Engine Bay Clean/Detail

[brett_00]

Hi guys,

So far everyone has been talking about exterior detailing. I thought it might be interesting to bring up the topic of under bonnet cleaning and presentaion. This is an area which i feel i don't have a great deal of knowledge and i would like to improve the look of my car in this department.

So far i have been washing under the bonnet with a high pressure hose keeping away from any electrical parts, and around any seals such as the rocker head cover. Instead of trying to get into every last part of the car with a drying towel i have used a high pressure air gun to "blow dry" the water from the paint and other components under bonnet. Alternatively i guess you could use the same waffle weave towel that you use to dry your wheels given the dirty nature of this area.

-What is the best way to polish and keep swirl free. How do i remove the current scratches to the paint?
-How do you get rid of the dirt and dust that collects in the corners safely without damaging the paint?
-Do you use a small paint brush to get into tight areas?
-What do you recomend as the best dressing products for the plastic surfaces?
-What do you use to clean/polish powder coated surfaces such as rocker head covers and inlet manifolds?


Has anyone got any tips and tricks that they would like to add on this topic? It would be nice to get the ball rolling on this section.

Cheers,
Brett.

[THE GLORIDA]

Good topic Brett.

a) Minimising scratches to the paint, under the bonnet is best done without making any contact to the painted surface. So using a degreaser (like Multisurface Cleaner) in varying strengths depending how dirty your engine bay is, then using low to mild pressure hose to wash it down. Then either chamois or using the patting process with a Waffle Weave towel.
b & c) Sometimes the only way to get rid of dirt in the corners is by using detailing tools like the Laitner tool to loosen it first: http://www.glowridaz.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=26&products_id=83 and then a MF towel as the cleaning applicator.
d) Dressing products should stay away from shiny & greasy finish products, as this will only contribute to further mess under the bonnet after (x) amount of kms driven. Better to use a non-silicone, low solvent based product like Driven VRL, which is safe on or vinyl & plastic trims. This product will restore to a natural finish and judges (in car shows) will look more favourably on you for cleaniness and the well maintained nature of your engine bay components.
e) I have used various metal polishes in the past, to name a few are MirrorFinish, PurplePolish, but lately I have had real good results with ARTISAN - Metal Polish http://www.glowridaz.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=51&products_id=78. If the metal/chrome parts are not badly oxidised then any of these polishes mentioned will work well. If they are badly oxidised then more work is needed.

Well this is my experience in this area, I find it a pain in the ass. 

My main focus with cleaning under the bonnet, is not trying to damage any exposed wiring connections in the engine bay. Water as we all know is high in chemicals and when mixed with heat over time slowly breaks down and adds to the wear and tear of materials in the engine bay.

Looking forward to see how others go about it??

Joe.

[HelenJames]

I think this topic was discussed loads of time before at this forum