I was in Santa Cruz last night and it was really foggy, I was making a left turn but it was the wrong way so I backed up a little and went right instead. I couldn't see the super low cement island and I ripped off the plastic tray that's under the front of the car . Thankfully I wasn't lowered and nothing else was damaged, and the piece that came off is still on piece the mounting holes are just a little ripped but could be ziptied.

Is it worth putting back on? How much will it effect gas mileage with it off?

 

are you talking about the lower plastic engine cover that also holds the oil cover piece?

can you zip tie it without it sagging? it covers a lot of the front part of the engine, it's not about mileage but how much crap that it keeps from kicking into the bottom of the engine when you're driving (NE winters here).

i replaced a friend's it's like $62 from Curry Acura parts, there are ~10 clips that go with it, it clips onto the bottom of bumper.

 

It won't hurt the car to be missing....but you should fix it I think.

 

TSXs have a very low coefficient of drag, and that's partly due to the aerodynamic treatment underneath. Replacing the cover will probably take a long time to recover the replacement cost with better gas mileage, but you're also keeping the engine compartment cleaner.

 

If he's ever selling the car and I was looking at it and saw it missing I'd walk away or lowball.

 

That's a good point. It certainly couldn't hurt resale value. And to be honest, I'd probably wonder what else is wrong with the car. Not saying that there is anything else wrong with it, but it would make me wonder.

 

For $62 and thirty minutes of your time I'd say you should replace it. In fact, mine either needs replacing or at least re-alignment since I can see a loose flap down there. When I have lifted to swap lugs later this week I'll see what's up with that...

 

I don't plan on selling the car for a long time, but I think I'll find a way to put it back on. The piece isn't damaged it just looks like it popped it off the fasteners.