Good Day RDXers!

Just did trans fluid, transfer case oil and rear diff fluid on our '15 RDX. In changing the transfer case oil, I had the dickens trying to get the 3/8 socket in the fill plug. The fill and drain plugs were rusted and tho I prevailed, direct access to the fill plug (to force an extension into the hole) was blocked by this part:



This is a similar MDX image I grabbed from another post on here.

Mine is covered in oil - see actual pics from underneath, looking up:







For orientation, the oil pan is to the right of the exhaust pipe.

Any idea what this part is and what it protects? It looks like there is a hose underneath it; but I didn't want to remove the cover and take a chance without know what I might find and might need.

I believe the dealer overfilled on my "free" oil change. This leak wasn't there previously.

Thanks!