I’ve mentioned before that I believe one of the current industry-wide embarrassments of the entire automotive industry is the state of underbody aero/drip/splash/whatever trays and shields. These shields tend to be made from either plastic, thin sheet metal, some kind of pressed fiberboard, or what seems to be pressure-treated animal wastes, and they routinely rip or tear or break around their attachment points, and then flap around noisily until the owner just tears the damn thing off or does a quick repair with zip ties. I know that I’ve done both of these things to cars I’ve owned and friends’ cars. It’s incredibly common.
There’s a story making the rounds now about a man who took his 2017 Honda Civic into a Canadian Tire in the Newfoundland and Labrador province of Canada for an oil change, and while being serviced, Canadian Tire techs secured his damaged splash shield in place using zip ties. The Honda owner, Travis Jones, claims that the failure of these zip ties was the direct cause for him driving into a ditch a few months after the zip-tie repair.
Before the addition of the zip ties, when Jones first picked up the car from Canadian Tire, he described an incident where the car was “shaking violently” and struggling to reach highway speeds. He returned to the shop, which is when the zip-tie fix was undertaken.
The CBC has a video report about the incident:
Okay, so, I have a lot of thoughts here. And I suspect you do too. And I’ll preface everything I say by noting that I have no direct experience with this particular car, person, or repair. I’m basing my thoughts on similar repairs I have made to similar cars over the years, and similar situations where a splash shield came loose because of either wear or my half-assed zip-tie barely-a-repair. I’m a little embarrassed by how many times I’ve been in this situation, so let’s just say it is very healthily plural. Very.
In every incident I’ve been involved in with a splash shield – either plastic or metal – coming loose at highway speeds, the result I’ve noticed is a lot of awful noise made by the shield flapping around and scraping on the asphalt rapidly passing beneath the car. It’s annoying as hell, but I have never experienced a loss of control as a result. And of all the people I know to whom this has also happened, I’ve never heard anyone state they crashed as a result of a loose underbody shield.
Now, this is not to say it can’t happen, because anything is possible, right? It just feels extremely implausible to me based on my experience. Which again, is considerable.
As far as the ethics of Canadian Tire using zip-ties for this repair, I’m of two minds about it. If the customer didn’t want to spend the money to replace the whole damaged splash guard with a new one, there’s really not a whole lot else you could do. Sure, you could use big washers around the torn fastener holes or something, but that’s just a different sort of janky repair. Your options are to make some janky, good-enough fix, or just take the whole thing off and not think about it ever again, which I have also done multiple times.
Canadian Tire’s mistake here, I think, is not informing the customer about what they were doing. The customer should have been told their underbody splash/drip/whatever tray is all messed up, and then given the three options: spend the money and replace it; do a janky zip-tie fix that is technically temporary; or just yank it all off and deal with the repercussions, which, let’s be real here, are pretty minimal in the real world.
In fact, removing the splash/drip tray could allow you to see and identify engine fluid leaks before they get to be a problem, something an intact guard would hide. I’m sure there are efficiency/aero/cooling issues as well, but they tend to be pretty much ignorable for most drivers.
Canadian Tire offered Jones a $400 reimbursement should he choose to repair the shield, but Jones declined, believing he shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket for the repair. Another offer for more money was tendered, and also rejected.
So what do we think here? I think Canadian Tire’s crime was lack of communication, and that’s not insignificant. Car owners deserve to have as much information as possible about the condition of their cars and the state of the repairs. So it seems Canadian Tire can definitely do better there.
At the same time, I just can’t fathom how a loose splash guard could send a car into a ditch; I suppose it could hypothetically get caught in axles and wheels or tie rods or something, but the condition of the guard that Jones shows in the video doesn’t seem to suggest that level of mangling. Driving with a flapping or loose underbody tray is so wildly common that I’m just having trouble accepting it’s the sort of thing that would cause loss of control of a car?
I don’t know, though; maybe the noise and chaos of a flapping, scraping shield caused Jones to panic? I really can’t say.
But I can wonder, and I definitely am doing just that. And I think a decent takeaway from all this would be that any shop should at least tell you about what they’re repairing on your car and how they’re doing it. That part I’m sure of, at least.
Also, Jones did pick a good color for his Civic.
(thanks for the tip, Vic!)
I’m not familiar with Canadian liability laws. Without a personal injury involved, I’m not sure if there’s much value in suing on this one.
