Hi Gents, When I saw the the open vents next to the clear engine cover glass I was not concerned as I would not be driving in the rain ...ever. How do you stop water from entering the engine compartment when washing the car? Is it a concern or is it made to drain the water without any metal or other comnponents getting wet that are not supposed to. Thanks
There is a drain hole in the engine side covers that drains into the engine bay and there is a drain hole on the undertray that lets the water out Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
as long as you're not shooting water directly through the vents at and angle where it would hit the engine, most of the water will hit the side panels inside the engine bay and there's a hole for it to drain out. After you finish washing and drying your car, pop the hood open, wipe down the 2 side panels and you're done.
Wimp. The car comes with windshield wipers from the factory, so I bet it's okay. I drove the 360 in the rain and I drive the 458 in the rain.
As everyone have mentioned, getting the car wet wont hurt it at all. There is a better blower than a leaf blower for drying washed cars. I use this and the output air is warm air & filtered air so that it wont scratch any surface and will dry the car faster. https://smile.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-SK-1-Sidekick-Motorcycle/dp/B000LQB24G/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1519361348&sr=1-2&keywords=car+dryer+blower Dan
Chris - As others have said, it is fine to get that engine compartment wet. The water that comes in through the vents falls on top of the side panels. If you look, each side panel has a "trough" that captures this water which then is directed to the rear of the panel where there is a drain hole. BTW, the drain hole simply allows the water to fall on top of the engine belly panel. When I washed my car, I never worried about the water getting in. Once done, I took a leaf blower and blew out the engine compartment then took some older microfibers and soaked up the remaining water. One word of advice - I did not spray down the engine compartment with a hose if I wanted to clean the engine. I took some all purpose cleaner, some small brushes and older microfibers and would clean my intakes, valve covers, etc. I then simply followed that up with a damp microfiber and then wiped down with a dry microfiber. Hope this helps
I use wide blue 3M masking tape to cover the vents before washing the car. That way I''m assured no water will land on the engine but maybe just drip onto the side panels.
Back when I was a completely anal and paranoid first time Ferrari owner, I used to pull the car out into the driveway, make sure the engine was cool, tape garbage bags over everything in the engine bay, try to keep the spray away from the vents.... After the first major service, as the mechanic was walking me through everything he had done, I asked how he got the engine and engine bay so clean. He told me “Oh it’s not hard. Just a good spray with degreaser, let it sit for a bit then hit it with the hose.” I haven’t worried about it ever since.
I washed mine all the time and never had a problem I was careful not to put too much water through the rear vents but some will certainly go there. I never saw any problem. After washing I first get as much water off the rear deck and roof, then open the hood. Let the hood sit there and do the rest of the car. Some water will dribble out for that time. Then reach in and wipe off the water which was mainly on the frame area. Clean the glass on the inside and then close the hood again. Most likely more water will dribble out and you'll have to repeat it. The F430 was the most difficult car I ever had for wiping down. It has nooks and crannies everywhere! But water in the rear area never seemed to be a big problem as far as I can see.
Nope. Of course, it’s not like I hose down the engine bay every day, or even every week. And after a wash, I always go for a drive (aka blow dry). That heats up the engine bay enough to dry out any stray water, and also dries the brakes so the rotors don’t rust. Also, when I do clean the engine bay a few times a year, it’s not like I’m using a pressure washer to blast things. Just a good degrease and spray. It’s just that after talking with my mechanic, I learned not to get all bent out of shape about it. So I don’t.
Oh. And living in Central Florida in the summer, we get daily thunderstorms that will dump several times the amount of water in 15 - 20 minutes as a commercial car wash. If I was still paranoid about getting things wet, I wouldn’t be able to drive for months at a time.
For those that are interested on how to clean their engine and engine bay the easy way please see my post here: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/engine-detailing.473552/ Hope that helps some of you. Dan
Hello ! I am late in the show but can you consider wahsing your car inside your garage if you can fully dry your car using the vacuum sk1 ? I live in canada and exterior washing is almost impossible 6 months / year Also, humidity level can go too high so maybe I shouldn't consider this...
LOL. A 355 would have been way too much worry for you - over the 8+ years that I had it, I put towels and newspaper over the engine whenever I wahed it. The F430 I have now is much less of a bother, as others have pointed out. All Ferraris can be driven in the rain without worry. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I also figured it must be OK if Ferrari designed it this way. Of course they had to make openings to let the heat out. I washed it and noticed the water that came into the engine bay. Dried it up, and I'm sure it was fine. That said, I like to keep it clean and dry. So next time, I just put some towels under the vents to catch the water, worked nice. After you wash it, make sure you open and stow the top and clean the deck that is normally under the roof to avoid water stains
With todays new technology cleaning products you don't even need to get your car wet. I had a lot of money spent on my cars paint, and always on the look out to get the best least damaging methods. Firstly my car does not go out in the wet or would it ever get 4x4 dirty so I use waterless wax products. First off a sponge and water is going to hurt your car more than a waterless wax product if care and attention is taken, for example, if you spray on, leave for 30 seconds then let the weight of the cloth clean the first pass etc. So no real need to drench your engine bay!
