Plastic Underbody and Wheel Well Cover ... irritating to no end ... questions

what if you just replaced all the damaged parts with new ones?

 

Is that just a plastic shield under the mudguard (fender/wheel well) area, or does it extend further under the entire car? The one under the mudguard quietens the car a bit when driving on unsealed or wet roads. I had them off on a MAZDA once (took them off to remove a buildup of mud, leaves etc) and I noticed that with them removed, when I hosed around the wheel, a lot more water and dirt entered the engine bay. I don't think it has any effect on keeping water out of the car though, which is well sealed anyway.

 

i think they do offer some protection from road hazards and the like, as well as some aerodynamics.

 

there are other threads by peeps who have had similar problems. i guess you just need to be more careful on the parking stops.

 

Regarding hitting parking stops... If you back into the parking stall, you won't scrape your front end on the parking stops.

 

Plus, you've got reverse beepers (I assume) which in some cars (my Ford did) might detect them. Or a camera, better still.

 

maybe some large fender washers would work on those broken holes, if you don't want to replace the bumper.

 

What does the part do?
Support the bumper cover to retain its shape.
Stop water from entering the engine compartment.
Direct air to brakes perhaps.
Maybe other functions.
Take a good solid look to deduce what the part does.

Just remove it....I think that is the answer to your question based on above functions.

Else, repair it correctly.
There are bumper repair products that you can apply then refit the holes to there correct size for the clips.

Bungee cord repair...made me laugh...just remove it and be done.

Good luck with your project.

 

The piece showing in your pic, just ahead of the wheel well, has some real piece-of-cr@p fasteners at the joint between it and the wheel well plastic liner. They are bolts, but you might as well treat them as permanent pop rivets. I tried removing one on our 2010: the head finally sheared off. They were a hopeless blob of rust, Toyota's finest.

I'd just do what needs doing to properly secure it, get some extra bolts, maybe some pipe hanger strapping to act as washers, whatever needs doing. Best done yourself; body shops don't have the patience, and will be too expensive. And stop well back when pulling into parking spots, lol.

Inside view, the fasteners on ours, at the joint. The vertical face is the beginning of the wheel well liner. You can see a little bit of tire tread through the "drain" hole in the bottom piece:



Close up:

 

go for it! i hear that there are some great deals to be had, and, they are trouble free.

also, they have more clearance than prius, so less undercarriage problems.

 

The plastic pieces tend to lap, somewhat like shingles, from front to back. With the front ones missing the next in line will more prone to snag on anything. Skimming over snow for example, but I don't suppose that happens much if ever in your locale. Hardly ever happens around here, lol.

Anyway, I would restore it (to it's former glory), but that's just me.

 

all the best!

 

I had a similar issue with my 2006 Scion XB. To make a long story real short, I got real creative underneath with zip ties. Made some new holes, attached with the ties, cut the left over tips off. Worked all the way to the time I sold it and got my 2015 Prius. If this happens again, I am ready to zip tie again.

 

The function of all these plastic pieces is to improve the car's drag coefficient and consequently its fuel economy. You won't run into any problems removing them entirely aside from reduced MPG.


The piece hanging down in the center of this picture isn't under the passenger area; it's the oil drain access door, at the very back of the engine undertray. Behind it, there are two large panels that run under the cabin on either side of an open center tunnel for the exhaust; as far as I can tell, those panels are not intended to be removed; they use a different type of fastener than the engine tray.