They definitely should have told him, but I think he has a complete lack of pride and is playing this up to try to weasel more money out of them. If his highly suspect story about it sending him into a ditch is true, then he has to be an idiot. We’re talking a couple pound flimsy panel sending a 1.5 ton vehicle off the road? Must have been panic over the noise, then. I also don’t see grind marks on it from dragging on the pavement and I might be mistaken, though I don’t care enough to watch it again, but it looks like the panel was bent backwards as if he was driving in reverse. My guess, it came off when he backed up over some grass or something and he’s making a thing out of it for money and/or attention. Maybe he drove into a ditch unrelatedly and is trying to get that paid for.
I removed a few of these panels on past cars and log my mileage every fill up, which includes a fair amount of highway. Never noticed a difference with/without the pan and I beat the EPA numbers, so while I certainly understand the theory behind them as drag reducers, their real world benefits are minimal and for the ones that are poorly designed and of flimsy trash, I’d just rip them off and leave them off when they start hanging.
The GR86 has a metal panel with a smaller, easily removed access port for oil changes that—and this is important, though you’d probably erroneously assume should be obvious to any OEM—is actually located beneath the drain.
Have seen this common-sense solution on other Toyota mainly.
The NB Miata has one but it’s nowhere near the oil drain or filter.
I was thinking of my old Mazda3, so I guess that’s one of those Mazda things.
I live in Florida. My underpans, both front and mid, fell off or became disconnected so many times that my mechanic (whom I trust completely) removed them.
As for zip ties, due to water damage days before a big trip, I drove the entire Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway with the suspension zip tied to the hilt, again by my mechanic because I had no time to get it properly fixed. The car was clanky but fine.
Sorry, read that as “My underpants, both front and mid, fell off…” at which point I had to return to zero and restart reading so I could understand what front and mid underpants were, and why I don’t have such things.
It’s a Puritan thing.
The monkey at Crappy Tire used too many ugga duggas on the bolts for the tray and messed them up, they then used zip ties, not good but I think the guy heard the tray come loose at speed and it scared the cod tongues out of him and he swerved into the ditch. So not a direct cause but a contributing factor.
There’s never enough time or upside to communicate this kind of stuff back and forth with a cheapskate customer.
It should have been noted that the shield is loose/damaged and needs replacing
Zippity zip tie, zippity ay
Why did my splash guard break away?
Frightened me silly, I’ve got to say
Need a good story or I’ll have to pay.
Mr. Sue Turd on my TV
Says the truth’s transactional
Blaming others is satisfactional
Zippity zip tie, zippity ay
Hard to believe my story might play.
While most of the time I am inclined to lean into the “well what do you expect from Crappy Tire?” colloquialism, it does seem like this guy is fishing for a payout.
He should probably go after Honda next for not having proper skid plates.
One way I can see the story having merit is if it was in the winter and on a road with a small shoulder. Snow can drag you pretty hard if it is only catching one wheel. Perhaps the right side dropped, grabbed a bunch of heavy wet snow, and dragged him off the road. He’s in Newfoundland, so it’s snowy 93%* of the year there.
*possible moose tale.
“He’s in Newfoundland, so it’s snowy 93%* of the year there.”
But they are prepared. They can see the storm coming 30 minutes sooner.
Here’s my theory:
The panel was secured just fine. Zip-ties should be more than strong enough to hold that panel in place. I think the whole reason it fell off is because he drove into a ditch. The panel caught on something, ripped the zip-ties, and pulled the panel off.
Zip it! Zippy the Pinhead! Welcome to Dingburg.
Absolute shenanigans. There is no way that a plastic undertray would cause those issues in any scenario. Even if they ziptied straight to the steering components it the zipties would have broken long before it impacted steering feel. The act of crashing into a ditch is likely what ripped the undertray off, with the cause of that incident being unrelated.
I have so many questions. They include, but are not restricted to, the following:
He’s mad because CT wouldn’t pay the Honda dealer directly?
He went to a dealer to replace a couple bolts?
He drove into a ditch?
The TV station found this to be newsworthy?
What makes the reporter think this is a critical part?
He was frightened to his near death?
How exactly did the zip-ties fail?
Aren’t Canadians supposed to be nicer that this?
Did CT officially say they were soory?
Fun fact: zip-ties are also called NASA clamps.
Those budget cuts are really hitting hard, aren’t they?
