ilovemangoes

My car recently came back from the shop from a minor accident. In addition to the removal of scratches, they also helped me touched up on my aspec lip, but I got my car back looking like this......



Is it just me, or does the circled part seems like it's hanging loose. Should I bring it back to the shop to have them fix it, or can I simply give it a push and snap it back on tight?

sevank21

iTrader: (2)

Just remove it yourself. you dont need it and it'll look cleaner/better

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

Looks like they backed down over a curb a bit too fast. Good news is that part is pretty cheap. See what you can do, if not then the shop is obligated to fix it if they did it.

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

This is NOT a good idea.

ilovemangoes

I think the shop will try to lie their way out of this. I remember when I picked up my car they mentioned to me saying they touched up on the scratches but the bottom part is messed up and there's nothing they could do about it. At that time I had no idea what they were talking about but just like you mentioned, they told me it's from backing out from a curb too quickly and whatnot. I am 100% sure that when I brought the car in it wasn't looking like that, I wash my car weekly so if I'm quick to catch anything on my car that's out of proportion. Any idea how much it will cost to fix this, and like the above poster said, is it possible to remove it if it's not needed?

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

Removing it would be a bad idea. It serves as an aerodynamic element, preventing excess air from getting underneath the car, resulting in the car staying firmly planted to the ground at speed. Perhaps the most important purpose of it is that it deflects air up to the radiator, helping cool the car. So removing it is a no-no.

ilovemangoes

Thanks for the heads up. I'm pretty pissed at the shop because that part is sticking out like a sore thumb ! So it's not possible to push the edges back in because it looks as if the edges haven't been fitted on properly. Btw, any idea what that part is called? I'm having trouble finding a replacement part without knowing the part name.

ilovemangoes

I've searched around and found this diagram.



http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/...All&vinsrch=no

I'm no expert but it seems like I'm missing part #30, some kind of bolt that hold the edges in place. Hoping for someone to confirm this, it seems to be a cheap fix. I'm not sure if that's the only issue here. Does anyone else feel that the air guide (#29) is sitting a bit low?

pwr2panda

there's bolts holding them down...so check first that they're there. if they are...just remove and fix the plastic guards...it's pretty self explanatory if you get down and look at it yourself

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I say keep it the way it is and save yourself a couple of bucks. No one can see it under there, and it's still serving it's purpose.

ilovemangoes

I wish this was the case, but once I noticed it I can't stop noticing it! My garage is at the bottom of a small incline and as I move away from my garage, the bottom piece is still clearly visible.

P.S. Is it possible to get under the car without jacking it up if I'm on stock height? It's dark right now so I haven't tried yet but seems like I won't be able to fix it myself without purchasing a car jack.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^at least you love mangoes.

Roger555

iTrader: (3)

Thats your scrape guard and the ends can be fitted incorrectly just get down there and take a look

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

The parts are cheap.

I recently bought all 3 pieces.

My side pieces won't seem to fit, so I have them laying around the garage somewhere.

LTxArucAx60

iTrader: (9)

Plus that part holds the bumper, keeps it from rattling!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

They slide in at an angle and then get bolted with 2 bolts each side. Visually, you wouldn't NOT want to have that deflector down there cause the front would LOOK like it's too high in relation to sides/rear. And the aforementioned wind reasons...

Easy fix, you can fix yourself tomorrow...looks like they bolted in without putting the tab in first.

ilovemangoes

I've just taken a second look at it, and it's correctly bolted on. Is it possible that they might've put it on backwards? It just looks like it's sticking out really bad even with the aspec lip. Is the air guide/deflector suppose to be tightly hugging the bottom of the bumper? Upon inspection, it seems like mine still has room to give so maybe all I need to do is tighten it some more.

Here's a picture of another TL that seems to have a cleaner fit than mine.




P.S. I will throw in better pictures of my ride once I get this issue taken care of tmr. Cheers~

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

and if i remember correctly (got a 2g sorry) there is an opening right in front of that deflector for the air to flow upwards and into the radiator on the 3g's

mrlal8

iTrader: (2)

are you serious?
its 2 pieces of plastic lmao
its a scrape protector. I take my bumper off so often that i took the 2 pieces of because its less of a hassle.

philanderer

take it off.. your car will def "stay firmly planted to the ground" without it

ilovemangoes

Thanks rockstar, it's 100% as you said. It hasn't been fully slided in before bolting it on. It probably is an easy fix, just hard to see down there without a jack stand.

