Packing tape to the rescue

One of the Twitter accounts I enjoy is @WhatIsNewYork. Spend enough time in New York City and you’re sure to see some hilarious things.

The account has a regular Friday Photo Dump that’s usually good for a chuckle. This week’s included a photo that reminded me of one of my finest “there I fixed it” DIY moments.

The image of interest is on the lower left and can be seen here in all its glory.

Laugh if you will, but if you ever need to temporarily reattach a part of your car, packing tape is the way to go. You may think duct tape would be the better choice, but you’d be wrong.

It’s hard to tell in the photo, but that looks like duct tape. If you look close enough you can see a few of the strips are coming loose, especially the side closest to the curb.

Many, many years ago when I had a car (in the mid-90s) I had just such an occasion. I was sitting at a stop light, as I started into the intersection a fast moving car blew the light and clipped my bumper.

Fortunately after the dust settled the only damage was a mangled front bumper. It was still attached but mostly hanging off. I didn’t have money for a tow and the car still worked. I walked to a payphone and called a friend to bring some tape.

She brought duct and packing tape. We started with the duct tape thinking it would be stronger. By the time I got to my destination the bumper had almost fallen off.

This led to the packing tape. Much to my surprise it held the bumper up like a champ! And I had to use it for over a month while I waited for the bad driver’s insurance to approve a fix.

I wish I had a few more shots, but you get the idea. It also withstood rain! I think I only had to add new tape once or twice, and a few of the pieces lasted the entire time.

Should you find yourself in a similar situation, I’d highly recommend packing tape.