[iheartcrv]

Dear all,
I noticed that for Gen 4 CRV (2012 - ), it has better underbody (plastic) covers that offers better protection. For example, in order to flush transmission fluid, if you have a Gen 3, you can just locate the bolt right away, while with Gen 4 CRV you will have to remove a underbody plastic cover in order to reach that ATF fluid bolt. Does anyone find any aftermarket underbody plastic covers for Gen 3 CRVs? Does the underbody cover offer better protection over salt and therefore, better prevent rust, etc.? Thanks!

 

[Carbuff2]

Salt damage occurs with salty spray permeating the underbody IMO. No underbody panel that allows cool air will stop the salt from corroding things. Especially with the road-salt 'brine' that municipalities use nowadays.

It is my understanding that the panels that 'smooth' air underneath are primarily an aerodynamic benefit. And, folks with later builds frequently curse the fasteners on those things!

 

[Coastie05]

The plastic underbody covers are solely for aerodynamics and has nothing to do with protecting the undercarriage.

 

[Tigris99]

The plastic covers are only for aerodynamics

They actually CAUSE more issues with road salt, not stop them. Road salt has no effect on transmission or engine. All allow and such.

I usually RIP off undercarriage plastics except anything that helps support front bumper cover because that plastic blocks spray from under carriage wash from washing salt and such away from underneath.

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[kloker]

Those covers are also there to keep rocks and other damaging road debris from flying up into the engine compartment and other areas and causing major damage. I would never permanently remove them - losing that protection would not be a good thing at all here. Of course, road chemicals are not an issue where I live, and I'm smart enough not to live where it would be. On the other hand, rocks are a constant issue here, as are alligators and other debris. Those covers also give some protection to the car and it's occupants from extreme heat in summertime. Also an issue here. Not to mention animals, such as possum, skunks, cats, racoons, etc., which can and will, if they can, climb up in there looking for warmth or wiring to eat/chew up, or anti-freeze to snack on, and the ultimately dangerous armadillos (giant saurian armored rodents that attack tires and hoses and generally wreak mayhem aggressively). And snakes. Big snakes. Big poisonous snakes. Big poisonous scary snakes.

 

[El Comandante]

Those covers are also there to keep rocks and other damaging road debris from flying up into the engine compartment and other areas and causing major damage. I would never permanently remove them - losing that protection would not be a good thing at all here. Of course, road chemicals are not an issue where I live, and I'm smart enough not to live where it would be. On the other hand, rocks are a constant issue here, as are alligators and other debris. Those covers also give some protection to the car and it's occupants from extreme heat in summertime. Also an issue here. Not to mention animals, such as possum, skunks, cats, racoons, etc., which can and will, if they can, climb up in there looking for warmth or wiring to eat/chew up, or anti-freeze to snack on, and the ultimately dangerous armadillos (giant saurian armored rodents that attack tires and hoses and generally wreak mayhem aggressively). And snakes. Big snakes. Big poisonous snakes. Big poisonous scary snakes.

“...smart enough not to live where it could be...”. WOW!! So all those who do live where road salt is used ( to save lives btw) are NOT smart enough.

Just WOW!

 

[kloker]

Exactly. Don't go choosing to live in what I consider to be a hostile environment and blame it on me. I noticed at an early age that I was not born with fur. If you failed to notice that about your own self, then I rest my case.

Seriously, I was a military brat, and was born and raised on the equator, all over the world. I never even knew what cold was until I was ten years old. When we finally came to the states and I did learn, I was not happy about it. I don't like being cold, I don't like snow or ice (except in my drink), and I don't like whale blubber. I don't like being trussed up in twelve pounds of clothes to the point of being unable to move about freely, and I don't like being stuck indoors, at all, ever. Or being unable to travel freely. Or having to look at gray skies, or dead-looking trees and grass, or a brown gray world instead of a green sunshiny one. Based on all that, I have to assume that all you people who do choose to live in those conditions, or anywhere outside Texas, are simply less intelligent. It's the only logical conclusion.

