# New skid plate



## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

I recently took a vacation where I drove my 2018 Cruze Diesel west to Seattle, visiting several national parks along the way there and back. 

While in Olympia WA I had an oil change done by a Chevy dealership. The next day I took a drive to Olympia National Park and within 10 minutes of leaving there was a lot of rattling, scraping, and other noise from below the car. A quick stop revealed the skid plate for oil changes (gives you access to the filter and drain plug) was hanging loose by one bolt, and the front edge of it had been mangled and ground down from scraping along the ground. 

A stop at the Chevy Dealership in Port Angeles was quick where they removed the skid plate and noted the damage. For the few days I had the car without that access panel in place I noticed there was an increase in engine noise. The skid plate seems to have some rubber as one of the layers stapled to it for noise reduction. When pulling away from a stop you could hear a significant increase in diesel knock from the engine and I assume that was because the engine noise from the crank was not being muffled by the skid plate. It was instead being reflected from the ground, or buildings when I was near them.

I enquired at the dealership in Olympia and they didn't have a spare part in stock. They "reattached" the skid plate and within 2 minutes at highway speeds it was rattling again because the mangled front of it wasn't latching in place with the rest of the underbody skid plate below the engine. A fast return was made and the dealership service guy told me they firmly put it in place and put some extra "insulation" there so it would be tight. The entire trip back to Central Illinois was fine with no problems.

A few days after my return the skid plate was again detached and grinding on the ground on my way to work. My local Chevy dealership (where I purchased the car) pulled it off and noted the damage. After the explanation and giving them the paperwork from the dealerships in Washington they agreed to run it through as a warranty claim even though it's something that isn't typically covered. The oil change guys who inspected the car noted there was zero damage to the large skid plate under the car and only the small access panel was mangled, so it wasn't really possible that I hit something to cause the damage. The service manager said it was basically a customer service issue that he wanted me to be happy, and that Chevy rarely examines warranty claims closely. He said the worst case was that if the claim was rejected they would try to force it on the Chevy dealership in Olympia WA.

I did find out that Chevy does not sell the skid plate access panel as a separate item. You have to buy the whole skid plate under the engine compartment and it's $214. I thought about going to a salvage yard to try to find one but it turns out that the skid plate only comes on the diesel models (so the dealership parts department claims) and I can't go find a rear-ended gasoline Cruze to get that single part off it for like $10. I simply don't think there are many/any wrecked Cruze Diesel cars sitting in salvage yards near me that I can take the part off, so the dealership warranty replacement is ideal.

Going forward I now have one more item on my oil change checklist to watch them like a hawk: Making sure they put the skid plate back on correctly so it doesn't get broken again.


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

I've noticed that plate is oddly designed as far as the screws holding it in. They are really difficult to seat. On my last oil change, I came home (fortunately I live a mile away) and once in the driveway saw the plate hanging down. I could not get the screws back in myself. I'd think I had one in, then I'd go to the next and the first one would fall out. I had to take it back to the dealer to have them put it back on tightly, which they did. But I was glad I noticed because it would have been damaged like yours. Good thing to keep in mind for sure. I'm glad your dealer is replacing yours.


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## johnmo (Mar 2, 2017)

I've had that happen on mine too. Fortunately my first stop was at my in-laws' house and my father-in-law has all the tools, so we got it to stop dragging and I went back to the dealer the next day.

After my last oil change (same dealer) I've noticed that the access door is crooked and possibly only holding on by one of the screws, but it's not dragging, so I've let it go. It'll go back to the same dealer next oil change and we'll... have a word about it.

It's nice that they've arranged it with easy access to the plug and filter in one spot like that, but the door design seems like a weak spot in an otherwise decent setup.


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## cdccjohnson (Apr 10, 2018)

Yep I am having the same issue. Its worked its way loose several times. Unfortunately most of my driving is a 300 one way commute twice a week. So last time it happened I was on the highway and didn't realize or hear anything abnormal until I pulled off on my exit. I have tried to use a variety of duck tape now that the leading "hinge" edge is ripped as well but nothing seems to hold it long. I think when I get back home this weekend, I will drill some holes and loop in a few zip ties. Will have to cut them off each time but at least I don't have to worry about it anymore, and tip ties are cheap. Lord knows what Chevy wants for a replacement.

Poor design for sure.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

Here are two pics of what they took off the car:


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

BodhiBenz1987 said:


> I'm glad your dealer is replacing yours.


