Brown Water

A while back I got stuck on a curb and damaged the pieces that hold it in place. It's clearly seen better days and is being held in place in the front by zip ties. Is it something I can remove without causing any future damage to the engine? What would be the downside of removal. Replacement looks to be in the $700-900 range.

Jack88

I'm not sure what you've damaged that needs replacing, the shield itself is around $350 for a new one and the fasteners are really cheap too. It keeps water and dirt out of your engine bay, which in turn helps a lot of components last longer, and also bear in mind the engine bay was designed with the idea that it would be protected from the elements. The shield also helps with fuel economy and reduces interior noise from buffeting.

Giovanni Giovino 6.0+6.0TT

I am not sure as to which engine you have, but this is the S8 / W12 setup for venting and airflow to the coolers as I have on my W12, and I need a new one, at $638.00......

dvs_dave

Brown Water

Yep, I should have learned that from the last thread. 2008 A8L, 4.2 FSI, 136K miles.

volvopentaman

You should defineatly have it there.

It is partly for protecting the engine compartment and stuff there from mud and splash, BUT also for directing airflow around the engine, and not under it to keep things cool as designed. Also for sound proofing and fuel economy.

Short therm effects won't probably be any problems in the summer (I drove mine in the summer without the splash guard), but in the winter there could be problems with ice etc entering wrong places and causing wear on rubber belts, parts etc.

Take a pic of the part on the garage floor, I can suggest easy and cheap repairs so you won't need a new one.

There is also an estonian company that makes those out of metal for like 250€ for offroad use etc.

jlbell

Oh dear, I feel that pain for you! $638.00 for glass fiber reinforced plastic shield with vents. Economies of scale always hit us in the wallets, when it comes to parts for these cars.

Mister Bally

Typical German modus operandi is that once a part stops being produced for high-volume, OEM use, the piece price is increased 50%. The you have the 2.5X service parts markup to the end user from the component producer.

Greybeast

Not to hijack the thread, but mine is torn on the front corner where the 'box' shaped plastic nut pops in place in the shield and the large plastic pin 1/4 turns into it. The top edge of the material is ripped and I'm wondering if you can suggest a method to keep the plastic 'box' retainer in the splash shield?
Mike

volvopentaman

A pic would help to see the extent of the damage, but I would suggest to either glue the box-nut in place with 2component glue, or replace it with a 90degree metal corner piece that you weld a metal nut to screw a metal bolt and washer (preferrably stainless) and glue or screw the metal corner part to the plastic. I actually have the same issue, but mine's not that bad, so it keeps together.