Any recommendations?

Additionally, I was hoping to find something that will protect the top of the rear bumper. My Goldens sometimes use it as a step.

Search for topic Protect the finish. Good info there.

All owners of vehicles with painted bumpers walk around wondering when, not if, something will happen to cause the first scratch in the rear bumper. Will it be the dog as mentioned above, will it be the hotel bellman, the grocery clerk, the 10 year old in his soccer shoes or you the owner when you load up the mower to take it to the repair shop?

When I bought the 2003 Deville DTS Cadillac called and among other things asked me what else they should offer. I mentioned HUD since I had grown to love it on Corvettes. Then I said, what I really need is a way to protect that acre of painted surface on the rear bumper. I remembered wincing every time I saw the scrape on top of the bumper of a previous White Diamond Deville.

When I picked up the SRX I viewed it as another time bomb just waiting for the door sills and the rear bumper to get nailed.

I thought about what one could do to protect the bumper yet not mess up the appearance with a black molded step or something else that degraded the vehicle appearance. I came up with an idea that and tried it on my SRX. I wrote up a patent application and was toying with sending in in to the USPTO. One minute it seemed like the best thing since sliced bread and the next minute it felt trivial. Then something happened that prompted me to get serious about my idea.

When hurricane Charley just missed us I went to Home Depot to pick up a generator so I could take it to some friends down in Port Charlotte. I was lucky and got the last one. Then I pulled up to the front door so they could load it up for me. I opened the rear door and just for the heck of it I flipped what I am referring to as the "tongue" over the rear bumper. They had two big guys to do the lifting and I'll be dipped if they didn't drag the generator right across the bumper. I cringed, flipped the tongue up and all was perfect. I decided then and there that the tongue was viable and mailed the application the next day.

Attached are 2 pictures showing a standalone version of the tongue and a version that attaches to the cargo liner (in this case Weathertec). I am in the process of determining the best way to bring this thing into production and hope to have it marketable within the next 2 months. Am learning much more about extrusion, blow molding, plastics and other things than I ever really wanted to know. Any of you members out there have any thoughts or suggestions?

I've been doing similiar for 3 years with my wife & son's Jeep Cherokee Limited, however what I did was to get a large and quite thick bath towel, and slide 60% of it underneath the Jeep cargo protection tray that lines the rear cargo area. The weight of the tray securely holds in place the towel. When they open the tailgate to load something, they first reach in, grab the towel, and drape it over the rear bumper. It hangs down to a length of about 4" from the pavement, fully covering the rear bumper area, from side-to-side. When not in use they just pick it up from the bottom hem (closest to the pavement, and fold it into the (onto) the cargo tray. 3 years, = no scratches.

I'm currently doing the bath towel trick. I'm thinking of the Llumar plastic film route mentioned in the 'Protect the finish" thread. I also ordered a Cargo Bag (http://www.caraccessories.com/buy/00100hbcl/cargo_liners_cargobag.html) to protect the sidewalls, floor and seatback. That way when I take the pups swimming, they won't trash the back.

My old Lexus RX300 had a hard plastic protector over the top of its painted bumper. Its surface pattern looked similar to the Weathertech cargo liner. Dogs hammered that for two years with no visable damage.

I've been looking for some aftermarket hard plastic protector to apply to the top surface of the bumper, similar to what I saw on the Acura MDX. I haven't found anything.

Last week I took my son to football practice one night in the SRX - he was in full pads and when we got there the team was just in helmets, not wanting to undress in public view, he hiked himslef up into the back of the car and in the process (cringe) put his cleat square on the bumper and pushed himself in. Now that's something I would not have thought twice about when I was a kid, and in my folks late 60's Dodge station wagon it didn't make a difference, but on the SRX's painted bumper, well... the net of it is after buffing there is about a 3/4 inch scratch that won't come out.

Mack's invention would have saved the bumper, no doubt. Mack sign me up when you have this thing manufactured! :worship:

The Llumar is working great for the doorsills, but would easily get shredded on the bumper. Is your "tongue" a similar plastic to the Weathertech? How would it stand up to abuse over time?

Thanks:
JC

Mack1a I love the Idea just make it a little wider maybe. So is it gona be universal and it just slips under your trunk mat to hold in place? I want one! lol my dad scratches our bumper with his golf bags a matter of fact just yesterday I did the bumper with swirl remover and polish and rewax to get rid of the scratchs still there a bit but a lot better.

I have a little invention of my own to but its a secret right now.

Mack, I keep thinking about your tongue invention - was doing detail spray on the car yesterday and the little scratch on the bumper... grrrrr... really wich I'd had your product to protect it!!!

Until Mack has it made up, use a towel, as I do. Use a big bath towel, place 75% of it UNDER your cargo protector tray (you DO have one, yes....) and that will securly hold it in place, and just reach in and pull it out, it will naturally fall into posistion, covering the bumper. 2001 Cherokee with purr-fect rear bumper. ;)

Any update Mack? Per your pics you have the cargo management option - if you don't mind me asking, how do you like it? Is it used often or is it for stuff that gets used only in a blue moon? I ask because with the third row option, I have very little unexposed storage space and mostly I'm just curious. I have yet to see a pic of someone's cargo area with neither the third row seat nor the cargo management - if someone has neither, please post a pic - again, just curious.

Thanks:
JC

John, still working at getting the crude thing I made for myself turned into something a little more presentable. Also doing something similar for the DeVille. I have threatened to do something like this for years, especially since my bride scratched the flat area behind the trunk lid on my last Vette convertible.

IAs for the cargo management option, I really don't do much with the cargo areas. Since I use a liner I find the extra bother of rolling up the liner to be a deterrent to using the doors. Admittedly, the back one isn't too bad and I do store a flashlight, micro fiber towels, tire gauge , cargo net and other such things (including head rests in there). At this time, there is nothing behind door 1 and door 2. The cargo management area came with the V8 so I never really even gave it a thought. I've not seen an SRX without either 3rd seet or cargo management area either. I need to see one so I would know how to mount somthing to it.