Heat Shield

alanabrown

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Hey guys!

I’ve replaced my heat shield 2 times since I purchased my civic in 2016. How important to have the shield on? Debating whether or not to replace it for the 3rd time.
thanks!
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SDAlexander8

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What are you running over that is causing it to fall off? Is it not being secured properly?
 

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Probably likely that if you’re not doing oil changes yourself, whoever you’re bringing it to is not properly reinstalling it. Otherwise you’d have to be scraping on crap everywhere.

It’s not imperative that you have it on, but it does keep the lower engine from getting road grime and salt on it. May protect it from a stray rock if it bounces just right.

I would personally replace it again and just be anal about making sure it gets put back on properly whenever it needs to be removed for servicing. You can probably check it well enough before leaving the shop just by visually seeing that the screws are there and that the shield is mounted flush. If it’s not, then tell them to put it back on better.
 

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So we’re talking about the belly pan that nobody seems to care to put on properly after an oil change? Not the exhaust heat shield?
I know some people colloquially call it a “heat shield”. Technically it’s the “engine undercover”. I assumed OP was talking about that since they do fall off so commonly. Maybe I’m wrong though.
 


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alanabrown

alanabrown

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What are you running over that is causing it to fall off? Is it not being secured properly?
The 1st time I was driving too fast on unlevel ground and it crumpled up, the 2nd time, likely something similar. It ended up overtime becoming lose and falling apart. 🥴
 
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alanabrown

alanabrown

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So we’re talking about the belly pan that nobody seems to care to put on properly after an oil change? Not the exhaust heat shield?
Probably likely that if you’re not doing oil changes yourself, whoever you’re bringing it to is not properly reinstalling it. Otherwise you’d have to be scraping on crap everywhere.

It’s not imperative that you have it on, but it does keep the lower engine from getting road grime and salt on it. May protect it from a stray rock if it bounces just right.

I would personally replace it again and just be anal about making sure it gets put back on properly whenever it needs to be removed for servicing. You can probably check it well enough before leaving the shop just by visually seeing that the screws are there and that the shield is mounted flush. If it’s not, then tell them to put it back on better.
Good point! I travel a lot and want to take good care of it, I guess I need to start with driving better.
 
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alanabrown

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I know some people colloquially call it a “heat shield”. Technically it’s the “engine undercover”. I assumed OP was talking about that since they do fall off so commonly. Maybe I’m wrong though.
Yes the engine undercover. Just a thin weak piece of aluminum.
 

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The 1st time I was driving too fast on unlevel ground and it crumpled up, the 2nd time, likely something similar. It ended up overtime becoming lose and falling apart. 🥴

Off-roading in a civic tends to have that effect lol
 

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Good point! I travel a lot and want to take good care of it, I guess I need to start with driving better.
To be fair, if it’s not reinstalled 100% properly (likely by whoever did your oil change last), and has any amount of extra “sag”, it’s very easy for this undercover to catch on things since the car itself is already pretty low. I lost mine within 6 months of owning mine to a tire tread sitting in the highway that I wasn’t able to swerve around.

There are some aftermarket options available, but if you have others doing your oil changes, you may still have the same issue, namely, improper reinstallation. At least the OEM one crumples up so easily and doesn’t damage anything else.

The OEM one is also fairly cheap, around $60 or so, but there’s a trick. If you don’t already know, the Type-R undercover is sold separately and should fit your car, whereas the non-Type-R undercover is only sold with the entire plastic housing, which is like $300 total. No clue why it’s this way, but it makes it easy peasy for the dealer to have disposable income.
 


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https://www.baddannlv.com/

its durable and allows for quick oil changes without removal. i love it.
I have this one too. Although I’m not sold on being able to do a clean oil change using just those doors. Maybe if you weren’t changing the filter, but I change my filter every time so… I just don’t see how oil wouldn’t drip onto the top side of the plate.
 

bigf007dreams

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I have this one too. Although I’m not sold on being able to do a clean oil change using just those doors. Maybe if you weren’t changing the filter, but I change my filter every time so… I just don’t see how oil wouldn’t drip onto the top side of the plate.

Its not hard to blast the area with brake clean and then wipe it out. Oil on the top of that plate will get blown off anyways. Idk, the look and convienence sold me and im happy.
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