I've had several PM's about how to do an engine detail from from another post on these forums. Not meaning to keep this a secret, but I just didn't think many would be interested. I am not a professional detailer, just a hobbyist (Ok, a Type-A hobbyist!). This is what works for me, and if anyone can benefit from what I do, then it's a good day. Feel free to adjust as required, and YMMV
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Yup, I detail the engine thoroughly once a year.. typically in April when the weather clears. Then it's just regular maintenance as required.
I just use a 1" wide genuine bristle paintbrush, a bucket of water with soap. Nothing fancy. If there's any tough spots, I use Castrol Super Clean or Simple Green (diluted 50% with water).
Just use a light spray, like a mist from your hose nozzle. Keep water away from the air intake and alternator, and wire clusters. The components are meant to take a fair amount of water, but NOT under high pressure, so that's why I like to use light spray/mist. I remove the plastic engine cover underneath the engine prior to doing this. It's also a good time to wash that down as well.
I remove the battery, the battery enclosure, and battery tray. I use the hose on mist, and wet down the engine compartment, then use an old chamois to wash down the larger components with the soapy water, then use the paintbrush with soapy water to get all the detail areas under and over hoses/wires, and other difficult places. When I'm happy, I just rinse off with a soft spray from the hose. Oh yeah, I remove the engine cover on top of the motor as well.
I dry as much as I can, then throw on some wax on the painted panels inside the engine bay. I just use Mothers liquid wax for that... don't forget the rain rails where the fender joins the inner cowl, the firewall, and underside of the hood. It works quite well. For all the black areas (hoses/wires/rubber boots/plastic panels) I use 303 Protectant. I mist it on the larger components and wipe it around using a paper towel.
While the battery is out, I wash it down with baking soda, and apply dielectric grease to the battery terminals. I do the battery every spring.. once a year. I also check the battery fluid level (mine has removable caps).
I also apply dielectric grease to every electrical connector I find... not every year, but I make a conscious decision to use dielectric grease every time I break a connector. A good habit to get into to prevent problems later on.
I usually don't wash the engine sound deadening pad underneath the hood. I just vacuum as required to keep it clean. As long as no oil gets on it, it should come clean with with a Shop Vac.
Every time I wash the car, I wipe down under the hood with a damp/wet cloth and dry. I don't remove the engine cover, although on the PD motor it's a piece of cake to pop that off. I redress the black hoses/plastic bits/rubber boots, etc with 303 as it needs it.. maybe twice a year. Oh yeah, before I put the plastic underbelly cover back on the car, I wipe down all the hoses, etc with 303 as well.
So, every April I spend about two hours on the engine compartment. Every carwash I spend maybe 3 minutes on it. I might spend 15 minutes on a quick detail to freshen it up a couple times a year. So, this is really a quick way to get good results.
The A4 design is really nice. The engine stays REALLY clean with minimal maintenance unlike my old A2 that got filty in the first rain!
I like to detail the car, and I even wax both sides of my rims, door jams, etc. Hey.. it keeps me off the streets at night
HTH,
Harry.
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Yup, I detail the engine thoroughly once a year.. typically in April when the weather clears. Then it's just regular maintenance as required.
I just use a 1" wide genuine bristle paintbrush, a bucket of water with soap. Nothing fancy. If there's any tough spots, I use Castrol Super Clean or Simple Green (diluted 50% with water).
Just use a light spray, like a mist from your hose nozzle. Keep water away from the air intake and alternator, and wire clusters. The components are meant to take a fair amount of water, but NOT under high pressure, so that's why I like to use light spray/mist. I remove the plastic engine cover underneath the engine prior to doing this. It's also a good time to wash that down as well.
I remove the battery, the battery enclosure, and battery tray. I use the hose on mist, and wet down the engine compartment, then use an old chamois to wash down the larger components with the soapy water, then use the paintbrush with soapy water to get all the detail areas under and over hoses/wires, and other difficult places. When I'm happy, I just rinse off with a soft spray from the hose. Oh yeah, I remove the engine cover on top of the motor as well.
I dry as much as I can, then throw on some wax on the painted panels inside the engine bay. I just use Mothers liquid wax for that... don't forget the rain rails where the fender joins the inner cowl, the firewall, and underside of the hood. It works quite well. For all the black areas (hoses/wires/rubber boots/plastic panels) I use 303 Protectant. I mist it on the larger components and wipe it around using a paper towel.
While the battery is out, I wash it down with baking soda, and apply dielectric grease to the battery terminals. I do the battery every spring.. once a year. I also check the battery fluid level (mine has removable caps).
I also apply dielectric grease to every electrical connector I find... not every year, but I make a conscious decision to use dielectric grease every time I break a connector. A good habit to get into to prevent problems later on.
I usually don't wash the engine sound deadening pad underneath the hood. I just vacuum as required to keep it clean. As long as no oil gets on it, it should come clean with with a Shop Vac.
Every time I wash the car, I wipe down under the hood with a damp/wet cloth and dry. I don't remove the engine cover, although on the PD motor it's a piece of cake to pop that off. I redress the black hoses/plastic bits/rubber boots, etc with 303 as it needs it.. maybe twice a year. Oh yeah, before I put the plastic underbelly cover back on the car, I wipe down all the hoses, etc with 303 as well.
So, every April I spend about two hours on the engine compartment. Every carwash I spend maybe 3 minutes on it. I might spend 15 minutes on a quick detail to freshen it up a couple times a year. So, this is really a quick way to get good results.
The A4 design is really nice. The engine stays REALLY clean with minimal maintenance unlike my old A2 that got filty in the first rain!
I like to detail the car, and I even wax both sides of my rims, door jams, etc. Hey.. it keeps me off the streets at night
HTH,
Harry.
