Engine detailing

[dan101smith]

What's the best product / technique for thoroughly cleaning the engine bay and components?

Heard too many mishaps with steam cleaning...

[blackspider]

To many products react with the different materials under the bonnet(plastics,paint etc)

We always use a traffic film remover and steam clean-we never have a problem as the control units are hidden,air intake is sealed(as long as the engine isnt running).

They are pretty water tight units.All you need to remember is not to consentrate the water in one area for too long-keep it moving about.

Make sure the traffic film is diluted with water otherwise the black plastic covers will turn grey.And clean with the engine turned off.

[Belleair302]

Warm up your engine a little, use shrink wrap to cover any electrical points, get a good stiff brush and some Autoglym Engine de greaser. Start at the bottom of the engine, work upwards and the wash the grease etc off. Polish the plastics etc with a good restorer and then run the engine again to remove any condensation. I would not use a pressure washer, but a gentle spray from a hosepipe is enough.

These links may be of some help, although ignore the product placement.

www.autogeek.net/engine-guide.html

www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-engine.html

[derin100]

Just as Blackspider and Belleair have said and you should have no problem.

BUT as I know which car you're talking about I would also add...TIME!

Under the bonnet on the E28 is a mass of hoses, wires etc...it's not like a modern BMW where everything is nice and neatly covered. Get as much of the ancillary stuff out of the way as you can before you start.