Hello, I live on a dusty road, my 2015 GS 350 F Sport (@60k on ODO) has a dirty engine bay. The dealer stated 60$ to clean it and it may take an hour to do this...

Does anyone have any experience in this?? Is it a steam clean??

I don't want to take it to the local car wash and pressure wash the engine bay LOL


thanks !

$60 seems inexpensive for an hour work considering the nominal labor charge at a dealer is probably much higher per hour.

ya that is what i thought, 60 is what the dealer quoted, was wondering if it is a thorough deal or just a spray off, I live 2.5 hrs from the dealer

Yeah, blasting away with the car wash wand is bad luck and crap is about to happen.

I'm no expert or pro, but for me, this is what I do: I go to the car wash and use the Spot Free Rinse option ONLY, which is low pressure and low volume flow. I do NOT spray very close to the engine or any accessories, I keep the wand nozzle back a ways and am very careful on where and how I spray. I do not use any high pressure settings or soap.

I do not spray the radiator or ac condenser coils or fins at the car wash, they are so easily bent over and mashed together. If they are dirty then I use my water hose at home in conjunction with an old paint brush to gently clean crud.

If there is a really dirty spot then I squirt it with something like 409 and gently scrub it with an old rag, then I gently pour water over it to rinse that off.

That's what I do and have never had a problem, good luck to you.
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Cleaning my engine bay takes like 20 minutes.

Spray degreaser on cold engine bay.

Agitate with soft bristled brush. Wheel brush and an old baby bottle brush works well.

Rinse off gently, avoiding spraying directly into electrical connectors.

Hit it with the leaf blower to remove standing water.

Using a throw away rag, dress plastic surfaces with a low sheen dressing.

Hit the battery terminals with some NOCO NCP2 corrosion inhibitor.

You'll probably spend more time researching products than actually cleaning. I use Chemical Guys Orange Degreaser, Silk Shine, and the aforementioned NCP2. I will sub out the Silk Shine with their VRP product. 303 Protectant is also popular.

I have an old Subaru with all the regular nooks and crannies. It may be even faster if you've got a Lexus with a plastic cowling that covers anything important.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Cleaning my engine bay takes like 20 minutes.

Spray degreaser on cold engine bay.

Agitate with soft bristled brush. Wheel brush and an old baby bottle brush works well.

Rinse off gently, avoiding spraying directly into electrical connectors.

Hit it with the leaf blower to remove standing water.

Using a throw away rag, dress plastic surfaces with a low sheen dressing.

Hit the battery terminals with some NOCO NCP2 corrosion inhibitor.

You'll probably spend more time researching products than actually cleaning. I use Chemical Guys Orange Degreaser, Silk Shine, and the aforementioned NCP2. I will sub out the Silk Shine with their VRP product. 303 Protectant is also popular.

I have an old Subaru with all the regular nooks and crannies. It may be even faster if you've got a Lexus with a plastic cowling that covers anything important.

Agreed. Take it for a ride afterwards to warm and dry the remaining parts, pieces.

thanks fellas !

For $60 I’d let the dealer take care of it

Just in case any water gets into a sensor and it throws a code they can fix it

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
$60 seems inexpensive for an hour work considering the nominal labor charge at a dealer is probably much higher per hour.

Except that I've never met a dealership employee that knew their ass from a buffing pad when it came to 'actually' detailing a car. Can they run a dirty mop or sponge over your car and call it a detail? Sure, but they'd never touch one of my cars.

For the Op, it's unlikely the engine compartment will be steam cleaned as most shops don't have that equipment. It's also exceptionally important that whomever does the work understands that a modern engine bay cannot simply be pressure washed without potentially creating some real problems. Since your engine bay is likely not going to be cleaned often, I'd suggest you find a good local detailer and have them do it for your regardless the cost. That's their job, and if they're good at it, you'll get a terrific job that will last a long time while not having to worry about water/cleaner being forced into places its shouldn't be.