Z32 Little green bumper logic !!!

Discussion in 'Non Technical' started by zx299, Feb 6, 2021.

  1. zx299

    zx299 Well-Known Member

    This place is a bit slow lately, so I thought I’d throw up a conversation I had with a fellow zed owner concerning the little green brake / clutch pedal bumpers.
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    For those of you who are not familiar with this part …… Nissan put this little bumper on the brake pedal so the brake stop light switch plunger doesn’t wear away (they also use additional bumpers for Cruise Control switches) The little bumper is a much cheaper item to replace rather than the expensive switch.

    Now these little bumpers appear to last at least a dozen years or so before they go hard, break and fall out (usually leaving the zed owner with a flat battery because the brake lights stay on due to the switch being permanently activated)

    Here’s where the logic of your typical zed owner comes into play ….. they will happily spend thousands of dollars on some bits of plastic to stick on the zed body, or ten thousand plus on rebuilding a motor, but when it comes to spending the price of a hamburger on one of these little green bumpers, they close their wallet and fit a dodgy nut and bolt they fished out of their toolbox instead :eek:

    Now this practice is guaranteed to accelerate the demise of the expensive brake light & / or cruise control switches ……..

    BUT

    They saved a Few bucks (herein lies “ the little green bumper logic”) :rolleyes:
     
    MickW and Harts like this.
  2. ryzan

    ryzan Moderator Staff Member

    To be fair, the price nissan charges for them new means they are making 1000% profit on them. But yes, I do agree that the logic isn't there when it's such a small cost in the grand scheme of things. Plus a nut and bolt never feels the same as a rubber stopper.

    Semi-related but my old D40 navara had this part made out of rubber, so the switch would slowly press through the rubber until it had a nice indentation in it and wouldn't close the switch any more. They were about 15 bucks each too and I went through one in 30,000kms.
     
    MickW likes this.
  3. zx299

    zx299 Well-Known Member

    Of course Nissan is making a HUGE profit on them at whatever they charge (what else is new)…. I’ve seen them priced at between $13 & $21ea, which is pretty rude if you’re being charged near the top end of that scale :eek: (I’ve been getting them for local zed owners @ $9.85ea)

    Whatever price you pay, you know it will do its job faultlessly for at least a decade, and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than Brake Light or Cruise Control switches. (I replaced all of my bumpers a few years ago, just for the sheer peace of mind)

    Your Navara related story, makes the zed bumper seem like an absolute BARGAIN …… fancy having to change one every 30K kms :mad:
     
  4. Veem

    Veem New Member

    I paid $24 for the green bumper, but whilst waiting for it to arrive, I used one of those plastic bumper clips from my Honda. That was about 5 years ago, and the green bumper still sits in my shed, unused. :D
     
    MickW likes this.
  5. NI85

    NI85 Active Member

    I don't know about anyone else. In my case it's perceived value for money. As depending what's bought: $20 can be cheap or expensive. In the case of rubber stops, it's expensive. As you can buy for example an umbrella that has more rubber (handle), metal and material for less $$

    While I now have the rubber stops, my cars did have plastic door/trim clips as brake pedal switch stops. They were the right thickness and flexed.
     
  6. zx299

    zx299 Well-Known Member

    This is where we differ NI85 ......... while you think the little green bumper is expensive, I think they are good value.

    For $9.85, I have the peace of mind knowing that little piece of green plastic will faultlessly do its job for at least the next decade :cool:

    Whereas, your typical $10 umbrella will be lucky to see a half dozen uses before it starts to self destruct (especially if it's windy) :rolleyes:

    I wish EVEYTHING I fitted to the zed would last at least a decade :eek:
     
    MickW likes this.
  7. ADAMZX

    ADAMZX 2000spec Conversion

    I just recently had to replace one of these stoppers after my cruise control suddenly stopped working and while checking the fuse for the cc in the drivers footwell i found this mushroom looking bushing on the floor mat that i could peel apart with my hands. I knew it must be related so after some research i found it was the stopper for the brake light switch and the crusie control switch. With the bush missing, the cruise control system would detect the sensor always extended outwards meaning the brakes were always on and so that solved the mystery as to why my cc was not functional.

    I spent $40 buying 2 replacement bushes to suit the z32 and once the bush was in place my cruise control as back up and working again. Ill keep the second as a spare incase the brake light sensor bush fails and or the current cc sensor fails in the future
     
    beaver and MintZ32 like this.
  8. NI85

    NI85 Active Member

    Regarding my previous comment. My comparison was meant to be pointing to mass of material used/time to make and the price of an item. As it takes more time/materials to make an umbrella than to injection mold a rubber stop, yet end price to the user is the same.
     

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