Front bumper absorber ..... important?

Is this absorber necessary? The reason I ask is that it is pushing against the bumper cap and preventing it from seating in place.

I guess if I hit a cat, it might absorb some energy but beyond that ........

 

^It absorbs a tiny amount of crash energy. 2nd gens don't have it. Just a case of increasing safety standards.

 

I spoke to friend who has a body shop and he said it's pretty much useless, so off it stays!

 

agree, if it was protecting a steel bumper then maybe. In this case the protector will just break the plastic front end.

 

Not entirely useless. Especially in low speed crashes. This plastic bit crumples and absorbs the impact before it gets to the metal parts of the bumper or frame rails. It wont help your plastic bumper cover in anyway, but if you hit someone under 10 mph this could be the difference between a bent frame rail and just needing a new bumper cover.

Its actually a federal law that car makers put those on to prevent structural damage to the vehicle at speeds below 2.5 mph. But since your not a car maker, you can remove it if you want to if its just getting in the way.

 

Well, I found a way to get the bumper cap to stay seated although it took a hell of a lot of work and some ingenuity. If I ever take everything apart again I will put the absorber back in.