I don't care much for pressure washing engine bays. There are too many electronic components and nooks and crannies in the engine itself for water to get into and cause problems later. Sometimes the problem, if any, is not apparent for several days. If you do, use a low setting and be careful.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Although only a little over 35k on the clock for this 2003 S2000, as a summer driver I don't think that's all that bad. It gets a good claybar and waxing routinely. But the engine bay has remained pretty clean on its own. A simple wipe down every so often is all it has had. No doubt because it is rarely, if ever, driven on dusty or wet roads. Much prefer the top down and sunny rides.


The red circle identifies Mount Rushmore in the background.

Very nice. One of the very few things I miss about our time spent living in Gillette, WY is the weekends we spent exploring the Black Hills.

Are you serious? And this is only 'kinda' detailed. Not bad though for a 17 year old daily driver pickup truck with 140k miles on it.

Oh, Hell no.

yes of course

its part of the car

Detail the engine bay? Are you driving around with your hood up?

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
Detail the engine bay? Are you driving around with your hood up?

Wipe after doing your business? Are you walking around with your pants down?

No and no. I drive miles on dirt roads every day. It would be an interminable job.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Other than cleaning it for functionality I've never bothered with it. Hood up car meets are like a dentist drill to me.

I hear ya. Where I live, every event is really just a "car show" in disguise. I bought a "mud colored" Subaru and wash it once a year at the touchless car wash after winter. My wife thoroughly cleans the inside for me on my birthday.

It won't be worth a penny less on it's last day with me. And I'll have an extra day or so of life lived on my last day.

What color is that? People ask me often enough. I tell em. "Mud". It's less shiny now of course.

I don't ever clean the engine bay, although I'll wipe down the visible black plastic items. I have been known to wash and wax my wheels when I rotate them after an oil change...

I do my own.

For the engine bay, I start the car and run it for a few minutes then shut it off. Spray everything with simple green. Wait a few minutes then use warm/hot water to hose it all off.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:

I have adult OCD and detailing, especially the engine bay is almost therapeutic to me....Taking things that are super dirty, messy, etc, is relaxing to me.

Same here.

I try to get to each of my vehicles at least once a year for the total treatment. The motorcycle more often. I do engine bays once a year, it takes me about half a day. My truck's engine bay looks better than when it arrived from the factory.

One trick for those who care... I use corrosionX on all rubber/plastic components. I've found it to work a bit better than 303 in deterring the dust cling. Either way the key is to let it soak in for several hours and then wipe it dry. If possible wipe it dry again in 24 hours. It leaves these components looking better than new, and extends their life.

I used to crawl under my truck and polish the exhaust all the way back also...but that hurts my back too much now and I haven't installed stainless exhaust on my new truck yet. Soon.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Are you serious? And this is only 'kinda' detailed. Not bad though for a 17 year old daily driver pickup truck with 140k miles on it.

Impressive right there. That takes the cake for the whole thread.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
I usually wash and wax mine whenever we need rain. When I'm finished, I leave it outside the garage on purpose

I've always said that works much better than cloud seeding or a rain dance.