No Stupid Questions

Generally it's fine to remove those but I would consider having it put back on if you live anywhere that gets snow. Reason being is that this plate protects undercarriage parts from excessive corrosion as a result of salt on the roads. So your car isn't going to break down if you remove it, but if you plan to keep the car long-term, it can extend the life of those parts. As someone who works on my own car and has also had several 15+ year old vehicles, I can attest that this plate does indeed reduce corrosion in those areas.

Zipties, thread, scrap wire... I would try to put it back on, even badly if necessary.

No it is not necessary for your car to work. However...

It helps improve the fuel economy of your vehicle, which will save you money. It will reduce rust and wear on your vehicle, which will save you money. It costs a ridiculous amount of money to replace that piece of plastic. Typically, those pieces are layered on, and the the piece behind it may rely on the one in front to stay attached correctly.

If you plan to have the car for more than a year or two, I would recommend finding a way to remove it properly, or re-fasten it to the car.

I've had a couple cars that have a skid plate like this leaving it off isn't generally going to be a problem but it does protect you know the undercarriage of your car just get it fixed when you're can afford to and you should be fine

That part is responsible for 3 things:

• Noise. It reduces the amount of turbulence under the car
• fuel efficiency, same as Noise
• protection from the environment. It reduces the amount of dirt and water that hits parts like the engine and other stuff there

It is not critical and as others said, you could leave it of. I would recommend to have a look of there was any other damage done while they ripped off, as the weather allows to

Depends on the car, but they're usally there to protect something. Removing it could mean water and mud splashing up near the belts, potential damage to the oil pan from rocks, etc.

It appears that it was just zip tied back on…

yeah that's not uncommon, just drive the front onto a curb, put blocks on the wheels, and use some sturdy zip ties.

Depends where it came from. It's worth going down to take a peak. You do not want water splashing against your belts. As others have said, if you live in Salt brine weather, you really don't want that stuff anywhere near stuff that isn't protected.

Your car will not fall apart. It will, however, rust like hell over the next few years if you live somewhere that regularly salts in the winter to keep ice off the road.

As others have said, works without it; but you probably want it there.

Order one from eBay that fits your year, make, model. You may need to get fasteners separately.

I had this same thing break on my truck. It cost $35 for an off brand replacement that fit perfectly.

Probably not critical but beware on some vehicles they are structural and support the transmission or other components, such as on some Jeeps

I went to one of those corporate places for an oil change ... This fell off sometime on my drive home from work.

Exact same thing happened to me. Ever since then, I do my own oil changes.

Although, there's definitely a startup cost. If you're tight on cash, then I wouldn't recommend it.

I guess the splash shield isn't essential for driving... although, you should probably get it back on at some point. It'll keep the elements out of the engine a bit. Getting water down there will probably lead to corrosion in the future. Not to mention rocks that could dent things down there.

It shouldn't actually be too hard to put it back on. It's usually just held on by plastic screws. You just need to buy replacement screws (a few bucks) and find a screw driver. The hard part would be lifting the car high enough so you can crawl under it. Then just line up the holes and put the screws on.

Throw it in the back trunk.

If that's metal and a side pic of the vehicle I would make sure it's not the tank protector, if it is you might have to replace at you want something protecting a plastic tank. If it is from the tank, I would recommend putting a few zip ties up to hold it, if not you'll be fine. Only other thing is water can do damage depending on where it hits (to wiring and modules) so don't aim for puddles and you'll be fine.

Edit: more I look it's plastic, you'll be fine.

Supposedly they're meant to help prevent corrosion, but it's really more up to where the car is being driven

I've seen cars without them and zero corrosion and cars with them with serious rust issues

It just depends on how much salt the car is exposed to over its life

It’s not critical, but it keeps things clean, keeps salt/snow off in winter, and contributes to fuel economy and ride quality.

Stretching an oil change is a bigger concern, especially if the oil change interval is a long one. Learn to do it yourself, it’s really simple and depending on the car you may be able to do it without ramps or a jack if you’re creative in parking eg over a dip or one wheel (securely) on a curb. Ensure you don’t spill oil into a drain.

Yeah, it's fine. If that is the part I think it is, it's a cover for the bottom of your engine - not strictly needed (my previous car didn't even have one when new).

It somewhat protects your cars nether regions from minor damage from rocks and similar, but for the average driver it doesn't do much - Most debris that would damage your engine would also easily pierce through the cover.

There is an aerodynamic component at play here, but it's not critical. It might also shield your cars innards and prevent turbulent airflow to reduce noise, but again; not critical

I had that thing fall off my leaf. Just left it off and have had no issues.