It didn't take a lot of persuasion to get them to do it. I explained everything and asked nicely and the service manager said he'd put it through as a warranty item. He said he'd have to keep the old skid plate because Chevy might "call it back" and wonder why it was warrantied, but he also said they almost never do that. Worst case he said is they do what they can to stick it to the dealership in Olympia.


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## JPinSTL (Jul 9, 2018)

1st Dealer Oil Change, by the time I got home that flap was hanging loose and the forward edge was bent down. Too it back to them, they did reattach, but claimed I must have hit some road debris :RantExplode: even though I denied it. Barely made it to work 3 miles away and I could hear it scraping. Went back, complained, they gave me a quote for $350 to replace the complete underskirt. I had them pull the flap and I've just kept it off. 2nd local "country" dealer oil change, the design was discussed and there is now an updated underskirt with more screws to retain the flap. Its a crappy design with the leading edge of the flap unsupported. 

Once I'm out of warranty, I will likely retrofit something.

There was talk of IDParts having something designed, but I think it died on the vine with the demise of the Cruze platform.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

JPinSTL said:


> Its a crappy design with the leading edge of the flap unsupported.


I think the leading edge of the flap is supposed to be inserted to where it rests on top of the large underbody skid plate, and then the three screws hold it in place.

I don't know what the dealership in Olympia WA did but I suspect they just held it up there and put the three screws in... with the leading edge of the flap below the rest of the skid plate. On the initial drive it caught some air, worked screws loose, and then was scraping and grinding.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Well, I have 3 Gen 2 diesels. Interesting that the second 2018 has a slightly different design, 4 screws and removable vs. the 2017 and other early 2018 which have only 3 screws and a hinge. The removable design is better. The problem with these is the screw design. To properly lock these down you need to tighten until you get a click, and it seems excessive to get there. In my first free oil change with the second 2018, the dealership didn't tighten enough, and it came loose. Lucky for me and them, in my driveway, or end of street, so no significant damage and I was able to properly lock it back in place. Just be careful to ensure these fasteners are all the way tight. It gets difficult to turn, then a click it suddenly less torque when they are properly locked. These are not normal screws, look at them when you have the door or removable panel off. That should help. The design itself is not as much the problem as it is the lack of understanding with the oil change tech who doesn't know how to properly lock them down.


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## dundonrl (Jul 11, 2017)

Mine is sitting in the garage all mangled like yours is too.. (and I only have had oil changes done at the purchasing dealer) I just don't worry about it.


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## macfam (Mar 18, 2019)

dundonrl said:


> Mine is sitting in the garage all mangled like yours is too.. (and I only have had oil changes done at the purchasing dealer) I just don't worry about it.


If you ever need to have more serious maintenance done to your car at the dealer, you'll know what to expect and they'll probably ruin your car.


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## Z71 (Jan 1, 2019)

My splash shield is intact because I chose not to take advantage of the 24 month dealer maintenance and performed first oil change myself. I removed the entire splash shield to access the oil filter housing and the drain plug. I did not have any trouble reattaching the splash shield. I must admit however, that this splash shield is unlike any other I have seen on any car I have ever owned. It looks like tar impregnated cardboard, which is easy to damage if it hangs loose. All other engine shields were made of plastic, which tends to stay in shape even if partially loose and is more resilient and resistant to damage. I ran over some loose wire bundle that someone dropped on the road with my 2013 Chevy Sonic and the wires caused a small tear in one of the engine splash shields which are plastic. The damage was minor and I did not even bother replacing the shield. I suspect if this happened to my diesel Cruze, the entire splash shield would have been ripped right off. And BTW, that little access door for oil filter built into the splash shield on the Cruze is a terrible design because there is no hinge and you must bend the cardboard-like splash shield to pull the door down. If you do it a few times, the whole thing will probably break off or never sit straight in the shield again. So my advice is: Leave the access door alone and remove the entire splash shield when changing oil. Unfortunately, removing the splash shield requires use of car ramps or jacking up the front of the car.


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## st1100man (Dec 17, 2017)

+This happened to me at my 2nd free gm oil change. The service writer said, "You must have hit something." After some persistence, reminding them that that was the only place that ever worked on my car since I bought it new there, I got the dealer to replace it. Yes they had to replace the entire shield, because the access plate couldn't be ordered separately. Even then, when I got the Cruze home, and pulled it up onto ramps, there were screws that were not tight. I, personally, found the panel easy to remove and reinstall. I had no problem inserting and tightening the big screws. 







Quick Jack lift


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