Another engine splash guard question
 

Hi. New to the forums and just bought my first fit 5 days ago. 2015 lx m/t nice desk Grey. Love the car. Bought it at just a hair over 30k miles.

Only thing wrong I could find with the car was the engine splash guard was missing. Reading this forum seems like it either fell off or someone forgot to put it back on after an oil change.

My first question is, has anyone found a cheap replacement for just the circular cover part? I cant seem to find a replacement that doesn't have the entire assembly(part #HO1228147) for
it. So far cheapest I've found is on PartsGeek for 58usd. Called a couple local scrap yards and nothing so far.

Second question returns to the eternal debate. How necessary is that cover before I put some money down ordering a new one? Everyone seems torn. Does increase mpg/doesn't increase mpg, does protect from rodents and weather/sh** will find its way in there either way.

Thanks for the help!

The splash guard does two things - provides better aerodynamic flow underneath the car, leading to better mpg, and prevents anything on the road or critters from getting into the engine bay.

Could you go without? Sure, but potentially at the risk of lesser mpg and the risk of stuff on the road or critters getting into the engine bay. If you don't regularly drive on wet/slushy roads and don't have a critter problem, might not be as much risk, but you'll still have compromised aerodynamics.

Plan on doing the oil changes yourself, or having them done for you? Reason I ask - you'll probably want a more secure type of fastener for the splash guard than what Honda provides. Some folks here have resorted to zip ties as the cheapest and easiest solution if they do their own changes. Honda fasteners are likely to fall out if not secured properly. Search this forum for aftermarket fasteners folks here are using in place of the Honda ones.

mostly for aerodynamics to improve fuel economy at best. if youve seen the underside after a salty winter one would know it does nothing to protect from rodents or weather.. actually it gets into the way during under carriage wash so i remove it before washing the chassis and put it back on the car.

It is not a splash guard, nor is it an aerodynamic skirt. Honda calls it an "under cover" that has been off since the first oil change. I have been averaging over 40+ mpg. Of course I could have lost .0000001mph having it off. That's the price I am willing to pay so I can change my oil/filter in 15 min or less. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that I don't run over a load of broken concrete.

Or a skunk on the highway that gets thrown up into the engine compartment when you run over him.

Honestly that splash shield can be removed/installed in less than 5 minutes. The reason it falls off is someone tried to do it in less than 1...

There's a reason it was on there from the factory. Manufacturers wouldn't waste the time/materials to design a piece if it didn't serve a purpose. There's a reason you have those plastic shields under hybrids and Teslas for example.

Can you change the oil without having to lift the front end? Since changing the oil is the most important maintenance task for the engine, I save a lot of time without the hassle of removing the under cover in place. Yes, I am taking the risk of all those unlikely events that could happen without the under cover in place. Just an option for those who share the same risk. So far so good :)

Would be pretty difficult to change the oil without lifting the Fit IMO. For me, I use ramps. It takes me about 30 minutes including getting the tools out and putting them away. Since I only do this every 10,000 miles it's not a big deal to me and I don't feel like I have to run around like a NASCAR pit crew. :rotfl:

I'm certainly not saying by you leaving off the splashshield that your car will burst into flames instantly. It's your car, do what you want and it'll probably be just fine. The Fit is my commuter car and is certainly disposable. If it left the mortal coil tomorrow and I needed to replace it, I'd feel no remorse.

My brother-in-law is famous for reassembling something and having parts leftover. He feels he's just more efficient than the original designers. :wiggle:

wasserball is just jelly his car didn’t come with one.

Mine was detached on the driver's side at the front, and it erased 4-5 mpg.
Your funeral, but not an intelligent risk to omit it IMHO.

I do put it on using Zip Ties and the metal screws though, because I've had trouble with it partially detaching. I think this is due to driving over some rough rocks at a friend's mtn cabin and it gouging the cover. I bought some 4" wide Gorilla Tape and tape the entire leading edge onto the mating bumper surface. Nice touch.

I've wished it were stainless steel, but the mfgs have crash standards to satisfy, so that may not be an option for them. Seems like a nice aftermarket part though, provided the anchor points wouldn't fail in a more expensive way if you hit something big.

If you can't spare 5 minutes to change your oil maybe you should drive a Tesla, Bolt, or Leaf. Silly excuse not to maintain the most essential piece of bodywork on the entire car.

For $58?
I'd forego too much analysis or even debate and just replace it.

You guys ought to take it easy where you drive. The Fit is not an offroad car. BTW, the under cover stayed off after the first oil change. One guy claimed I would lose stability because without it would cause turbulence air flow under the engine. Well, the affect must be negligible since I have gotten 500 miles on a tank of gas, 3 times. No stability issue. I can take my hands off the wheel and the Fit tracks straight. The Fit LX is a great economical car, CVT is quiet enough that I was able to drive 1600 miles without having to stop overnight. I have no complaints at all. When I am bored, I take the Fit out for a drive. It is such a user friendly car. Seriously, for $18K+/-, you can't expect it to perform like a Porsche or quiet like a Lexus.

[QUOTE=solidpoint;1421562] ... the most essential piece of bodywork on the entire car.[/QUOTE/……...] :rotfl:

I've been watching a lot of YouTube car review videos lately, the kind where they lift the car up on a hoist to examine the mechanicals underneath. It's been very noticeable that a lot of manufacturers are now putting on body panels underneath like on the Fit, to smooth out the air flow and improve mileage. It's possible that there might be some reduction in road noise as well. The improvement is probably small and you could leave the panel off if you want, especially if you do a lot of city driving where I suspect low speed driving benefits are even smaller.

got around 5200 miles on my '19 , i've done one oil change so far . you need a decent set of ramps , the cover was no big deal , at least while everything is new . i'm keeping mine on , i think it's helping to keep the engine fairly clean . i'll be watching for that

Interesting how this one never dies,,, the aftermarket one I bought has a hole so you don't need to take it off at all for an oil change.

MIne didn't have it when I bought the car, got one on-line for cheap, its probably not top qual, but heck it was like 39.99 but I switched it to captured nuts and bolts instead of the plastic rivets. Added a piece of aluminum angle screwed to it across the rear third (3/4x3/4/1/8) so its way more solid.

IMHO it helps with air noise, keeps water and road spooge off the AC clutch..

I prefer clean engines when I have to work on them, and before I had the shield the engine was always covered with slime/dirt now stays pretty clean.

You would think that Honda would have spent an extra dollar or two per car to add a flap or panel so that you can change the oil without removing the entire cover. It'd save dealers a lot of time when it comes to oil changes.

Whats funny is mine has a area lined up with the oil filter where they made the replacement with about 3" more clearance to the oil pan, no need to drop the deflector for oil changes any more,, so Honda would be saving plastic to fix the issue.. LOL

$58 on rock auto
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...011208&jsn=252


if I happen to run out of things to test out / decide I no longer need a social life .... I promise to 1 day remove my cover, and test out mpg affects (if any) over a 10k span. *scouts honor*