Great Deal for new MK4 5 spd belly pan

Final notes....
Very happy with my purchase!
Total cost was $44.74 for 3 lower front grills and the belly pan, including shipping to Ohio.

Rockauto/Keystone Part numbers
Belly Pan #VW1228106
Grilles#VW1036101, VW1036102, VW1036103

The belly pan is shipped/as is to fit manual tranmission cars, but there is a dotted line on the belly pan that tells me it is meant to be cut to ALSO fit auto trans MKIV's. Interesting...

It could be thicker. But I believe it is just fine for my needs. ( I had no belly pan at all when purchased in December 2014)
My needs were:
-Keep in engine heat for slightly faster warm ups, wind off the oil pan for more consistent heat in engine.
-Reduce air turbulence under car. Possibly slightly better fuel economy.
-Keep dirt, road grime, water, salt, etc off of engine bay/components during winter
-I DO NOT expect this thin plastic pan to prevent a cracked oil pan(from road debris, ice chunks, dead animals), I get it!

All the bolt holes lined up well! Again very happy with my purchase.If you guys have any questions, just ask!

I am interested to find out how thick the OEM plastic pans are. Post the spec here!

I did the install last night and put 70 miles on today without issue. Feel confident so far in it lasting 100K+.

Preliminary results:
- quieter engine from outside, and slightly reduced noise inside while moving.
-very slightly quicker warm ups, here in Ohio at mid 30's deg F. Warm by 3 miles driving 55mph, versus 4-5 miles at 55mph.


-Higher boost???? I watch my boost gauge like a hawk and it seems to keep heat in engine bay/exh manifold better, resulting in slightly higher boost levels at low speed/low load only.
This is merely speculation, NO scientific tests were performed. I do have good judgement though...Discussion is recommended!

Thx for the update. It looks very much the same as the OE, minus the "sound damping" material on the OE version (which makes measuring the thickness a little tricky). Glad it fit so well for you.

turbocharged798 said:

I have the side skirt which is also probably made by the same company. I got a 2.0 one because it was really cheap and then just trimmed for the lower IC pipe. Its much more flexible then the OE one but fit OK and worked fine.

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Did you order the side skirt from Rock auto? Do you have a part number?

Edit: I found them. Unfortunatly they don't have them for my Beetle.

For sure going to order this pan and front panels for my Jetta soon. I really want to help keel the engine a little cleaner, and it should help my MPG.

^That's great!^

Post some pics when you get yours so we can see if production/mold of part is consistent.

millere5815 said:

For sure going to order this pan and front panels for my Jetta soon. I really want to help keel the engine a little cleaner, and it should help my MPG.

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Highly recommend you get a thick metal plate. Our oil pans are easily compromised.

BobnOH said:

Highly recommend you get a thick metal plate. Our oil pans are easily compromised.

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Let's not start with that again.

Thanks for the follow up. I ordered one of these yesterday.

I plan on making a few videos to show any possible improvement in quietness from outside the car at idle using a decibel meter.

BobnOH said:

Highly recommend you get a thick metal plate. Our oil pans are easily compromised.

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I've looked into the metal pans many times before winter, and I just can't afford one. I also live in Ohio like the OP, and managed to make it through winter without even a slight worry about messing up my oil pan. I want to do it for the fuel economy most, but keeping the belts and such on the engine clean is a plus.

It will probably be at least a month before I have the funds to make my orders, but I will for sure update when I do.

I've blasted through all sorts of snow with mine, nothing under it for a plate of any sort. Not anymore though, ice packs up between the larger turbo's compressor side and the steering rack, makes for lots of rattle and some worry. Gonna have to get a cheap plastic one at some point.

Might just carriage bolt some coroplast under there.

[486] said:

I've blasted through all sorts of snow with mine, nothing under it for a plate of any sort. Not anymore though, ice packs up between the larger turbo's compressor side and the steering rack, makes for lots of rattle and some worry. Gonna have to get a cheap plastic one at some point.

Might just carriage bolt some coroplast under there.

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When I get my OEM replacment pan, I'm also going to attach my belly pan I made for aerodynamics. I made it out of the bottom of a truck bed liner.

Sa-weeet!
Thanks for this. I couldn't even find one at a junkyard. And couldn't bring myself to spend 300 for a metal one.

Hey anyone know if these part numbers from rockauto are the side shields?
Mine are missing:

DORMAN Part # 924016 (front left)

DORMAN Part # 924018 (front right).

Also, the right-side grill from rockauto appear to be solid - i.e. closed off - from the picture. Is that so? Obviously that can't work with our intercoolers.

Judson said:

Hey anyone know if these part numbers from rockauto are the side shields?
Mine are missing:

DORMAN Part # 924016 (front left)

DORMAN Part # 924018 (front right).

Also, the right-side grill from rockauto appear to be solid - i.e. closed off - from the picture. Is that so? Obviously that can't work with our intercoolers.

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Yes, the Dorman part #s you listed are the correct sideskirt/shields for MK4 Jetta/Golf. Expect them to be less rigid than OEM, but should work just fine. Prob need the speed clips too, unless yours are intact.


The RockAuto passenger's front lower grill does appear to be solid and not pass-through style. But, it has a removable back piece(clips) that opens it up for flow when removed. It is two pieces.

The center pan looks similar to the pans sold on eBay but these are a few $ less, thanks for finding them! I'll be ordering one next week.

SFHGolfTDI said:

Why would anyone want one of these flimsy things that do almost nothing to protect your oil pan? Aluminum or steel skid plate seems like a better use of time and money, no?

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^^^^, A4's are really exposed and the price of a Panzer or Evolution will seem like nothing if you destroy your oil pan and most likely your engine on a rock,road kill or other debris.

