So you don't have to remove the entire thing to do oil changes? Last time I only unscrewed 1/2 of them and bent it down but it was awkard getting the drain pan up to catch the oil draining from the filter. Not sure how this would work because if you cut one side, the other won't be supported. Maybe cut and insert a sheet that spans both sides. So the side you take off has extra material that you slide under the other piece that has the screws.

engine
___~___

ground

Or has anyone just cut a larger hole so the filter can be accessed w/o removing the shield?

 

I use a cordless drill with a skew driver and 10mm bit to take the cover off. It only takes a minute.

 

Yes I do this too but it's still a pain.