Hmmm...good points.

Will I have to call St. Charles Isuzu to see if a replacement heat shield can even be purchased? This doesn't seem like an easy part to find.

Mine's gone. Powdered. Flaked off into the rusty graveyard in the sky. As I said, I doubt if it has even been effective in ages, given its powdery thinness when it was removed.

If I can find a decent replacement, I'll probably install it, just to be safe.

I'm not too worried. How hot can an Ebony VX get in the Utah desert sun, after all?