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Cleaning engine bay? Steam cleaning worth? and if so where is best in the north east area?


Rustie

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Hi, not sure about the steam cleaning, as i do all the cleaning myself as i prefer that and it gives me something to do :D , anyways if you want to clean it yourself i use engine cleaner/degreaser gets everything off nice and easy, a load of rags or cloths some black trim polish for all the black trim and pipes and wires etc in the engine bay using that it will make them shine up nice and look new, my engine bay was pretty dirty when i got it too and i hate that, but since i have been using above and not done everything i want to yet and not spent that much time on it, it really does look near new in the bay i'll post a pic soon. Just wish i had a before and after lol.

 

Though this All depends how quick you want it to be clean and the price you want to spend to get it clean ;)

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I've just done my engine bay for the first time and was very nervous with regard to protecting the electrics.

 

I decided against a steam clean and opted for degreasing and a very gentle open ended hose down. Used cling film to cover all electrics.

 

My advice is to be quite careful and ensure all electrics are covered.

 

Dry the whole bay off with microfibre cloths or old towels, then start the engine and run for a couple of minutes to warm through.

 

Detail the bay with products of your choice, I've found 303 Protectant to be very good, following recommendations from forum members.

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

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My way was to take all the easy access parts off then I use carbcleaner on a rag and with a little hard work it degreases and tidies and cleans in one.Take your time it's not a race.89f7e678a3ce9d22a73446f6863f62a5_zps7a239616.jpg

:thumbs:

WOW :thumbs: doesn't get any cleaner then that. Can i pick up Carbcleaner at halfords? Was there any other products to use? You have just made me picture what mine could be like so yeah i am really excited to start this now.
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I've also been considering a steam clean as I have oil everywhere underneath following my engine letting go. Just wondering if there's any potential problems I could encounter leaving it , should I get it cleaned ?

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Just ended up getting some Gunk degreaser (the spray can one) so i will see how that works out on the weekend hopefully. On the can it says to remove it it rinse through with a strong stream of water, would it be better of and safer to just wipe it off with a micro fiber cloth?

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You should be fine spraying water into the engine bay as long as you're careful. Disconnect the battery and cover your intake and any electrical connections with cling film. Then spray the degreaser, leave to do it's thing then agitate. Rinse of carefully with a hose (Low pressure only), then leave to dry for a bit before taking the cling film off and reconnecting the battery. Start the car and let it get up to temperature (Helping with the drying), then spray on some engine dressing.

 

As long as you're careful you can't do any damage... remember the engine bay isn't totally sealed from the elements! Watch some vids on Youtube showing the proper technique. If in doubt do it on a really hot day and wait until everything has dried before reconnecting the battery.

 

Here's quite a good one, but the guy has the most boring voice in history!

 

Edited by Paddy78
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Rustie you only need cheaply carbcleaner mate spray onto a cloth then clean the area keep adding more onto the cloth and work the area it will remove all grease and dirt the better you clean now the easier it will become later when doing your bay :thumbs:1459922ce9db5af6223993b88480348a_zps1ddfbba8.jpg

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