I can't believe how stupid I was, but I was using my iPhone flashlight tonight while adding washer fluid to my TSX 2004, and I somehow managed to drop my iPhone through the engine and it is standing on the maintenance cover or whatever it's called between the engine and the ground.

I sadly don't know anything about car repairs or even oil changing.

Can I easily remove the cover to let the phone drop out? If so, how do I do that? Do I need to jack up the car first (and buy a jack stand)? Or do you think I could drive it a few miles to a shop without it melting my phone?

Thanks very much for any help you can provide.

 

If your phone is not enclosed in a thick plastic case, you might be able to retrieve it with an extendable magnet pick up tool. If not, then you will probably need to pull off the lower plastic shield. The lower plastic shield is attached via a few screws and a bunch of expanding push plugs; kinda like drywall anchors except you just push in the central plug rather than screw it in. You will need to elevate the front of the car on jackstands or ramps. You'll see the black plugs on the bottom of the front bumper cover. You carefully lift the edge of the central plug with a thin flat blade screwdriver, then pull it out. The collar part can then be removed. Don't worry about heat in that area.

 

Thank you very much, kbh. Do you think I could drive it about 8 miles at about 35 MPH and likely not damage the phone with the heat of the engine? If that's the case, I will take it to my shop if they are open today (we are expecting 2 feet of snow later today, so everything is starting to shut down). Or if you think I could drive it a few miles but not 8, I will try to find another shop that will take me.

If you don't think that's workable, I will try to buy a magnetic pickup tool and try that. But I'm concerned that there is a lot of the compact engine that I won't be able to maneuver it through.

In terms of removing the shield, all I have to raise the car is the jack that comes with the car for changing a tire. I would definitely need to raise the car up and put it on 2 jackstands to do this? I'm not sure where I will be able to buy jackstands today with the snow closings. Would they have them in typical hardware stores, as I don't have an auto supply place anywhere near me?

AAA refuses to come for something like this.

Thanks!

 

Amazingly, I was able to use a long tool to push the phone to a little hole in the shield, and it popped out. So a happy ending. Thanks, again!

 

LOL sorry but that's funny. Glad you got it back though.


Just a few days ago I had my 9 year old daughter using my phone for the flashlight function, looking down the plumbing waste cleanout for the house that leads to the street. (I was fishing a tape down to measure length of pipe from one cleanout to another). Had she dropped it - it'd be running through the Ottawa sewer system by now LOL. Thank goodness she didn't drop it!

 

Glad it all worked out. I have found these headlamps to be very useful for all sorts of automotive and home repair tasks.