Group Buy: Hitch mounted rear bumper protectors

Do you already have a hitch? If so, its just a matter of sliding the thing into the receiver and putting the the lock pin to secure it.


do we know anyone that can measure the ground clearance on the hitch? It doesnt seem like those numbers jive.
If i do this i need to buy a hitch and install it... the weather here just isnt the best to be working on a car.

I want to do this, i just need to wait a bit.
 
I visit BK almost every weekend, saw a guy with his damn circus bus minivan parallel park right ON TO a brand new lexus sedan. What did he do after? Well of course he had to get his baby carrier out. Opens the hatch door but because he's ON the bumper of the lexus the hatch smacks into the grill. The dumbass doesn't realize it and keeps mashing the hatch up and down on his POS 98 chrysler van. Eventually he weasels out the baby carrier and swings it right into the fender of the lexus.

I fully admit to cussing him out like never before even though it wasn't my car. Sometimes I wish people like that would get their knees broken.

Also regarding that bumper protector on the hitch, I'd be afraid of damaging what ever it's bolted into. I can see each impact making the holes in the metal that it's secured to a little bigger, salt and water getting in, and eventually leading to rust.
 
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I understand your concern, however the receiver hitch is powder coated so its somewhat salt/rust resistant but thats not to say that over time it could accumulate. I just make it a habit to rinse the area with water when it snows or if theres salt buildup. But the protector at least takes the brunt of the damage and not your bumper. Hitchs are cheap ($130) bumper replacement - not so much.



I visit BK almost every weekend, saw a guy with his damn circus bus minivan parallel park right ON TO a brand new lexus sedan. What did he do after? Well of course he had to get his baby carrier out. Opens the hatch door but because he's ON the bumper of the lexus the hatch smacks into the grill. The dumbass doesn't realize it and keeps mashing the hatch up and down on his POS 98 chrysler van. Eventually he weasels out the baby carrier and swings it right into the fender of the lexus.

I fully admit to cussing him out like never before even though it wasn't my car. Sometimes I wish people like that would get their knees broken.

Also regarding that bumper protector on the hitch, I'd be afraid of damaging what ever it's bolted into. I can see each impact making the holes in the metal that it's secured to a little bigger, salt and water getting in, and eventually leading to rust.
 
Found a company but they are in Australia and I really don't think I would pay $800 for front push bar and then $300 to ship it to NY. So I am still looking.
 
The bumper shield is what was recommend to me by the site owner. THe other 2 products are too big relative to our CX-5.

As for the front bumper protector, I think there are some local options as I have seen 1-2 CX-5 in the Tristate area with them installed. SO no need to fork out $800.

Are we limited to a specific type or can we choose between the super bumper,spare bumper or the bumper shield

Here is the link for that Australian company

http://www.cruisinon.com.au/nudge-bar-br-76mm-br-ecb-br-cx5
 
Has anyone received and installed one of these bumper guards on your CX-5 yet? If so, would you mind posting some pics of it installed and perhaps give your impression of how it looks and performs? Thanks, in advance.

I'm thinking of getting one but am a little worried that it will be too intrusive and/or will look too big. Also, I use the hatch a lot to load and unload hockey gear and am thinking that it would be quite painful banging one's shins on the guard. Any feedback would be appreciated.
 
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No problem, its a concern of mine too. I'll try and get some more info from seller.



Has anyone received and installed one of these bumper guards on your CX-5 yet? If so, would you mind posting some pics of it installed and perhaps give your impression of how it looks and performs? Thanks, in advance.

I'm thinking of getting one but am a little worried that it will be too intrusive and/or will look too big. Also, I use the hatch a lot to load and unload hockey gear and am thinking that it would be quite painful banging one's shins on the guard. Any feedback would be appreciated.

I'm thinking of getting one too; but am a little concerned that it will be too intrusive and/or look a little too big on the back of the CX-5. I use my hatch a lot, loading and unloading hockey gear nearly every other day. I'm thinking that it might be quite possible and painful to bang your shins on the guard when you are accessing the hatch contents. Your feedback would be appreciated.
 
Pulled the trigger and ordered a "spare bumper" .

http://sparebumper.com/images/uploa...Sparebumper_in_black_side_view_540_pixels.png


Will post pics when I get it this weekend. It's a the larger "T" shaped bumper protector. It sticks out a bit in the rear but given the NYC driving conditions I consider this to be a "insurance policy".

