Front skid plate

[robz32]

An oil drain valve will obliviate the use of tools and direct the oil stream straight down. One would not need to take any panel off for oil changes.

While I agree that a drain valve would make changing the oil an easier task (which we both already have) you still need to remove the panel in order to access the valve. The panel completely covers the oil pan and drain plug.

 

[moinmoin]

The panel completely covers the oil pan and drain plug.

Quote from my post:

Stiffeners and ports are also easily incorporated. The front port is already there, which can be duplicated in the second panel, just under the oil plug.

I know that (that the panel covers the oil plug). That is why I plan to install another port right under the oil plug, basically duplicating the port in the front to access the oil filter cartridge.
If you have aluminum panels and you want to avoid the constant demounting and mounting of such, you need to think of installing access holes too.

 

[robz32]

That is the plan. Hence my comment on the OEM aluminum option "it doesn't make changing the oil easier".

The new aluminum shields needs and will have openings for easy access to the oil plug and oil filter. Eliminating the need of removal, other wise there is no point on replacing them.

 

[Bobr]

I don't understand an issue with removing of aluminum piece when you changing oil and oil filter... it's 5 mins job, everybody know how to do it

UPD: I checked images again and it looks even easier: you just need to remove only first two front bolts and loosen four others and then you can slide and remove the whole aluminum piece because there are special holes for four remaining bolts so you can slide it out. With that slide in mind, it will not hit your head during unmount, everything is thought out

 

[Scott Brown]

I just had to order the following part (same splash guard but for a 2.0T AWD) after the Seattle area got some pretty good snow:

kia-lower-deflector-29110j5000 from kiapartsdfw . com for less than $200 shipped.

Sure seems like it deforms / catches easily. Any one complained to Kia about this possibly initiating a TSB resulting in free replacements?

 

[nhcowboy28]

So wait. Your driving in snow deep enough to catch your car’s lower deflector... and you want Kia to pay for you driving in those conditions?

Last time I checked. This isn’t a suv. Just about any car that drives in that deep if snow will have front fascia damage. I’ve even seen newer pickups (with the aero shield) have the front end nearly ripped off when they go through snow that is higher than the lowest part of the facia.

If it is snowing that much and it is that deep... oh I don’t know... don’t drive the stinger.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I read through this. Almost didn't open the thread, because "front skid plate" did not signify anything that applies to me. I was mistaken: it directly applies to parts I have replaced not long ago. Last October I tore a hole in the second under panel and gouged the front one. Both were replaced because I knew that they looked ugly; and the second one with the hole in it exposed parts of the suspension to corrosion. They were not cheap.

I am posting this because it answers the "how did this happen", vis-à-vis the oil pan cover hanging down and getting torn OFF. WTH?! As noted, the only way this could have happened is if the car was backed up and the rear edge of part number 29111C Front skid plate snagged (on deep snow/ice?) and folded forward, creasing the fiber and pulling it down permanently. The rest of what happened is because the trailing area is now practically dragging.

You wonder why some of these hang down so low in the back in the first place (as seen from the side view pics posted earlier): simple, the SIX bolts are missing (were they too loose and fell out? Or were they simply not put back in after the last oil change?). That's the only way it could hang down so far.

See the pic of my replacement panel: the six bolts are clearly visible. If they are attached firmly, there is no way that the panel can hang down.
​

 

[rocket23]

HMMMM I may be able to get a price for the aluminum skid plate.....I tore mine a bit (lazy) I did an oil change and was in to much of a hurry with the bolts so when it came to the push pins guess what wasn't tucked underneath the front air scoop facia?

 

[SeaSki]

Reality check:
I provided the diagram and original parts numbers above. But I did not mention that I had also asked the parts man at the dealership what the front panel would cost.
He looked it up and told me $400.00. Thank you very much......THAT was not expected.

I doubt that aluminum panels would come at a lesser price. And are they anodized or powder coated? If not, how will they stand up to road salt in snow country?

A solution for the handy ones amongst us may be fiberglassing the existing panels. Coat both sides with epoxy such as WEST System, put a layer of woven glass matting first on one side, then on the other. Anybody who has done "glass work" before knows what I am talking about.
You would need a flat surface where you can weigh down (or screw) the panel to keep it flat while working on it. The surface should be covered with 6 or 8 mil plastic sheeting, for easy release.
Stiffeners and ports are also easily incorporated. The front port is already there, which can be duplicated in the second panel, just under the oil plug.
An oil drain valve will obliviate the use of tools and direct the oil stream straight down. One would not need to take any panel off for oil changes.

