they do appear to keep road debris/mud/snow off the bottom of the motor... and drips from the driveway if you have them... my mechanic said if i took it off the engine could "breathe" easier making it run cooler in the arizona heat

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1994 C280
2009 VW Tiguan
1993 Toyota X-tra Cab SE-5


1973 220D ... Gone, but not forgotten
1991 Alfa Romeo 164L Gone, wife MADE me forget it

2006 Hyundai Tucson... just straight out FORGOTTEN!

I throw them away first thing when I buy a car. My experience on 124/119 motors is that they run about 10 degrees cooler without the pan. They also mask fluid leaks of all kinds which is a bad thing on an older used car. If I have a fluid leak I won't know about it right away. And of course they make bottom side oil changes a bit harder. I think it's quite a bad idea to keep them on an older used car. They are by no means a necessity - 90+ percent of the cars on the road don't have them. But maintaining originality makes some people feel good.