Undercarriage Air Dam / Splash Guard

[HomerTHX1138]

The black plastic air damn underneath and front of my 93 LS400 is dragging ground. All the frontmost bolts are present (some mismatch), but others appear to not have been replaced by mechanics and futhremore, the rearmost hole has torn so that a normal bolt/washer will not hold it up.

2 questions:

1. Is there a place to order a replacement outside a dealership?

2. What is the bolt size of the bolts used to hold it and are they all the same (IE - if I measure a bolt from the front, will it match the rear bolt holes which are MIA on my car).

Thanks.

[dcfish]

The black plastic air damn underneath and front of my 93 LS400 is dragging ground. All the frontmost bolts are present (some mismatch), but others appear to not have been replaced by mechanics and futhremore, the rearmost hole has torn so that a normal bolt/washer will not hold it up.

2 questions:

1. Is there a place to order a replacement outside a dealership?

2. What is the bolt size of the bolts used to hold it and are they all the same (IE - if I measure a bolt from the front, will it match the rear bolt holes which are MIA on my car).

Thanks.

www.taprecycling.com They will have the part. Ask them to send the set of bolts with it.

You owe me a beer

[HomerTHX1138]

The black plastic air damn underneath and front of my 93 LS400 is dragging ground. All the frontmost bolts are present (some mismatch), but others appear to not have been replaced by mechanics and futhremore, the rearmost hole has torn so that a normal bolt/washer will not hold it up.

2 questions:

1. Is there a place to order a replacement outside a dealership?

2. What is the bolt size of the bolts used to hold it and are they all the same (IE - if I measure a bolt from the front, will it match the rear bolt holes which are MIA on my car).

Thanks.

www.taprecycling.com They will have the part. Ask them to send the set of bolts with it.

You owe me a beer

Wow. If this works out beer will be sent. :) Thanks!

[1990LS400]

Unfortuately, used undercarriage shields may be brittle and may not last very long. As relatively inexpensive as these things are new, and considering how expensive it is to ship a large used part like this, I'd suggest that you buy a new one and take care of it.

For most of the last 17+ years I have removed the undercarriage shield before taking an LS in for service. The few times I left the shield on, it was damaged or bolts that should have been holding it in place were missing when I retrieved the car - whether it was a dealer or indie shop doing the service.

My "favorite" story is how, by the time I got home from the dealer, the shield was dragging on the payment and trashed. The mechanic had apparently either left most of the bolts off or forgot to tighten them. And this fine service was done by SUPERIOR LEXUS OF KANSAS CITY - not that I would name names.

[HomerTHX1138]

Unfortuately, used undercarriage shields may be brittle and may not last very long. As relatively inexpensive as these things are new, and considering how expensive it is to ship a large used part like this, I'd suggest that you buy a new one and take care of it.

For most of the last 17+ years I have removed the undercarriage shield before taking an LS in for service. The few times I left the shield on, it was damaged or bolts that should have been holding it in place were missing when I retrieved the car - whether it was a dealer or indie shop doing the service.

My "favorite" story is how, by the time I got home from the dealer, the shield was dragging on the payment and trashed. The mechanic had apparently either left most of the bolts off or forgot to tighten them. And this fine service was done by SUPERIOR LEXUS OF KANSAS CITY - not that I would name names.

TAP pretty much said the same - that all the ones he gets in are already broken. Wap waaa. But, it's nice to know a good used parts dealer for many other things.

I'll call the dealer for the part unless someone recommends a better source.

In the meantime I plan on cutting off the rearmost piece as it is the part dragging after I managed to get one center bolt to hold.

Thanks again.

[HomerTHX1138]

Unfortuately, used undercarriage shields may be brittle and may not last very long. As relatively inexpensive as these things are new, and considering how expensive it is to ship a large used part like this, I'd suggest that you buy a new one and take care of it.

For most of the last 17+ years I have removed the undercarriage shield before taking an LS in for service. The few times I left the shield on, it was damaged or bolts that should have been holding it in place were missing when I retrieved the car - whether it was a dealer or indie shop doing the service.

My "favorite" story is how, by the time I got home from the dealer, the shield was dragging on the payment and trashed. The mechanic had apparently either left most of the bolts off or forgot to tighten them. And this fine service was done by SUPERIOR LEXUS OF KANSAS CITY - not that I would name names.

One last question: WHat size are those bolts? 6mm seems too bigg and 5mm is definitely too small? Maybe they're 6mm and someone trashed the holes but I cannot get them in.

[dcfish]

Unfortuately, used undercarriage shields may be brittle and may not last very long. As relatively inexpensive as these things are new, and considering how expensive it is to ship a large used part like this, I'd suggest that you buy a new one and take care of it.

For most of the last 17+ years I have removed the undercarriage shield before taking an LS in for service. The few times I left the shield on, it was damaged or bolts that should have been holding it in place were missing when I retrieved the car - whether it was a dealer or indie shop doing the service.

My "favorite" story is how, by the time I got home from the dealer, the shield was dragging on the payment and trashed. The mechanic had apparently either left most of the bolts off or forgot to tighten them. And this fine service was done by SUPERIOR LEXUS OF KANSAS CITY - not that I would name names.