In all of the cars I've owned, some of which were lowered to the point of danger if I ran over something, I've never even come close to losing my oil pan due to something on the road, and I lived on the east coast for 12 of the years of owning my TDI. I did lose it once in a parking lot, at very low speed, which was ungraded, and I stupidly drove over a large bump, and I felt it immediately. I replaced the oil pan, and that was that.

My guess is that the actual incident rate of this occurring over the lifetime of a car is something on the order of 0.1%, with those odds going up to 1% in high-traffic, bad roads, poor/limited visibility areas (ahem, Boston!). 1% is actually really high if you think about it.

The chance that you'd run over something AND lose your engine is even lower if you're paying attention.

I live in a low-traffic area, with excellent visibility (on purpose!), so I'm really not worried.

.02, IMHO, etc.

My point of view on this: I've added the oil pan guard to both our TDI's. As mentioned above, odds are low that something bad will happen but if it does with the guard in place, the insurance company is probably going to be involved.

If I choose to run without splash pans up here in the "rust belt", I will have to replace the alternator and AC compressor regularly, guaranteed. Not to mention all the electrical mysteries I'd get to solve.

Judson said:

In all of the cars I've owned, some of which were lowered to the point of danger if I ran over something, I've never even come close to losing my oil pan due to something on the road, and I lived on the east coast for 12 of the years of owning my TDI. I did lose it once in a parking lot, at very low speed, which was ungraded, and I stupidly drove over a large bump, and I felt it immediately. I replaced the oil pan, and that was that.

My guess is that the actual incident rate of this occurring over the lifetime of a car is something on the order of 0.1%, with those odds going up to 1% in high-traffic, bad roads, poor/limited visibility areas (ahem, Boston!). 1% is actually really high if you think about it.

The chance that you'd run over something AND lose your engine is even lower if you're paying attention.

I live in a low-traffic area, with excellent visibility (on purpose!), so I'm really not worried.

.02, IMHO, etc.

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Do some searches on here about disasters occurring to A4 TDI road debris hits. .1% chance of damage? That's laughable. Best for you to stay in your "low-traffic area". Most of us don't have that luxury and can't see that well especially at night.

50harleyrider - where do you think i got the 1% (not 0.1%) from? Around here!
Eh, anyway, forums aren't the best way to determine how frequent an issue is - people post to complain about problems and ask how to fix them for the most part.
So, I'm just guessing, like I think we all do.

Cost to ship to Arizona (4-5 Days ground) is $22.76! But hey, combined it's still less than half of the OE pan.. and I have none right now so can't hurt.

This thread was not meant to be a comparison between OEM style plastic belly pans and aftermarket aluminum/steel shields.

It has always been clear to me and most others here that the plastic pans will not prevent a cracked oil pan from large road debris/animals/ice chunks. That is, if you can't avoid them entirely, safely. Allowing the proper distance between vehicles ahead and paying attention to the road/clear view you can avoid most of the danger.

Now, I do truly appreciate all the replies. A conversation/debate that shows all sides always creates a more informed consumer no matter how much just opinion is shared.

But I will ask to keep it civil. There is no need for debate over puncture resistance of thicker steel/aluminum and plastic, we know the answer.

I think the most discussed topics in this thread should be about cost, application/driving habits, road conditions, geographic location(snow or no snow), etc.

AnnaTDI said:

Cost to ship to Arizona (4-5 Days ground) is $22.76! But hey, combined it's still less than half of the OE pan.. and I have none right now so can't hurt.

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Hey Anna,
be sure to grab a hardware(clips/screws) set from IDParts if your car is missing any of them.

Also make sure your sideskirts are in good shape, since they support/retain the belly pan at mounting points. If they are cracked, loose, missing or have the speedclips broken get a new OEM set or a set of Dorman sideskirts(part# listed above by another member).

Also, RockAuto has posted a 5% discount code in one of their own company threads.

If anybody knows that the right part number is for the side skirts, or where to get them, I'd appreciate it!

Also, is the clip/screws set from ID parts - is that also for the side skirts? I don't remember how they attach....

Thanks!

Judson said:

Hey anyone know if these part numbers from rockauto are the side shields?
Mine are missing:
DORMAN Part # 924016 (front left)
DORMAN Part # 924018 (front right).
See Above^ Yes, these are the correct sideskirt part #'s from RockAuto. If you want OEM VW parts the correct part#s are 1J0825245J (left side) and 1J0825250AB (right side)

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Judson said:

If anybody knows that the right part number is for the side skirts, or where to get them, I'd appreciate it!
Also, is the clip/screws set from ID parts - is that also for the side skirts? I don't remember how they attach....
Thanks!

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See BOLD above for correct sideskirt part #s of Dorman and OEM VW brand.

EDITED: good news! it looks like the Dorman sideskirts that come from RockAuto also come with the speedclips and belly pan screws/clips for each side! This will complete your installation! If you want, I can post pictures from RockAuto, showing the parts included.

The clips/screw set from ID Parts is for securing the belly pan to an existing set of sideskirts(in good condition) and the subframe under car. If you are replacing the sideskirts with OEM VW because yours were missing entirely, the OEM VW part do come with speedclips only.

I feel I need to mention that this thread is NOT sponsored by any company and besides the 5% discount I used(easy to find by anyone) there was no compensation for my efforts.

I did this out of my life's mission to save people money on overpriced OEM parts, that is all.
The only risk comes from OEM vs. Aftermarket Quality. Some are willing to test/learn.

50harleyrider said:

Do some searches on here about disasters occurring to A4 TDI road debris hits. .1% chance of damage? That's laughable. Best for you to stay in your "low-traffic area". Most of us don't have that luxury and can't see that well especially at night.

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330K on my 99.5 OE pan and no silly skid plate.