Yesterday the rotted and smashed-up mountings finally gave way, and the front of the undershield dropped onto the M11. Having nothing to tie it up with (and the car being too low without ramps/stands to get underneath and remove it completely), I treated myself to a lovely scraping sound for the last few miles home.
The undershield is now wrecked beyond use, and I've had to take it off completely for the time being. VW have quoted me £100 to supply and fit a new one. Perhaps I should try Seat or Skoda? Or can I just carry on without it?
I'll be driving without it in the short term, but what do people think about carrying on like this? VW said it wouldn't matter a damn so long as I was careful what I drove over (bearing in mind the low ground clearance).
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I'm assuming you've got the sports suspension?
Normally the rear mountings go first, which causes the rear of the shield to drag. I ran mine without the shield after this happened and didn't notice any difference at all.
It's an accoustic shield more than a sump protector, it'll stop stones flying up but not much more.
It's normally the two longitudinal stiffeners which take the brunt of grounding incidents anyway.
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Thanks for the advice. I'll leave it off for the time being.
The rear mountings had gone, and I'd sorted them out with cable ties. But when the front end dropped off it scraped on the floor and smashed the front of the shield up - not much left to re-attach! When the rear mounts had gone and it was hanging at the back, the airflow pushed the shield upwards when the car was moving forwards so no real damage at the back = easy to re-attach with cable ties.
The shield and mountings seem so cheap, nasty, and generally un-German that I'm astounded!
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If it were my car *and* if I knew that the cooling system was in tip-top condition, then I might leave it off.
If the shield also surrounded the catalyst, I would be careful about long grass, etc.
For an undershield to provide good mechanical protection, it needs to be quite chunky - the usual undershields are merely flimsy, aerodynamic devices.
number_cruncher
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Agree that its acoustic/aerodynamic rather than protective - its very flimsy.
Catalyst not a problem, that's on the back end of the turbocharger which is mounted halfway up the engine block. VW did advise me not to park a hot car with no undershield on long grass though...
If there's anything to be concerned about, I reckon its the coolant pipes going to the oil cooler. These are very low, and I'm going to be especially careful with speed bumps from now on.
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Hi Graham,
One other thing that I should have mentioned is that by changing the airflow near the front of the car, as well as changing cooling air flow, it is possible that the lift co-efficient may also be changed. It is possible that the front end ofhe car may become light at high speed without the device fitted.
While I don't know how strong this effect will be on your car and at the speeds at which you may drive, I thought it appropriate to mention.
If you keep an accurate record of your fuel consumption, it may be interesting to look out for a change.
number_cruncher
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I wouldn't drive without one. The intercooler and air-con pipes are all vulnerable. The number of bits of metal, tyres etc. on motorways are all hazards. Plus the fact of grit getting on the drive belt and pulleys, tensioners etc. I know the shield appears flimsy but it's quite strong because it will flex to absorb impacts. It's not designed to protect the car from grounding but to keep most foreign bodies out of the engine compartment. £100 is a lot cheaper than replacement air-con etc. parts. It's the usual thing - VW wouldn't fit one if it wasn't necessary! They're easy enough to replace yourself so you could save some money.
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Personally I wouldn't worry about it too much. Cars have survived for many years without engine undershields being necessary so unless you are really unlucky I think you will be okay. Don't forget that there will be a good few motors knocking around (trucks especially) where the engine undershields and gearbox undershields have been removed during service/repair and have never been refitted, its usually something to do with lazy mechanics!. Your car certainly won't be alone without it.
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£100 sounds a lot - have you tried a scrapyard?
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£20 for the component, £80 for an hour's labour, no doubt. Even for the likes of non-tech me, it should be a simple DIY job, I would have thought.
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It's not designed to protect the car from grounding but to keep most foreign bodies out of the engine compartment.
While I am not saying it's impossible, I have never seen any engine, belt, or pipework damage caused by underbonnet foreign objects. If undershields really were required for this purpose, surely all motor cars, or even all VWs would be so equipped.
number_cruncher
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All recent VW's, Skodas, SEAT's and Audis cars are equipped with undershields.
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All recent VW's, Skodas, SEAT's and Audis cars are equipped with undershields
That's interesting - what changed between the older cars and the recent cars that made VW decide to accept the cost, and fit the shields?
Acoustics and aerodynamics are, IMO, what these devices are all about.
number_cruncher
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My VW Golf GTi also has an undersheild over the front part of the engine bay. It has obviously hit the ground at some time and a large bite is missing from its rear edge. I have left it like that for over 2 years with no ill effect. I think these lightweight fibreglass panels are just to reduce the drag coefficient a little and serve no other purpose.
They are very easy to replace, mine is retained by just 4 sheet metal screws.
Petrovitch
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A word of warning. Audi A4 TDi 1997
I left my engine undertrays off after replacing the cambelt that had gone awol.....
The a/c stopped working a few weeks later......
Subsequent investigations located a bent/mashed low slung a/c pipe that had fractured due to hitting something on the road.
Cost the thick end of £150 for the pipe, not to mention the aggrevation of fitting the dang thing.....seized fittings on the condensor etc...
So, they are there for acoustic/aerodynamic purposes, but also to protect soem low-slung components too!
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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No, £88 inc VAT for the shield - didn't ask about cost of fitting but got the impression that they wouldn't think much of me throwing it in the boot and taking it home.
Very simple job, I've had the original one on and off umpteen times. I just don't trust the mountings and therefore don't want to pay £88 for a piece of plastic that will doubtless go the same way as the last one in a couple of years.
Agree with NumberCruncher - it's acoustics and aerodynamics mainly. The VW dealer concurred on this. But those pipes (are they the oil cooler or the aircon, I can't remember) are VERY low.....
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Graham - I'm sure its the air con pipes - if it's a diesel model. The oil cooler pipes are non-existant as the TDi engine has a modine type oil cooler above the oil filter.
Leave the tray off at your peril!
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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A very interesting debate, I have a 98 passat tdi and usually change my own oil and filters, I'm fairly sure I have the non-sports suspension, (it's an SE version), but its still a fairly low slung car.I've considered chucking the shield as some of the fasteners have been lost/broken and it's a right performance to remove the thing- well, the jacking up part is anyway, (partly paralysed legs + a sloping driveway increase the difficulty factor).On balance therefore, I think I will retain it, with a view to replacing it when necessary!
Thanks for an interesting discussion on a subject that I only seem to ponder when doing the job.
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I was relieved that my (then brand new) A4 had an undershield. A truck blew a traffic cone into my path and I had no option but to run over it. No damage to car at all.
Also, I notice how long the A4 engine stays warm after it has been parked, and I ofen wonder how much of this heat retention is due to the undershield.
Many years ago I ran over a lump of frozen snow and it ripped off the brake pipe to the rear, which then wrapped itself around the prop shaft.
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