My e350 will be here in 9 weeks. Althought I'm getting one with parktronic, I'm concerned that my wife will put some hurtin on the bumpers as she has with our current car. Any ideas or suggestions on keep the bumpers clean? Is there a plan I can buy to fix any damage to bumpers over 5 years?

Thanks

 

hmmm, if front & back sensors w/rear camera stilll can't avoid her to put some damages on the bumpers, probably better to spend some times w/her and refresh her driving skills a bit? i'm not trying to be an a$$ and i'm serious about this. no matter what kind of cars she has down the road, it could be a hassle for you, her and the other parties to deal w/all the insurance issues if she not only damaged your/her car but others as well. as for "damage plan", i don't think mb has something like this to offer. they only have something to protect both the exterior paint job and interior. i could be wrong, though.

 

Good points.

 

i'm glad you didn't take it personal and i sure hope your wife will not feel offended if you offer her couple "driving lessons". better way to do it is take her out for a nice breakfast/lunch on a sunday (less cars), have her buy whatever she likes in the mall, then show her how good a parallel "parker" you are. this way she won't feel you are actually lecturing her but just want to show off your skills a bit. too bad you can't do the "see, no hands!" trick w/our cars . btw, the shopping part could easily cost well more than another w212. don't say i didn't forewarn you .

 

I thought it was funny! My wife will not see the post, don't worry Most of her major damage is either caused by running into cement in a parking garage while backing up or running into a post moving forward. Parktronic and a backup camera is my only hope! If they offered 360 degree cameras that would be the best

 

the best is don't let her touch your baby! j/k ! don't want to hear something like, "don't touch me if you don't let me touch her!" honestly, if she has issues w/parking, even 360 degree camera won't help much since ours already w/front & back sensors and rear camera. wait, did she drive anything w/all those features before? if not, i think this time should be ok.

 

She didn't have those features. We only have one car. I don't drive to work. She doesn't work. She will be driving it more

 

ok, all problems/worries solved! she didn't have those features that's why she had problems before. unless she is extremely careless, it's close to impossible for her to make any damages w/sensors and camera in a parking stall. also, look at the bright side, you don't drive to work and she doesn't work. you'll go to the gas stations less than most of us. better yet, take both keys w/you while you are at work and she'll need to call you whenever she needs the car .

 

Put the 3M tape on your bumpers so they are less likely to get scratched.

 

^^^ Haha oggie

 

i thought he was referring to the 3m clear bra .

 

Yup, my vote is for 3M clear bra as well but I have not used it at all lol

 

The only way to keep your bumpers in good shape is to not drive. Unfortuneately, the bumpers on all modern cars today just get plastered by our crappy disintegrating roads. I have tried everything over the years: clear bras, deflectors, excorcisms, and various forms of voodoo. It only takes one time getting behind that idiot gravel truck that is bouncing along spraying gravel and it is all over. It is never of a question of "if". It is always a question of "when". To keep your sanity, just make peace with the fact that it will happen, and, it is not that horribly expensive to have it repaired and resprayed when it really gets bad.

 

http://www.bumperguard.org/

I bought this bumper guard for my daughter's car.
That was her first car (Audi A4) and I knew it will be scratched all over, but the rear bumper was like new condition.

 

i think not too many people are willing to drive around w/that guard on all the time. i would be nice they make it like one of those motorized plates, stick out when needed.

 

+1 looks pretty ugly and needs to be more automated. We need better bumper designs or bumper safety features to keep clean on nicer cars!