Have you ever noticed that there is a small door on the bumper of the car? We explain what it is for and how it can be useful.
For the series “The hidden secrets of our cars” today we talk about the little one door on the bumper. It is a small detail that escapes many but, if you had noticed, now we are going to see what it is for and how it can save you in difficult situations.
This flap is often small in size, round or square in shape and is found in almost all modern cars. It’s a aesthetic makeup designed by car manufacturers for the purpose of hiding what is a very useful function in the event of a vehicle breakdown or breakdown.
The mystery of the bumper door: what is it for?
In fact, the steel eyelet thread which allows us to hook up a cable for towing the car. A fundamental accessory when our car doesn’t want to start again and we need to be towed to the workshop or on the tow truck.
Why did the car manufacturers choose to hide it in this way, risking that someone would not know its existence? First of all for one aesthetic question: the tow hitch is certainly not a masterpiece of ultra-modern design and for manufacturers more attentive to aesthetics it is useful to “hide” it in an intelligent way that integrates with the exterior appearance of the car.
The second reason is that, in fact, keeping the eye of the tow hook always attached is certainly not functional and therefore it would be better to screw it only when necessary.
Said this, you are surely wondering where to find your accessory. It is usually “hidden” under the base of the trunk, where the spare wheel and the relative values also find their place. In other cases it is kept in a box and in a dedicated kit: in short, it depends on the manufacturer, you should take a look at your car manual to find out more.
Once found, the Instructions for Use they are really simple. To remove the flap on the bumper just exert pressure with a wrench: you will then see the thread in which to screw the eyelet you found trying to tighten as hard as you can in the fixing part.
However, everything is created to ensure a very solid connection, so that the hook is always screwed in perfectly.
If your car is stuck in mud or snow and you need to pull it out make sure the rope is taut and then use only the power of the towing vehicle. Any mistake can cause the rope to break rapidly.
In any case, here some basic rules to keep in mind:
- There speed when towing, it cannot exceed 30 km/h in built-up areas and 60 km/h outside built-up areas. In the case of an automatic gearbox, the speed must not exceed 80 km/h;
- The towing vehicle must have the dipped beam lights always on;
- The towed vehicle must be signaled with a warning triangle and the “double” arrows on. In case of low light, it is also advisable to use the side lights;
- Make sure the car is not locked by the parking brake or gears before attempting to tow it;
- Under no circumstances, however, is it possible to tow a vehicle on the motorway;
- You cannot tow a vehicle whose brake assist and steering are not working.
That said, we hope you never have to heed these recommendations.
