Skid plate issues

i think most people cut it off and leave it off

 

In reading almost all Gen 4 posts in last 5 years - haven't read about that. There have been comments about lack of ground clearance, but haven't read that issue.

 

Toyota uses weak plastic push in rivets to hold the plastic under plates on to the body of the car. These plastic or nylon 6-6 plastic rivets get brittle with age, cold and UV light reflecting on them off the pavement. Even the M10 washer hex head screws will cut into the softer plastic and cut holes into the undercover in a phenomenon that engineers call "punch through."

To strengthen the fasteners, I use these one inch 1/4 inch diameter hole neoprene stainless steel washers washers with soft contact of the plastic under panel over at least six times the surface area of the original washer heads. The panel needs to rip and tear off instead of punching through. The large neoprene lined washers have recently been available on Amazon.

In places fastened with plastic rivets, I have enlarged the holes that they go into and inserted and clinched M6 riven nuts. Then I fasten the panel with M6 screws and the neoprene lined washers.

This might take a couple of hours and a few dollars, but it is much less cheaper than replacement under panels.

 

Since I did mine, I have found these less expensive ones.