Toadster

the dealer said this part wasn't super common to fail but they've seen it before... there was a nasty sound driving up the highway, weird scraping - only seemed to happen over bumps - I guess my drive to the dealership did it it as a chunk flew off and ended up on the highway...

$180 later and hopefully i'll have it back Monday... crazy sound! I thought my front end was coming off

anyone else have theirs crack and break up?

Toadster

oh - and there will be a 2005 E55 avaialble at Von Housen El Dorado Hills - silver just like mine, the guy was trading his in for a 2015 E63

one of the sales guys came out and started digging through my glovebox - I was like can I help you? he looked around and saw the other E55 and said "oh - my bad! how often do you see 2 of these together!"

Hulk

Wow you were nice to say can I help you lol

Toadster

haha - I was laughing, because I was standing next to two of the porters at the lot who I've seen plenty of times - and I asked, what's this guy need? He's obviously not a technician... and the suit overheard me and realized he may be doing something wrong. His reaction was pretty funny - so we all had a good laugh over it

Hulk

lol

Bigtickets

I had just had the oil changed the day before going to the track. Lap three or four of the first session, I get black flagged. I'm looking at the gauges and looking to see if I was leaking anything as I'm pulling off the track. As I slow down I could hear a scraping noise. The whole side of the thing had come down and had been shaved almost completely off. I get it up on jacks and wind up zip tieing the thing back together. Everything seemed okay at this point. I get ready to leave the hotel the next day to drive home and the alternator goes. Apparently the alternator is cooled through these scoops. Took it back to the dealership and believe it or not they fixed it.

Toadster

yes, i've heard the underbody trays are actually functional on these cars - they aid in cooling of the engine bay as well as help air slide underneath the car as to reduce drag...

the E55 used to be one of the most 'slippery' vehicles in drag coefficient until recent changes made in hybrids and electrics

Sir-Boost-a-Lot

iTrader: (1)

Maybe some of the screws that hold the tray into the car were stripped over the years and made the tray flap around at speed. I got a few packs of the screws and clips for mine from the dealer and replaced them all when I first got the car and found some of them just free spinning and not securing anything.

Bigtickets

They replaced all of the clips and put new hardware in. Now it's good to go.

60nomad

I don't think I even have that tray underneath. I would think the engine would stay cooler without it but would be way better at higher speeds with it. I am going to try and get one.
I blew mine out on my caddy at 160mph and thought my hood was gonna do a Mary Poppins!

SheriffDep

The plastic underbody pan under my Tranny behind the engine is totally missing from mine. First night I got it last month, I drove 3hrs home, and ran it pretty healthy for a 1/2 mile or so on a country road, and thought I heard a sliding noise for a second. Last week put it on a rack to do the resonator delete and its not there. Might have been what I heard, but likely a mechanic left it off somewhere int he past. Now gotta replace.

60nomad

I just asked my buddy about and he said forget it, leave it off if it's not there. Just one opinion.

MAN55LE

Mine blew down and started scraping at about 160 , got off the exit looked underneath and saw that it was scraping tucked it back up underneath the bumper and zip tied it once I got home, I think that it helps with the aerodynamics and airflow under the car to keep it stable at high speed.

2000UZJ

Full throttle on the back straight of Road Atlanta...the front panel comes loose and starts slamming into the under side of the car. The sound was like a AK47 being shot inside the car. Braking hard I see a huge black thing fly up behind me and soar into the air about 30FT. Sound went away...I kept going.

socalsounds

...Depends on which one- The second tray with the two air scoops is absolutely critical to alternator and power steering pump cooling- It has two 10" long air channels that reach up and into the engine compartment, blowing air where the normal slipstream wouldn't get to.

60nomad

I didn't think it would be all 'that' necessary but I will look into more. Thanks

Exotic-metal55

The nuts that hold the tray`s wear out from taking it on and off and or hitting speed bumps often. I had one blow off at the Texas mile and sounded like the car was coming apart Put new bolts and nuts in and uber tight now.

EREBUS

^^^^this happened on seperate back to back Texas Mile races for me. I gained .3 mph top speed by removing it. It also seems to keep the engine compartment cooler after the Texas Mile runs compared to with it installed.

Then again, I'm in a CLS and my cover costs $300. lol

e500slr

This sounds like a disaster avoided. I mean what if that huge chunk of metal went through someone's windshield. I would kill them GUARANTEED!!

Toadster

fortunately the tray that snapped was HD plastic (of some sort) - a piece did fly off and went under the car behind me - but it just looked like road debris - albeit probably a 6"x9" piece of road debris

Shifter

The middle panel with the two guides are actually directed directly to the engine mounts. Not alternator or p/s pump which is way higher on the engine and would never reach.

e500slr

You'd be surprised how much energy a light piece of plastic can have especially if it blows to the other side of the highway. It all depends on the relative velocity between it and the object it collides with. There was a woman that was killed by a rock not that large a few years ago but it was thrown onto the freeway by a bunch of stupid little teenagers from an overhead bridge. This probably wouldn't do damage like a rock because it's spread over a greater area though. Ever since I heard about that story I've been nervous on the freeway I know the piece you're talking about, I thought you meant the heavier metal piece. I have mine out right now in my garage. It's pretty light. I guess its surface area wouldn't allow it to maintain any velocity and the air resistance would slow it down significantly. I'm glad no one got hurt though

novae500

I have the first two underbody panels in place. The third one was removed when my MBH headers were installed and the brackets were in the way. Maybe i should macgyver rig the third one and put it back on.

nanayaw6

That's what I thought too. Just couldn't see how the air would be flowing onto the alternator which is closer to the front of the car.

Bigtickets

How far do they stick below the car?