Splash Shield - necessary?

Absolutely essential? Maybe not. But Toyota put it there for reasons. (And do they salt the roads in PA?)

Did Toyota specify what parts in their quote? If it's just the cover and clips you can buy everything on ebay and do that yourself.

Personally I would go to an autobody shop or two and ask them for a quote on a non-insurance cash payment basis. They fix these all day long, and who cares if it's non-Toyota plastic. Depending on what else got damaged (like maybe the wheel well cover thingy), they will probably charge less than half the dealer. My two cents. Good luck!

 

Welcome to Prius Chat .

Not essential now that winter has passed, but I’d look at a junk yard like Talbots or Harry’s and see what they have before next winter rolls around.

I grew up outside of Harvey’s Lake and know the Area well .

Those Cole street potholes in Wilkes Barre can be doosies .

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

Underbody panels are called--by every manufacturer--"splash shields," but this is for ease of reference in their catalogs. Their purpose is not to protect the engine from water or snow; cars got along just fine for decades without them, and manufacturers wouldn't go to the expense of designing, manufacturing, and fitting them for that reason.

Over the last 20 years, the undersides of cars have changed dramatically as manufacturers chase increasingly stringent fuel economy standards. The purpose of these underbody panels is to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of vehicles. A 2018 article on automotive aerodynamics in Popular Mechanics touched on this:

“I always ask, ‘Have we perfected the bottom of the car?’ ” says Andrew Smith, global head of design for Cadillac. “Let’s work on the part that nobody can see first.”

Panels like this are nearly ubiquitous now, along with wheel strakes and, increasingly, air curtain ducts in the front wheel arches (and on 3 cars--the Lexus LC, Honda Clarity, and Hyundai Veloster N--the rear as well). There is huge variety in their size and shape, and the extent of the coverage of underbody panels. But they are effective in reducing drag, to the point that every manufacturer today goes to the expense of including them on a part of the car most buyers never see. And not just on cars anymore; here's the 2019 Acura RDX:



And the 2019 Lexus LX570:



So, you can replace the panel or not; but just know that it did serve a purpose, and that purpose was not keeping water out (which it didn't do anyway--they aren't watertight and are full of access holes!).

 

There's several plastic panels under there, and step one would be to determine which have failed. I'm guessing it's item #9 here:

Fender & Components for 2010 Toyota Prius | Toyota Parts

FWIW, here's a page titled "splash shields", they're the more central pieces:

Splash Shields for 2010 Toyota Prius | Toyota Parts

Neck-in-neck in importance is the fasteners, and it's usually a fastener failure that leads to problems with the plastic shield. There are myriad types, and sub'ing generic replacements can be trouble prone: they can be ill fitting, hard to install, just don't work.

Did you hang onto it? Hopefully yes. Did he cut it to remove? Hopefully no.

Here's an attachment, with info on the main engine underpanel, in particular the parts numbers for fasteners. Probably not the issue right now, but just in case.

 

I bought my 2015 almost 2 years ago (and 25k miles) with a rebuilt title. It was missing this undershield. I didn't care. Didn't replace it. I average 52 mpg overall since I bought this car. Also makes oil changes much easier since I do that myself. I live in NC and we don't use a lot of road salt here. I may be a bit more vulnerable to road debris damaging something under there but I'll risk it.
So no, it's not really necessary to replace it if you don't want to.

 

No, it is not necessary to replace it and $800 is far too much. The labor is zilch; you just press it on with little plastic rivets. No tools needed except a jack.

 

Besides a jack, I would recommend wheel chocks and safety stands.

I'm still wondering what shield it is that's missing, idly.

I'll freely admit to being a bit obsessive, but I would properly restore any damaged plastic underpanels. I think a lot of times, this happens over a protracted time; if you regularly check the underside and keep on it, you won't have big problems.

 

I took the big shield off when the EGR cooler to manifold stud fell. While trying to remove the panel to get the stud, I broke one of the bolts that you can't get penetrant on because there's a shield in the way. (Next time I'll drill holes so I can get a nozzle through.) Figured I'd put the shield on later, when the weather got warmer.

MPGs seemed to drop from upper-40's to lower-40's. Then on the highway I heard a pop and growling noise under the car that went away after a minute or less. I took the next exit and saw a small panel to the rear of the opening that was hanging by one fastener. I think its front side was held in place by fasteners that held the big panel.

I removed it, and mpgs went back to upper-40's. Only a few fill-ups in each case, I haven't had this car long, but I was also looking at the per-trip mpgs. (Mileage is lower until it warms up around here, we're just starting to get into the 70's; at least that's how it was on my 2010.)

I think the panel was scooping air causing drag. You might want to remove that one, too, until you decide what to do with the big one.

 

I'd like to think if they put it on at the factory you need one. I have a Metal Engine Splash Shield on my Prius