Under body panels

[Silvermanor]

My Stinger GT2 went through a deep puddle 2 days ago. The weight of the water made it fall and I had to have my car towed. It was replaced yesterday for over $250. The dealer said I hit something, which I didn't. Went through same puddle total and the same thing happened. Have to get it towed again tomorrow.

Stop driving through the same puddle. Is this a troll post?

 

[Manaz]

Stop driving through the same puddle. Is this a troll post?

Driving through significantly deep puddles can cause all sorts of issues - not least of all because you often can't see what's under the surface of the water. It's entirely possible that if the puddle's deep enough to touch the under-trays, that something in it is catching and ripping the trays off.

As noted by a few here - if it's caused you a problem the first time you drove through it, why do so a second time? There's a saying about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result...

 

[CKeeler]

I ended up driving through a deep puddle twice on purpose. It had rained like crazy the entire day and 4 out of 5 ways to go get my kids from daycare were flooded. I took one look at the people going through and decided to chance it, otherwise if it had been deeper I would have gone back home and picked up my Bronco, it was already late in the day and I didn't want to be transferring car seats in the dark while it was raining. Thankfully nothing happened worth noting.

 

[ShannonC]

Beware of pressure wave.

 

[Lisa Hauser]

Stop driving through the same puddle. Is this a troll post?

No. The entrance to my development floods when it rains. And I'm not talking about regular puddles. The water gets very high, but it seems with over 250 cars in my development, only mine has had an issue. Had the car towed twice in 2 days. Can't avoid going through it if I want to get home. Very common in South Florida

 

[Lisa Hauser]

Driving through significantly deep puddles can cause all sorts of issues - not least of all because you often can't see what's under the surface of the water. It's entirely possible that if the puddle's deep enough to touch the under-trays, that something in it is catching and ripping the trays off.

As noted by a few here - if it's caused you a problem the first time you drove through it, why do so a second time? There's a saying about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result...

Omg. Nothing got caught on it. The weight of the water pulled it down. $50k car and the bottom is fabric held up by plastic. Even my service manager said it was ridiculous. Don't have a choice to go through it if I want to go home. Only one way in to the development. No other cars have had this issue.

 

[Manaz]

Pretty much all cars these days use a plastic under-tray held on with clips or at best plastic screws.

How fast are you driving through the water?

I get that you're stuck with dealing with it - but as I said, the use of plastic undertrays isn't unique to Kia. Something else must be happening differently for you than other drivers - are they all driving low-slung sports/GT cars, or are they something else?

 

[Kamauxx]

The panels under the car aren't plastic. They're some kind of felt material. They probably absorb water. I know for a fact they absorb oil.

Do you own a Stinger @Manaz?

 

[Lisa Hauser]

Pretty much all cars these days use a plastic under-tray held on with clips or at best plastic screws.

How fast are you driving through the water?

I get that you're stuck with dealing with it - but as I said, the use of plastic undertrays isn't unique to Kia. Something else must be happening differently for you than other drivers - are they all driving low-slung sports/GT cars, or are they something else?

My roommate drives a Challenger, which is just as low as mine. So are most of the other cars. This is a design flaw. It's not plastic. It's material.

 

[Lisa Hauser]

The panels under the car aren't plastic. They're some kind of felt material. They probably absorb water. I know for a fact they absorb oil.

Do you own a Stinger @Manaz?

Thank you!!!!

 

[MerlintheMad]

The panels under the car aren't plastic. They're some kind of felt material. They probably absorb water. I know for a fact they absorb oil.

Do you own a Stinger @Manaz?

Really. How would they absorb oil that isn't leaking? Does your Stinger leak oil? Mine doesn't. The under panels are coated in some kind of plastic. Otherwise, they would be trash at resisting weather from the road. @Lisa Hauser is experiencing some issue more than just getting the under panels wet. Sagging under panels would not stop the car. They would simply snag and get ripped off. Details are lacking in this repeating "saga".

 

[Lisa Hauser]

Really. How would they absorb oil that isn't leaking? Does your Stinger leak oil? Mine doesn't. The under panels are coated in some kind of plastic. Otherwise, they would be trash at resisting weather from the road. @Lisa Hauser is experiencing some issue more than just getting the under panels wet. Sagging under panels would not stop the car. They would simply snag and get ripped off. Details are lacking in this repeating "saga".

I guess no one is reading my threads thoroughly. In a nutshell.... The first time, it came loose from the car, fell on the ground and got stuck. Couldn't move the car. It didn't crack. It's not plastic. It's not coated. It's fabric. The second time it fell but did not tear, so they were able to replace it, they just did it differently. We're expecting a hurricane this weekend, with lots of flooding. Will see what happens.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I guess no one is reading my threads thoroughly. In a nutshell.... The first time, it came loose from the car, fell on the ground and got stuck. Couldn't move the car. It didn't crack. It's not plastic. It's not coated. It's fabric. The second time it fell but did not tear, so they were able to replace it, they just did it differently. We're expecting a hurricane this weekend, with lots of flooding. Will see what happens.

