Any Noticeable Use For Th Underbody Skid Plate/ Protective Cover?

[Kamz]

Hi,

One end of the underbody skid plate/ protective cover/ sheet of metal/ whatever it is called in our '04 RX 330 is slightly bent and is about an inch or so lower than it is supposed to. Trudging through the snow last week, it is starting to kind of peel back and one end is now about 4 inches or so lower than where it should be. So, if I stand beside the car on the driver side and look at about just beneath the rear passenger area, underneath the car, I can see the sheet of metal starting to hang loose.

Generally these things help smooth the aerodynamics under the car and offer some protection for the under body of the car. I am thinking of removing the darn thing. Has anyone had any bad experience doing so? thoughts?

thanks

K

[RX in NC]

I'll eventually remove it on my wife's vehicle. I've already cut a 3" by 3" hole in it directly under the transmission drain plug in order to make transmission fluid drain-and-fills every 30,000 miles much easier and faster to perform....

The underbody cover is a hard, brittle plastic material - not metal. Once ours starts breaking down, it's gone. And if I have to remove it for miscellaneous service requirements before it breaks down, it's not going back on the vehicle....

Some service techs will tell you that it helps to reduce wind noise. That may be true, but its level of protection from heavy flying debris underneath the vehicle would be rather minimal simply because it is rather thin and quite brittle....

I don't think you'll notice any difference in noise or performance if you decide to remove it and trash it....