My engine dressing durability after 3 weeks

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Whitethunder46

New member
Here is a picture of my engine after I cleaned it 3 weeks ago. At the time it was cleaned with DP's Engine Degreaser, let dry, and then dressed with Zep All Around. It's been raining the last 2-3 days and yet my engine looks like I just cleaned it. I'm surprised myself. I did not wipe the engine for anything before taking the picture.



What the engine looked like the day I dressed it:

SL554420.jpg




And what it looked like as of 5 minutes ago:

SL554494.jpg
 
yup, as long as nothing gets into the bay, its surprising how long these dressings tend to last. I use AA tire foam myself.
 
I think those are pretty common results for engine bay dressing. Especially on Mustangs with all those plastic components.
 
The problem to me with spraying that stuff everywhere is getting it on the belts and pulley's would it not cause them to slip?
 
The point of the post is simply how long a quality dressing can last. When people think engine, they think dirty usually, at least I do. Knowing that the engine is as clean as it was the day you dressed it, means something to a lot of customers.
 
dmxsoulja3 said:
The problem to me with spraying that stuff everywhere is getting it on the belts and pulley's would it not cause them to slip?
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I think the consensus around here is that it would not cause them to slip. I've never had any problems, but I don't purposely spray the belts with dressing, either.
 
dmxsoulja3 said:
The problem to me with spraying that stuff everywhere is getting it on the belts and pulley's would it not cause them to slip?
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I usually spray with the engine on, that way the dressing won't settle on a pulley or belt. Also, I don't try to spray directly on the pulley/belts.
 
Whitethunder46 said:
Here is a picture of my engine after I cleaned it 3 weeks ago. At the time it was cleaned with DP's Engine Degreaser, let dry, and then dressed with Zep All Around...
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Yeah, that's holding up well. What I found especially interesting is that you used a Zep brand product. I use their #40 glass cleaner, but I never hear of anybody else using their products.



FWIW, I dressed the Blazer's engine compartment (well, as best I could on a 75K beater) with a combo of Autoglym Bumper Care and 303. It's still looking OK after the whole winter, which kinda surprises me. But it sure doesn't look as nice at Whitethunder46's does, that's for sure!
 
I was "playing" yesterday (part boredom, part 5 day rain forecast) with my new CD-2. It looks quite good once it dries. I'm gonna wipe some of the heavy spots with a towel..it's pretty easy to unify the appearance after the stuff sits for a day or two. I didn't do any "before" shots...sorry.



86.JPG




The only other product of its type I've worked with is Meg's Engine Kote....I had no luck with that product and I have a lot of it.



I'm pleased with the appearance of the CD-2. I have no idea how long it will last or how it will look when it starts to fade out. I hope it's not a mess.
 
I have been using CD2 on my engine and I just haven't been all that happy with its durability. It looks great for a few days but it is pretty oily and just seems to attract dirt. I think I am probably going to give Meguiars Hyper-Dressing a try.



2760dsc00045a.jpg
 
Bob, do you drive the car in the rain? Could that possibly be part of the durability shortcoming?
 
You guys spray the engine directly??? I've always sprayed an applicator and wiped the dressing on. That way there's no concern about spraying belts/pulleys and such. I also buff off excess dressing.
 
I usually hold the CD-2 Engine Detailer can about two feet away from the engine and spray the whole engine down, turn on the car and dries the dressing. Looks great.
 
tom p. said:
Bob, do you drive the car in the rain? Could that possibly be part of the durability shortcoming?
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Tom,



Yup, the Mustang is a daily driver (89K miles to date). I guess I should be more specific, maybe durability was not the correct word to use. CD2 does last but, the heat from the engine bay makes it oily and it tends to collect road debris (in Florida it was sand) to the point where it has to be completely cleaned up and redone all too frequently. I was far happier with Meguiars Engine Kote even with its finicky application requirements.
 
White95Max said:
You guys spray the engine directly??? I've always sprayed an applicator and wiped the dressing on. That way there's no concern about spraying belts/pulleys and such. I also buff off excess dressing.
Click to expand...





With an engine such as mine, there is no wayyy I could do this, even though I would love to. It would save me product and run me less risks. I swear, the 96-04 Mustang GT's have some of the ugliest engines.
 
I use the AA foam as well... I like to make sure I get everything and have sprayed it on everything including the pulley's and belts. The first time I did it, after realizing it, I was kicking myself because I thought there would be problems as well. But, no problems to this day. I have done this twice to my car and never had a problem with the belt slipping.



You're mileage, of course, may vary.
 
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