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Laguna II - Underside Engine Cover

4K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  bpowell555 
#1 · (Edited)
Can someone put my mind at rest that I haven't lost a section of the cover ?!

I have a 2001 Laguna petrol Tourer.

Am I right that the under engine plastic cover only covers the front section under the car ? I was investigating a bit of a rattle and when I looked under the car I felt sure that from memory the cover extended quite far back under the car ?!

Im hoping im just mistaken......

Is the shiny silver sections in the middle of the car normally visible ? I have a rattling "tray thing" that I can move by hand if I reach in (not on chocks)

The plastic cover at the front of the car looks like it is under the whole bonnet section, but does have a perfectly square hole in it ?! Im a guessing this really shouldnt be there ? however it does look so perfect as to be deliberate.

I am not a car person and have not looked under much before you think Im going mad :)
 
#7 ·
Think I was thinking of a different thread but .... have only four bolts in the undertray, marked in green:



The red ones I tried to today with the new bolts which are the same as the ones that currently fit in the green marks albeit a little shorter. I'm guessing since someone said there are 10 bolts there might be two more around the red circles.

But, the red marked ones were no go. Is it likely they need a bigger diameter bolt, or are the threads shot?

The fronts would tie the chin cover down with the undertray, and the side ones would stop it distorting like it currently does. Should they all be the same bolt, or not?

Cheers!

:d
 
#8 ·
The captive nuts in the chassis are notorious for breaking loose and spinning round.
The answer is to use large hex head self tapping screws. See attached pic for sample.
You can drill new holes or try and get screws big enough in diameter to fit the existing holes. Usually I just drill a hole close to the existing fixing point just make sure you ain't liable to drill into a cable or pipe or such:)
 

Attachments

#10 ·
Hi guys,

I have just been looking under the car and the tray is gone ! When the car went in for MOT in May.....there were a few repairs like rear axle and shocks......but there was a "front brake pipe" that needed replacing. Would the garage have had to remove the tray to get to that ? Im thinking they could have forgot to put it back on ?

Surely I would have heard it come off if it somehow it got ripped off ? There was a crack in it flagged ages ago, but didn't look like it was going anywhere in a hurry. Plus I take it the MOT wouldn't have passed it if it was loose ?

my next question (which is probably stupid).......how important is it that I get a new cover ? car is over 100K but probably want to keep another 12 months at least. other than dirt and grime, is there serious risk of damage getting to the engine.

kind regards

Paul
 
#11 ·
It is not recommended to drive the car with no undertray as stones can get up into the engine bay and get trapped in the auxiliary belt and should it fail it can take the timing belt with it resulting in serious engine damage plus there is the risk of water ingress and Renault electrics just don't like the wet. This applies to most cars and not just Renaults. My neighbour who owns a small Puegot van wrecked his engine completely whilst driving with the undertary removed. Yes they are prone to damage but can be repaired. It often surprises me the number of undertrays you see lying around many garages though.:)
 
#14 ·
Thanks guys. I actually phoned kwikfit and they said to come across. It was 3 months ago since they did the work, but said "they might have a tray lying around".

They didn't

He showed me underneath and one of the bolts is in the chasis with a bit of plastic clamped to it. So either it did get ripped off.......or the mechanic has rough-arsed it off and forget to mention it when I collected the car. It was right by the brake pipe that had been repaired....and so im wondering if he couldnt get it loose and didnt want the hassle of drilling/grinding it off ?

If it had been ripped out on the move.....wouldn't all of the bolts still be there, with bits of plastic possibly on others.......rather than a single survivor ?
 
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