Happy Easter everybody, and to everybody who's scratching the head in respect to Undercover Panels.
This is my story and I stick to it:
The "Hanging Panel" is normal for the Stinger and requires caution when backing up in snow country - it can catch a load...
There is no round cover for the oil change plug, the panel has to be removed and unless a "downspout" like the
Fumoto valve is installed, the outflowing oil will make a mess...
BTW the panel has an oil can embossed on it,
right under where the oil plug is situated in the
engine above.
Before treating the car to it's first (what is going to be annual) anti-rust oil spray treatment, I removed all Undercover Panels, power washed, degreased and then painted and waxed them.
The paint used was garage floor paint which in my case had a heave solid content, required because the panel material soaks up liquids like a sponge - which it is basically made of. The color ordered was "Copper", and it turned out to be more on the pinky side. Blame the technician, the car does not mind, after all, "she" is female...
I also took the opportunity - it was actually the MAIN REASON for the whole exercise (painting and changing all panels metal fasteners to stainless steel was only done because of "while you are at it..")
to cut an opening port for access to the oil change plug which I had already upgraded to a Fumoto valve on the first oil change @ 800km.
The orientation of the picture below is sideways, therefore the left side points towards the front of the car.
The crimping that is seen here on the panel is not required, it's from my first attempt to use the original cover ( I bought a replacement one from the dealer for $6.00 if you are interested), but it did not work.
I then fashioned a cover from two pieces of aluminum and a spacer approx. 3/16 in thick (should be a bit thicker than the panel material for ease of movement).
I was just winging it and used stuff that I had lying around, such as three sample pieces of counter top material (Formica/Arborite etc) that I epoxied together, observing the natural curl of this stuff and counter gluing accordingly to avoid it becoming an arch... The aluminum was/is about the thickness of the Formica??
The rule to follow is to make a stiff and light assembly. I even cut out most of the spacer, just left enough material for gluing the three pieces together.
The hole placement in the panel is such, that the embossed oilcan is virtually eliminated and there is only a small piece visible due north in the picture, to the right of square "tooth" if you will. It looks like part of the crimping, but it the "dripping oil" you can see in the top picture of the Stinger's underside.
I painted the cover to protect the aluminum from the elements:
Three pieces of material, one shaped with ONLY the large "petals or teeth", one shaped ONLY with the small "petals or teet" and the completely circular spacer a little bit smaller than the actual hole in the panel. The finger holes are positioned the same as the OEM cover, which also aids in the registration of the parts (which is a little bit off in my case - so sue me lol). Epoxied it all together and for good measure added 5mm 1/2in SS bolts.
Here the side view:
It's fixed in the cover the same way as the "oil filter cover", with a plastic pin.
BTW somewhere on the forum it was stated - in connection with the mounting of mud guards - that the plastic fixing pins are for one-time-use only. No idea where that comes from. Not are the fairly expensive to purchase and not every dealer carries them ALL THE TIME, but yes they can and will be re-used, as other shops than KIA do not carry them.
Anyway, that's how the panel with the new access hole and cover looks assembled:
This project was finished late fall early winter and we have since made a return trip to Florida, adding some 5000 km to the distance traveled. I am now at 17000km +, had an oil change and brake service about 4 weeks ago. Oil change was a pleasure for the technician: He only had to pull the plastic pin, remove the cover and open the valve with one finger after placing the funnel under it.
No fuss, no mess.
BTW you may notice 2 vertical rows of 3 rivets each on the bottom "hanging" part of the panel above: that was my attempt to stiffen that thing and reduce the sagging.
There are more rivets, not as obvious because I used existing holes.
It worked in a fashion and improved a little.
We'll see ,,.
That's all for now
