JX exhaust manifold heat shields ...how important?

[maz-o]

Hi all, I took off the exhaust manifold to replace the gaskets and decarbonize it. When I took the heat shields off the manifold that are fastened with 4 smaller studs, 3 out of the 4 studs broke off ..

Wondering if it's worth the hassle to try to extract the 3 broken studs or just replace the exhaust manifold without the two heat shields? They were rusted and in very poor condition anyway.. Is it dangerous to have the exhaust manifold exposed like that?

Thanks!

[Titus A Duxass]

VW didn't put it there for fun but......run it and see. It may only cause problems in hotter climes.