Many MK4 engines have been destroyed by debris putting a hole or a crack in the aluminum oil pan causing the subsequent loss of oil and oil pressure. Diesel Geek heavy duty aluminum Panzer Plate kits protect all of the parts in the bottom of the engine bay, including the cast aluminum oil pan, a/c compressor, radiator, condenser, transmission, and rear subframe. These items, and especially the very thin cast aluminum oil pan, can be easily damaged by road debris, ice chunks, and minor off-road excursions. Also, as you know, Golf, Jetta and New Beetles are very low to the ground and the front suspension is relatively soft which causes the cars to bottom out frequently. Damage often occurs when bottoming out. In addition, the plastic belly pan/splash shield that comes with these cars is often damaged. A replacement factory plastic belly pan currently costs crazy money for the New Beetle TDI. Why replace it when you can buy a highly protective aluminum skid plate? Installing Diesel Geek's hefty .190" inch thick aluminum skid plate will help you avoid costly repairs and give you peace of mind that your engine is protected!
What about oil changes?
TDI: Panzer Skid plates are punched with an easily removed "keystone" shaped oil drain plug access window. If removed, this hole will allow you or an oil change technician to easily drain the engine oil from the oil pan without removing the plate. We offer a snap-in aluminum cover for the removed oil drain window for a small additional cost.
What it fits:
The MK4 Panzer skid plate fits all 1998-2006 MK4 Jetta, Golf, GTI, GLI, R32 and all 1998 through 2010 New Beetles, regardless of engine or transmission.
This kit also fits all 2007-2010 City Golf and City Jetta in Canada and Jetta Clasico in Mexico up through 2014.
Instructions links for the installing the Panzer Skid Plate kit are here.
The video below shows the rivnut install procedure. This is the most technical part of the install.
