New engine bay cleaning (not degreasing) which product?

I use S100 Total Cycle Cleaner on the engine in my Supra. Safe for all the surfaces and dust and dirt just run off. It's not really for heavy cleaning/grease so this might be what your after. BTW, I only use a garden hose, no pressure washers.

I'm sure others on this board will have some even better suggestions, I just know this stuff is great!

HTH
 
I like diluted Megs APC for most of the cleaning, then Megs Super Degreaser for some of the heavy stuff. For dressing it, I actually like and use CD2.
 
Wipe it down every month with a damp MF. Dress all rubber/plastic. Polish all metal/chrome a few times per year. That's what I do. Make sure to break down the metal polish so it doesn't leave a bunch of swirls in the metal though.
 
White95Max said:






Wipe it down every month with a damp MF
.
Dress all rubber/plastic. Polish all metal/chrome a few times per year. That's what I do. Make sure to break down the metal polish so it doesn't leave a bunch of swirls in the metal though.





X2 :xyxthumbs
 
every once in a while I just use a normal carwash to clean the engine bay, there's no oil or grease to remove in there & it comes out beaut.



Sometimes I think a "degreaser" or APC may be more harsh than is really needed when I see other posts in here. If there are no oil leaks etc... a carwash does the job as well as anything else & everyone has one at hand too...



:bolt
 
I like to spray down the engine compartment with some Megs Safe D-Greaser. It's not as strong as other degreasers, but still effective. Also, it doesn't bleach plastic or rubber like some other degreasers will. I scrub using assorted brushes and then rinse with a garden hose using a moderate pressure setting. I start the engine and let it run for 15 minutes or so. The heat of the engine will help to dry the water. Then I towel off any remaining water and spray everything down with CD2 Engine Detailer. I start the engine again and run for 15 minutes to dry the CD2. Then I use a clean towel to wipe down any excess dressing.



Of course you should avoid the alternator, batter, distributor, air intakes, and assorted electronics. However, I've never had an issue so far. Sometimes it seems the engine even runs a little smoother & quieter when I'm done.



Here's a recent engine detail that I did . . .



Before

img07733gj.jpg


After

img07854hr.jpg
 
Honestly, if it's brand new, I would just use car wash soap and an assortment of brushes and mitts to get a "baseline" clean. After that I would just pop the hood after each weekly wash and wipe everything down with a dedicated MF. That is how I have treated every new vehicle that I have owned. Once every other month I would use the car wash and brushes to "deep" clean it, then back to wipe downs after each wash.
 
What ebpcivicsi said :xyxthumbs



Many of our vehicles have never had a "proper" underhood detailing, all I do is clean the underhood area with some shampoo mix and BHBs at *every* wash and maybe hit up the obvious stuff that could use a little dressing. I also wipe off the underhood insulation pad (gently). These aren't as nice as the ones I do properly but they're still mighty impressive looking. If you clean off the dirt they never get really nasty; I try to find a happy medium that I can maintain easily.



I hardly do the minivan at all by my standards, but I *do* give it a once-over at every wash. Last time I went to the Quick-Lube place the employees all quit working and came over to gawk at it because they thought it was so immaculate. Just keeping it clean goes a long way...



Polishing all the painted areas so they're nice and smooth (note that the paint under the hood is often not as nicely finished as the rest of the car), and then applying a good LSP will help keep things looking good. Left rough, it'll readily retain dirt and moisture. I haven't had to redo the painted parts of the drivers in over two years, surprising how long the LSP is holding up.
 
As long as the car isn't leaking any oil or fluids, there shouldn't be much dirt on it other than dust and occational moisture from heat/cold temps... Unless you drive an older diesel or something.



Just brush off the dry dust weekly with a large paint brush and wipe down the parts with a damp mf...



No need to wash it or anything.... The more often you do these little cleaning sessions, the lesser the need to use any form of liquid or chemicals.
 
jasonmac said:
I like diluted Megs APC for most of the cleaning, then Megs Super Degreaser for some of the heavy stuff. For dressing it, I actually like and use CD2.





Whats CD/2 and where can i get it from? thanks.
 
I do all my engine detailing by hand, although there are many on this site who use a hose and have no problem. For me, it's just not worth the potential risk. I use Orange Blast mixed 50/50 with water and sprayed on a cheap MF. I wipe off everything I can reach in the compartment. Then I "rinse" the area I just did by wiping off everything with another MF dampened with straight water. Third step - drying with another MF. Finally, I dress all plastic and rubber parts with 303 applied to a MF. Takes me about an hour to do the entire engine compartment. I had planned on doing the above every three months, but the engine was looking so good after three months, I stretched it to four.
 
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