TAP pretty much said the same - that all the ones he gets in are already broken. Wap waaa. But, it's nice to know a good used parts dealer for many other things.

I'll call the dealer for the part unless someone recommends a better source.

In the meantime I plan on cutting off the rearmost piece as it is the part dragging after I managed to get one center bolt to hold.

Thanks again.

Dang, It was worth a shot......................

[fencera]

I agree with the last post by 1990LS400. Although on a very temporary basis I had to cut new holes in the shield and use wire to hold it up, I recently bought a new one. It's worth the peace of mind.

The first dealership I got a quote from wanted $220+ and then I would have had to pay tax. I asked a number of other dealerships and the lowest was Park Place @ $153 w/ free shipping and no sales tax (apx $190 was next closest).

The part no. for my '90 (I am pretty sure it's the same for '93) is #51441-50013 and for the bolts 90119-06375 [4] 90119-06361 [8] 90159-60507 [5] I don't remember why these are the bolts/washers, it doesn't seem to add up right... but looking back, this is what the email from the dealership said.

I hope you find something that works for you.

[leximus]

How important is this plastic air damn (LOL) piece? Mine was dragging last summer so I've had mine off since then. Anyone have a pic of what it looks like? :whistles: Is it like 3ft wide (driver side to passenger side) and 7 or so inches (from front of vehicle to back) with like a feed and drain piece? Also, shouldn't the car have an undercarraige plastic cover? I didn't have one when I purchased the vehicle.

Another question, my bumpers paint is cracking (front and back) and I'd like to get them repainted/refinished. Does anyone know where in the Connecticut area to get this done and how much? Or can I do this myself, but paint is hard to match. :cries:

Any help would be great!!!

Mucho gracia!

[blake918]

How important is this plastic air damn (LOL) piece?

It's not important at all. I've had mine off for almost a year with no change in performance. Plus, oil changes are no longer a PITA.

[Vern Dias]

It's not important at all. I've had mine off for almost a year with no change in performance.

I'll bet your highway gas milage suffered. You may not have noticed it yet, but it did. There is a reason that Lexi have one of the lowest COD measurements out there in the production car world and that air damn is certainly part of it.

Vern

[blake918]

It's not important at all. I've had mine off for almost a year with no change in performance.

I'll bet your highway gas milage suffered. You may not have noticed it yet, but it did. There is a reason that Lexi have one of the lowest COD measurements out there in the production car world and that air damn is certainly part of it.

It hasn't. I keep track of every tank of gas, and the mileage hasn't changed at all. It's still 25.5-26mpg (the fluctuation comes from left lane bandits that cause me to cancel the cruise.) on a tank of 99% hwy miles just like it was with the cover on there. My city mileage is also just as low as it was before. The shield has been gone for almost a year now (which is about 25,000 miles for me), and my gas mileage hasn't changed yet--and it will not until a maintinance item wears out or gets dirty. The temp needle is still in the same position, and the car is still just as quiet as it was before. All of that in mind, the reason for putting it on in the first place for any reason other than cosmetics is beyond me. Maybe they noted a difference in the lab, but out here in the real world, it hasn't changed my car one single bit.

[fencera]

People have had these shields damaged by road debris. I had half of my own ripped by concrete chunks on the road that were unavoidable.

I would much rather this piece of plastic be damaged or destroyed than the hoses etc that are exposed under my engine if I was to not have this cover in place.

In addition to whatever miniscule aerodynamic benefits this shield serves (which it definately does-- see http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/enaero.html for one basic example), it protects.

Protection is a pretty important benefit to me.

[dcfish]

People have had these shields damaged by road debris. I had half of my own ripped by concrete chunks on the road that were unavoidable.

I would much rather this piece of plastic be damaged or destroyed than the hoses etc that are exposed under my engine if I was to not have this cover in place.

In addition to whatever miniscule aerodynamic benefits this shield serves (which it definately does-- see http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/enaero.html for one basic example), it protects.

Protection is a pretty important benefit to me.

I personally would not go without one, That's just me. Seen as they are not an option from the factory. I am convinced that lexus installs them for defininitive reasons, And I am on the side of lexus.

[HomerTHX1138]

fencera,

Thanks for bolt #s.

The dam has basically 3 edges of attachment - along the front edge, in the middle, then at the rear two points in a "Y" shape.

One of the "Y" arms was the main culprit. After having robbed a front bolt to secure the middle, one Y arm was hanging way down near the left front tire. I was underneath the car and the best I can tell it protects an exhaust pipe from splash which is already protected by a metal box. I bought a cutting dremmel bit and zipped through that Y arm at the edge of a protruding part I didn't identify. It now holds up well and one of the far points of failure is gone. :) The other Y arm may be chopped next -- it's the one that is near the oil drain and it's bolt hole is ripped. By cutting these off, and leaving the bulk of the shield, I think risk to the engine is minimal if at all, and the need to spend another ~200 is eliminated, having just put about 2000 into it for critical engine maintenace and repairs I just cannot justify it on my car at the moment. Maybe in a few months.