Exhaust heatshield

[TROOPER88]

Hi
I have just replaced the bushes in my Golfs gear stick housing.
I had to remove the transmission tunnel heat shield to gain access.

The heat shield was a pain to remove and is in such tatty condition am not sure whether to refit it?

The bottom of the gearbox housing is about 12 inches from the exhaust.
Do you guys think it is ok to leave it off? I know the exhaust gets red hot but does it radiate that much heat?

An alternative could be to buy some heat wrap and wrap this section.

Many thanks

[TROOPER88]

Have ordered a roll of heat wrap.
It is only half of the transmission tunnel where the sheild is missing.

I did some research and found that without a heat shield/wrap the cabin can become hot quite quickly.

Cheers