Wash and Care for F355

I addressed this problem by cutting down a 0.5" foil-faced styrofoam insulation sheet (a la Home Depot) to fit between the engine and the engine cover. Its soft enough to give and seal when the cover is pushed down, and channels what water comes through to the rear and sides. I used this material since it was convenient, but you should also definitely let the car cool all the way down before washing.

 

John, would you happen to have any pictures of your car with the cover inserted. Also, I'm curious to know how the styrafoam channels the water to the rear/sides? Does it lie at an angle when you insert it? Thanks.

 

This is a lame question, but is there any harm in just spraying the back of a 355 like you would any other part of the car? I mean, if water and soap get into the engine bay, does that do bad things?

 

I have specifically been informed that you should never take a hose and gush it into the engine bay, as that can damage the engine. The water that drips into the engine bay as a by product of washing other parts of the car, or by quickly spraying the hose over the engine cover is fine, and should not cause damage, but water from those actions are obviously very different than spraying water directly into the engine bay.

 

It is always best to try and avoid water in the engine bay and or near the electronics. That being said, if you need to clean your engine, cover your electronic modules with some plastic bags and elastics and then gently rinse the engine down. Scrub with some clean (P21S works very well), rinse again, dry immediately, and then start the engine to dry more thoroughly. Follow up with a nice plastic conditioner for hoses and plastic parts and a detail wax for painted materials. This is the process I use on all my clients engines and I have yet to have a problem. The cars are designed to be used in wet, but minimizing the amount of water in the engine bay is the best approach.

 

For us non-mechies...could you specify where the electronic modules for the 355 are located in the engine bay.

I understand P21S is a line of cleaning products? Specifically, what product were you referring to??

Thanks.

 

Is it any different then driving in the pouring rain where its not only coming down through the vents but its being kicked up from underneath? Using a non-plastic cover sturdy plastic cover would be the best thing, open, cover, close, wash, and then fold up/remove and shake dry. Plastic will melt so if you wash after a run to put away, you want something synthetic or that will not melt/burn!

Sunny

 

All I ever did was normal washing. Never worry about the engine bay being soaked, because I never pour the water directly at it. I just made sure that the engine bay was dried as much as I could with dedicated clothes that I used to clean the bay with. After that, I ran the car around the block and finally up on open road for 10 minutes... never had a problem.

If I waxed the car, just drive after the wax job was done.... 2 years with out problem.

 

ghost:

Sorry for not being more specific. I was referring to the P21S All Purpose Cleaner, it is aggressive enough to remove contaminents from items without damaging the finish. I am not exactly sure where the 355 ECU modules are since I have not detailed a 355 engine, I was just referring to any basic engine. Most ECUs and sensors are easy to spot with wires, plastic and metal coming from them. As a general rule, anything that looks like it could have electronic controls in it, cover it. That way, you cause no problem.

 

thanks TCM.

 

What I do to keep the water spots off the engine [I always like to wash the car with the engine cold], is open the engine bay and drape a few towels over the engine and close the bay. The towels will not get terribly wet, but will keep the engine looking clean.

 

Use a drop cloth that I had. It is more or less rubberized on one side, and it will cover the whole engine bay by folding the sides in, and holds the water so it can be folded inwards after washing, and all the water can then be shaken off on the ground. It is the perfect size, and was a standard size when purchased. I know paint stores like Sherwin-Williams has some, but don't know where this on came from, as it was left by a workman a long time ago.