Engine Bay Detail

[Whelan]

It's amazing what a wipe down with a wet rag and some Meguiar's #40 spray can do for you with a little care and rubbing.BeforeAfter

[02csnow]

Every week when I wash my car, I always make sure that I also wipe down my engine.

[kevera]

Does that #40 stuff attract dirt.I've been afraid to use any of that stuff in fear of it causing me more work.And,how can I clean my hoses,I noticed you have the same problem as me,with them being discolored as noted in the pic below.

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[northvibe]

I +1 kevera's question. I Just moved into my own place now so I have a garage and room to clean my car!!!

[VivaVibe]

Me too. A wipe down of all the reachable items under the hood follows washing the car. I sometimes use Meguiar's Quick Detailer spray.BTW: Whelan, you often refer to the M product number, like #40, but for those of us without those numbers. Could you also state the shelf name?

[nygiantzz1]

I've always used Simple Green for the engine bay (including the hoses). it works well and does not attract dirt. I'll have to try the Meguiar's, from Whelan's pic, it appears to clean things up nicely.

[kevera]

I use simple green too,My engine bay is very clean.It's the 2 hoses I pointed out that don't seem to come clean and they look ratty.

[Whelan]

Simple Green is great for cleaning off the dirt and grease, but this stuff does not attract dirt at all. It almost acts like a wax on your plastic and vinyl. Therefore you could blow on it and the dust would come off. The good thing about #40 is that it does not leave a filmy residue if applied properly. Which requires working it in by rubbing repeatedly the same spot so it works the oils into the plastic/vinyl.In terms of product #'s. The Meguiars Professional Line of detail products uses the numbering system more heavily than their Consumer Line which you can find in local auto stores. I posted it before and Ill throw up another regarding the #'s they use in relation to the product name.#40 is Meguiar's Plastic and Vinyl Polish for use on tires, plastic trim, vinyl, cladding, interior, etc. I used it on the tires and it looks phenomenal. One other thing to note is all Professional Line products come in a tan colored bottle.Any questions I missed?

[kevera]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »Any questions I missed?The hoses.

[VivaVibe]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »In terms of product #'s. The Meguiars Professional Line of detail products uses the numbering system more heavily than their Consumer Line which you can find in local auto stores. I posted it before and Ill throw up another regarding the #'s they use in relation to the product name.Thanks for the list Whelan. I've yet to find a retail outlet that sells more than a few of the Meguiar's items on your list. Where do you recommend finding these?

[Whelan]

http://www.autogeek.net, http://www.autodetailingsolutions.com I use ADS for the most part, great service good shipping, good prices.As far as the hoses. I still use the #40, I may have missed that one hose in the back, but the one on the left was def. covered with the product. But look at the pics closer, that larger hose which I believe is an A/C one was done.

[kevera]

I noticed you did the ac line.Will that spay make that other hose look black again.I tried simple green on it,but it didn't clean.I was going to try alcohol,but that would dry the rubber out.It just sticks out like a sore thumb against an otherwise clean engine.

[keithvibe]

just close the hood to the engine and drive man... HAHA.

[joholste]

the only thing i can think of kev is to try an oil based solution that should restore the true black color of the hose as opposed to the gray color.

[Whelan]

Simple Green is a cleaner degreaser. Not a polish or protectant. It will clean but not protect. Try some SG on a tire, looks clean and shiny at first then dries flat and dull. Using a protectant cleaner polish will absorb its oils into the hose and give it a deep shine that lasts and makes it look brand new. The other part of #40 is that it has a new car smell to it!

[Sublimewind]

Whelan,Would you recomend using Wesley's Bleach White, on the hoses? I use this stuff on my tires before i clean and most of the brown "oxidation" just runs off when i use it. Then i can dress whatever however... I would thing a light "dusting" in the engine bay and then a light rinse, let it dry and then dress everything as normal....

[Whelan]

I've never heard of Wesley's Bleach White. But for me using bleach with a hose is not probably the best thing if you want the hose to last awhile. I could see using it to clean whitewalls and tires themselves but for under the hood hoses, I have no experience with this product. sorry bud.

[Toasted7]

I don't know if Mothers "Back to Black" would work on those hard to clean hoses... might make them a little darker? I know I used to use that stuff on my two-tone lower cladding on my other Vibe and it did wonders for that stuff, works great on mudflaps too!

[KNINE]

I use the Back To Black on my cladding. It seems to work okay, but I might give the #40 a try. I bought a set of used splash guards from Spyder. They were in pretty good condition, but a had a few scuffs. I gave them a couple of coats of gray Duplicolor plastic trim spray paint before installing them. They look like new. The paint is just slightly darker than the original Vibe cladding.

[Sublimewind]

Well, you should go out and get some and try it... Like i said with tires, it's incredible. It's made for white walls/stripes/letters and is GREAT for tires (rubber products) The brown that is on tires that is from neglect, just drips off... I bet once you see what it does for tires you might recomend it for engine cleaning as well... Here is the Google page with some more info... http://www.google.com/search?h...te%22

[Whelan]

I may have to pick some up, cant hurt to add more to my collection of products.The 40 I used on my fiences Jeep Liberty Renegade and she has the cladding as well. It really cleaned it up nicely. And it doesnt run off and streak during rain.

[Sublimewind]

I think it would be cool if you did.... If i actually recommended a product that you HAVEN'T used before, that would be awesome.... AND if you really liked it, it would be even better... I love teaching people new things, as long as they are willing to learn... it's kinda how i live life. Cheers

[Whelan]

I'm always open to suggestions, heck for a time I used peanut butter on my Saturn's clad bumpers cause the peanut oil really worked well.

[kevera]

I went out and bought some #40 on Friday.I am hoping it would make the air box look like new again,and keep the dirt from attracting to it.I will let you know how it goes this weekend,want to make her all shiny for the Ohio meet.

[Whelan]

Yeah def. give it a shot I wanna know what you think!It works good on tires and dash as well!