Because a bumper is no longer necessarily just a bumper. Lamps, sensors, cameras, radar equipment, paint systems and calibration can turn modest-looking damage into a large repair.
The visible crack may be the cheap part
A damaged bumper cover may conceal brackets, parking sensors or driver-assistance systems. Headlamp units themselves can be costly on some cars.
Calibration can follow the physical repair
If safety systems rely on cameras or radar, repair work may require checking or calibrating those systems. That adds labour and specialist equipment to the bill.
This matters when choosing a car
If two cars meet your needs, look at the complexity of their lights, wheel sizes and exposed sensors as part of overall running costs—not as a reason to avoid technology, but as a cost worth understanding.
Cars with costly lamps and sensors may still be excellent buys; just include possible repair costs and insurance in the decision rather than ignoring them.
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