Finally after a year long wait the F8 is here. Already put good number of miles on the baby. Need to get it washed, a few questions on that: - Dealership offers free hand car wash: Any experience with dealer washes? Scratches? Swirl marks? - In case I do it myself, is there a way to prevent water from going into the engine bay of the F8 coupe during a wash? Would be tough drying it up. Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Drape a towel over the engine, close the lid then just wash the car. Thats what i do w my 458. Just make sure the engine is not hot first.
Don't wash the rear window along with the rest of the car and always direct the water spray away from the window and the adjacent mesh vents. You will get a little bit of water in the engine compartment, but if you're carefull it won't be much. I use a very wet microfiber towel to remove dirt and grit from the rear window; be gentle to avoiid scratching the Lexan. As a final step, I use Plexus to polish the Lexan.
Our dealer up here would use the sane dirty water in the bucket from the car they just washed. I always made it clear to them to not wash it. It is fun doing your first hand wash. Something I’d look forward to.
Just got my F8 and I plan to cover the vents on the metal sides and Lexan lid with 3M blue masking tape like I did when I had my 430.
That’s exactly my concern with these dealer detailers. Dirty water and dirty dusters. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Thats a good idea. Just curious, does the blue tape leave any residue? Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I meant dirty wash cloths. Used again and again. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I buy a box of wash mitts from a wholesaler with each one wrapped in plastic. Brand new one each time. I use them for my truck after.
The engine getting wet is no big deal. Just use a leaf blower on the engine to blow away the water. If the car has ceramic or hood wax that’s also the best way to dry the whole car.
I’ve washed my F8 about 5x since I took delivery in May. I have PPF on the entire car plus a ceramic coating. Makes washing a breeze. I enjoy the process so I go the full 3 bucket route. I was concerned about getting water in the engine bay too until I went through a rain storm a few weeks ago and watched through the rear view mirror the water pouring in. I don’t think it’s a big deal. I laid a towel across the engine once and panicked when I forgot about it and drove the car into my garage for drying with the towel still on the engine. My most recent wash was this past Tuesday after a rally in the mountains the week prior. I soaped up the lexan cover like every other surface with my foam canon and gently wiped it down with my wash mit. Water and soap went into the engine bay but I blew it down with my ‘Air Force Blaster Sidekick’ air blower (electric blower not gas powered…heard that may blow oil/gas onto the vehicle) during my drying cycle. I think we are overthinking the whole ‘getting water into the engine bay’ concern. You’ll definitely get suds/water into the inner perimeter of the frunk though. Just wipe it down. Make sure you clean the window separating the engine bay and interior. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I didn’t get any residue when I used it on my 430. Haven’t tried it on the F8 but I think using a masking tape from a reputable company like 3M and it should be okay.
People, you cannot be serious. Water in the engine bay? Are you serious? You're worried about that? Really?? Does that mean you will never drive the car in the rain? Oh, wait, never mind. I'm on a Ferrari message board ... Carry on. I will be outside driving my Ferrari. In the rain.
In the early days I would Just wash the car, and then use a leaf blower to rid any water in the engine bay. I since have purchased a 8hp blower that will dry the car and avoid any swirl marks.
Just like you were serious about tinting the plexiglass on the engine bay? To each their own. Some of us like to keep things clean and have several other cars to drive in the rain…..move on Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Funny, I kept some old towels for my 328 engine when I washed the flat rear deck. Worked fine, kept it dry, but make sure the engine is cold. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Washing a car can actually lead to quite a lot of water getting into an area with electrical connections. I’m not familiar with the F8, but driving in a typical rain and washing the car are potentially very different. Detailing an engine bay is also far more work than rinsing road dirt off the exterior. So, I get where they’re coming from. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Look into this car dryer. I’ve been using the same one for 20 years warm and filtered air. Easier to work with also. They are available many places. I just grabbed this link quick off my phone. https://adamspolishes.com/products/adam-s-master-blaster-revolution?variant=19941397266529¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&g_productid=shopify_US_2130315247713_19941397266529&g_campaign=%28AGT%29+Smart+Shopping&g_productchannel=online&g_campaignid=1626120209&g_ifproduct=product&g_keyword=&g_merchantid=103372428&g_acctid=556-536-0373&g_adtype=&g_adgroupid=60644928383&g_adid=310916579920&g_network=u&g_keywordid=pla-296204032523&g_ifcreative=&g_partition=296204032523&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=SmartShopping&utm_adgroup=60644928383&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI24SEyNjY-QIVYgnnCh0bAQb0EAQYAiABEgLnPPD_BwE