 

[Tigris99]

Those covers are also there to keep rocks and other damaging road debris from flying up into the engine compartment and other areas and causing major damage. I would never permanently remove them - losing that protection would not be a good thing at all here. Of course, road chemicals are not an issue where I live, and I'm smart enough not to live where it would be. On the other hand, rocks are a constant issue here, as are alligators and other debris. Those covers also give some protection to the car and it's occupants from extreme heat in summertime. Also an issue here. Not to mention animals, such as possum, skunks, cats, racoons, etc., which can and will, if they can, climb up in there looking for warmth or wiring to eat/chew up, or anti-freeze to snack on, and the ultimately dangerous armadillos (giant saurian armored rodents that attack tires and hoses and generally wreak mayhem aggressively). And snakes. Big snakes. Big poisonous snakes. Big poisonous scary snakes.

you do realize the vast majority of the vehicles on the road do not have these covers right?

Rocks and such, if they are enough to damage the oil pan they are going right through that plastic. What you say there, you have a better chance of being struck by lightening. Why do offroad vehicles not have them??? Dont see anything of that nature on any jeep wrangler unless owner added aftermarket skid plates.

They provide 0 protection from road heat, they dont even go under the passenger compartment.

Those also do nothing at all to stop animals because the covers dont actually protect from anything smaller than a raccoon and at that size they want in they will get past it.

Think someone has been drinking or smoking something that's got some additives LMAO.

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[kloker]

Tigris -

you do realize the vast majority of the vehicles on the road do not have these covers right? Not exactly accurate any more. Even big trucks have them now.

Rocks and such, if they are enough to damage the oil pan they are going right through that plastic. What you say there, you have a better chance of being struck by lightening. Why do offroad vehicles not have them??? Dont see anything of that nature on any jeep wrangler unless owner added aftermarket skid plates. Also inaccurate. Even my old F250 4X4 has a partial one. My Jeep had one too. My brother's mini-van has them. Rocks big enough to damage an oil pan do it by collision while off-roading (CR-V's are not off-road vehicles - no Hondas are), because there is not enough room for them to bounce under a car. The much more likely smaller rocks that go under cars daily and can easily damage a hydraulic line or switch or other delicate part - of which there are plenty underneath - will glance right off the thick smooth plastic or metal. I've never seen one broken. But people do get struck by lightning around here all the time.

They provide 0 protection from road heat, they dont even go under the passenger compartment. They protect wherever they are. Some vehicles have them throughout, some don't. Of course, it's not a new concept. In the early fifties, cars even had fully enclosed driveshafts!

Those also do nothing at all to stop animals because the covers dont actually protect from anything smaller than a raccoon and at that size they want in they will get past it. It is true that the smallest of creatures can get through almost any tiny opening, but the covers do offer some degree of protection from this type of invasion. As for larger animals, they might

Think someone has been drinking or smoking something that's got some additives LMAO. Your baseless contradictory nitpicking just makes you sound like a whiny liberal college kid trying to win with attitude but no real substance. It's noisy, but it won't work. I don't mean to make that sound like an insult, but you don't leave much room for another choice.

 

[Tigris99]

Ya more late model stuff has them. But it's mostly EPA issues. Offroad vehicles mostly have steel or aluminum plates.

Honda CRVs gen 1 and 2 are actually designed for mild offroad. Gen 3 they went soccer mom crossovers IMHO lol. Tell my gen 2 it isnt offroad capable and itll laugh at you (but offroad has degrees of intensity). Light offroad compared to what those in mountainous areas would consider any real offroad.

I've spent most of my life under vehicles (it's my career) and these mass amount of plastic plates underneath is only a fairly recent development and came to pass the same times as the big push for fuel economy began. Which is where "vast majority" comes in because right now there are still more older vs newer vehicles on the road.

Even except for vehicles made in the last 5 years or so the plastic is pretty rare on anything but cars except the skirt that meets the front bumper cover to just past the radiator.

