Exhaust heat shield
 

Guys, how important is having the heat shield cover the exhaust pipes. My mechanic removed the heat shield from my 88 vert to possibly alleviate a slight rattle I had in the back end. I realized as I was driving home it did not solve the problem as there was still a rattle. ( Not a big rattle but noticable at times )

I kept the heat shield and he said he would put it back on, but it really was not necessary to have it.

I trust my mechanic, but still, was wondering what are your thoughts?

If your mechanic is new to rotaries then he probably doesn't know that the exhaust temps are much hotter then piston engines.

No, its not deathly important...but it is a very important piece. If you have it then you should be running it.