ntwillie1

We've had a rough winter up here in the North East this year. It seemed that since Christmas week we've had a big storm every week. Well the groundhog didn't see his shadow and since then we haven't had snow. Yesterday we actually cracked 60 degress so I figured why not wash the car. I decided to document my engine bay detail which took me less than 30 minutes to complete and I think came out very nicely. My next door neighbor gets his engine steam cleaned for about $60 every year and he always complains about sputtering for a few days after until everything is dried out. I was aiming to not experience anything like he does so I took a gentler approach. Here goes.

This is what I've been dealing with all winter.


Step 1 - Assess your work. This is what my engine bay looked like after 2.5 years of ownership. The only thing I have ever done is clean the leaves out, other then that its never been washed or cleaned before. I think it was holding up pretty ok. I was mostly dealing with water stains, rock salt from the roads, and the usual engine grease.






Step 2 - Used P21S Total Auto Wash to degrease and clean the engine. I also liked that it had a pleasant Citrus smell to it.


What I did was simply soak the engine with P21S and let sit for like a minute or two.


Here's a shot of the P21S at work.


Step 3 - Lightly hosed off the soap. The instructions say to use a jet stream of water but I didn't want to force any water where it didn't need to be so I simply used the shower setting on my hose and rinsed it off. Absolutely no force or scrubbing was used.


Step 4 - Let the engine dry. I accelerated this process by turning the engine on and letting it run for a few minutes. I then turned it off and ensured my remote starter worked and also made sure all my electriconic devices were functioning properly. No issues experienced.






Step 5 - Engine Dress up. I actually forgot to take pictures of the engine all dressed up but I did take one showing the product I used which is Silk Shine Dressing made by Chemical Guys. What I did was wipe down all the black plastic panels as well as the hoses. I like that the bay of this car is very spacious and that I actualy have room to stick my arms/hands in there and reach almost every hose.




If anyone has any questions or comments please let me know. I used to detail cars when i was back in college and actually started doing it on weekends even after becoming a professional and getting a very demaning job. Detailing is sort of like therapy. It helps me forget all of the weeks problems. If anyone cares to see some of my past work send me a PM and i'll email you the link to my website. Thanks for looking.

Step 6 - Almost forgot. I had to wash the rest of the car. LoL.

007Acura

nice & clean

OperationDarkie

iTrader: (1)

Question where did you buy that de-greaser? I have been looking for something like this for a while seeing as I need to clean the engine bay on both of my acuras.

mdx_1976

Good job!

ntwillie1

Hi There. P21S is a very common brand among detailers so you should be able to pick it up on any reputable website that offers detailing products. I purchased mine online from a place called detailedimage. Just google them and they will come up. Look under engine bay. I payed like $16 or so. I also purchased a foam gun and lots of other stuff but the foam gun was not worth it at all. It actually made washing my cars harder but i digress.

You should also check out P21S' other products, I hear the wheel cleaner is very good but I personally have not had a chance to try it yet.

And a little side note, if you are interested in the P21S carnuba wax, you can get the same thing but marketed for motorcycles for a lot less. It goes by the name of S100. Just in case you're interested. I use that on my cars as a topper and it lasts long and makes the white paint on my cars really pop.

Good luck.

ntwillie1

Let me add one more thing here - if you have any exposed wiring try to cover it up, either with a plastic bag or aluminum. I would avoid wetting wiring or harness' and so fourth if possible. My MDX and TL both have the majority of their engine compartments covered in black plastic panels so that alone protects the wiring and harnesses from any real water getting in. I will say that on my MDX i didn't bother to cover anything because i felt comfortable with the process but if you have an older vehicle or its your first time take precaution.

Also, do not blast your engine bay with jet streams of water. I used my hose on shower setting and it was gentle and effective.