Ok, I've got a stupid question...I just bought a 2004 XF coupe and after new tires, stereo with Bluetooth, and an escort RD I'm kind of tapped out...call it because of the recession. Anyways...the black engine insulation panel mounted to the underside of the hood is falling down on the engine cover. Is it safe to just remove it instead of paying the $300 for a replacement? My old car didn't even have this. The only other car I've even had with this was a clk 55 several years ago. So can I safely remove it and not worry about it? Recommendations?

 

Those liners are close at the best of times and mine started rubbing the engine cover. remove it if you like, no problem. The clips holding mine needed to be bent up more and that helped a little, but it still touched the engine cover.

 

Thanks 180! I wasn't sure if it was just an insulation thing or there was some other reason why I couldn't just remove it. With all of the great information here I'm fast becoming a fan of the forum.

 

It is safe to remove. The blanket is actually there for sound reasons not to protect the hood from heat.

 

Yup, remove it. I bought my '04 in '07 and it wasn't there then. Never any problem.

 

People say It's to protect the hood paint from bubbling in the future but It's not true because if you live in a state where It's sunny your more likely to experience paint damage years later from the sun anyway , Id say take it out and clean the underside of the hood and enjoy the sounds of a Mercedes-Benz 3.2

Btw imo no question is a stupid question , unless of course you already know the answer

 

ours has been off for years now, you will get a little more engine bay noise into the cabin with it off

 

Up your neck of the woods it MAY not make a lot of difference, BUT in Houston, apart from reducing the engine noise, it ALSO reduces the transmittance of the 100+ degrees outside temperature, also heating up the engine bay, adding to the usual high underhood temperature. THIS COULD be a serious problem. ???

 

Base models don't even come with insulation.

 

when mine go bad off they come...you will be fine...more to polish....lol

 

I had to remove mine last year when I lost a belt and it tore up the liner... no problems at all... I have since replaced my hood with a carbon fiber hood....with no liner....

 

Did you feel any difference performancewise with the carbon hood? or just looks?

 

And that is one fine looking hood.

 

I knocked off 2 seconds in the 1/4 with my CF hood, wink,

 

This. Mine didn't come with one and the paint is still pristine.

 

I just take my hood off when I race...especially when racing in KY..... I fit in better that way and gain a full second

 

I haven't had the car to the track since I put the CF hood on, so for now it is just for looks.....but less weight certainly won't hurt at the track....

 

Since others here have posted that they don't have any paint issues without the hood liner, I'd say it's probably OK to not have it on the Crossfire. But on other cars I have seen paint issued caused by a lack of a hood liner. In one particular case, the checking in the paint was so bad that the only fix was to repaint the hood. The underside of the hood had a fairly large "X" cross brace and when looking at the paint on the outside of the hood it was quite obvious that there was no checking in the paint over that crossbrace. In this case, the bracing must have provided just enough insulation to prevent the paint from checking. The car? A previous generation Ford Focus. Just a little naturally aspirated 4 banger, bone stock, but it produced enough heat to damage the paint. I've seen it on other cars, too.

I'd be reluctant to remove mine, but since others here claim no issues after removing theirs, it's hard to argue about it on the Crossfire. Not all cars/hoods/engines are created equal.

 

I appreciate all the comments whenever they were given. Opened my hood tonight and a rodent came flying out of the hood liner. What a mess. Not repairable. Bye Bye hood insulation. Now I'll hear the SC better.