Snagged The Front Undercill Board

[capnbirdseye]

Squeezing into a tight parking space on one of those car parks where the spaces are too small & close together when trying to get my car right in I snagged something under the front on the kerb.

Looking under the front there is a fibreboard cover about 300mm wide by 1mtr long directly under the front, it was jammed & reversing out pulled some of the screws thru the board so I couldn't fix it back up so I removed the remaining 3 self tappers to take it off. looking underneath it back home I can see that it was covering another similar one above it & I wonder if it's simply an aerodynamic covering or something because leaving it off doesn't expose anything as it's already covered in. Anyone know different. ( waits for mpg to plummet because I removed it )

[Parts-King]

Do you mean these undertrays?

If so, it might mess about with the aerodynamics, would be best left in place if possible

Kingo

[timberwolf]

Based on what I can vaguely recall being posted, I think you will see a noticeable drop in mpg if one of the covers is removed. My walks to work for this week have felt more like Autumn than late summer, so I wonder if there will be a drop in mpg anyway?

[capnbirdseye]

Yes Parts-King, it's the front one that you highlighted, I can fix it back if I can repair the holes where the screws ripped through

[Parts-King]

yes probably best fixed up with a few screws and speed clips if possible

Kingo

[ColinEL]

Yes Parts-King, it's the front one that you highlighted, I can fix it back if I can repair the holes where the screws ripped through

Hi

Could you not fix it back using penny washers on the screws, these are large washers with small holes.

ColinEL

[capnbirdseye]

Yes Parts-King, it's the front one that you highlighted, I can fix it back if I can repair the holes where the screws ripped through

Hi

Could you not fix it back using penny washers on the screws, these are large washers with small holes.

ColinEL

Yes, it just needs something to stop the screws going straight through but they need to be about 30mm diameter, the stuff the thing is made of is like a kind of lightweight fibre/plastic that's very flexible

[daveybee]

A bit Heath Robinson I know, but if things are that bad, how about custom washers cut from aluminium with the correct sized holes drilled / countersunk in them and then filed down around the edges to get the airflow over them as smooth as possible? Sorry, ex aircraft enigineer talking here, but that's what I would do to get things back to as close as they were supposed to be. Dave.