Loose front underbody panel

[WisJim]

Today as we were driving on a state highway about 20 miles from home, we had a sudden increase in noise under the car. At first I thought it was a branch or something stuck in the undercarriage, but hadn't seen anything on the road. Then I blamed it on the grooved pavement, but still was suspicious, so we stopped and checked, and the front under-body piece, made of a cross between felt and cardboard from the looks of it, had come loose at the front and was dragging on the pavement. We were close to a hardware store and bought a roll of duct tape and taped it back in place, continued on our errands, and then made it home okay, with it still taped in place.

It looks like I may need to replace that under-body cover piece, so does any one have a part number, official description, or other useful information about it that will help me in getting a replacement part? Or suggestions for reinforcing/repairing/reinstalling it? I will have to look more closely tomorrow in daylight when I can get it up on jack stands or ramps, but my impression is that there may be missing fasteners, too.

Thanks!
Jim, in western Wisconsin

 

[pchilds]

I repaired the panel with stainless tape, I think it will hold up better than duck tape. This may not work for you, as mine was not dragging the ground yet, just a couple tares and ware spots.

 

[KillaWhat]

Not a warranty repair item?
If my anything was dragging on the ground, I'd be back at the dealer PDQ?!

 

[WisJim]

We bought the car used, and the original dealer is almost 100 miles away, so I'm not sure if it is worth the bother of reporting it re: warranty.

 

[CWO4Mann]

I removed all of the underbody panels when I installed my Ham Radio gear. I ran flex conduit from the front to back. With panels off it was relatively easy to mount the trailer-hitch, the new horns and LED always-on lights up front. The panels are fastened into place with a delrin twist and lock fastener, which is guaranteed to break when you remove them. Not like the D-zuz locks we use on aeroplanes. Anyway, i counted them up and ordered a crap-load from an online parts place. Start removing the front panel first. Replacing, You have to start with the rear-most panel since they overlap in places. Some fasteners are in locations which are a mite bit hard to get to. Cursing in several languages certainly helps, followed by threats in the Klingon vernacular. I used the car rack at the auto craft shop at Ft Campbell, so it was fairly easy access. If you do this with jack stands, run them up all the way since you need a lot of clearance. Folks who wear clothes tailored by Omar the Tent-maker should find a hoist. This work was a solid 8-hour job with only a few smoke breaks and bottles of Gatoraide.

My Leaf is now proven to tow a 10 foot single axle trailer loaded with junk on a 10 mile trip to the dump with no noticeable decrease in range.

YMMV, IMHO