Plastic guards under engine

[Rybky]

I just had my car up on ramps to check out where to mount the resistors for the fan fix, to do that I had to remove the plastic guards under the engine and the one on the passenger side. They were broken anyway and not fully held on.

Thinking of leaving them off, what have others done? Is it a good idea to have these guards in place or do people take them off?

Have also removed the top engine cover for now, figured if my fans aren't working properly the least I can do is do what I can to help it keep cool. Will put that back on when the fans are fixed and I have changed the coils.

Adam

[McDub]

i think i read somewhere that the plastic guard under the engine is supposed to reduce engine noise. anyone confirm this?
Plus I imagine it would offer some level of protection to the engine bay... probably not a great deal but still a bit of a barrier
the side bits of mine actually sits much lower than the minimum 100mm ground clearance requirement, and i'm riding stock height atm...

[madglf3]

Mine was ripped off by the damn previous owner, along with a fair chunk of the front of the drivers side front wheel lining (if that made any sense). I have actually had issues with power steering when a little water gets into the belts, but that was only a while back when our weather was consistently wet and flooding for weeks. The p/s belt would slip and I would get a warning flash on the MFD and much heavier steering feel. I just sprayed a little WD40 to disperse the water and the problem went right away.

Ideally I'd like to get a bashplate that also offered protection to the belts and pulleys as well as the sump.

[Rybky]

Ah, didn't think about water splashing on to the belts. Hmm.

A metal plate would be a good idea, I am going to see an aluminium specialist tomorrow to get the resistor plate made up, might ask if that is something they could fabricate and at what cost.

Adam

[madglf3]

Ah, didn't think about water splashing on to the belts. Hmm.

A metal plate would be a good idea, I am going to see an aluminium specialist tomorrow to get the resistor plate made up, might ask if that is something they could fabricate and at what cost.

Adam

I considered maybe asking someone about getting one made up. You'd think someone good with metal work, a mate or someone, could knock one up for cost price and a carton. I'll see how low it all is once I've lowered it and take it from there I think.

[Greg Roles]

They definately reduce engine noise, and how dirty the engine gets. On a turbo car they actually help draw more air through the intercooler if it's radiator mounted, something I've confirmed in my TDI. Autospeed has an interesting article on it.

[audi-tone]

mine was ripped off from the previous owner too.. i havent gotta replacement but maybe i should. hmm, anyone know how much they are??
in saying that, when it's off access is soo easy and hasn't given me any dramas yet

[madglf3]

From memory it would have been close to 300 for sides and centre plastic bits brand new from a stealership. These are just plastic ones though, nothing stopping the same thing from happening again.

[Reload]

300 Seems a bit rich, The underguard for a wheel arch was $86.

[Rybky]

Centre alone on ebay including shipping is around $84, so I can imagine a local dealer price for all 3 parts would be close to $300.

[JustCruisn]

Go all out.
Panzer Skid Plates by www.dieselgeek.com

[Manaz]

ECS have a similar skid plate...