Spash guard--should I put it back after work done?

[paulri]

I have to remove the splash guard in order to do a rad drain & fill on my Highlander. One mechanic I went to with an earlier car, asked my permission, and then cut away a decent part of one to access something in one of my cars (or he did it so I could access it--I forget). I mentioned that to my regular mechanic and he just shrugged and made a gesture as if they were useless.

Should I put it back when I am done with my drain & fill? FWIW I don't ever plan on taking it off road.

 

[Kestas]

I think their main purpose is to streamline the underbody airflow.

I guess they prevent road debris and from getting kicked up and jamming into the belts. I removed one from somebody's car and got a call where their car stalled in heavy snow. The snow got kicked up and threw a belt.

 

[paulri]

I was just thinking that the OEM was saving me from going through torrents of water and suffering engine damage because of it. But those reasons seem good enough--for something that I'll be doing only once every 5 years...


Originally Posted by Kestas
I think their main purpose is to streamline the underbody airflow.

I guess they prevent road debris and from getting kicked up and jamming into the belts. I removed one from somebody's car and got a call where their car stalled in heavy snow. The snow got kicked up and threw a belt.

 

[Hall]

On my G35, it's louder inside the vehicle without it in place. It's not horrible but I noticed a difference.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by paulri
I have to remove the splash guard in order to do a rad drain & fill on my Highlander. One mechanic I went to with an earlier car, asked my permission, and then cut away a decent part of one to access something in one of my cars (or he did it so I could access it--I forget). I mentioned that to my regular mechanic and he just shrugged and made a gesture as if they were useless.

Should I put it back when I am done with my drain & fill? FWIW I don't ever plan on taking it off road.
If you don't drive in the snow or offroad it probably won't get torn off. My friend mentioned he damaged his in the snow this summer and I've seen a few cars with them loudly dragging this winter.

I get that they are a pain but I still wouldn't cut them just to avoid taking them off, that's lazy.

 

[Kira]

The car maker would've found every reason to keep from adding one in the first place. They included it. You should maintain it.

A dog's dirt "mechanic" coarsely broke off hunks of a strong, thick plastic splash shield so he could more easily do an oil change on a car.

It had been done during the previous owner's time.

This stooge is the reason I go off on the lazy meth heads who work in "fast lube" places. And yes I know how unfair I am sounding.

 

[DGXR]

As others said, these shields offer protection from unknowns and also streamline the airflow under the vehicle. In some cases, these panels also contribute to engine cooling and other important functions. Based on your information, I don't see any reason to remove it.

Maybe if it was extremely difficult to remove/replace and you are doing this work on a regular basis, that may be cause to leave it off.

 

[paulri]

Alright you talked me into putting it back. Man if you are all going to give me answers that I don't want to hear, I'm going to have to stop asking questions.

Seriously your replies make sense.

 

[knerml]

The main function of these panels is noise reduction.

 

[StevieC]

Some splash guards are to protect the belts, alternator and A/C compressor from water splashing. Sometimes low hanging starters or throttle bodies are also protected by these.
I would put it back in case. That said, I cut a hole in the one on the Santa Fe to get at the Transmission oil drain plug for drain/refills but left the rest of the splash guard in place.

 

[CELICA_XX]

I removed mine on my daily driver, beater car and I regret it.

There is so much water / road grime splashed all over my engine compartment and engine cover, etc...

It's a mess

 

[y_p_w]

I've got one (really beat up over 15 years) on my 2004 WRX. I think Subaru calls this an "under spoiler". The big pain is that it comes off with 5 12 mm hex bolts and these nylon clips that are a pain to remove/insert after they've been in there for years. An unused one is easy to use because it hasn't deformed.

And yeah - there's a lot of stuff that's vulnerable down there if something as simple as a rock hits the radiator, belts, wires, etc. In my case the oil filter would be exposed. Easy to access once the guard is removed, but that's got to be one reason why it's there. I've driven it around my neighborhood after an oil change to check that nothing was leaking, but I would always put it back on.

 

[splinter]

"Parts left out cost nothing and cause no service problems."

-Charles F. Kettering

 

[eljefino]

Keep it. If you bust the hardware that holds it on, drill a 3/16" hole a couple inches away then run a zip tie through everything.

 

[ABursell]

I'm in favor of leaving them on - I feel like if nothing else it helps keep things cleaner. I worked on a 2012 Sonata that had one and as best I recall had a little door you would pop out for access to the filter and a hole where the drain plug was. I liked that. My Dakota has one that just covers the front section and at one time had a little pop-in cover for filter access, though it's been missing since I bought it and I have never been able to find one to pop in there. I like that too. I had a Golf that had a giant splash shield with no access and it needed to come off for any work. It was a combination of bolts and sliding clips and was flexible so it was a pain every time I needed to remove and reinstall. I hated that and I thought about using a hole saw on it but never got around to it before it was bought back. But I still fought with it every time rather than leaving it off.

 

[CR94]

My '81 Mazda had one, although not as large as today's engine typical undercovers. After part of it was torn off by road junk, once I tried driving through snow as deep as it could negotiate. Much snow ended up thrown on top of the engine, including spark plug wires and distributor. The result wasn't good.

The one of my Prius includes a smaller access door for oil changes. However that crude design requires a lot of ground clearance to open the door, making oil changes difficult if you don't have the car up high on a lift. Therefore, I modified the door to make it easy to remove---and replace. I didn't throw it away.

I vaguely recall my father questioning the dealer why our '54 Chevy didn't have splash shielding under the engine, implying even earlier cars must've had them. ?? If so, they must've been steel back then, not plastic.

 

[JTK]

With as much stuff that can be hanging in harms way in some newer vehicles like sensors, electrical connectors, serp belts, hoses, etc. Even if it's just a plastic belly pan. It will provide some level or protection. Some is better than none.

 

[Whimsey]

Mercifully I've never owned a vehicle in the last 48 years that has had an under engine/transmission shield. Thankfully, even my wife's 2017 2.3 EB Explorer did not come with that shield. Ironically Ford uses such a shield on most of their cars, CUV's & SUV's, including most of their other Explorer models for many years. I've never noticed any downside to not having the shield. It makes normal maintenance so much easier not having that shield, but that's my opinion.

Whimsey

 

[Trav]

I see a lot of VW cars that have none for whatever reason, many need electric fans and a $150 fan relay box that sits under the battery box and lots of corrosion on terminals like on the starter and oil pressure sender and rusted PS lines that are normally under the L/side shield.
If it has one it goes back on if it doesn't and it came with one I replace it (on my own car) or recommend the owner does if its a car I am working on.

 

[y_p_w]

Some of the new ones on Hondas looks like they're aluminum.