Folks I'm as techinically minded as Vera Duckworth and have been told my Heat Shield somewhere under the bonnet is rusty to the point of turning to crumbs...

Question is what does it shield heat from? What are the potential consequences of not replacing it? What is it likely to cost to replace?

Any advise well received...

Paul

 

Shame - no techies have bothered so here's my non tech answer. (see also another thread to which I have added my 'thoughts' (something to do with 'heat in my car'?)

Anyway here goes - if it's what I think you are on about, it's on the exhaust downpipe from the engine. It's there to help contain the heat from this very hot pipe (as you can imagine) from damaging surrounding things and minimises excess heat into the engine area. If the heatshield is quite near the bulkhead (passenger compartment), a functioning heatshield would help with reducing unwanted heat into the interior. Read the other thread if you can.

 

Could also be the heatshields on the headers/uppipe which in my experience are worse than the downpipe heat shields.

These protect a number of components from heat damage.

Andrew...

 

Cheers guys so a must for quick replacement then - sounds like the resonnaince is coming from the downpipe type area...
Certainly seems difficult to get to that's for sure, even from underneath...
Thanks for the replies pmarch and AndrewC

P

 

When we had a rattling heatshield on our old Primeras d/pipe, the bloke from quickfit said the heatshield was desirable but not essential. See other thread on Gen Tech/MY03 heat in car temperature for cheaper possible fix using metallic insulation tape. You probably can't get a replacement heatshield and sourcing the downpipe was more of a prob. for quickfit not to mention cost of entire downsection which may otherwise be OK.