Came loose and fell from the car: okay, was it heavy? As in waterlogged? I think that is a rhetorical question because the weather coating on these under panels prevents them from absorbing water. So the clips failed because you had to "boat" across enormous, deep puddles: and the pressure and weight of the water rushing over the panels tore the push "pins" or clips out. I can see a folded under panel, jammed/wedged under the car and possibly even up under a wheel well, stopping the car in the middle of a deep puddle. Lets not blame the under panels. The circumstances mean that the design of the under panel fasteners was taxed beyond the intended use. I suppose it could be a "design flaw" if the fabric on a biplane rips off in a power dive. But if you know what to expect (now), then take measures to not push the design beyond the intended use. I would not simply drive through a puddle (again) because I have to get home or to work. Do some walking and park somewhere else when the rains come down and the floods come up. The Stinger is not some kind of utility vehicle.

 

[Kazz]

May I suggest folks just get under their cars and decide for themselves of what and how the underpanels are constructed?

 

[Manaz]

I guess no one is reading my threads thoroughly. In a nutshell.... The first time, it came loose from the car, fell on the ground and got stuck. Couldn't move the car. It didn't crack. It's not plastic. It's not coated. It's fabric. The second time it fell but did not tear, so they were able to replace it, they just did it differently. We're expecting a hurricane this weekend, with lots of flooding. Will see what happens.

I am reading very thoroughly, which is why I'm still confused.

You've said the material (sorry I misread your earlier message when you said material held with plastic, I misread that as plastic underbody panels) is not strong (and a minor water incursion broke it) and yet is strong (and stopped the car from moving).

How does a fabric panel too weak to withstand a minor water incursion somehow prevent the car from moving if it hasn't caught on anything? This is confusing.

I could understand a plastic panel doing this (if it jammed between a gutter and the bodywork, for example), but not fabric - either the fabric is weak and has torn by the weight of the water (in which case, how has it stopped the car from moving if it's that weak), or it's strong enough to stop the car from moving - absolutely possible it has high tensile strength - but then, if nothing's caught on it, how has enough water gotten into it (given you've said other cars can get through fine, so it can't be a lot of water) to prevent the car from moving in the first place?

The same can be said for the attachment mechanism for this fabric under the body - either it's too weak to hold up the lightweight material when it gets a bit wet, or it's strong enough to somehow prevent a ~365hp/375lb-ft car from moving forwards when the material is holding too much water.

There has to be another piece to the puzzle that explains the discrepancies. If we can find that, then we'll be able to help you to move forward and avoid the issue in the future.

Do you own a Stinger @Manaz?

As I said earlier, I misread Lisa's earlier post about plastic attachment of the material. My ownership of a Stinger is a) none of your concern and b) not relevant to this discussion.

 

[ShannonC]

These panels are made of thin lightweight plastic and there is no way there is any absorption properties. In total there are 6, two under the engine bay and two on either side under the doors. Each is secured by a number of plastic "twist to secure" plugs. They are for improved aerodynamics and to keep crap out. Under normal wet driving conditions they should be quite secure however I doubt that design engineers forsaw owners nose diving Stinger into deep puddles or flooded areas. If the panel came loose it's suggesting to me that the clips weren't properly secured or that the "puddle" was hit at too much speed with nose down and the volume and weight of water was simply too much for it to handle.

In the 3rd pic the forward cover has been removed.

 

[Kazz]

I've only dealt with the front underpanel. The black, plastic clips (which I'd love to find a source for) are push-style, not twist, on my U.S. GT2. What really keeps it in place, it seems to me, are metal screws/bolts - at least a half dozen. The plastic clips are for the edges. Again, I've not looked at the other underpanels.

Pressed to describe the underpanel, while not under the car and from my crappy memory, yes they're rigid but there is a texture to them. It's not smooth plastic. I have no idea what the actual material is. But the texture does imply something fibrous.

 

[Kamauxx]

These panels are made of thin lightweight plastic and there is no way there is any absorption properties. .

You (in Australia) may have different panels under the car. My panels were replaced under warranty after a large oil leak soaked them. The oil couldn't be removed from them because it soaked into the material that lines the panels.

It caused me to have to spend an extra day in a Nissan Altima rental while they waited on the new panels to arrive.

 

[SteveCo]

The black, plastic clips (which I'd love to find a source for) are push-style, not twist, on my U.S. GT2.

Those plastic push 'rivets' deform on use, and while intended for one use only can be reused if carefully removed and reinstalled - but ideally should be replaced. They are used elsewhere in the car, and by lots of manufacturers - on the Stinger a dozen or more hold the front bumper cover on as well, and I'm sure other panels in the car also.

You can order the exact replacement from any of the KIA online parts suppliers, but can also pick them up cheaply in bulk from online or brick & mortar auto parts suppliers - just make sure you have the length and diameter correct as they come in a lot of different sizes. Body shops have bins full of them.

When I last changed my oil I reused the existing under tray push rivets as I didn't have any replacements on hand, but will order a bag from Amazon before doing the next one - just need to get those measurements.

 

[Kazz]

If you find exact replacements, please let me know! Mine are holding up quite well after a number of oil changes, suspension changes, etc. But two have come up missing throughout the car and I'd like to make it whole!