I just wondered how some people can keep theirs so clean. I would like to do that, but I'm afraid I'll mess something up. I'm not a big guru on the mechanic side and I would just might do something myself that I would regret. Do many of you guys take it somewhere and let someone do it for you? This is what I would probably do if it doesn't cost too much.

 

I do it myself. Cover your coils and electronics with a rag, then spray a good cleaner all over. I use purple power. I then take a brush and scrub around my hoses, firewall and anywhere else that looks like it needs to be cleaned. I also take a damp rag with purple power on it and wipe down the underside of the hood and along the sides of the bay. Just be careful as the punch outs can cut you pretty bad. Once I think I've gotten everything, I'll spray it down and work on the rest of my car. Just make sure you spray it very well as you don't want the cleaner sitting on your paint for a long period of time. Also, when you spray your engine down, don't spray directly on your coils and electronics box...(fuses). The rag will protect from overspray. Hope that helps. When I bought my car, the guy didn't wash any of that and he had a couple leaks. I've done this twice so far and it has made a huge difference.

 

I usually use simple green or soapy water. Spray it on let it sit and wipe it down. I usualy start the engine and lightly spray it down. Very light. I stay away from anything electrical. I use a spray bottle with soapy water to do anything electrical. Hope this works for you. Be careful.

 

first you gatta cover everything, i mean EVERYTHING that cant get soaked, with plastic bags, i then lightly spray the engine down, then spray on a good engine cleaner, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then hose it off. mine engine is always very clean so whenever i clean it, i dont have to scrub it. but you might have to hit it with a brush to loosen up the dirt.

 

engine brite, its a foaming chemical that will help loosin up dirt and grime, then i just wipe it off by hand, use rubber gloves though cuz it stinks.

 

i used to use a rag dipped in diesel and i would wipe down the grungiest areas then procees with regular cleaning (havent done that with this car, but i had a GMC Sierra a while back that i did that on)

 

If the engine is dirty. Spray the engine with an APC/degreaser and let it sit for a minute. Then hose it off gently. I've had good luck with CD2 for the last step but they are not discontinued. You can still find CD2 at certain places on ebay. Lately I've been using Natural Look by Poorboys World. It dries to a matte finsish. i don't care for the glossy look anymore.

 

your manual has a section explaining what to do/cover and wutnot

 

Back in the day, I know they would clean the engine with kerosen. It is usually sprayed through a pressure washer. I've never tried it, but I imagine, that you would still need to cover critical parts and probably cover your fenders and windshield. I usually just spray mine down with a strong degreeser (same stuff I use on my wheels), brush over the tough spots and rinse her down. When I'm finished, I spray it down with tire dressing..Don't spray the belt though.

 

You can do everything that was said above but it isn't necessary. This is what I do. Go to a do it yourself car wash. Cover up the battery and fuse box. Take the hose, set it to soap and spray the heck out of everything else. Take a rag and clean the grease and grime off the really nasty parts, then set it to water and rinse it clean. WARNING: Don't do this when your engine is hot, you could possibly crack the block. Other than that, batta boom batta bing clean engine.