My bullshit meter is going out of control with this nonsense. I miss common sense being common
Yep mine went off this morning in bed when I heard this on the news (yes my alarm is the CBC morning news).
This is why I just attach mine with duct tape.
But seriously, same here Torch.
Overall they are a total pain in the ass.
I currently have two flapping around on my old car.
New replacements sitting in the spare room the last 8-9 years.
My car needs the front struts replaced which will be the next priority.
Canadian Red Green would approve of your duct tape repair.
“Be generous with the duct tape, you know; spare the duct tape, spoil the job.”
“This is only temporary, unless it works.”
“If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.”
I suspect the driver panicked when they heard the splash pan hit the road, and that’s how they ended up in the ditch. The one in the picture doesn’t show the mangling it would have taken if it had gotten caught up in some steering/suspension component. Apart from obvious evidence of that, it’s going to be hard to prove the cause of the accident was because of the pan falling down/off.
This sounds like so many stories where a driver lost control and found something they could blame other than their own inattentive or dangerous driving. One tire slightly underinflated, steering too loose/tight, or whatever else. I think he’s the first to claim it for loose splashguard, though.
I’d also wonder whether the zip tie broke before the crash or during. Sure, I could see the noise startling him, but I could just as easily see this as him crashing, inspecting the car, finding that, and blaming the repair.
The noise of the shield dropping scared him and made him spill his beer causing him to drive into the ditch.
Since he’s Canadian, he must be Zap Rowsdower’s long lost cousin.
(Fairly obscure reference)
Rowsdower!
MST3K?
The best episode, Final Sacrifice. It is, if these things can be measured, the worst thing to ever come out of Canada!
ROWSDOWER
Let’s be real here, it was clearly a Pelican at fault.
“I was frightened to my near death.”
IMHO – most splash shields get destroyed (other than as result of running voer something) because most “technicians” who work in shops are uncaring monkeys who abuse the hell out of the things. Which I also very much think is a direct result of the bullshit that is being paid by “book time”, so they have every incentive to do things QUICKLY, not correctly.
Also – this guy is an idiot.
I just had to re-attach the shield to my daughter’s car the other day because the tech at the dealership half assed putting it back on after changing the oil. I would almost expect that at an express lube place but I would have hoped having everything done at the dealer would at least result in the parts all being attached properly to the vehicle after the service.
She had just pulled out of the driveway on her way back to college when it started dragging. I am glad it did not happen on the highway because worst case she might have panicked like the guy in the article did or best case I would have been taking it off (did not have half the hardware and she needed to get back to school that night) along the side of the road somewhere.
This particular tech gets paid 18 minutes to change the oil no matter how many bolts or plastic rivets are holding in the splash guard, or not. 98 Camry? 2025 Range Rover? Same 18 minutes. This particular tech also sees bolts that are ground to headless, missing, mixed and matched by prior half-ass repairs, single use (self tapping metal screws don’t bite in the same place twice). This particular tech still does his level goddamn best, even though it literally takes money from him to do so, to put every mismatched, stripped, rusted, bolt, single-use screw, or plastic trim rivet back in place.
If the noise of the splash shield dragging annoys you, just turn up the radio like the dozens of people I see every day with dragging splash shields.
The only reason to drive into a ditch is if you want to scam Canadian Tire out of a new car.
Even if the splash shield got caught up in the steering, splash shields are flimsy enough that power steering should be overcome the resistance.
I’d bet the panic explanation, which is also why so litigious. Nobody wants to admit that.
But I’m always surprised at how much stuff on my Focus is zipped-tied right from the factory. Sure, it’s (fairly) nicely done so you don’t notice it, esp in a modern plastic-y engine compartment, but wow.
One reason why I keep a master set of plastic trim clips in my tool shed. The issue is often that the clip breaks on disassembly and can’t be reused. I also stock a selection of zip ties.
This. I have a ridiculously huge number of these things in all the different sizes, and designs. Cost was like 8 bucks. Would have spent that amount on trying to find a replacement by having to visit at least two different auto parts stores.
Bingo – I often just get out the wire cutters if the location is poor. I save them when I can, but with older cars it’s usually not possible.
I feel like he should have taken the $400 because it will be pretty hard to prove the zip-tie repair is the cause. Proving it’s NOT the cause? Near impossible. But he’ll have to prove it is and that will be really hard when a lawyer asks anyone and everyone if they have ever seen or heard of an accident cause by a flapping piece of plastic like this.
This guy is indeed scamming CT IMHO.