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how do car lots get there engine bays so clean? do they steam clean?

 
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we just spray them down knock off any dirt then we wipe them down not to much to it

 
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well i went to a car auction and they cleanded the engine bays so good that you could eat off them. how would you replicate that?

 
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I have used stuff in the past, it was given to me to try by a friend of mine who used to run a detail shop, and you could take a mild dirty engine, spray this stuff all over it and the thing would just shine. I wish I could remember the name of the stuff. It was not a big name company and they probably only supply to shops though. If I can think of it I will post it.

 
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sorry to take away your post but i have almost similar question. I was workin on my suspension a while bak and i have all this undercoating and junk all over the edges of the engine bay such as where the shocks are bolted, and some bolts. are there any good solutions that will clean those off but not destroying the paint?

 
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A few car lots will steam clean the engine bays, we do that w. our '99 Millenia roughly twice a year and it restores the engine bay to as-new condition.

You could also do what a lot of people do, just cover up the sensitive bits (eg: alternator, etc.), spray on some Simple Green to break up all the dirt and grease and then give it a light hosing over.

 
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^^ that does work. meguiars make some good all purpose cleaners for this. Also, try meguiars hyper dressing. It will make your engine look shiny and new.

 
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cool, thanks guys. how much would a car lot charge(or would they even let me) to steam clean my engine?

 
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usually car lots hire detailers to come do it for them. so instead of looking for a lot, look for detailers in your area.

 
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r dealership has different details you can buy and thats only in the gold detail and i think that runs about 200 bucks but you also get the car hand waxed, caperts cleaned, vacum, dress the interior, dress the tires and then clean up the engine bay and wipe it down with some dressing.

there r a couple more things they do but i cant remember.

 
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I work at BMW and usually we just use lots of degreaser and some times a little acid to clean all the dirt and grime off, then we just powerwash it.

 
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Damn 200 for just that. Come see me and I'll clay and polish for cheaper than 200.

the bmw dealer near me has horrible detailers. The swirls were just as bad/worse than the ones on my car now. Even the m3's were coated with swirls. Most places hire the cheapest ppl to do the job. I say never let dealer or carwash place do your car. If you are lucky, get a car fresh off the truck and dont allow the dealer to touch anything. Only trust professional detailers or DIY.

Heres my before/after

 
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thats clean..

 
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wow thats like better then mine looked off the lot...

 
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What did youuse to get that dirt off the frame. My car is white and shows it. I got most of it off with some wax actually. I couldnt get it off, than I tried a little wax in one spot, and it took a lot off, but still has some. Any tips?

 
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I regularly clean my engine using spray nine while the engine is running and then hose it off, also sponge the underside of my hood to make it all nice and clean, then let it dry and then armorall the black parts... result is an engine that constantly looks like it is off the showroom floor

 
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orange-based degreaser did it for me. hose off and wipe dry.

 
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what do you guys do with your intakes, cant spray them with water, do you put a plastic bag around the filter?
thanks

 
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water from carwash sprayer, whipe all hoses with rag and anything i can get to then armorall all the hoses and whipe all extra armort all out....clean

 
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u can do that but remember to take the bag out.. i had a friend that forgot to take it out the car was acting funny and that **** was all melted on the filer.. freeking retard

 
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Use tire foam cleaner and mist it on the black plastic parts as well as all the hoses. Works great!

 
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I need to go find my claybar, and use it on the frame of my car. That will get it spotless. I totally forgot I had a couple, hehe. Everything else is always so freakin clean, just the frame has some dirst stuck on, and the underside of the hood. The hoods gonna take me a good couple hours I bet. I will keep at it now that Im making my engine look pretty good. Starting painting, and gonna change some hoses (ss, not colored cheap ones that will crack, I cant have that). Getting ready for showin my car. I think Ill have a good chance at winning something, after looking at all the crap around this town.

 
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do you have to cover up electrical stuff when powerwashing the engine bay?

 
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bump...

 
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we dont, but the alternator on the BMWs is usually farther down on the bay. now, i have done my car there, but i usually powerwash it and then roll it out to dry in the sun for about an hour before i start it up again to make sure that everything is dry before i try to start it.

 
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the main things you cover up are your distributor cap if you have one, alternator, maybe the power steering unit, and brake fluid. thats what i cover up, then degrease the area, let sit 5 min, then pressure wash off. nothing to it, just don't hit the alternator with the washer directly. thats what the bagging is for.

 
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When I worked at Ford, VW, AUDI and Porseche, we wouldnt cover anything. We would start the motor and let it get warm, for about 5 minutes. Then we would shut it off and spray the fenders, hood, front bumper, windshield, and under hood with water. I would the spray the intire engine, engine compartment and under hood down with Simple Green, Red, or mean green degreaser. Then I would go over the under hood, inner fenders, top of the engine, and anything else thats really dirty with a wash mitt. Then I would start the car again, and hose every thing off, starting with the under part of the hood. Let the car run for 10 minutes, and shut it off. Dry everything down with a towel. Spray the whole engine compartment down with tire silicone or tire dressing. Shut the hood, and wash the whole car.

I ususally clean and dress the engine before I wash it. Then after I wash and dry the car, I open the hood and wipe all the dressing down, clean anything thats chrome or polished, and finish up detailing under the hood.

I usually charge $25 to $30 for this.

 
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so u can just spray the whole damn engine bay but just cover the electrical stuff . thats all ?