Hi, I'm new to the forums here so I apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong section.

This morning I pulled this piece (which was hanging by a rusted thread) from the underside of my 2010 (manual transmission) fit.






I was about to leave for a few days (~120 miles round trip) and am wondering, 1) what this piece is exactly, and 2) if getting it replaced is necessary maintenance before making a trip of that distance.

Any insight would be really appreciated!

 

It's just a guess, but it looks like an exhaust system heat shield. Someone here will know for sure. If it is a heat shield, you're probably okay without it for your trip .... as long as you don't park in tall dry grass. <g>

 

Yup, heat shield. Eventually these are removed from all our cars...

Funny how there is always ONE fastener that retains a Death Grip on the exhaust, even though the rest have rusted off!

 

Thanks so much for the replies. I just returned for my trip last night and all was running well with the vehicle (no more crunchy sounds at low speeds).

Do you think it's even worth replacing? I did some googled around and feel like I could get away with just leaving it. I don't do much driving on the tall dry grass as it is.

 

You can definately drive without, not only that one, but any of them. Eventually they all rust off
Most aftermarket systems dont have heat shields aswell