[lance35]

Considering that the PP was configured for off-road activity, a skid plate would have been included as original equipment. My old CRV had them. Puzzling.

 

[lance35]

I still haven't beat up my skid plate as I've been pretty conservative so far, but it's nice knowing it's there when I hear it doing it's job.

@elder prep What CRV did you have? My 2006 didn't have skid plates unless you count the plastic cladding. These are 1/8" powder coated aluminum and are well beyond anything I've ever seen OEM in anything except maybe a Hummer.

It was a 2005 CRV, however, I don't recall which trim level it was.

 

[lance35]

On my first oil change I discovered that it would be much easier and cleaner to remove the skid plate rather than try to work around it and potentially get a build up of spilled oil on the inside of the plate. I also discovered that my bolt pitch was wrong. I was able to replace the provided bolts with the correct pitch and thankfully the chasis threads weren't damaged. I did clean them up with a tap just to be safe, but the bolts from my local fastener shop did the trick. I also decided to back up the plate with some spacers so that I'm torquing against the fastener, not the plate as it bridges the gap in the cross beam. I know @Jondz chose to remove his beam and use the plate itself as the cross beam. It gives him a little extra clearance and so far hasn't had any trouble. I've let JSport know about the hardware issue, I'm hopeful that they will get it sorted before sending out more units.

Thanks, David for the details on your skid plate experience. Based on your installation and the clearances you noted, removing the plate for oil changes and the potential for spillage during the change is a good idea. Who knows what might happen during a hot summer drive in stop and go traffic and the possible build-up of heat and the accumulated oil on the plate. Your experience is one of the great features of PP owners joining the Forum, the shared knowledge and experiences is very valuable.