop serving northern Bergen County, New Jersey, told us what happens to his damaged bumper covers. His shop handles over 1,000 vehicles annually, many requiring bumper cover repair or replacements. “There are guys who come with a trailer and take away damaged covers. One comes down from Canada, picks them up, hauls them back to Canada, refurbishes and sells them. There’s no set price per cover. He may take ten covers and give me $20 to $40 bucks for the lot. But these types come and go. They are unreliable. Some want me to save covers for them, but I can’t because they accumulate and I don’t have the space. On occasion, when I have a good, damaged cover, I will give it to the parts supplier when the new one is delivered. If nobody picks them up, they go to the landfill.” ...read more
FOCUS on Auto Recycling
- Used oil: An often overlooked resource
- Ford finds alternatives to petroleum parts
- NCOIL approves model airbag fraud legislation
- EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT: Auto Crushers
- Ford and UDM team up to teach old engineers new tricks
- ON TOPIC: Interview with Joseph Holsten, LKQ
- California to be first to see much-hyped electric cars
- GM invests $336 million in Detroit-Hamtramck plant
- A CLOSER LOOK: Gentry & Associates
- Hybrids will soon sound safer for pedestrians
Used oil: An often overlooked resource
Long before it became widespread practice to recycle paper, plastics and other waste stream commodities, used oil was recycled to recover its innate heating value. Even though it’s dirty and exhausted of lubricity, a gallon of used oil contains 140,000 BTUs of energy, approximately the same heating value of a new gallon of oil.
Used oil is a broad category that includes mixes of crankcase oils, transmission and hydraulic fluids, and industrial oils of many grades and qualities. EPA defines used oil as any oil refined from crude or synthetic that has been used and thereby contaminated by physical or chemical impurities. It’s not publicly traded as a commodity. Most transactions are private and most people involved in the business are reluctant to talk about price or the volume distributed. Therefore, there is scant and conflicting data on this sector. ...read more