well someone ruined my bumper a while back and im getting my bumper fixed now and i am wondering if it is worth it to go with aftermarket ranther than oem. I dont really know what the difference is quality wise so i was wondering if you guys could help me out. Anyone have any experience with this?

Here are my options as it stands.

pay $210 less 20% adn get oem nissan bumper cover

pay 109 and pick it ip from carson - aftermarket (about 1.5 hrs drive

pay $135 shipped for aftermarket nissan bumper

then i have to paint it ,money just flying away

I actually just got my bumper fixed after rear-ending someone. You are definitely in luck 'cause the aftermarket bumpers for the Max are exactly the same. They match perfect and cost WAY less than OEM Nissan stuff. I suggest you get the aftermarket to save on doe and spend more on engine performance. Good luck man!

-King Ryan-

Maybe there are different aftermarket manufacturers but I can tell you that the aftermarket bumpers suck. They are not identical and fit poorly. Would definitely shell out a little more if you car about your car...

The quality of the bumper may go beyond how well it fits the car. In an issue of Consumer Reports, every aftermarket bumper they tested did not do as well in a collision as the stock bumper. I think for safety sake, I would always go with Nissan OEM bumpers. Think about it this way, if you are in a crash, the type of bumper you have may save your life.

The plastic bumper cover? I highly doubt there is any difference in a crash between aftermarket and oem cover...it's only a piece of plastic, it's the actual bumper under the cover that absorbs the impact.

i have an aftermarket front bumper and it fits funny. i dont see how the oem would perform better during a crash..its made of plastic.

well my d/c clears r a little loose on one side, i had to put some "stuff" in there to prevent them from moving. But its worth the money. I mean aftermarket parts like that are never as good as OEM

Like some of the other guys that posted to this thread... the safety is the mos important issue. Just look the pictures between the 1995/1996 bumpers and then look at the 97+ bumpers. Even OEM bumpers vary alot as you can see, let alone the aftermarket ones that are cheaper. It's better to go the safe route and get OEM bumpers.

Thanks for the input guys i decided to go with the oem bumper for the extra $50 and the peace of mind. Plus it came with all the screws and gromits and what not. Total came to $179

guys, a bumper cover is a thin peice of plastic... it's not gonna make a difference in the "safety" of the car. thats the actual metal bumper that they don't make aftermarket.

True but i didnt want to take a chance with fitment since im putting on the ionic fiberglass kit. The last thing i want to happen is the bumper off center or something after i installed and painted it.

FWIW,

I got an aftermarket front bumper for my 97+ converion. It had to be "modded" a little to fit, but over all it wasn't that bad. If you're after the "perfect" fit, I'd say go OEM.

Kevin