For my part, I will seriously look at the possibility of glassing these panels.

So would this help skid plate from deteriorating? Mine keep coming off. I just replaced 2/3/20 and it is already happening again. I am trying to get the parts to reattach.

 

[moinmoin]

help skid plate from deteriorating

The undercover panels on the Stinger and cars of othe makes are NOT skid plates, they are there for aerodynamic reasons, as in directing air flow under the car...
That's why they are made of relatively light weight material.
I took them off, degreased them and then coated the panels with garage floor paint. I wanted lots of solids in the paint, because the first try just soaked it.

The panel under the oil drain received the same opening as the front panel, which KIA dedicated to the oil filter.
I fashioned a cover for the opening, held by a pin. Remove it, reach in and open the Fumoto valve. Easy.

One can try the oil filter cover which the dealer sold for $6, but it does not work well as the panel needs to be formed to receive the "petals" of the cover.
The solution was two aluminum plates, one with the large "petals", the other one with the small "petals", sandwiching a spacer appropriately sized for the panel.

One more point: when fastening the panels to the underside, think "shingles". Start in the back and work forward, the one in the front always overlapping the one behind.

See this post:

Front undercover engine.......

Someone who kindly takes a picture of the front undercover engine? Since the last dealer :mad:maintenance service, I notice that the back of that cover (29111C) protrudes from the undercovers level. Thanks in advance

stingerforum.org

 

[stacietrouble]

Too late for me, my front panel dropped down in a V shape & caught on debris & tore loose! Its a nightmare! I refuse to turn in an insurance claim because the panel should’nt have been made out of cardboard, shouldnt have come loose & frankly i shouldnt be dealing with this issue!

I am dealing with the same thing! I had my oil changed less than a month ago (1st one) at the Dealership and now it's "ripped and obviously you hit something". They want $275 for the part and $75 labor it is literally 5 bolts. I am chick, I could do it if I had the tools.

 

[RedCal]

I am dealing with the same thing! I had my oil changed less than a month ago (1st one) at the Dealership and now it's "ripped and obviously you hit something". They want $275 for the part and $75 labor it is literally 5 bolts. I am chick, I could do it if I had the tools.

You can get the tools cheap enough, as you don't need the "I make my living doing this" level of tools Harbour Freight level is more than enough for this, or ask around someone you know will loan you what you need, (or if you can't be bothered) you can find another shop who will install it for less...

 

[Crisis]

Interesting. Most people in this thread seem to have had issues with the 2nd (rear) of the 2 undertrays (skid plates, belly pans, etc.). I just had a major issue with the front one (part 29111A).

Was driving along at highway speed and felt a slight "bump" but no noticeable change in how the car handled, but after that each time I went over a minor dip in the road there was a brief sound as if there was an issue when the suspension compressed. I kept cruising for a few more minutes until I reached the town where I was heading. As soon as I slowed down, there was a pretty loud scraping/grinding sound, so I pulled into a parking lot to find the front undertray no longer attached the bottom of the front fascia and now folded back under the car. I was only a couple blocks from my destination, so I drove there slowly and backed into the driveway over the rolled curb, which was enough to pull the bent undertray back so that it was now at least facing forward again, though pretty much hanging to the ground. I was able to push it back up into place and zip tied it to secure it for the hour long trip home the next day.

Though the undertray is horribly worn along the front face and edges, I made the trip home OK and started researching parts availability and cost. Strange thing is that I have no recollection of hitting anything that would have caused this piece to rip off the bottom of the front fascia. I presume that it was hanging somewhat loose and at some point during the trip, one of the of the push clips that hold it in place let go and the force of the air at highway speed simply bent it down and backwards. Regardless, I'm sure that I'm on the hook for the replacement part. I'll see what the replacement part cost is and how much the dealer wants to charge before I decide whether to have them do it or just take care of it myself. I have access to a hoist, so I'll likely take it on myself if they're looking for anything more than an hour's labour.

 

[Aarvix]

Had you ever taken the panel off prior to this happening (or maybe a dealer/oil change place took it off)?

