The exterior of the car gets almost all of the attention when it comes to the maintenance of car cleanliness and sportiness. You probably spent most of your time cleaning the car body and getting it polished and waxed to keep it shiny and well-protected from wear-and-tear due to the hot weather and minor scratches.
This is why most people fail to notice the importance of keeping the cleanliness of what’s under the hood, the car engine. A spotless engine bay is tough to achieve and even harder to maintain. It’s worth the time and effort as not only a clean engine compartment is attractive, it helps to preserve and fetch a higher price when reselling your car! Let’s take a quick glance at some of the Dos and Don’ts before you get started on cleaning your car engine!
1. DO take a “before” picture & DON’T be too hasty to remove any of the compartments
To get a deep and thorough clean, you must dive deep to reach all corners and edges. Before you start, be sure to grab your camera and snap a picture of how everything looks. The last thing you will ever want is to have everything removed and forget how to put them all back together!
Even if you have a great memory and a wealth of reference materials, a photo can still prove invaluable! Sometimes, all it takes is a simple glance at a “before” picture to know where that hose with the weird bend was attached.
2. DO use chemicals that are appropriate for engine cleaning & DON’T go crazy with engine cleaner
You will most likely be tempted to grab that aerosol can of foaming degreaser and just fog the entire engine compartment with it. A piece of advice: Don’t do it. Aerosol engine cleaner works great for engines that are very heavily soiled. However, this will be an overkill most of the time. If you don’t rinse off all the residue, it will even cause corrosion to your car engine!
Instead of just getting that, start by spending a little extra time by using a few clean rags, spraying your detailer of choice on the rag, and simply wiping away the dirt. If the grime is stubborn, then and only then consider more aggressive chemicals like brake or carburettor cleaner. By doing so, it prevents chemicals from forcing their way into places that they shouldn’t be in, and the cleaning can be done more thoroughly!
3. DO use a garden hose & DON’T use a pressure washer
If you need to wash off the grit and grime, don’t rely on the pressure washer to get the job done! Pressure washers will eject water at a dangerously high pressure and may threaten parts of your engine compartment. The jet can easily push past gaskets, into electrical panels and connections, and also into grease fittings!
Take some time to seal all electrical connections and crankcase openings before rinsing the car engine using a garden hose. If the garden hose doesn’t provide enough pressure, just gently scrub the persistent dirt off with a soft bristle brush.
It takes a little more time and patience to get your car engine properly and thoroughly cleaned. To find out more tips and tricks like these, visit www.ezauto.my/ezfeed/ to find out more today!