Chrome bumpers made a quick exit from the automotive scene in the late 1980s. In their place are elaborate but flimsy plastic covers hiding stamped steel impact beams—with a swath of Styrofoam ...

Question: My radiator recently failed. My mechanic said I sprang a leak in the radiator’s plastic tank, though I’m not sure what the tank is. But he said a lot of new cars (mine is a Ford) now use ...