I ask because the FWD lip of the thing is supposed to go ABOVE the flange of the bumper (that way the joint can't catch any wind at hwy speeds). If it had been reinstalled improperly, the wind could have gotten above it and ripped out those plastic push rivets.

The panel is incredibly easy to remove/install, all you need is a flat blade screwdriver and 10mm socket. I take mine off every oil change and it takes less than 5 minutes to remove both.

 

[rocket23]

^^^^it would seem they never replaced the 10. Mm bolts in the first place. So they just relied on the push pins. And to add insult to injury mounted it below the facia. Imho it would take a lot to rip out the bolts had they been installed in the first place.

 

[Crisis]

Had you ever taken the panel off prior to this happening (or maybe a dealer/oil change place took it off)?

I ask because the FWD lip of the thing is supposed to go ABOVE the flange of the bumper (that way the joint can't catch any wind at hwy speeds). If it had been reinstalled improperly, the wind could have gotten above it and ripped out those plastic push rivets.

The panel is incredibly easy to remove/install, all you need is a flat blade screwdriver and 10mm socket. I take mine off every oil change and it takes less than 5 minutes to remove both.

I've never taken the piece off and I didn't think the dealer should need to take off the front one for an oil change.

Having the dealer remove it and improperly reinstall it is the only thing that really makes any sense whatsoever, but even that seems unlikely as it's pretty obvious from the shapes of the pieces that the tray should sit above the bottom of the fascia.. When I put it back into place, I made sure it was sitting on top as it should be. Re-reading my initial post, I see that I worded things poorly about it being ripped off the bottom of the front fasica. Was just trying to make the point that it had to be hanging down for the air to catch it and bend it down and back.

Just tried the dealership and their parts catalogue is down, so I'm still no wiser regarding the replacement cost.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I've never taken the piece off and I didn't think the dealer should need to take off the front one for an oil change.

Having the dealer remove it and improperly reinstall it is the only thing that really makes any sense whatsoever, but even that seems unlikely as it's pretty obvious from the shapes of the pieces that the tray should sit above the bottom of the fascia.. When I put it back into place, I made sure it was sitting on top as it should be. Re-reading my initial post, I see that I worded things poorly about it being ripped off the bottom of the front fasica. Was just trying to make the point that it had to be hanging down for the air to catch it and bend it down and back.

Just tried the dealership and their parts catalogue is down, so I'm still no wiser regarding the replacement cost.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Apparently they didn't charge me anything to put them on. I just noticed that. Heh!?

Here's why I had to replace both of them:

Yeah, I could have lived with the front one only being a little scraped; except that I couldn't stand it, so, both got replaced:

 

[rocket23]

this reminds me.....I need more push pins........for every other corner of the car,lol

 

[RogueIV]

So I got curious and sent Skid Plate Guy an email (skidplateguy@gmail.com). Looks like he makes a set for our cars, they are however not cheap. Also don't seem to replace the front deflector but cover the Engine and Transmission but look like really nice units.

They are built to order and has them in either 2mm stamped steel (engine $468, trans $477) or 4mm stamped aluminum (engine $543 and trans $552). Steel ones are powder coated and the pricing didn't include shipping but he does offer a generous discount if you buy both plates at the same time.

I just placed an order for a set of steel ones to get built I'm hoping to get them early October. I'll definitely post when i get them in and likely do a quick tutorial. I'm sure if he gets enough interest it may become a stocked item.

Here's some pics he sent me of the steel ones:

 

[MerlintheMad]

So I got curious and sent Skid Plate Guy an email (skidplateguy@gmail.com). Looks like he makes a set for our cars, they are however not cheap. Also don't seem to replace the front deflector but cover the Engine and Transmission but look like really nice units.

They are built to order and has them in either 2mm stamped steel (engine $468, trans $477) or 4mm stamped aluminum (engine $543 and trans $552). Steel ones are powder coated and the pricing didn't include shipping but he does offer a generous discount if you buy both plates at the same time.

I just placed an order for a set of steel ones to get built I'm hoping to get them early October. I'll definitely post when i get them in and likely do a quick tutorial. I'm sure if he gets enough interest it may become a stocked item.

Here's some pics he sent me of the steel ones:
View attachment 48598View attachment 48599

I'm not sure what I'm looking at. Are these in place of the full covering pressed board under panels?