I wanted to take a moment to report the effects of non moving parts that on the surface seem unimportant to the operation and performance of your vehicle. In this example, I am referring to my x5 50i fan shroud that was missing the two plastic clip holes that hook onto the top of the radiator to keep it flush against the radiator. At first, it seemed no big deal, but as time went by I noticed the fan coming on more and more and louder and louder. After a year, I decided to replace the fan shroud - costs around $200 dollars. After installing and it sealing properly, the fan only turns on about 25% of the time as it did before the replacement.
So, yes, the broken clips didn't render the vehicle inoperable but it did contribute to accelerated wear and tear mechanically for the fan and thermally for the engine/oil/ and multiple coolant pumps which had to run higher loads longer times. This cascading effect is the hidden high cost of not doing things correctly in the first place so me trying to be miserly and save money would have ended up costing me many times more in future repairs imo.
In summary, I think that if you have parts that you think are no big deal to leave alone which are connected to lubrication, thermal regulation etc... like a fan shroud or some air duct that is broken... you should make an effort to replace the damaged part if you have the money, and don't let it go on thinking that a broken air duct won't affect the reliability of the vehicle.
Replacing the shroud was a 15 minute job and the car is ultra quiet at stop lights now. Should have done it the first day I got the car.
That's all for now.
So, yes, the broken clips didn't render the vehicle inoperable but it did contribute to accelerated wear and tear mechanically for the fan and thermally for the engine/oil/ and multiple coolant pumps which had to run higher loads longer times. This cascading effect is the hidden high cost of not doing things correctly in the first place so me trying to be miserly and save money would have ended up costing me many times more in future repairs imo.
In summary, I think that if you have parts that you think are no big deal to leave alone which are connected to lubrication, thermal regulation etc... like a fan shroud or some air duct that is broken... you should make an effort to replace the damaged part if you have the money, and don't let it go on thinking that a broken air duct won't affect the reliability of the vehicle.
Replacing the shroud was a 15 minute job and the car is ultra quiet at stop lights now. Should have done it the first day I got the car.
That's all for now.
