• Grabthar@lemmy.world
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      19 hours ago

      You’re thinking of the exhaust heat shields. This is the engine skid plate. It’s there to protect the engine compartment from road debris and provide aero for better fuel economy. It’s pretty common for the screw holes in them to rust or wear around the fasteners to the point where the fastener head no longer covers the hole and they fall down.

    • Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Not really. The only part of a car that is hot enough to ignite grass is the cat converter, and this shield does not cover it. And cars before 2010 or so never had a shield like this. It is purely for fuel effiency.