If it will never be parked in tall grass it can be removed - the heat shields were the result of a big fire (see the source). But a muffler shop can tack it back in place for a very reasonable fee.
You should REPLACE it if it is broken. In the mean time temporarily fix it in place. A HEAT SHIELD is there for a reason, to stop other parts of the car (such as the plastic fuel tank) getting too hot and melting!
Fix it and leave it on. Its there for a reason.If you take it off, the heat from the exaust pipe could get the floorboards hot enough to ingnite the matting under the floormats.
Take off the shield and see if it can be repaired. Otherwise to not having it, the only thing I see critical is the O2 sensor wiring.
How did it break in the first place? It needs to be repaired in order to prevent damage and fires. Heat shields and insulation are there for reasons.
at the dealer we had to leave them on so we would take large radiator hose clamps and tighten them down to the pipe. I'd just remove them on my own car.
My girlfriend has a Toyota yaris and the heat shield that sits right above the exhaust is dangling there cause the main bracket supporting it broke so now it's rattling on the exhaust pipe. Should I try to ghetto rig it to stay on there? Or should I just take it off?
