What has the snow done to my leon?!

[Ovni_cupraR]

Hi everyone,

I've got a bit of a problem with my snow plough front bumper. I left to come home from my girlfriends house today thinking that the roads look clear enough but about half way I heard a loud scrapping noise. I got out to look under the car and first I noticed that my splitter had been ripped off! Fair enough that's my fault for venturing out but then I looked underneath the car and there's a big sheet of metal or hard plastic the width of the bumper touching the floor, with ice packed on top of it. Can anyone tell me what this is? I'm assuming that where the snow inbetween the tyre tracks on the road is quite high, it has been pushed through the lower grill into the bottom of the engine bay forcing down a panel that protects the engine bay? I'm just after some advice really whether to go and drive it back home tomorrow or not as I had to leave it on the side of the road and walk home incase I damaged it anymore.

 

[m0rk]

Sounds like you've ripped the engine undertray off as well with the snow plough effect.

You will want to get that fixed before going anywhere - bast4rdly expensive to replace

 

[Ovni_cupraR]

Thanks for the reply. Would it have been fixed to something to hold it up or has the weight of the ice/snow forced it down? because I'm thinking if i can jack the car up i might be able to scrape all the snow out and hopefully the panel will raise a little

 

[DPJ]

If it's touching the ground, some of the 4 (2 on each side ) fixing screws have come out.

 

[Ovni_cupraR]

Oh right. what I might try is putting some rope under the car where the tray is touching the floor and tieing it around the top of the bonnet which will hopefully lift it off the floor so I can get it home and have a proper look at it. Thanks

 

[blackcupra180]

rough and ready approach rip the thing off lol thats what i did

 

[Ovni_cupraR]

Do you not need it?

 

[AntneeUK]

When mine fell off I just took it off until I could get it fitted back on properly. It just directs cooling air to particular parts of the engine and isn't needed, though I did find the noise when driving was louder without it, presumably because of the wind swirling around underneath

 

[DPJ]

Smooths the airflow under the car - less drag. Also, the plastic side panels it's attached to have less structural integrity without it fitted.

 

[mjt]

it's £100+ from a dealer. i'd say it's worth it though
easiest way to look at it properly is on a lift, or ramps at the least

 

[ADAM_84]

Don't suppose you've reversed and collected the snow on it that way? Be careful if you use the rope could damage your paint work. If the screw holes have snapped then cable ties will hold it up pretty well too.

 

[wayne lcr]

is this also to protect the sum as well had to take it of to change the oil

 

[OFI]

I don't have a tray under mine. The thing is.. i'm not sure if it came with it when I got it. If it did i'm not sure where it went..

 

[AntneeUK]

You'd know about it if it came off, because it's very unlikely that all of the screws would fall out at once, so it would've most likely scraped along the floor if it started to come off. Since it's almost as wide as the track of the wheels, there's every likelihood that you'd have run over it with the back wheels if it came off too. You'd have known about it

Did they come on any other Leons, or just the LCR BTW?

 

[mjt]

You'd know about it if it came off, because it's very unlikely that all of the screws would fall out at once, so it would've most likely scraped along the floor if it started to come off. Since it's almost as wide as the track of the wheels, there's every likelihood that you'd have run over it with the back wheels if it came off too. You'd have known about it

Did they come on any other Leons, or just the LCR BTW?

mine came with one originally, but it wasn't there when i bought it..

 

[AntneeUK]

Mine actually fell off within a few weeks of me buying the car (2nd hand) but it just scraped one side because the other side remained affixed. Had it put back on and no problems since. The Mrs's 1.4 doesn't have one, but the panels that separate the wheel arches from the engine bay come loose on hers too

 

[blackcupra180]

i caught mine on a kerb then after that it kept flaping about and coming loose so i ripped it off

 

[MATTCR]

I don't have a tray under mine. The thing is.. i'm not sure if it came with it when I got it. If it did i'm not sure where it went..

same here mate...

anyone know IF they are really needed at all?!??

 

[allh2k]

garages pull them off and throw them away ffs the garage that tried to throw mine away had a pile that would have filled a tranny van!

I would say they are required for better mpg car stability protect engine looks nicer to.

my side split HA! and it fell off then the rest of the sides came off and scrapped for 30 miles or so until i pulled it off.

 

[R4MSN_86CUPRA R]

mine was coming off from one end. i just tied it back with cable ties. been sorted since then. a would really keep it on. it protects the underside there and also good for air flow