i started my car this morning and heard a noise from underneath,when i looked i could see the heat shield resting on the exhaust.it was wet so rather than start crawling under the car i took it to the local tyre centre.the person there cut it off at its last hanging on point and said it will be ok.surley they are put on for a good reason so i'm in the process of getting another one 'but does anyone know what damage could be done?(no scare mongering please)its a rover 75 diesel.
there could be fuel or brake lines that need protection from excess heat. also handbrake cable outer cover could be too close and maybe melt. i feel rover wouldnt have put it there if it wasnt needed.
One of the "you can't get better than a......" fitters told me that as long as you weren't planning to go on Safari through the long grass in darkest Africa then there was no need to worry about a heat shield. You're not really expected to set the bushland on fire in the UK are you?