The plastic under the engine, attached to the bumper...

Does it serve a purpose?
Would it be a problem if it were removed and not replaced?

Back in February my car was attacked by a plow with some icy snow in front of it, the front bumper was slightly damaged and the lower grille was destroyed, and the under-plastic is no longer attached to the bumper, I taped it using gorilla tape to keep it in place, because on highway the wind pushed it down onto the ground

the tape has finally given up, and its happening again.
I dont have the money to repair this..

Can I take off the plastic without compromising anything?

 

well...it might reduce your car's cooling efficiency because it air will follow the path of least resistance, and if that plastic thing isn't there, it will go under the radiator instead of through it. it also probably protects the radiator and your engine alittle too from possible debris that could hit the radiator and cause a leak.

my guess is toyota would of put it there without a reason since it clearly isn't a stylish part of the car.

 

I knew it had to serve a purpose because its obviously not there for looks, but wanted to hear from somebody that didnt work at the dealership lol.

Thanks for your reply drax, im gonna tape it up again for now, unfortunately i cant just replace it because the part of the bumper it attaches to is broken, and im looking at $800 for the whole bumper... gotta talk to a body guy somebody i work with knows... might be able to work something out

 

how much for a new bumper?

i just got a new bumper cover for my tc, it was $229.16 plus tax. go get it from your local dealership, and then ask a good shop to paint it to match, shouldn't be too hard.

or, maybe get a powerdrill and some screws and just drill some holes with bolts and nuts to hold it in place?

 

I too my gravle guard because i will have Neons soon and itl loo kgreat through the grill. The gravel guard doesent really do much its just a precaution. Ive never herd of anybody having problems because theres no gravel guard. Its also called a splash guard so water doesnt get there and leave water marks everywhere.

 

More options:
Bumper Cover for $178.74
Estimated Shipping: $13.85

Total: 192.59 Shipped

Like draxcaliber said, call around and get a quote on paint. The install is easy so you may be able to save some money and do that yourself. Good luck!

 

another option...
unless your actual front fascia part of the bumper is messed up...you can do what i did and just have the clips replaced, all of the plastic panels including the fender wells...and its only 340 installed by the dealer. Lot cheaper than 800

 

You should be fine. I don't have it on cuz of the turbo and I think all the turbo guys have it off.

 

Holy crap... who told you $800 for a bumper?!

Like the other guys have said, you can get them much cheaper and a shop shouldn't be that ridiculous for paint.

And like was mentioned, if the bumper still looks OK, I'd just find another way to fasten them on the bottom.

 

sorry to rain on your parade, but that is the cost trdsparks sells it for. i tried to order my bumper cover from them, but it is an oversized box and would have to charge freight shipping fees, so it is ultimately cheaper to just order one through your local dealership.

 

Body Shop @ Dealership.
800 for parts and labor.

They told me it would be $900 to fix a small dent right next to the gas tank, because some @$$holes cant open their doors correctly in a parking lot.(getting it taken care of for less than $200)

I knew their prices were insane, I will go to the body shop that is commonly used by my co-workers, they do good paint work on new cars, I will get a quote for just the painted part. I am sure I can manage getting the bumper on myself / with some help from a friend


Thank you all for your help.

 

I've got another question...

If buy a new bumper, do you know of if there any aftermarket ones I can get for roughly the same price as the stock?

Just curious if there is any slightly different look I can go for...

I have no mods on my car...so there would be nothing to match it with, and I am not going to do anything to it until I move to Florida, I don't trust the roads in MASS with cars, I know there are plenty of you here that live in Mass, but my driving route would kill my car if it were any lower than it is lol.

If it matters, its an FM '06

 

The estimated shipping cost I listed was straight from there site. But what your saying makes sense and is definitely good to know. Thanks!

 

yeah, i was crushed, i ordered mine from them, then i got an email saying that they couldn't ship something that big unless it went freight, and by that point it would just be cheaper to pick it up from my local dealership. kinda sucked, but oh well, life goes on, i got my bumper, got it painted and put on.

 

I think the under engine plastic is for air flow and aerodynamics. The rest of the underside of the car is flat except for under the engine compartment. So it would make sense to make the whole thing flat to reduce turbulence under the vehicle. This is just my theory though.