Washing the engine bay?

Does anyone have recommendations for washing the engine? I know at some point it's going to get dirty enough that wiping it down with a cloth won't do it. Will it cause any problems if it's washed with soap and rinsed with water?

 

I rinse it out with light water pressure, spray everything down with windex, and rinse again. Then dry everything I can reach with a microfiber towel.. I have noticed the 458 gets much dirtier than my 430 did, does anyone know the reason to this?

 

Don't know why, but it does get dirtier. Must be sucking more dust up from below. Or through the rear openings.

Mine gets so dirty (country roads) that I use a vacuum on the top of the red air plenums cause lots of dust collects there, then wash the entire bay down with soap and water, and rinse with low pressure water, and dry what I can. I leave the engine bay open over night.

 

Thanks guys it's my first F-Car. I figured that soap with low pressure gentle rinse wouldn't hurt anything but I wanted to make sure.

 

perfect timing for this thread as i am about to embark in my whole-day detail of my 458,
takes me about 6 - 8 hours and is a rather therapeutic activity for me (i of course have the car regularly washed by a professional but enjoy doing it myself if i have the time)

as for the engine bay i have found out there is no way to keep it looking really clean unless you bring it from time to time to a an experienced restorative detailer (like todd coopenrider of esoteric auto detail) to have the engine partially dismantled and cleaned (costs between 2 and 5K)

i may plan to have this done in the future but for the meantime I clean the engine bay the best i can and try to reach most of the parts i can, i also use engine degreaser in the lower parts of the engine that i can reach

 

As Rick mentioned elsewhere, a high-powered leaf blower is perfect for drying anything you have difficulty reaching as well as anything you have concerns about abrasion occurring from the cleaning process. The electric ones are just as powerful as gas-powered ones and easier to maintain. Just blow all the water off - no need to touch anything. Some units generate 200+ mph or air.

The other tip is to park the car outside while doing this but preferably NOT in the sun so as to avoid water spots. Then immediately take the car out for a high speed "spin (dry)".

If you clean your car at self-wash centres, some of them have distilled water rinsers and they leave no water spots even if water droplets should dry on your car.

 

Use a dedicated leaf blower for this, not the one you've used around the yard. Also, do not do this in Arizona or other arrid climates unless you like to sandblast your car.

 

I find it astounding that anyone would spend between 2-5k to have their engine cleaned. Talk about getting "hosed."

 

it is usually done for unique collectibles for concours preparation (a 25 hour or so job)
where the car has to meet certain maintenance standards

it is unfortunately the most effective way to minimize the natural wear and tear of engine operation while driving the car; unless you buy it and don't drive it

it just depends to what lengths one wants to go for maintenance...

if anyone is interested scroll down the article in the link and check out the section on the engine detailing

Ferrari F40: 60 Hour Restorative Detail by Todd Cooperider and Craig Reed | Ask a Pro Blog

 

You can use a high pressure steam machine if you have access to one.

 

I think you mean if there is a risk someone else in the household may use the leaf blower in a leaf vacuum configuration, yeah I wouldn't use that unit for the car. But if you just use the leaf blower to blow then it should be fine to use on the engine compartment.

I also assume you wouldn't be living in a dust storm area, in which case it would be better to have everything cleaned in a clean air environment. Actually, I would not be comfortable owning a Ferrari if there were dust storms where I live. Just worrying about the air filters for the engine would ruin the experience.

Well, I wouldn't go that far myself as it might remove more than you'd want to.

Cars are often prepped with a protective coating on engine compartment components that is more beneficial to leave on. So unless you are really knowledgeable about these engines I would stay away from heavy-duty treatments.

 

mmmm; blowers, steam machines, all that seems risky for an engine bay so laden with electronics...
i just use my hands, damp rags a bit of degreaser and time... takes me about 2 hours to work on the engine bay alone

 

I agree. Your "hands-on" approach is probably the best way to do it, if you have time and patience.

I was just referring to the OP and the other posters who described cleaning with soapy water, which I think is is fine. Using the leaf blower to dry up is quite easy to manage - most units also allow you to reduce velocity of the blown air and a simple way to adjust is to just hold the blower further away for the right amount of air pressure. It's a bit like blowing dry your hair.

 

+1

 

here are some pics of her lower part of the engine after after i performed my monthly 8 hour detail myself (the car has 5000K miles, MY 2010)
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pics of her 100% tan interior after 8 hour detail (including handwashing the daytonas)
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Dry ice blaster:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAM_m7nbfdE]CryoDetail - Porsche Cylinder Head - YouTube[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHKU51hVgsY[/ame]

 

What do use on the seats and dash. The only thing I have done so far is damp rag. I'm not sure if I should use any chemicals for shine or not.

 

just a damp microfiber rag, no chemicals, not even soap, i wash the interior and the engine once a month myself as it would cost me an arm and a leg to have it done

also i never leave the car outdoors when at home, always keep it in the garage with the garage door closed, at least 80% less dust accumulates on the car if i leave the door closed

ps i would not use any chemicals, esp. if on the carbon fiber interior trim if u have it, not even soap imho, just damp microfiber rag

ahh owning a supercar lol....

 

same concept as the high pressure steam machine

imho ok as shown in the videos if you take the engine apart for a restorative detail when one dismantles the engine and cleans it part by part or for an undercarriage cleaning

i have my detailer use the high pressure steam machine in the engine bay of my 95 e36 bmw m3 to clean certain parts under my supervision because not so many electronics in the engine bay

would not risk using the ice or steam machines in the sophisticated engine bay of the 458 imho, unless one takes the engine apart which frankly is only done on older collectibles and not new models

here are pics of the engine bay of my m3 after a detail using the steam machine (the car has 170K miles)
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pics of the oem carbon int. trim in my e36 95 m3 coupe (170K miles), i only use damp microfiber rag, not even soap
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