my 3 (07 3 i touring) does not have the engine hood underside heat shield, it came to my attention today when I was in a traffic jam right after 45 minutes freeway driving in rain. I saw the water vapor rising from the hood, suggesting the hood is hot. I've opened the hood many times before, but did not pay attention to the underside. Does your 3 have the heat shield?
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Vaporizer-info

 

is the heat shield that tin foil looking thing at the back of the engine compartment? because if so then yea i have it.

 

I think he's talking about the insulation on the underside of the hood. It should be there unless there was a change for 07, but I wouldn't be worried if it's not. it won't hurt anything.

 

well its like a ribbed tin foil look and its all over the back of my engine firewall

 

I believe it is a heat sheild for the firewall. The hood as said above has a inslulating liner on it at least on my MS3.

 

I also have an 07 3i touring, and I do not have a hood heat shield. The plastic housing above the engine does prevent my hood from getting too hot. I just came back from a 1/2 hour drive and touched my hood -it was cool everywhere except for a spot abouta footin diameter in the middle of the hood roughly between the windshield washer nozzles (above the exhaust manifold at the rear of the engine). The spot was not hot, it was merely warm. On a high humidity day,I could see acool rain could causing steaming.

 

'07 GX.
i dont have a heat sheild under my hood.

 

Thanks for your confirmations......just to clarify, I meant the liner thing attached to the underside of the hood, not the allumnium foil on the firewall for the exhaust. don't understand why Mazda would skip that (cost cutting, maybe). Anyways, thanks again.
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TakeMeNow

 

or maybe they decided it was not needed?
like, imo, its just keeping the heat inside the engine bay

 

2007 3i, Did not have insulation. I took that crap off my jetta the day I bought it in 2004 and no problem with heat