On the T5 the muffler and exhaust pipe sit low and essentially unprotected. One rock on a forest track, or one entrance kerb that turned out to be higher than it looked, is enough to split a weld or flatten a pipe — which means a workshop visit and a van off the road for days.

6.0 mm aluminium. Rival presses this plate from 6.0 mm aluminium sheet in a silver finish. At that thickness aluminium absorbs an impact without cracking, while weighing noticeably less than a steel plate of comparable strength — on a van that is already carrying a payload, every kilo added under the floor counts.

Installation. The plate uses the factory mounting points and ships with a complete fitting kit, so there is no separate hardware to source and no drilling into the underbody.

Fitment. The manufacturer lists the Volkswagen Caravelle, Multivan and Transporter with the 2.0 TDI engine, model years 2003-2015 (T5 generation).

• Muffler skid plate in 6.0 mm aluminium, silver finish
• Fitting kit included, bolts to factory mounting points
• VW Caravelle / Multivan / Transporter T5, 2.0 TDI, 2003-2015

If your T5 goes further than the tarmac car park — camping, building sites, mountain tracks — this is the cheapest exhaust component you will ever buy for it.