Self-coloured bumpers ...

(Fenders to those on the other side of the Atlantic.)

I don't know whether the person(s) responsible for the idea of self-coloured bumpers should be congratulated for a singular act of evil genius or summarily hung, drawn and quartered for the very idea.

Think about it - bumpers (or fenders) were practical rubber lumps that if bumped against car-park barriers or other cars would take the energy out of the collision and leave no damage to the car (I'm talking the slow speed type of collision here). You'd maybe have a mark on the bumper but who cares?

Now though, they're shiny and contoured and the same colour as your car - they've become a thing of beauty in their own right. They're also pretty fragile and tend to CRACK at the slightest bump (all too frequent for my wife and I).

Hey presto! Instant creation of a new industry - replacing scratched/cracked self-coloured bumpers.

Genius or what? Who knows how much money the automotive industry is taking out of the pockets of vain idiots who (I hope!) never used to care about boring old bumpers but have now become as ultra precious about the now useless things as they are about their cars!

I just wish I could get good old rubber lumps of bumpers again ... :-(