stupid question: engine belly pan missing

Was the belly plate metal or plastic. Either way, it helps to protect stones/water from spraying up under the engine area. Helps protect the sump ect.....but do not stress too much about it. I have seen many cars with it removed and does not worry them at all.
But.................if your wife has bashed it to hell, then you have to stop and think what she is hitting and if the removal of this will now damage the underside/engine/gearbox of the car??

 

Plastic, forget it then. Would be good for bugger all.

 

If the entire surface of the car underneath is relatively flat it could be for aerodynamics. Having it missing is probably no big issue though, because Mrs. Doody probably doesn't drive the Audi at 100+ MPH I imagine.....

 

I have to assume it was put there for aerodynamics. Plastic does not have much protection quality to it.

 

Ouch. The same happened to me, but I know what I "hit" : I went into the gravel trap once on my Sepang outing in my WRX. On the drive back to Singapore, the damn thing was dragging along the ground. Had to remove it at a service stop, leaving the oil filter and other thingamajigs exposed. No biggie, and car still seemed aerodynamic enough, we were doing 230 km/hr all the way back home.

 

on an a4 i doubt it has much to do with aerodynamics and more to do with keeping a) rocks dirt and other bedris out of the engine compartment and
b) to keep oil and other fluid from getting on the garage floor......

you will be ok without it ie you should not lose control of the car or anything, although i would be questioning what exactly she hit to beat it up so much. is she goin off roading during lunch break at work????

 

Protects the oil sump from getting curbed when parking. They take a lot of abuse. "A" body VW's always have this problem. It saved the oil pan from getting dented, probably.

 

Sorry, but I don't agree with oil pan protection at all. This car wieghs approximately 3500 lbs. There is no way a piece of plastic is going to save an oil pan with that kind of weight involved. In other words, if you were to drive this car over a parking block, the parking block will dent or damage the pan right through the plastic.

 

That it is a warning. The pans bend easily, and can come off. And yes I know that it will not protect the pan.