[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

1. Will a bull bar be of any help in protecting the rear end? It is almost inevitable that the car will hit the wall while parking.

2. Is is even possible to fit a bull bar on this car? Will it block the exhaust? Will it involve drilling holes into the monocoque or the bumper?

you are approaching the problem from the wrong end.
THink from the wall, not from the car.
Attach some nice soft material like a thick rubber sheet or so, to the wall. When you feel that the rear has hit something while reversing, you can stop reversing. No damage to bumper.When you move the car forward next day, the rubber will spring back to shape.

[vinu_h]

Originally Posted by irdevanand

Please watch this Youtube to get an idea. Just a random video but it will give an idea on what we are trying to say.

https://Youtu.be/OMWyZ3qVO84

If the neighbor's gate & wall are taken as reference, the bulge will eat into the footpath & that's illegal. I like the thermocol bit though.

[abhinavsureka]

Option 1 : remove the bumpers altogether. This idea sounds as ridiculous as putting the bullbar.

Option 2 : fix a rubber/ foam piece where you think the bumper might get scratched on the gate. A used tyre will make the house look not so nice so try a piece foam with a weather resistant covering on it.

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Options are simple.

1. Put a rubber sheet on wall.
2. Apply ppf on Mercedes front and rear bumpers
3. Wrap the vertical slats of gate with rubber cycle tube or a foam.

Don’t spoil Mercedes looks with ungainly ugly as hell bull bar. It’s not the cars fault to put that monstrosity on it.

Swimming pool noodles are a good option instead of cycle tubes.

[Venkat_Figo]

Have a new gate installed if there is enough room at the front to accommodate it, more like a modified extension freeing up more room at the front or like many have suggested go with an installation of foam on both the wall & the gate. PPF on the front and rear bumper will add to the protection.
No bull bar on a Merc please. Not only does it look shady it also affects safety, affecting the crumble zones.

[JediKnight]

Originally Posted by prits_moh

BULL BAR - PLEASE NO.
1) As someone already pointed out, its illegal.
2) Chasis or Body Damage - POSSIBILITY, incase someone rear ends your car.
3) Aesthetic considerations.

Solutions - All options have been covered by individuals above and I am in complete agreement with all of those. Please choose whichever suits you.

1) While bull bars on a Mercedes would be abominable and a incorrect solution to the problem described by the OP, but the illegality of these contraptions is a grey area and open to interpretation by the local police. The ban on bull bars was stayed by Delhi High Court in 2018. I could not find any information in the public domain on what the High Court finally decided on this. I have seen in some places in India ( e.g. Hyderabad ) the traffic cops car themselves have bull bars.

[apachelongbow]

Doesn't your car have rear parking sensors and a rear camera? Why do you need additional aids to park when you have these? Also a bullbar will confuse your parking sensors and they may give out false readings.
If your parking space is so tight, solutions like rubber/foam mats, will decrease the available space. A better idea is to make a curved gate so that the car can be parked better.

[condor]

@Vinu_h, @Venkyhere:
even softer "cushions" like rubber or thermocol will cause scratches where the bumber hits the cushion. The best option, though not very legal, is to modify the gate - and also use fixed wheel chocks.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by condor

@Vinu_h, @Venkyhere:
even softer "cushions" like rubber or thermocol will cause scratches where the bumber hits the cushion. The best option, though not very legal, is to modify the gate - and also use fixed wheel chocks.

The legality of the gate is not an issue; we are doing it within permissible limits.

[NarediAni7518]

I would suggest NOT to go for a bull bar and make such a great car ugly. Also, as you may know, a bull bar might damage the chassis at the time of an accident.

Look for alternatives, my first preference would be to install thick sponge on the gate and the wall to prevent any damage. Try this, it’ll work for sure

[nikhilarni]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

The rear bumper nearly touches the wall behind it and the front bumper literally touches the gate:

Hi,

An interesting predicament to be in. Looks over functionality. My 2 Cents, just put a nice foam pad on the back side of the parking area and some of the foam noodles ( used as trainers for beginner swimmers ) on the Gate.

I am hoping that you do not live in an area with miscreants trying to destroy or tear it apart.

Hope that was helpful.

[shaheenazk]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Is is even possible to fit a bull bar on this car?

Possible or not is secondary. It's illegal to do so. You will get fined if you go ahead and get caught while driving on public roads.

https://www.cars24.com/blog/bull-bar...-ban-in-india/

[mmxylorider]

Wheel chocks will be vehicle specific and in the case you are parking some other one, it might become an issue. Rubber mat on the wall is a good idea. A jugaad is to put few layers of bubble wrap. A sound emitting squeezy toy will give you an audible warning as well.

[Jred]

I reckon many have given the suggestions that would work. I had a similar problem, not the rear but with the sides. The door edges hitting the side wall, in case family decided to test their strength. I contemplated different ideas to avoid parking towards the wall, but then came up with a simple INR 299 solution.

This is working like a charm. I bought some Furniture Edge guard Strip, which essentially is a strip of foam with some adhesive. I pasted it on the wall aligning with the possible door position and it is flush with the wall, avoiding any damage to the door even if the door hits the spot.

Advantage:

• Very cheap
• Simple to implement
• As it is almost flush to the wall, chances of someone accidentally knocking it off is less

A possible con is, if the adhesive wears off, you may have to fix this again. However I have had it for over a month now, and it does not seem to be coming off or showing any kind of wear.

I had thought of using Wheel Chokes to stop before the wall starts, but the obvious disadvantage(s) - you have to nail it down. And, it could cause obstruction, or could prove dangerous when car is not parked. In my case, there is access through the garage and this would cause issues while walking. Cleaning the garage could be an issue too, although manageable.

Mind you, I also had my gate moved by about 15 inches - this however was for proper entry and not because of the length of the parking space.

Amazon URL for the strip: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07TN24G87/...ZW9DXG9RTNCXK4
The set up:

[Altocumulus]

A NO for the bull bar. A definite NO for it to be fitted in a Merc.

Extend the gate Today you have a C Class, tomorrow you will have an E. What would you do then. Go for a long term solution and extend the gate, maybe a little more than what is required so that it is future proof.