Stupid question of the week...

[bazza]

...and you just knew it was going to be about the GTA, didn't you? I mean, let's face it, I haven't shut up about it for two weeks now

Anyway, here it is:

One of the more remarkable things about the condition of the car I'm buying is that the engine bay is absolutely spotless. It would seem a shame to let this lapse, so how do I go about maintaining this condition, without breaking various vulnerable parts of my car?

[BigFoot]

You really have to rub it in, haven't you?!


Can't wait to see the pics mate

[Gary Slegg]

Don't drive it

Seriously though, I'd be a bit worried if it were too spotless, as that could mean it had been in an accident...

I tend to use normal car shampoo and wax on the engine bay of my MG...make sure you don't drip too much water on anything electrical though.

[GhostyDog]

Originally Posted by Gary Slegg

Don't drive it

Seriously though, I'd be a bit worried if it were too spotless, as that could mean it had been in an accident...

I tend to use normal car shampoo and wax on the engine bay of my MG...make sure you don't drip too much water on anything electrical though.

You've probably got a bit more space to get your hands in than Bazza

[Gary Slegg]

Originally Posted by GhostyDog

You've probably got a bit more space to get your hands in than Bazza

You've not seen a Midget's engine bay then

[bazza]

Originally Posted by GhostyDog

You've probably got a bit more space to get your hands in than Bazza

Are you saying I've got over-sized hands???
No, I get it really, honest.

So Gary, do you sponge on and then hose off, as you would with the rest of the car? I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to point the hose in there at all...

[Gary Slegg]

No, I sponge on, and then sponge off. To be honest with the Midget it not too much of a problem as there aren't as many electronic gizzmo's, so you probably will need to be a bit more careful with the GTa...

[bob]

i too have a thing for clean engine bays

i use a whole range of stuff on mine, from wd 40, to meguairs polish and wax. the results are well worth it

looking forward to seeing yours

[bazza]

This is really daft, but having seen your pictures Bob, is there any chance you could give a brief list of what things you do to achieve that finish?

[bob]

most of the stuff is what i use on the outside of the car, basically its=
wd40 to get the dust and grime off.
meguairs scratch x to remove any marks on the paint.
meguairs deep chrystal polish.
meguairs nxt tech wax.
turtle wax dry touch cockpit shine.
and autosol chrome cleaner.

thats more or less it, but elbow grease is the main item (please note, this item is not available in any shop)
inner wings and under bonnet tomorrow

[bazza]

So just spray WD40 on, and then give it a scrub? Interesting, I would never have thought of using WD40 as a cleaner.

[firejack007]

Possible easy solution to dirty engines bays with little room to clean in-take engine out, wash - polish bay - replace engine.....simple!!!!

[keithglos]

Originally Posted by bazza

One of the more remarkable things about the condition of the car I'm buying is that the engine bay is absolutely spotless.

Got to hope it hasn't beeen steamed.

[RicksAlfas]

Oily rag.

[Trailbraker]

Must admit I don't think I have ever polished mine, still looks generally spotless, I don't even have an undertray.
I'm feeling all guilty now.

It can't look too bad though, during my MOT (NCT)last week , 6 of the 7 mechanics testing other cars that day in the test centre came around to have a decent gawk under the bonnet when the rev limiter test was being carried out on my car

[Snokio]

I found this thread at last, I seen a few v6 engines given the Maser / Ferrari treatment (red engine) and was wondering how you do it / what you used? or is it as simple as it looks?

[Ralf S.]

Nothing is ever as simple as it looks!

To do it properly you'd have to drop the engine out and remove a lot of the ancillarys. It's a labour of love, basically.


My preferred engine cleaner of choice is the Younger Mrs S. She can just about fit in the engine bay and her fingers can reach all those awkward nooks and crannies that my more muscular pinkies can't.

If there's some place she really can't reach then she can supervise one of my neices while they do it. If they're trying to reach a really awkward spot, I'll even turn the engine off and park the car.


Ralf S.