Is engine cover necessary?

[Aerial Andy944]

Does the plastic cover on my 56plate Golf actually have a purpose? My one is loose and you can hear it vibrate so can I just take it off or does it do a job like heat shield or sound proof etc. If its just decorative I'll leave it off.

 

[T9 man]

What's immediately under the cover Andy, any electronics? Most to my knowledge act as a heat shield. My cover has torx bolts to hold it down and the torque of the engine caused them to work loose until I fitted them with shake proof washers. On yours if there are no bolts then I would assume clips which have just broken, so in theory it should be easy enough to replace them.