Good day to all, Athens has become an very crowded city with a very large number of cars, whose owners are trying to "squeeze" them in whatever place they will manage to find, even if there is no sufficient space. I yearn for the "good old times", when the bumpers of our cars were made of black, unpainted, quite flexible plastic, easy to repair. I had repaired the front bumper of my previous car (Honda Civic of 1991) myself with the assistance of a friend, by using a mallet and very hot water. The rear bumper, which had suffered more serious damage, had been fixed at a workshop at very low cost. Nowadays the cars have no bumper at all. What we call "bumper" is a joke! These bumpers are painted parts of the main body, easily damaged and always will need repair, painting or mostly replacement. After almost 7 months of owning my brand new Prius 2010 I had the rear bumper been replaced by the dealer. Thankfully the cost will be covered by the insurance of the culprit. Unfortunately the front bumper is damaged too in two places. In the center it has been slightly torn by the towing hook of another car – thankfully not very obvious - and at the right side the original paint has been cracked and heavily marked by the paint of a second car. It seems that some drivers wait to hear the "bang" first, before apply the brake! I am considering of installing a towing hook at the rear bumper, just to intimidate the careless drivers and force them to keep their distance when parking. For the front bumper I am planning to glue a good number of spiked dog collars!!! (see photos attached) Any opinions, suggestions, alternatives are welcomed. Nandros
Kalimera Nandros. I was visiting your magnificent Country and city a couple of years ago. Thankfully not as a driver. I was amazed by the number of motorcycle and scooter riders using the white lines as separate lanes due to the congestion. As for your bumper protection methods, post #2 works but you'll probably still need the dog collar modification affixed to it. A belated thank you to your countrymen for their gracious hospitality. Ahh, I could go for an eggplant, sundried tomato, and feta pizza right now.
A question to "2009Prius": Where can I find these heavy duty wraps? Is it legal to put them on a private car? Or just like my idea for spiked dog collars? A reply to "rpeek2": Thanks for your kind words, but the Greek drivers are not bad. They are worst than bad! The bike/moto riders use the same tactics, to drive ON the separation line, even when they are alone on the road, with no cars close to them!! It has become a habit for them. They are pressing for this method, passing in-between the cars, to be legalized. Their next demand will be to pass "through" the cars!!
Sometimes,a simple warning doesn't cut it. So, you have to demonstrate that you're serious... Let me introduce the exhaust pipe flame thrower: You can get it here, or Google "exhaust flame thrower" for more rootin' tootin', high-falutin', flame shootin' action.
Google for "brush guards." We have lots of them. However, shipping from North America would be expensive. I'm sure you must have them in Europe. Or you could have one made locally. Look for those people who do road rallies across Africa. They'll know. In The States, yes. The spikes would work. Use any kind of foam. Suggest you make them about 4" long, paint them to look like rusty steel, if you actually hit someone the foam just bends, you don't get blood all over your car.
Thanks for your messages. The wording "brush guards" was unknown to me. I made some research in Google and YouTube: The Bumper Porcupine (Illegal like my idea for spiked dog collars) Solid steel car bumper protector (Partial protection. Probably illegal for the front bumper) Bumper Blocker (Not practical) Ultimate Bumper Protection - Bumper Blocker Clear Bumper (Transparent film. They use a Prius in the installing instructions!) ClearBumper : The Best Protection You'll Never See Besides the above I found more products, some of them even silly. I will keep looking and if I find something really interesting I will let you know. I shall check also in the Greek side of the Internet with the translation of the "bumper". I will not right down it, because it will will be greek for you Thanks again..
