Is the belly pan worth replacing?
 

I purchased my Audi a couple of years ago and the dealership told me the belly pan is missing. Is it really worth replacing? What are the pros and cons? (I live where it snows half of the year, does this make a difference if I should replace it or not?)
Thanks!

Don't worry
 

It won't do any harm to leave it off and will save you 5 minutes when you change your oil.

Best,

Yes, the belly pan makes a difference! The improvement in the engine-bay air-flow management is worth 2-3mpg at highway speeds for most cars. But don't get the OEM plastic/composite belly-pan; it's far too vulnerable to damage from road debris and snow/ice chunks.

Instead, get something like the all-aluminum "Panzer Plate" belly-pan from Diesel Geeks (http://www.dieselgeek.com/servlet/Detail?no=493); it's about the same price as the OEM belly-pan, but protects all of the low-hanging parts in the bottom of the engine bay, including the very delicate cast aluminum oil pan, A/C compressor and A/C lines. My wife and I have the Panzer Plates installed on both of our B6-platform A4's and they are great! Road debris just scuffs the Panzer Plates and snow/ice justs breaks-up when crunched beneath our Panzer Plates. No-fear winter driving in a Quattro-equipped car is delightful! :D

I'll see your Mullard and raise ya a Sylvania 6CA7. :)

I suppose if bottoming out your car is a frequent occurance then it might be beneficial to have a sheet metal belly pan instead of a plastic one. :) I ran my B5 without a belly pan for a while and didn't notice any difference.

Best,

Thank you so much for your advice! I'm going to invest into it!

Alright, vacuum-tube humor! I maintain the attitude that valves is valves; it's all good... :D
I'm certainly not bottoming-out my vehicle! However, I do enjoy blasting-around with my Quattro through fresh snow, but the first winter that I did that, my car's belly-pan was shredded. With my Panzer Plate in place, I can enjoy the sinful pleasure of winter-wonderland play-time with my Quattro and the only penalty I suffer is a few scuff-marks on my car's aluminum belly-pan :cool:

You're quite welcome! Just trying to help my fellow Audi-owners enjoy worry-free winter-time road-blasting! :D

And then when they start to get squirrelly, you pop 'em out of your audio gear and into your marshall. :)

Fine point. The idea is growing on me. How to sneak that one in under the wife radar....hmmmm....awfully big box. :)

Best,

Is it worth the piece of mind knowing it is under there?

To me, the peace of mind is absolutely worth the cost of the Panzer Plate! It doesn't really cost any more than the plastic OEM belly pan, but the Panzer Plate is virtually indestructible. The enhanced engine-bay air-flow management is good for 2-3MPG at highway speeds. And being able to blast around in the snow with my Quattro without fear of ice-chunks/rocks punching-through any of the vulnerable low-hanging Audi parts is, as they say in the MasterCard advertisements, "priceless". :cool: