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.
Generally it’s fine to remove those but I would consider having it put back on if you live anywhere that gets snow. Reason being is that this plate protects undercarriage parts from excessive corrosion as a result of salt on the roads. So your car isn’t going to break down if you remove it, but if you plan to keep the car long-term, it can extend the life of those parts. As someone who works on my own car and has also had several 15+ year old vehicles, I can attest that this plate does indeed reduce corrosion in those areas.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
This person is pushing off their oil change a month or two. The ground is wet and they don’t know what underside sheeting and guards are. They aren’t going to take a peek. They’re asking if they have to care or not.
For the record, they don’t…
Seems to be about money. Belts, rust damage, and engine internals cost more in the long run. Do they have to pay their credit card bill? “For the record, they don’t…” Zip ties must be expensive now days… damn tariffs.
Yes, it is all about money. I have negative 100,000 dollars, because my dumbass thought supporting my trust fund husband through his schooling would mean something, and instead got tortured and shackled with hell credit card debt. I don’t get an oil changed because I am terrified when I do they will say something is even more fucked withi and it will be 10 billion dollars please. I am getting a second job. I need to be able to make it to the first job.
I fucking hate the car. I want to drive it into the surface of the sun. The ac has never worked.
At one point I knew how to do an oil change. I could do it on my Corolla, because that was designed in a way that a human being can interact with. The 2018 Honda Civic is designed in such a way to obstruct the fact that it is fundamentally a broken vehicle.
Understandable. Civics are quite well made, so I wouldn’t expect it to immediately become a rust trap from some short term splashes. Generally, mechanics will tell you other stuff is wrong, but it only matters if it’s adjacent to what they’re working on for liability. They may find some problems like a glazed dipstick from going too long between changes, but it’s just informational.
If you’re interested in putting that plate back on, my guess is that they used plastic zip ties on a metal shield. Usually, manufacturers will only use more expensive metal guards if it gets hot in that location. You can buy metal cable ties real cheap that will hold up much better. Fasteners are also cheap if you can figure out which one, but I dunno if I’d bother on a car that’s on its way out in my mind.
Recommendation is just to prioritize it before Winter weather.
Sorry your money situation is so dire. Credit can be the hell that keeps on giving.
You act like the bottom of a car is hermetically sealed.
These things act as deflectors for debris and channel airflow better. There may be nominal protection for belts, but that’s not a massive factor given most belts are behind the fan and aren’t likely going to take damage or get damaged. Particularly given the break angle from the underside of the car and where these things are positioned… neither this photo, nor the person’s attitude, connote that this is a performance vehicle.
Few non-aircooled cars require flashing for cooling, either. Older Porsches (993s and prior), aircooled VWs, Corvairs, and other aircooled cars need proper flashing to vent and restrict airflow. Water-cooled rely more on the radiator, thermostat, and fan.
Edit: typos and shit.
Don’t really see a major disagreement here other than the direction of primary exposure, belts some how being protected behind a fan when the main exposure is from the sides, etc. Puddles have a lot more corrosion potential than rain/snow. Point isn’t to seal, that’s unrealistic, but rather to deflect enough that every puddle isn’t pressure washing your engine bay with salt water. An example car where this was a major issue was a 97 galant, which had the crank shaft low and in alignment with the water jet from the driver side tire. There was a splash shield that directly intercepted the inner spray. I would classify that case as more than nominal protection.
Edit: Maybe you’re working mostly on RWD cars, could explain our misunderstanding. I mostly work on FWD Sedans and AWD SUVs
I have both. I also worked as a mechanic for many years. I realized that I was exhausted with this conversation, so I don’t feel like discussing it anymore.
OP is fine.
As others have said, works without it; but you probably want it there.
Order one from eBay that fits your year, make, model. You may need to get fasteners separately.
I had this same thing break on my truck. It cost $35 for an off brand replacement that fit perfectly.
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
It’s not critical, but it keeps things clean, keeps salt/snow off in winter, and contributes to fuel economy and ride quality.
Stretching an oil change is a bigger concern, especially if the oil change interval is a long one. Learn to do it yourself, it’s really simple and depending on the car you may be able to do it without ramps or a jack if you’re creative in parking eg over a dip or one wheel (securely) on a curb. Ensure you don’t spill oil into a drain.
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.
