Hey all! I have had the 2002 Disco for a long time and never even knew an under shield came on these until getting the 2004. And I hate it. ... I just can’t stand having so many mechanicals hidden behind a seemingly immovable plastic tray. My 2015 RR has an aluminum one, but I love it because it can be completely removed super easily.

What are the pros and cons of removing it?

Cons I can see might include more drips on the driveway, as well as more road filth getting up in the engine bay. Maybe some decreased fuel economy? Whatever that means on a truck that gets 15mpg...

Pros... maybe a little bit quicker cooling since air can move about more freely after it’s been parked? Probably better for CPS health? Definitely easier to spot leaks and access parts for maintenance or repair.

Thoughts?

 

I rip em all out, but thats me! Thing is in the way of even an oil change (fight the filter out the little round hole). RRC/D1's and D90/110 didn't have em and they do just fine. It IMHO was LR's attempt to make a LR look leak free.. Just traps heat, and gets in the way of anything simple.

 

Mine was unintentionally removed by a bad fan that exploded but I have not put another one on things I’ve noticed where I can track leaks more accurately and it’s slightly noisier. If I can find one cheap I’d put another on just to keep things clean but that’s about all it’s good for

 

There is supposed to be a cover there?

 

Didn’t know it even had one in the discos ??

 

I took mine out and never looked back. Makes oil change very simple. Easy to spot any leaks - you see them as soon as they develop and not months later when the shield is flooded and starts to overflow. Didn't notice more dirt in the engine bay (but I drive mostly paved roads).

 

FWIW, having both Discos for comparison, the 2002 engine isn’t any cleaner than the 2004 despite the 2004 having the undershield installed.

 

And the majority of D2s from what I gather, haha.

Any reason other than aesthetics you can think of that might be a reason for including one? This thing also traps moisture at all the fasting points, causing rust issues of course.

 

Gone and long forgotten. Service requirements, inspection and cleaning are so much easier.

 

There was a cover there????

Hmmmm. I would have removed mine if it was ever there.

Jeff