When I get around to it, it will be the 3rd time I've had to strap up the heat shield that runs above the exhaust, down the tunnel section. I'm pretty sick of it really, and I get funny looks when I drive past people and my car sounds like a rag and bone van, rattling around. My question.. VW obviously put it there for a reason.. its a 'heat shield' - but can I do away with it without any real adverse effects?! I've been using the genuine VW toothed washer thingymys to hold it up and they just keep shaking loose. If I can just take the damn thing off it would save alot of bother?! Surely it would just make my car a little warmer inside without it!?
I replaced my downpipe, and wrapped the exhaust with heatwrap past where the shield stops. No problems so far and it moves more heat out of the engine bay.
I haven't had mine on my mk2 for years now. What are you using to strap it with? Some people on here have used multiple hose clips joined together - kind of like this (stolen from google)
I think he's talking about the one that is mounted to the underside of the body with the little flimsy star/push washer thingies. "Thingies" is a trademark, pm me for permission to use such advanced technical mumbo-jumbo!
I just ripped it off my old 8v and suffered no problems whatsoever. The gearknob was noticeably warmer to the touch, but that was quite pleasant
you got a welder just weld the (little filmsy star/push thingies) on. trademark been granted or a nylon nut
Yup, as OsteKuste said, it is the one on the underside of the body, I think I'll just take it off, if a warmer gear knob is the only side effect I'll settle for that! Welding it would be an idea, except if I ever wanted to mod/fiddle with the shifter box, which I think is got at by moving the heat shield out of the way like on my old mk2.. then it would be a problem! I'm going to have it off!
That heat shield is covering your Cat. They get so hot that there have been times when the cat has set fire to grass under a parked car, are your not concerned that it may set fire to the under carpet sound deadening or causing damage to the plastic parts of the gear linkage? Personally I would try exploring other ways of affixing the shield, try a mastic or glue before taking it off -I can imagine taking it off is a lot easier than putting it back! I too would appreciate a heated gear change, during the recent really cold spell at, my glove froze onto my Momo metal ball knob!
I didn't experience any where near any sort of fire inducing heat with it gone, you could feel some warmth on the carpet around the tunnel, and a warmer gear knob, that was it. I never checked how the underside of the car was coping without the heat shield though, it may cause any rustproofing around that area to deteriorate more quickly. I would never have been able to refit mine properly anyway as the studs the star washers pressed on to were no longer there.
that just protects the cat from all the salt n s**t off the road and from it's position between the cat and the road so wouldn't protect the under side in any way. there should be a part on top too. but i'd try and keep it as cat's seam to rust round the edges quite quickly from what i keep seeing.
I have this exact problem, the middle section dropped onto the exhaust on the way to work on Friday. Not sure what to do with it, the studs that the fixings push onto are pretty corroded, I suspect any replacement fixings would shake loose. There are a few other bolts around the front, so some sort of bracket might be an option. The back looks a little devoid of alternatives though. Another alternative could be a stick on heat barrier. This might work but I suspect there is an air gap between the standard shield and the underside of car for a reason.
I found that with the corrosion there was not much of a thread left to push a nut on to. So I nipped down my local dealer and picked up some of the proper clips. They work like a charm, I think they have revised the design a little as they are a tighter fit that the original ones. Part number 441863987B if anyone is needing it, ten off was about a fiver. S.
I used pull ties on the little tags and let them stick out to hold the heat shield up, seems fine, I think Stu's mad crazy insane idea of using the proper nuts to hold it up although totally extreme is the best idea. And just to clear up a few things the people who have said they removed theirs was on a Mk2 with no cat, I think the car in question is a Mk3 with a cat, as said cats get fooking hot and will possible cause premature rust around that area of the exhaust tunnel.
Hmm, I dont know what to do now then.. speaking to a guy at work who has a skyline and lots of skyline mates, he says just rip it off, it will be fine without it. I was actually going to sort this tomorrrow in the day sometime, and was going to do just that. As I already said, I've replaced the washers twice on it now (with genuine VW ones) as little as 8 months ago and they keep coming off. As for finding proper nuts that will go on, not much chance there, the studs arent particularly threaded anymore, more just lumpy bits of metal sticking out! Do Kwik fit do welding? Wonder if theyll do a 10min weld on a couple of studs to sort it out - tenner you reckon?! (fat chance with kwik fit)
i have this problem too, starting the car sounds like a bag of nails RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE Grrrrrrrr!! prob going to do the hose clip method me thinks. its just getting under the bloody thing!!
