Hello all....I went to go drain my radiator today on my 99 E36 M3, and I noticed the splash guard plastic thing is in the way if I were to pop out the blue drain plug for the radiator.....how in the hell is that thing supposed to be removed....iv tried everything, and I dont wanna F it up....or is it supposed to be there when draining the radiator?

thanks a lot!

ttt

Are you referring to the underpanel? Surprised that plastic one would still be there. They usually just fall off in time.
Not clear to me what you mean.

ya.....say if the front end of ur car is up n high, when you go under there....right where the radiator is there is a big plastic piece....and I see no way on how it comes off?.....is it supposed to be removed when draining the radiator fluid......it looks like if the piece is not removed the fluid will drip all over it and not onto the ground

you just unscrew it - arent there screws holding it in place all around the edges of it?

I believe you have to remove those lumps on each side of the underpanel before you get to the splashguard screws. Some people call them porkchops.

I believe you have to remove those lumps on each side of the underpanel before you get to the splashguard screws. Some people call them porkchops.

ya...those 2 platform lookin pieces...why doesnt the bentley or other DIY source say that it needs to be removed...?i can "get" to the radiator drain plug, but it looks like it will spill all over the plastic guard.....

These pieces have changed over time. My 95 splashguard is completely different from my mom's 98 underbody tray. BMW upgrades parts, sometimes the manuals get it right.

The main point, though, is that the easiest way, for me, is to remove the porkchops, then the splashguard. Takes all of a couple minutes.

I was also thinking that if I get a good size hose/tube I can drain the fluid from the hose to the pan.....this way I wouldnt have to remove a bunch of irritating screws.....in many pictures I have seen....most of the E36 M's or 3 series dont even show the big plastic crap I have

That's because it is plastic crap. The first time you pull up to a low curb and drive up til the wheels hit the curb, you've broken the damn thing. People either remove it and go on with their life, or they go and get a JTDesign aluminum underbody panel.

Seriously, in the amount of time it took you to think and post, the splashguard would be off. It's not that hard. There's 3-4 screws to a porkchop and 4 on the splashguard. You can down a beer in the time it takes to do it.

Okay okay, I removed the splashguard.....now let me ask you/everyone this: Is it BAD in any way to drive around with out the guard......i didnt feel like putting it back on

Not at all. A lot of people go splashguardless. I'm guardless right now. I'm too lazy to put it on. Guess what the splash guards job is....to protect the engine from splashes!!! That's it! It keeps the engine bay from getting dirty! That's all. What is somewhat important are the porkchop thingies. They keep the fender liner in place, which keeps the brake ducts in place. You might lose a brake duct (or 3 in my case) without the porkchops, but that's it. A quick fix to this, though, is zipties. Just ziptie the ducts to the fender wall.

You see, the ducts are held in place by two things. The front valence, and the fender wall. You can figure out the front one yourself. There's tabs and everything. But the fender wall lining needs the porkchops in order to stay rigid. Without that rigidity, the liners will billow. When it billows toward the wheel, the duct falls out. If you run that over at 80mph, it scares the crap out of everyone. But that's all.


Have a day!