Clean under hood

[cbpowell105]

Anyone have any tip or tricks to keep everything under the hood clean, what products do you use, do you cover anything in plastic, do you use direct water hose spray? I've never done it, saw a couple YouTube videos where they were using pressure washer, I didn't think you were suppose to do that, but I really don't know?

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[Texstang]

I'd recommend covering sensitive electronic parts such as the alternator and pre-rinsing with light pressure from a hose. Also, id try to avoid getting a lot of water on the air filter housing, especially if you have an intake. Also important - don't spray down anything if the engine is hot. Then, take a diluted all-purpose cleaner and spray areas you want to clean. Agitate with a brush and rinse off. You can go back over areas with a quick detailer and a cloth to get areas you may have missed. Personally, I don't apply a trim dressing to the under-hood parts. If you do, try to avoid greasy ones and stick to a water based dressing. Something like Armor-All will tend to attract more dirt/dust. I just clean and dry.

As for products, any automotive all-purpose cleaner will work fine. I use Meguiars.

If the engine is very dirty, you may have to repeat the process a few times or use a steam cleaner if you have one handy.

 

[petstang]

Every time I wash the car, I clean the entire "under the hood" compartment, just with a wet microfiber cloth. If you do this every time you clean the car ( = weekly) this will remain clean. I have applied this to all my cars and always kept the engine compartment clean. There is simply no time for dirt to build up.

 

[free]

I use a microfiber towel with some APC to clean up any oil or grime and then Mother's VLR on rubber and plastic to keep them looking black and clean.

P.S make sure you have towels dedicated to this process that are never going to go near your paint, store them separate and wash them separate from towels that touch your paint. I was at the wash with my friend the other day and he literally used the same towel to wipe his tires, engine bay, and then his paint. Then he asked me why his car has so many scratches and mine doesn't :frusty:

 

[Chameleon]

Simple green spray for most times and when it really dirty the degreaser.

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