u/nicoradd

I recently installed Rival engine skid plates on my 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness. The installation was done by my trusted workshop, and they generally do very high-quality work.

Since the installation, I started noticing a metallic knocking / clunking noise coming from underneath the vehicle. The noise was most noticeable during braking, acceleration, and when turning. I took the care back to the workshop, they added spacers at the mounting points to slightly increase the clearance to the frame. That solved the problem for a while, but it is slowly coming back.

At first glance everything appears to be mounted correctly, but the sound definitely started only after the skid plate installation.

here is the installation manual in case someone with knowledge would like to check how this particular skid plate mounts to the frame

Is this a common problem with skid plates?

Any thoughts or advice?

Thanks!