What is that portal on the bumper?

December 20, 2006 9:19 AM

Bumper question: It seems on many newer vehicles with plastic bumpers there is a 2.5" square that looks like a mini door somewhere on the bumper. What is its function?

The square is always the color of the bumper and I've only seen it on newer (2005 and up) vehicles. These vehicles tend to be more of the luxury sedans and some of the big cushy SUVs. I haven't seen it on smaller new vehicles or trucks with metal bumpers. The placement of the square isn't consistent across different makes.

Anyone have a clue? Its just been bugging me lately.

posted by premortem to Grab Bag (23 answers total)

Just a hunch: It may be an access cover to a wiring harness for trailer lights. Otherwise, I have no idea.
posted by jtoth at 9:24 AM on December 20, 2006

On my 1996 BMW, it is access to be able to screw in a hook that can be used to pull the car and I have one on the side for where the jack goes when my tire needs to be changed .
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:26 AM on December 20, 2006

Or they could be where fog lights would go on fancier trim lines.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 9:26 AM on December 20, 2006

On a BMW at least, it's a tow hook access panel.
posted by milkrate at 9:27 AM on December 20, 2006

JohnnyGunn and milkrate have it. It's normally a cover for a towing point, which is usually a loop of metal attached to the frame of the car, by which the car can be pulled out of a ditch, etc...
posted by Pliskie at 9:29 AM on December 20, 2006

My Scion XB (which I consider a "smaller new vehicle") has one, but the car isn't supposed to be used to tow things. So... um... I don't know. And it's bugged me. But it's not necessarily for a tow hook.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:31 AM on December 20, 2006

Milkrate and JohhnGunn are saying so the car itself can be towed, not so it can tow other things.
posted by ZackTM at 9:33 AM on December 20, 2006

It's normally a cover for a towing point, which is usually a loop of metal attached to the frame of the car...

But it's off-center on some cars. What I know about cars would fit in that lil' preview box, but wouldn't you want the loop to be in the middle?
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:33 AM on December 20, 2006

You can see in this image that the square exists even though trailer lighting is in place. Anyone got a pic with the port off?
posted by Mitheral at 9:34 AM on December 20, 2006

The corpse in the library writes "What I know about cars would fit in that lil' preview box, but wouldn't you want the loop to be in the middle?"

When your doing extractions it doesn't really matter. An off centre attachment will cause dog walking but your average wrecker can handle that easily.
posted by Mitheral at 9:36 AM on December 20, 2006

I think what you're referring to is a small hole that the vehicle's lifting jack fits into for changing flat tires...

I remember seeing it used in a movie a couple years ago, maybe the Transporter?

I'll try to find more info...
posted by 777 at 9:36 AM on December 20, 2006

On cars without the access box, there may be a hook under the bumper and lower skirting. if there's no access box and no hook, the owner's manual may instruct you to attach the tow hook to a specific point in the undercarriage, usually a reinforced plate notched for a hook placed between the bumper and the wheels.

I'm betting that on newer, lower-slung cars (like the Scion), there's no room to dangle anything from under the chassis.
posted by ardgedee at 10:08 AM on December 20, 2006

To sum this up: these panels are used to provide access to parts of the car (towing loops, jacking points, and similar) that are not commonly used, when they've been covered by the bumper or side skirts for aesthetic reasons.

It's the side effect of "ground effects" type styling that's popular these days; my 1993 and 2000 cars don't have 'em, but my 2005 minivan does (yeah, my minivan has ground effects skirting, wanna make something of it?)
posted by davejay at 10:41 AM on December 20, 2006

Are you guys sure about it being a tow loop? From the initial description I immediately thought it might be a parking/distance sensor - especially since premortem mentioned seeing it only on newer luxury vehicles. That's my guess...
posted by aceyprime at 11:01 AM on December 20, 2006

It's definitely a tow loop on my car (which has no parking/distance sensor anyway).
posted by xil at 12:04 PM on December 20, 2006

It's not a parking sensor. Those sensors always come in pairs; and there are usually four of them, equally spaced across the bumper.

I don't think it's a "luxury car" thing, I think it's more of an "import car" thing. I believe they use those tow points to tether the cars down when they are shipped.
posted by bhayes82 at 12:14 PM on December 20, 2006

It's a tow loop on my Nissan as well. Have had to use it on more than one occasion as well. It may be off centre but it doesn't make a huge difference when being towed (it's hard to notice any real difference as you are steering anyway).
posted by opsin at 12:16 PM on December 20, 2006

Tie down tethers are under the car and should never be used as an extraction point, they are way too weak.
posted by Mitheral at 12:19 PM on December 20, 2006

It's a tow hook on my car. Snap out the plastic panel (I guess permanently), screw in the tow hook through the new hole in the bumper, tow.

Sort of "BREAK PLASTIC IN CASE OF EMERGENCY".
posted by jellicle at 12:47 PM on December 20, 2006

I have an xB as well. after being curious myself I checked the manual and lo and behold it is indeed a tow point. Underneath the spare tire is an iron eye-bolt that screws into a large nut welded into the frame of the vehicle. very useful for pulling modern vehicles out of ditches and the like since there is nothing to really attach to otherwise in these modern times of spaceframes and plastic 'bumpers'
posted by skatz at 1:08 PM on December 20, 2006

Panel is replaceable on my BMW - not snap out use once. And it is for a screw in towing "eye"
posted by A189Nut at 4:49 PM on December 20, 2006

It's a hook -- but NOT a tow hook! It's a tie-down hook for when the cars are shipped from overseas. For rope or cable or whatever, to keep 'em from shifting around on the boat. Off-center for some practical reason, probably, but also to keep you from using it as a tow hook. Purely vestigial once the car hits the road, kinda like an auto-appendix.
posted by turducken at 9:54 PM on December 20, 2006

I pull wrecked vehicles to the hard shoulder on UK motorways for a living. The plastic 'pops' out to reveal a thread into which you screw the towing eye (usually found near the spare wheel). Many modern cars have undertrays making it otherwise difficult to attach a tow rope (especially when it's hit the central res at 70mph).

Top tip: go find your towing eye and put it in your glove box - chances are that the one time in your life you need a tow in a hurry, your towing eye is buried under all your worldly possessions in the boot.
posted by hmca at 10:28 AM on December 21, 2006