Comptechtl2367

Sorry but you are all wrong on what that part is for... It is to direct air into the rad. there is no grille on the front of the car so it acts like a scoop sending air up into it. Look at all cars that dont have a grille (ie: trans am, corvette, camaro, ect). This is not a "scrape guard" or anything aero... if anything it would push the cars nose up at high speeds and not down. By removing it you run the risk of overheating.

jjashaa

iTrader: (23)

scrape guard????

lol

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

No problemo man...
if you want to feel, you can do it without a jack, there is one bolt on the outer part you can see, then there will be one behind it closer to the inside part that you obviously can't see unless you jack up (BUT you can feel it, take those 2 off with a ratchet and 3" extension and 10MM socket...then insert it correctly, then rebolt. Easy, 10 minute fix...the outermost one will give you the most trouble going back in because it bolts into the furthest front part of the fender liner so you may need to align the hole.

Good luck!

crzygosu87

iTrader: (4)

Keep that part ... it is a functional item on the car ... if you have no need to take it off frequently, a ziptie would suffice as well ...

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

Air dams have an aerodynamic purpose. This article is a good read on the purpose of an air damn.
http://www.carsdirect.com/aftermarke...-air-dam-works


Scrape guard makes me think of these things.

07tl-s6spd

iTrader: (1)

^^^those are curb feelers

Comptechtl2367

I suppose i should read the whole thread before i jump to such a large statement... all this talk about down force and scrae guard just made me . My mistake!

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

Indeed, they are.

Roger555

iTrader: (3)

well technically its to direct air but it also helps your bumper lip from scraping when backing out of a steep driveway. Without it the bumper would dip down much further, thats why I call it the scrape guard.

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

they are for deflecting air (aerodynamics & cooling) AND they help protect your bumper on driveways/ramps

if you remove them, your car will not spin out of control... nor while it over-heat.

all you need is a standard honda 10mm bolt. take you all of 14 seconds to fix...

and yes, that particular bolt holds the bumper/plastic covers together. if you remove it, your car will not magically fall apart into 3 pieces

Timb227

iTrader: (3)

With or without it, if you're backing out of a steep driveway and your bumper will scrape, it's going to scrape. It does not prevent your bumper from scraping. It doesn't prevent your bumper from dipping down further.

Roger555

iTrader: (3)

You sir are wrong. Think about this example your driving over a dip in the road, your suspensions compresses and the deflector bottoms out, further compression would have caused your entire lip from bottoming out. True at some point while backing out of a drive way if your suspension in not compressing then your screwed either way

jptl04

iTrader: (1)

Listen to this man. He's right.

I took mine off a while ago cuz I was doing some work and never put it back. I've had it off for over 3 months. My car has never overheated, I checked the temp gauge, I even have a tranny temp gauge. (cooler for it is mounted in the front) and that never overheated. It's a $10 1lb piece of plastic, your car weighs over 3,500lbs! it's not going anywhere you don't steer it.

If it bothers you, take a 10mm socket and fix it. 10 min job max.

ilovemangoes

Thanks everyone, ya it did bother me but not as much anymore. It does seem to be a quick fix, the shop didn't fully slide the sides in before bolting it on that's why it looks like it's hanging loose. It's about 3/4 in, I don't think I will notice it in the future anyways after I drop my baby with Tein SS.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Oh yes you will ....
just fix it...wait till you're dropping the car and have it up on a jack anyway...you don't need stands as you don't need to get UNDER the car anyway...

Souljah

I lost those a long time ago... Scraped too many times. They just didn't have any will to stay attached to my car anymore I guess.
All this talk about it being fundamental is BS. I'm glad your picky about your car tho.

ilovemangoes

Haha i'm trying to lie to myself, stop bursting my bubble! I'm not confident enough to do coils myself so it will most likely be at a shop. Once again, I have 0 knowledge in how a car runs so I will be going the safe route. I'm more than happy to learn but looking at the DIYs on this forum makes my head spin already =(

ilovemangoes

xD Yes I'm picky about my car. I wash it once a week, twice if it's really dirty. I also tried getting all the scratches off with Mother's Scratch Remover but doesn't seem to work too well, maybe the scratches are too deep but I'm not confident enough to use the more aggressive stuff. It still pisses me off everytime I look at them. I guess I'll keep the scrape guard/air deflector on until it falls off by itself, just gotta remember not to look down so I won't see it.