I am yet to see a single vehicle that has plastic going all the way front to back. At most it stops just behind the engine. And it wont protect from heat if it goes further, itll trap engine heat. What protects from outside heat is actual heat shields and insulation under the carpet.

I also live where gravel roads are prevalent everywhere. Not once has a anything come up and damaged any vehicle I or any car I have worked on unless they straight up bottomed out hard and dented/cracked the oil or transmission pans or other serious damage

The plastic on the vast majority of vehicles literally does nothing but improve aerodynamics. It has some benefit of stopping things from flipping up underneath (which will do nothing but scratch things) but if it happens to protect from any real damage it's one time use only because the plastic gets annihilated if not ripped off.



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[iheartcrv]

Thanks everyone! Really awesome discussion! :applause:

 

[kloker]

Ya more late model stuff has them. But it's mostly EPA issues. Offroad vehicles mostly have steel or aluminum plates. True.

Honda CRVs gen 1 and 2 are actually designed for mild offroad. Gen 3 they went soccer mom crossovers IMHO lol. Tell my gen 2 it isnt offroad capable and itll laugh at you (but offroad has degrees of intensity). Light offroad compared to what those in mountainous areas would consider any real offroad. I'll accede to that, though my F250 4X4 with full manual transfer case and locking hubs, as well as my previous Jeep, would just laugh.

I've spent most of my life under vehicles (it's my career) and these mass amount of plastic plates underneath is only a fairly recent development and came to pass the same times as the big push for fuel economy began. Which is where "vast majority" comes in because right now there are still more older vs newer vehicles on the road. Also true.

Even except for vehicles made in the last 5 years or so the plastic is pretty rare on anything but cars except the skirt that meets the front bumper cover to just past the radiator. I would say ten years, but yes.

I am yet to see a single vehicle that has plastic going all the way front to back. At most it stops just behind the engine. And it wont protect from heat if it goes further, itll trap engine heat. What protects from outside heat is actual heat shields and insulation under the carpet. I have seen a few where the shields covered all the vulnerable gaps the unibody didn't.

I also live where gravel roads are prevalent everywhere. Not once has a anything come up and damaged any vehicle I or any car I have worked on unless they straight up bottomed out hard and dented/cracked the oil or transmission pans or other serious damage Luckily I rarely have to deal with gravel roads, but what we do have here is loads of rock buckets running all over with all the construction in the area constantly going on, dropping their detritus on the streets and big roads and causing havoc. The shields do help with that. As a retired truck driver I can name many instances of damage caused by the small rocks, to cars and big trucks.

The plastic on the vast majority of vehicles literally does nothing but improve aerodynamics. It has some benefit of stopping things from flipping up underneath (which will do nothing but scratch things) but if it happens to protect from any real damage it's one time use only because the plastic gets annihilated if not ripped off. I've never seen one damaged. My last big truck had them, and it helped a lot. My brother's Civic and Camry, and several friends' cars have had damage, but the shields held. My neighbor down the street had a small rock damage a transmission cooler line and put him on the side, and I know of several other instances not including windshields (of which there have been plenty also) of small rock damage on cars without shields.

I will agree to just disagree on semantics, as we obviously live in different environments with different issues in this area. Not a huge deal. But I'll still take the 70 degrees and sunshine it's going to be here today over whatever you got.

 

[Tigris99]

I will agree to just disagree on semantics, as we obviously live in different environments with different issues in this area. Not a huge deal. But I'll still take the 70 degrees and sunshine it's going to be here today over whatever you got.

If I could I would happily move to where you are, this frigid cold ain't my cup of tea lol.

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[kloker]

Well, come on with it! I do know what you mean about being stuck, though. Being retired and living on a fixed income now, for me, means that unless I win the lottery, I am forever stuck in the city, and unable to move even ten miles out, to a less crowded and quieter area. Oh, well. At least my consolation is that I live in the live music capitol of the world.