Said It Here

How to fix a loose or hanging car splash guard

Plastic undercarriage splash guards sag and scrape the ground when accumulated ice, debris, or broken fasteners cause them to detach. Driving with a loose shield prevents you from safely ignoring the noise, often leaving you unsure whether it requires an immediate mechanic visit or a quick temporary fix with zip ties.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Using zip ties with skewers or makeshift anchors
  2. 2
    Ripping the plastic shield completely off and discarding it
  3. 3
    Buying replacement retainer clips from auto parts stores or dealerships
  4. 4
    Driving without the shield until the next scheduled maintenance
  5. 5
    Throwing the guard away or storing it in the trunk
  6. 6
    Washing road salt off exposed components manually
  7. 7
    Driving slowly to a nearby lube shop or mechanic to have it resecured or removed
  8. 8
    Using a Phillips screwdriver or scissors to detach and remove the hanging plastic parts
  9. 9
    Securing it temporarily using zip ties, new bolts, or fender washers
  10. 10
    Removing the loose undertray entirely
  11. 11
    Having a mechanic secure the hanging shield with alternative fasteners
  12. 12
    tack weld
  13. 13
    band clamp
  14. 14
    wedge metal in
  15. 15
    hose clamp

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

What is it? Is it safe to drive to a mechanic, or will we need to tow it?source ↗

edamommy317 · r/AskMechanics · 10 upvotes

We noticed a scraping sound from under the car. This big plastic piece behind the front wheels is loose and hanging down and filled up with ice that got kicked up.source ↗

RobertAKARobin · Mechanics Stack Exchange · 8 upvotes

How long can I wait to fix this, I don't have the fasteners on hand or time this weekend.source ↗

brobrosidon · r/AskMechanics · 7 upvotes

I'm fairly new to car care in general and didn't want to over look something serious.source ↗

brobrosidon · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

noticed what seems to be damage in the underbody of the car. Does this look related to the strut issue or is this something else? Trying to determine whether I can drive my car to the mechanic ~20 miles away lol.source ↗

eggman-premium · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

For the past few months there’s been a rattling sound from under my car driving me crazy. After going under it seems like it’s this exhaust pipe sleeve thing that is making the noise. It looks like the piece attaching the sleeve to the pipe rusted off causing it to rattle.source ↗

PleasantIncrease3672 · r/AskMechanics

Where this came up

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