What do you use to clean your engine bay?

[Semi-Poor]

Cold or warm engine is fine, a hot engine and cold water
I do not run engine during process. Engine only needs to be warm if really dirty to help break up dirt.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by s85e90

do you know from experience? It is a cleaner also


As I said I been using it for many, many years, and you must spray and wipe it off.

Most actually evaporates due to its chemical composition leaving a little film (the mineral spirits/oil) behind.

Works very, very well. Sure they make other products also, but this is def a good one for this purpose.


edit: from WD 40 site: cleans and protects engine bay

I still would not use WD 40. It can damage plastic and rubber. Also, I would not want a coating of anything on my rubber and plastics in the engine bay. Plastics should be matte and dry to the touch.

As for what I use - I usually use Eagle One A2Z wheel cleaner in the engine bay. Spray on and hose off when the engine is cold. Do not let it sit. Close the hood and let the engine run for 15 min to burn off the excess water. It's a rather mild cleaner and safe for all metals, rubber and plastics. Leaves no residue.

[edwinm3]

Originally Posted by s85e90

I spray everything down w/ WD40 and wipe everything clean. Engine bay looks like it's brand new and car is 5 years old

Wow this is very old school reminds me of my younger days. WD40 doesn't care about the rubber parts, plastic, hoses, wring harness, wire insulation, belts, etc. Not to mention that it probably loosens bolts and stuff over time. Also the fact that the temperatures in the engine compartment are high don't help either. My .02

[edwinm3]

Originally Posted by Supes///M3

i use a citrus degreaser....

with the engine running, I thoroughly spray/soak the engine bay then shut the hood for ~5 minutes to let the temperature increase and allow dirt to become agitated...

then I shoot engine bay with a high pressure jet stream (garden hose or pressure washer will do)

keep in mind that the engine should be running at all times during this process

I did this on my E46 M3 all the time with ZERO issues....quick and easy

Running the engine is not a good idea, if the engine is that dirty then I would consider a stronger cleaner. shooting or spraying water onto a running engine could be recipe for disaster.

[s85e90]

Originally Posted by edwinm3

Wow this is very old school reminds me of my younger days. WD40 doesn't care about the rubber parts, plastic, hoses, wring harness, wire insulation, belts, etc. Not to mention that it probably loosens bolts and stuff over time. Also the fact that the temperatures in the engine compartment are high don't help either. My .02

lol I don't it's loosening any bolts but I get ya; it should only be an issue on solid rubber parts, not platics, other polymers etc. but even then as said, I been using it forever, and never had any problems. The engine bay literally looks like it could be a car w/ 0 miles. The key is always cleaning it. I at least wipe everything down once a week. High temps shouldn't matter either as the stuff mostly evaporates and then you're wiping the remaining residue off. It's just a great all around cleaner.

There's soooo many uses for some WD

(and duct tape)

[s85e90]

quoted from website:

"WD-40 Multi-Use Product can be used on just about everything. It is safe to use on metal, rubber, wood and plastic. It can also be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40 Multi-Use Product."


even that said, many RC guys use the stuff for cleaning (many RC parts are polycarbonate) w/ out issues.

[edwinm3]

Originally Posted by s85e90

lol I don't it's loosening any bolts but I get ya; it should only be an issue on solid rubber parts, not platics, other polymers etc. but even then as said, I been using it forever, and never had any problems. The engine bay literally looks like it could be a car w/ 0 miles. The key is always cleaning it. I at least wipe everything down once a week. High temps shouldn't matter either as the stuff mostly evaporates and then you're wiping the remaining residue off. It's just a great all around cleaner.

There's soooo many uses for some WD

(and duct tape)

I feel you it kinda reminds me of looking at used cars at "Buy here pay here" dealers

[s85e90]

Originally Posted by edwinm3

I feel you it kinda reminds me of looking at used cars at "Buy here pay here" dealers

yeah, the diff is they don't wipe shit off; just spray it down and close the hood

but the dealers actually use another product (forget its name) that is like a film over the entire motor

[edwinm3]

Originally Posted by s85e90

many RC guys use the stuff for cleaning (many RC parts are polycarbonate) w/ out issues.

true, I've used it for that before, it worked great

[edwinm3]

Originally Posted by s85e90

yeah, the diff is they don't wipe shit off; just spray it down and close the hood

but the dealers actually use another product (forget its name) that is like a film over the entire motor

you got me rolling over here good stuff man!!! Yeah you're right, I think what the use is that "engine brite" sh*t I think it's made by gunk or something like that.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by edwinm3

you got me rolling over here good stuff man!!! Yeah you're right, I think what the use is that "engine brite" sh*t I think it's made by gunk or something like that.

thats the cleaner or engine degreaser cant imagine that would be left on. its hosed off then dried and dressed after usually.

[edwinm3]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

thats the cleaner or engine degreaser cant imagine that would be left on. its hosed off then dried and dressed after usually.

Right I think it's called engine shine or something like that

[JR M3]

Originally Posted by Desmond Is My Constant

My engine bay is a mess, I'd like to clean it, or more so "detail" it (talking about a few hours). I just dont know what I should use as some of the dirt looks like won't get off unless I use a strong abrasive.

Use an apc to clean down the engine bay. Some of my favorites are 1z Einszett Blitz or Auto Finesse Citrus. Just use a brush and some MF towels to wipe down the areas. Then to protect any plastic pieces Adam's In&Out works great and so does 303 protectant. For rubber I would use either 1z gummi or swissvax seal feed

Hope this helps

[Bavarian Beast]

A guy I used to talk with on the M6 board swore by scrubbing bubbles and posted his detailing pictures. Unorthodox, but it did give him great results.

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e63...-easy-way.html