In September of 2012 the Volvo mechanic did not reinstall the splashguard under the engine after 65000k service. In August of 2013 the voltage regulator failed, destroying the battery and the alternator, and being “5 min. from being on fire”. I noticed the missing splashguard recently and they are installing new one free of charge. I contend that it is likely that a full Minnesota winter of snow, ice, etc. without the splashguard caused the failure and $1,200 damage. Any thoughts or experiences that could aid or dissuade my argument?
motor splashpan? do you mean belly pan? some are huge. 3x5 feet. i looked at 1yr old car in dealer showroom and the plastic engine COVER was gone. salesman said huh? whats that? i cannot believe a dealer mechanic would leave off a huge plastic shield.
The plastic pan beneath the front end of the car is, in my experience, officially called a splash shield and often a splashpan. A belly pan is under the passenger cabin. But, it’s only nomenclatures after all.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to determine what if any effect the missing piece had in the failure(s). I personally doubt if it had any at all. There are countless hot rods driven thousands of miles every year in rainy, wet conditions with no splashpans or even any side shields (shields just beneath the hood) without problems.
Volvowholesaleparts.com calls it a Splash shield and it is attached to the radiator mount in the front and again behind the engine on both sides. It covers the whole engine from below. I know it was there when I bought the car and the Volvo mechanic is accepting blame. He says that it would have been noted as missing when it came in the first time if it had been. I have not measured it, but 3X4 could be about right. By the way the engine is very dirty overall.
Hey, you have nothing to lose by making your argument with the dealer. You might win, you might lose. But making the argument costs nothing. Sounds like the dealer is being honest, so who knows? dost dealers would disavow any knowledge and refuse to replace the shield for free, so it sounds like you have a guy that’s at least honest. Be nice, though, because there’s no point in being nasty to a guy who’s being nice.
Best of luck.
The guard has the additonal function of reducing turbulence under the car, giving it a better drag coefficient. This marginally increases gas milege.