A bit fell off

[PureJoe]

Last week I was going down the M3 at a fair speed in my 407SW when there was a bang from below and, looking back I saw a piece of black plastic leaping around in the road. Thinking that I had just run over it, I continued but every time there was a slight dip in the road surface, there was a scrapping noise coming from the front.

I pulled into the service station and looked. The under-engine protection sheet was hanging down from its rear fasteners. It had been mangled on the nearside and was now useless and all the fastenings had gone. I abandoned it.

Anyhoo, two things:
1. a new one is £93!!!
2. I made a trip to Bristol and back (290 miles of motorway) minus the under-engine bit. Normally, I set the cruise control (thanks zooankski) at around the 70 mark and sit back. Over the past few months of the same journey this has given me 40.1mpg. This time however, the car returned 44.1mpg! 9% increase.

Thinking about it, there must be far less wind resistance without the engine bay being sealed. With the protection on, it's like pushing a barrel open end first, with it off, it's just a tube.

However, I keep imagining that something large and hard will bounce up from the road and into the bay, which could off-set any fuel savings.

[john_h]

nout to worry about, loads of people have said theirs have come off with no problems...mine has been of since i have got it 30,000 miles ago and i still aint had a problem with it...

personnaly i dont see the benefit of having it, and for any1 to buy a new one they have to be a failed patient in a brain transplant....nearly £100 for a peice of moulded plastic haha

[PureJoe]

Thanks for the reassurance, I will now start a business taking them off for any 407 owners - lighter weight = more performance; less wind resistance = more mpg.

Those I take off I will sell for £50. I plan to retire this time next year.

[bettyswollocks]

More damage can be with them coming off at high speed than to worry whats gonna happen if you haven`t got one , how many years did we drive cars that hadn`t got them, my wife took hers of when she hit water at 50 mph.

[zooankski]

I thought the only purpose they served was to reduce noise