>Run your vanagon into a concrete wall at 5mph.    see what happens, see
>the  damage.
>i can do the same thing with my audi (which has the gas charged 5mph
>bumper  shocks) and there will be no damage..
>how vanagons were able to pass USDOT safety standards with non-functional
> bumpers is beyond me..

Hit the same wall at 40 mph, and see what happens. 5 mile an hour bumpers
are a stupid way to judge the safety of a vehicle. Your Audi will self
destruct in a head on impact at highway speed. That is part of the design,
as you know, to absorb the impact and spread it over the entire vehicle,
in order to protect you. I don't want to hit anything head on in any
automobile, but the damage to the car will exceed that of the van.

The next time you are cruising down the highway at 5 miles per hour and
and you hit a concrete barrier, you will be able to walk away and write a
thank you note to Audi. :-)

John