Yes not the best looking and there is a chance for hitting my shins against the damn thing but I saw some dude totally bump/scratch up some BMW while trying to pull out of the snow this morning. Therefore this gives me the best chance against this from happening (hopefully)
 
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This gizmo is fine if your vehicle has a frame, but for unibody vehicles like the CX-5 this gizmo could cause structural damage. Would be better off with a mashed bumped than a bent unibody. If you aren't afraid of this type of damage, a cheap equivalent solution would be to put on hitch extension with a lock. If someone bumps you, it punches a hole in their bumper plastic. If someone is gonna get damage, it might as well be the guy bumping into your CX-5.
 
I haven't received the product yet but it looks like there a big coiled spring or some type of impact absorbing mechanism.

I think the premise of this product and based on owner submitted photos of their rear-ended experiences with other cars - this product is designed to absorb not transfer impact force.

Check out the site and the demo videos and see if you agree/disagree.



This gizmo is fine if your vehicle has a frame, but for unibody vehicles like the CX-5 this gizmo could cause structural damage. Would be better off with a mashed bumped than a bent unibody. If you aren't afraid of this type of damage, a cheap equivalent solution would be to put on hitch extension with a lock. If someone bumps you, it punches a hole in their bumper plastic. If someone is gonna get damage, it might as well be the guy bumping into your CX-5.
 
Just installed my bumper protector! see pics below:

The bumper protector weighs about 16 lbs its pretty solid but not overly heavy. Was able to slide this right into my Curt 2" Class III hitch and secure it with my hitch lock.

Also included as part of the package were front bumper protectors which are esentially these big rubber bump stops that screw into your license plate screw holes. This will provide some protection against those who are backing up into you. (will post pics of that later).


Jay the owner was great at providing support and answering a lot of my questions. I just hope (i prob will) bang my shins when unloading stuff. But its a small price to pay for some peace of mind when parking!



<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s326.photobucket.com/user/JTNY1/embed/slideshow/cx5"></iframe>
 
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So I haven't checked in for a while. During the weeks of snow here, my CX-5 was hit while street parked. The rear bumper was cracked, left reflector was knocked out of alignment and a nice big dent on the hatch lid. I had to get a new rear bumper painted. Luckily the rear reflector was reusable and the dent was able to smooth out by paintless dent removal. Total damage cost was $680. Now I'm re-accessing the value of this rear bumper protector. I think I will be looking for a higher and more surface area coverage grill to protect it from nice New Yorkers hitting cars and leaving no notes.
 
Sorry to hear about what happened, did you claim it on insurance?

Short of putting barricades around the car when you park the bumper protector I have is the closest thing out there to protect your bumper, unfortunately our hitch location isnt too high up like some other cars where a bumper protector would offer more protection but that is the case for most CUV's out there. My cousin had the same thing happent o her front bumper when parked in the UES and someone ended up smashing the front end and didnt bother to leave a note (no surprise there)



So I haven't checked in for a while. During the weeks of snow here, my CX-5 was hit while street parked. The rear bumper was cracked, left reflector was knocked out of alignment and a nice big dent on the hatch lid. I had to get a new rear bumper painted. Luckily the rear reflector was reusable and the dent was able to smooth out by paintless dent removal. Total damage cost was $680. Now I'm re-accessing the value of this rear bumper protector. I think I will be looking for a higher and more surface area coverage grill to protect it from nice New Yorkers hitting cars and leaving no notes.
 
This gizmo is fine if your vehicle has a frame, but for unibody vehicles like the CX-5 this gizmo could cause structural damage. Would be better off with a mashed bumped than a bent unibody. If you aren't afraid of this type of damage, a cheap equivalent solution would be to put on hitch extension with a lock. If someone bumps you, it punches a hole in their bumper plastic. If someone is gonna get damage, it might as well be the guy bumping into your CX-5.

I think this works in three ways.
1. It draws attention and looks like something you don't want to hit. (Especially with the ball on it)
2. It provides a contact point for the park by ear crowd.
3. Finally for the hard hit it has built in springs to absorb a lot of the hit.

It seems like a good idea.

Frank
 
Sorry to hear about what happened, did you claim it on insurance?

Short of putting barricades around the car when you park the bumper protector I have is the closest thing out there to protect your bumper, unfortunately our hitch location isnt too high up like some other cars where a bumper protector would offer more protection but that is the case for most CUV's out there. My cousin had the same thing happent o her front bumper when parked in the UES and someone ended up smashing the front end and didnt bother to leave a note (no surprise there)

Nope, didn't claim it. As I have a $500 deductible, it's simply not worth the trouble and the definite increase in premium for pay out of $180. It's still a thought but for now, I think I will put on my bike rack hitch, bottom portion to act as a reminder to not park so near my rear bumper. The leaving note aspect, I think only happens outside of NYC and even then the likely hood is low. It's just a shame that after 800 miles on the odometer, the car has a new rear bumper.
 

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