Pit Boss / Pellet Smoker Maintenance - To Cover Deflector or Not?

I've been covering the deflector with aluminum foil on my old Pit Boss to keep drippings and other grossness from building up on. The stuff hardens, burns, is difficult to clean, not to mention the metal begins to thin out over time. Always done it this way.

I just bought a new one (slight upgrade to 'pro series'). I'm wondering if I should keep up this practice to preserve the new grill. Are there any arguments against? Just curious if I'm missing anything. TIA