Black piece of plastic on underside of body

[dinky123!]

As if burned out bulbs aren't enough, now a piece of plastic on the bottom of the car is scraping against the road when I drive the car. I have it "tucked" back, but this will not hold for very long...any ideas?

[bairjo]

well did you get under the car and look ? without any information I would guess you have a screw loose, missing or a broken panel. seeing that you are driving a seven year old car, that would be my guess. it really should not be difficult to figure out if you actually take a look.

[dinky123!]

I think this piece of plastic is part of the undercarriage, but I don't know if it is essential. I don't know if I should try to take it off. Is this just a plastic cover for the bottom or is it more important?

[dinky123!]

Ok, so the piece is called the "engine under cover". By this description, I would say it is needed/essential. How can I bolt it back on?

[CTScott]

It really isn't essential, but if you want to reattach it as is, drilling some extra holes in it and attaching it with cable ties is the easiest way.

[dinky123!]

Thank you for a straight answer...I will worry about my front and read bulbs first...

[tmontague]

It just healpds protect your engine from road crap. Given the amount of salt on the road where I live, I would consider it pretty important. In your case living in SC, maybe not so much. Like Scott said you can use cable ties or get a few plastic plugs from the dealership, if the iriginal hole are still in good shape then just install the plugs through the holes.