Ok so i was just driving along and heard a scraping sound. I slowed down and then heard a huge metallic sound, looked in my rear view mirror and saw something in the road.

Picked it up and this is what i found:

http://s1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff380/ollie_cb/skoda%20fabia/

(please note, that's 2 sheets of A4 paper to give you an idea of size)

What the hell is it?! Car drives no differently whatsoever. Going on holiday for a month tomorrowso will only be able to get the car up on a ramp when i get back. Thanks for looking.

its just a lower heatshield to protect the cat its normally the cause of many a rattle lol

dont worry its not really needed and can stay off the car from now on ;-)

hth

Heat shield for the exhaust I believe. Should be fine without it short term.

Enjoy the holiday!

Looks like a heat shield for a cat.

Lol double response at the same time

Praise the lord. Thanks gents for the ultra speedy responses!

I wonder what has made it sheer off... It doesn't look rusted where it has become detached, rather it has heated up greatly at both ends, weakened and eventually snapped off.

2k miles in the last 8 days cruising across France may have caused some sustained heating?

Bolts rusted or worked lose I'd guess. Mine on the Polo is loose - rattles every time I hit a bump - just a matter of time till I lose it!

Interesting. I just found a piece of metal that looks exactly the same today in the parking area for my flat, which a couple of cars use. I knew it was a heat shield for a cat, but had no idea which car it came off. It looks identical to the one above. I haven't yet had the chance to get underneath to check due to the rain. I was considering posting a picture of it here too, how mad is that?!

Also, I understand the heat shield is intended to prevent fires if you park on grass. If you don't park on grass, you're probably fine. One suggestion I have read on the net is to reattach using nice big jubilee type hose clips to fit all the way around the cat and the heat shield. I think otherwise it's a brand new cat needed, which is quite a bit of cash.

Edit: I lie, this one looks slightly different. Is anyone able to confirm if this is from a 1.4mpi 8v AQW?

Edited 12 July, 201213 yr by anewman

DEFO the sheild for the cat........this is to protect the CAT from stones.....AND lots of splashed water......and cold water suddenly hitting the CAT when the CAT is hot could cause the casing to contract and the internal ceramic core to crack!......So refit it ASAP!!!

Having had a look under my car in the dry, it seems it has come off mine. No obvious way of fixing it back though, other than large hose clips around the cat itself, which might damage it? Looks to me like it was originally spot welded onto the cat itself.