Flat towing and rock guards.

[TandBB]

Does anyone out there have any experience towing a late model Chevy behind there MH while using a rock guard? I will be having my new 2017 Chevy Malibu set up for flat towing and part of the kit will be a tow bar mounted rock guard. My Chevy owners manual has a note in it indicating that "use of a shield mounted in front of the vehicle grille could restrict airflow and cause damage to the transmission". It also indicates that the repairs would not be covered by warranty.

I can't imagine why a toad would generate enough heat in the transmission to be a concern. I suppose the fan wont come on and, indeed, there would be little air flow through the radiator with this guard in front.

Both the manufacturer and the installer doubt there would be any issues using the rock guard.

Does anyone on this site actually use one of these with a late model Chevy?

Thanks

[vcbice]

How is it setup for flat towing? If you are using a recirculating pump on an auto transmission then Chevy might have a point. Not sure what the loads would be on the transmission but I assume small.

I suspect Chevy has had issues brought to them from such setups or they would not bother to mention it. Wording is important. Maybe they are referring to someone driving the car with a shield in front of it. Probably cause someone left the towbar (with rock shield) on their car when they drove around town?

[TandBB]

Thanks for the reply. As it turns out, your hunch is spot on. I finally got a return call from Chevrolet. They informed me that the concern is a result of people actually driving around with permanently mounted rock guards which does affect airflow while moving. They assured me that i am OK using one of the products sold by the tow-bar people.

[vcbice]

Thanks. I've seen a couple of people driving their toads that way, hoping they were just going around the corner to the store.