I have an Outback with 121k on it, therefore the heat shields rattle, and have for quite a while.
I've tried hose clamps, and they work well for a while until another section starts rattling that hadn't before. I'm getting tired of adding more and more clamps, and some pebbles have found their way into the shields and are causing noise. There's no way I'll get them off without destroying them (the bolts don't even resemble bolts anymore), so what would the harm in just leaving them off be? Behind the third cat, there's a shield between the drive shaft and the exhaust that could stay so I'm not too worried there, but up front there isn't anything between the exhaust and the floor.
Is this a really bad idea?
I've tried hose clamps, and they work well for a while until another section starts rattling that hadn't before. I'm getting tired of adding more and more clamps, and some pebbles have found their way into the shields and are causing noise. There's no way I'll get them off without destroying them (the bolts don't even resemble bolts anymore), so what would the harm in just leaving them off be? Behind the third cat, there's a shield between the drive shaft and the exhaust that could stay so I'm not too worried there, but up front there isn't anything between the exhaust and the floor.
Is this a really bad idea?