Hi i'm new to the forum and i wanted to know how important the plastic thing underneath the engine really is.

I was driving today and it fell off so i had it removed. It cost $250 to replace it. Is it necessary? Are there any cheaper alternatives? What the heck the technical term for it anyways?

Th dealer said it helps protect the engine from road debris and helps with aerodynamics. I just want to know if it really is worth to replace or just leave the engine unguarded from beneath.

 

im missing mine aswell i call it the belly skid shield.you can buy a used one at shokan.com they charge about $70 plus shipping.but like i said its used

 

If you decide you need it, you can also try Force5Auto.com... it may be cheaper than what Shokan charges.

 

its used for sound dampening, aerodynamics (+MPG), and to protect eng from debris like u said!
they have them at ECSTunning for $177.15

 

The pins that hold on the plastic pan also will need replacing, if the pan fell off. Any handy man could repair the pan if it hasn't been badly damaged. There are 5 half turn metal pins which go in to metal nuts. There are 4 plastic pins held by the fender liner and they go into 4 plastic nuts located on the pan.

 

You can purchase the above "belly pan" hardware kit from http://www.ecstuning.com for like 40 bucks or so.

 

The pan is not really important. You can replace it or leave it off.

Bob

 

I keep the belly pan on all my Audi's cause it helps keep the snow off the motor in the winter and assists in cooling during the summer. Most of the pins are long gone so I use tie wraps on all points except the two in the front center. I usually use balck but when I want to dress up the old gal a little I use red...


As for Force five -- I get most of my Audi and VW parts -new and used from them.

 

I would not even think to go on the road w/o the shield!

Once you look underneath up, you'll see how many THINGS could and will get damaged from road debris, stones , etc.

The hardware is expensive, but so is everything on Audis.
Just get into a mood of owning an Audi.

 

Thanks for all the great advice and locations for good deals. I am going to hold off on replacing it for a while. I am going to do the timing belt and water pump replacement first.