What's the best cleaner for the 360 engine compartment plastic side shields?

What's the best cleaner to get rid of some waterspots, YET not be greasy like an armor all look. I've seen some things talked about in other threads, but didn't want to hijack them with this specific request. Is there something that makes it black and is durable, without the greasyness?

 

In a word....no Short of buffing with a very fine car polish used for jeweling the paint on the exterior, I doubt there is any cleaner to remove the stains. Many of these cleaners will actually ADD to the stains on these panels. Trust me, I know

If I'm not mistaken they are metal panels. There are a variety of "make black" products on the market, most of which are polymers with heavy silicone that darken by "wetting". They are limited by exposure to the elements, most are shiny and a bit greasy, and are probably melted away by the high heat of the engine compartment. I have them all, and have tried them all.

Mine look like shiz, with lots of water stains...they have since I got the car. My solution is going to be repainting them in matte black with a high heat paint and then applying polymer sealant every few months. Something like Ultima Paint guard plus is designed for exterior auto paint but is good at resisting the high heat of direct sunlight. The panel covering the brake fluid reservoir in the boot is painted the same and had the same kind of drips. I repainted that with excellent results, and Ultima at each detail makes it look great.

Oengus has some fantastic looking panels on his spyder, which he says are the result of WD40. I'm going to try that, but I suspect it will not remove my water stains, only make them invisible for a while.

Regards,
Pete

 

Actually mine don't look that bad, just figured I'd see if there was anything to make them look perfect. I saw a post by that guy who used WD-40- just seems like it would wear off though as you say. Unfortuntely we're dealing with an area exposed to a lot of heat which doesn't help, as you point out.

 

WD-40 buffed with a microtowel buff.....
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When I had the 360........ after using a spare CaliforniaDuster each time, on those side panels I'd use AeroSpace 303 on a microfiber cloth. Good sun protection and keeps a somewhat matte look to it. Very low dust attraction also. (As for the WD40, one thing to remember is, that stuff is also great for "cleaning" and if you ever have any sections where a painted coating is wearing off, it will accelerate that.

 

Aerospace303...I'll have to try that. Is that an online-only thing or can I get it at a typical Pep boys type store?

Chas the WD40 worked great in you car! I'd rather try a cleaner/polish first before going the WD40 route however, if I can...

 

after you get them cleaned and want a quick idea, use furniture spray on a rag and wipe it down to get rid of any dust or dirt. it gives a nice shine also with really no effort.

 

WD40 will mess up the finish given time and heat. I wouldn't use it on paint. Sure the oil makes it look shiney, but it's ruining the paint at the same time.

 

I also use 303. I works better than anything else I've tried.

 

Mothers Back to Black is what I use. It's not too shiny and restores the color to a rich black.

 

I've heard nothing but good things about the 303 stuff as well, and plan on picking some up myself. It's apparently sold at Eastern Mtn Sports in addtion to various camping places.

Here's a retail locator from their website.
http://www.wheretobuy303.com/index.php?tab=US

 

303 Aerospace protectant has the highest SPF of any product on the market, and it is a must have. I use it on all the leather prior to the protection cream that goes on it.

I tried 303 a bit on my panels, but could still see the stains. I suspect that painting is the only option for me to get the results I'm looking for.

 

This is the sharpest looking engine bay I have seen! Nice job! The only bad thing is that this makes me even more neurotic about the level of perfection of my 360.

 

+1

 

My drip trays have what appear to be water spots. They won't go away with soap or the other cleaning products I have tried.

I am going to try one of those Lime Away mineral dissolving products.
Maybe that will work

 

hahahahaha

 

Ive always been pretty anal about my ferraris........sadly these are all gone now

But Im now on the search for a no story stradale
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Have you tried this cleaner (attached) before? It is very good and safe to use on many parts of the car.
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Actually, I use the P21S on my black 911, and may use it on the Ferrari too....but I use that for polishing the body- never thought to use it on the black engine panels.

I may pick up some of the 303 when the weather gets warmer out and I can play around with the car...it's too darn cold in my garage to fool around with it now

Thanks for all the recommendations!
-Andrew