hi guys

 

not been on here for awhile, hope everyone is ok.

 

went to car after work to set off, there was a rattling loud noise so i stopped and looked under and there was a silverish thing just under my exhaust. could anyone tell me what that is please? im guessing it is that silverish thing that is making the noise, problem is it was held on by 2 nuts but it has pulled off them now. i will need to get another piece.

 

thank you

Is it a heat shield?

Post a picture.

Sounds most likely to be heat sheilding as mentioned, biggish thin sheet of metal? Had it happen on my fiesta, local garage just ripped it off and said it wasn't needed. Drove it for a few years without it, including 2-3 hour trips and it was fine. Checked the boot above where it was a few times and didn't notice any difference. Your mileage may vary though 🙈

thank you guys

 

yes i do believe its a heat shield, if i do take it off, how do i go about it? and it is definitely safe to do so?

Pictures would really help, but the heat shields are there for a reason, especially around CAT's or DPF's as they get very hot.

It sounds like a loose heat shield. Removing it may not cause a problem. The floor and the carpets might get warm but not hot enough to catch fire, HOWEVER, if the exhaust develops a leak you will have a jet of hot gas blowing out like a blowlamp and there is a very real risk of fire, particularly if it's blowing at the fuel tank or plastic fuel lines. My advice is not to discard it. You can get repair washers from your local garage to cover the holes around the original fixings. After 35 years in the breakdown industry I have attend a number of cars the caught fire because of exhaust leaks and immobilized trucks where the leak softened the plastic air brake lines and the pressure in the lines burst the pipe bringing all the brakes on. This is such a real problem the the presence (or otherwise) of exhaust heat shields is now part of the MOT test.

IMHO, I would almost certainly re-fir it or replace it with at least a good used one! As UrbanPanzer said, They are there for a reason!

Insurance companies may well take a dim view of it being removed, especially on a vehicle that had been written off by fire.

thank you guys, i live next door to a diy shop so will see if they have any big washers there.