I took my wife's 2014 Camry in for an oil change at a new place down the street that had great reviews. A few days later, I was looking at the engine and something seemed weird to me but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. Then it finally occurred to me that it looked different because something was missing.

I don't know what to call this thing but it seems to be a protective plate.

Can anyone help me to identify what this is called? Also, would there be any reason for it to be removed during an oil change/inspection?

 

The sheet metal shield is missing?

Toyota may call it the "No 1 exhaust manifold heat insulator".