A few underhood detailing questions.....

2

2003SCT

New member
Hey guys, I have a few questions on doing underhood detailing. To be honest, I have always spent less time doing it because "nobody sees it". Now that I am starting to get smarter(using a PC and proper products), I was wondering what you guys are doing as far as a underhood regimen. I have a Scunci Steamer and was thinking as long as I stay away from electonics, It shouldnt be that bad.

Does anyone have experience with Stoner's Trim Shine? Can I really just spray stuff full on under the hood and it looks decent? I have been putting it on a rag and wiping it on but it only turns out so-so.

Also, what are you guys using for cleaning? I have seen the AutoGlym stuff but was wondering if Simple Green works well(diluted of course) under the hood?



Anyway, just wanting a bit more direction or really good tips....







CHRIS
 
2003SCT said:
Hey guys, I have a few questions on doing underhood detailing. To be honest, I have always spent less time doing it because "nobody sees it". Now that I am starting to get smarter(using a PC and proper products), I was wondering what you guys are doing as far as a underhood regimen. I have a Scunci Steamer and was thinking as long as I stay away from electonics, It shouldnt be that bad.

Does anyone have experience with Stoner's Trim Shine? Can I really just spray stuff full on under the hood and it looks decent? I have been putting it on a rag and wiping it on but it only turns out so-so.

Also, what are you guys using for cleaning? I have seen the AutoGlym stuff but was wondering if Simple Green works well(diluted of course) under the hood?



Anyway, just wanting a bit more direction or really good tips....







CHRIS
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I'm waiting to see what people say also. This is the one area I'm still pretty unsure of. I know on MY car (LT1 Trans Am)... you CAN'T just spray water all over under the hood... my optispark (lt1 distributor) is incredibly sensitive to water... takes about 12 hours labor if me and maybe a friend would have to replace it... and costs up around 300 bucks. I'd be pissed if someone sprayed it. I always wonder how you know if other cars have anything that sensitive as well.
 
Not too long ago, some directed me to a tutorial section on here (I think) that cover sit, is there such a section?

Concensus was,

cover electrical stuff if oyu can w/ plastic bags, but newer cars are pretty safe if you don't.

Now I don;t do details on them per say, but I simply use a APC like SG, etc spray it on for a few minutes, rinse and spray some cheapo tire foam cleaner/shine in it to brighten it up. This is a quick way, but in no means am I detailing, more or less keeping off buildup and heavy grime.
 
scooterguitar said:
Not too long ago, some directed me to a tutorial section on here (I think) that cover sit, is there such a section?

Concensus was,

cover electrical stuff if oyu can w/ plastic bags, but newer cars are pretty safe if you don't.

Now I don;t do details on them per say, but I simply use a APC like SG, etc spray it on for a few minutes, rinse and spray some cheapo tire foam cleaner/shine in it to brighten it up. This is a quick way, but in no means am I detailing, more or less keeping off buildup and heavy grime.
Click to expand...





How do you "rinse" after using SG... doesn't that cause the same spray issues?
 
With my bmw (which has a plastic covering over the engine) I just put some tinfoil around what looked like electrical connections, sprayed a ton of EO All wheel and tire cleaner all over the place, and powerwashed with a 1700psi washer from about 2-4ft away. Worked pretty well--all of the oil and grime was gone, and for the most part I was able to drag my hand across the area and it wouldn't get black at all.
 
I spray simple green all over the place, let it sit and scrub with a tire brush., then give it a light shower from the garden hose. Let everything drip for 15 minutes then turn on the car and drive it around to dry everything off, then i use 303 and a terry towel and whipe over everything.
 
I do engine compartments on all the used cars I buy and then I keep 'em nice, currently doing two nasty, never-cleaned-before ones- an '84 RX-7 and a '97 M3 . A few sorta-random thoughts follow:



LT1s- unvented Optis, yeah, be careful. Cover it up with plastic and foil and you should be OK though, I never had a problem. You generally shouldn't just blast water everywhere anyhow, though it really doesn't cause many problems.



Simple Green- that stuff can discolor aluminum and some plastics; I use P21S Total Auto Wash and/or citrus-based engine degreasers instead. I seldom even use Simple Green on undercarriages any more. Yeah, wheel cleaners are often great for this too but sometimes they don't cut grease as well as you might expect.



Steam cleaners- vey helpful. Pressure washers- too uncontrolled for my taste.



I also use *LOTS* of swabs and some BHBs (which rinse clean no matter what you get on them).



I often use solvents to clean areas that I don't want to get wet. I did most of the XJS's engine compartment with just solvents last time (and that's one messy V12 ;) ).
 
Thanks for the tips accumulator, I'd karma that, but.. it says i need to spread more around.... :P





I prefer a damp towel, and damp brush. I swap out and rinse often. Then wring out till nearly dry.



Almost dry to the point no moisture flicks off or wrings out. Then i spend the time to work it slowly 1'x1' areas wipe off, dry off, dress.



I tend to use either a simple car APC or Car soap. I have found foam painting brushes to be indespensable for engine,trunk and interior dressing/cleaning.
 
As Accumulator said foil can be a godsend to mold/wrap delicate parts in, I always spray the part to be covered in WD40 first then after Ive finished with the pressure washer blow out any remaining water with a long nossled airgun with a compressor (you can get long barreled airguns for the compressor off ebay for a few bucks) tape the end so you don't get a mark if you touch paint.



Also elastic bands and wire ties can help keep bags in place when using a steamer/PW.
 
the0ne said:
anyone use a mixture of armor all /water under the hood to dress things up?
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Yeah, a *lot* of people here use a diluted Armor All approach. I don't for fear that a) it'll attract dust and b) I'll just wash it off next time I wash the car (I always give the engine compartment a quick once-over). Not saying my fears are justified, could just be an excuse for not bothering with dressing stuff in there :o but just keeping things clean goes a long way, at least on daily drivers.
 
SG Automotive seems to be the same as normal SG, maybe a higher concentration.



I got some LongHaul degreaser on sale at PepBoys and it works great on engines and especially wheel wells and chassis.



My favorite engine dressing is 303 protectant. It seems to repel water and dirt on plastic and rubber and keeps the engine compartment looking real nice for weeks.
 
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