A while back, I went to one of those corporate places for an oil change. They fucked up putting the metal thing back on the undercarriage, but a family member told me it would be okay without that. So I’ve been driving without the metal protective layer thing.
This fell off sometime on my drive home from work. We are currently experiencing tornadoes, so I can’t examine it too closely at the moment. It appears that it was just zip tied back on…
I am dead broke - my money this month has to go to car insurance, I can’t even afford registration at this point.
Can I just rip it off? I need an oil change soon, but I’m going to try to stretch it out a month or so.
I’ve had a couple cars that have a skid plate like this leaving it off isn’t generally going to be a problem but it does protect you know the undercarriage of your car just get it fixed when you’re can afford to and you should be fine
Zipties, thread, scrap wire… I would try to put it back on, even badly if necessary.
No it is not necessary for your car to work. However…
It helps improve the fuel economy of your vehicle, which will save you money. It will reduce rust and wear on your vehicle, which will save you money. It costs a ridiculous amount of money to replace that piece of plastic. Typically, those pieces are layered on, and the the piece behind it may rely on the one in front to stay attached correctly.
If you plan to have the car for more than a year or two, I would recommend finding a way to remove it properly, or re-fasten it to the car.
That part is responsible for 3 things:
- Noise. It reduces the amount of turbulence under the car
- fuel efficiency, same as Noise
- protection from the environment. It reduces the amount of dirt and water that hits parts like the engine and other stuff there
It is not critical and as others said, you could leave it of. I would recommend to have a look of there was any other damage done while they ripped off, as the weather allows to
Depends on the car, but they’re usally there to protect something. Removing it could mean water and mud splashing up near the belts, potential damage to the oil pan from rocks, etc.
It appears that it was just zip tied back on…
yeah that’s not uncommon, just drive the front onto a curb, put blocks on the wheels, and use some sturdy zip ties.
Depends where it came from. It’s worth going down to take a peak. You do not want water splashing against your belts. As others have said, if you live in Salt brine weather, you really don’t want that stuff anywhere near stuff that isn’t protected.
If that’s metal and a side pic of the vehicle I would make sure it’s not the tank protector, if it is you might have to replace at you want something protecting a plastic tank. If it is from the tank, I would recommend putting a few zip ties up to hold it, if not you’ll be fine. Only other thing is water can do damage depending on where it hits (to wiring and modules) so don’t aim for puddles and you’ll be fine.
Edit: more I look it’s plastic, you’ll be fine.
Supposedly they’re meant to help prevent corrosion, but it’s really more up to where the car is being driven
I’ve seen cars without them and zero corrosion and cars with them with serious rust issues
It just depends on how much salt the car is exposed to over its life
Yeah, it’s fine. If that is the part I think it is, it’s a cover for the bottom of your engine - not strictly needed (my previous car didn’t even have one when new).
It somewhat protects your cars nether regions from minor damage from rocks and similar, but for the average driver it doesn’t do much - Most debris that would damage your engine would also easily pierce through the cover.
There is an aerodynamic component at play here, but it’s not critical. It might also shield your cars innards and prevent turbulent airflow to reduce noise, but again; not critical
I had that thing fall off my leaf. Just left it off and have had no issues.
