New Car Engine Bay

Older

Older

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As I`m getting all my ducks in a row preparing for a new car, I`m wondering what I should use on the engine bay.

Thoughts, Gentlemen?
 
I always used a good engine cleaner such as Blackfire or Sonax and followed up with Sonus motor kote. Engine stays clean for months.
 
This past weekend, I did my first engine bay cleaning in years. Little ashamed to admit that...

I gave everything a good spray and scrub with Purple Power degreaser. Plastic and rubber bits were wiped down with PERL diluted 1:1, and metal areas like support beams and strut towers were wiped down with ECH2O, but I`m sure any QD spray would work. I used what I had on hand.
 
Since the car is new the engine bay ought to be very clean. Every 100 miles or so I dust my engine bay with a Swiffer duster. It has remained clean this way for 11 years.
 
Ah, a Swiffer. Never thought of that. Excellent. In that vein, I wonder if a Cal Car Duster would work, too.
 
Older said:
Ah, a Swiffer. Never thought of that. Excellent. In that vein, I wonder if a Cal Car Duster would work, too.
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I remember those things(California Car Dusters) from the 70`s ! :)

It might work, but as you know, it has a form of paraffin on it, so it would be a bad idea to use it when the engine compartment was hot or warm..
Then, I would not ever want to use that Cal Duster on Anything else..

I still see some people using them in Dealer Showrooms, and then I know why those new cars always have those defects in the paint, light as they may be..

The Swiffer will for sure, be easier to get into places.. Also, probably better to use it when the engine compartment is cold..

I just pressure wash the whole thing when it needs it, sometimes using a good apc sprayed on it first, then MetroMasterBlaster it dry, then let it dry the rest of the day and next day spray the engine compartment down with something nice like Sonus Motor Cote, Chemical Guys Black on Black, etc..
Dan F
 
Bill D said:
Since the car is new the engine bay ought to be very clean. Every 100 miles or so I dust my engine bay with a Swiffer duster. It has remained clean this way for 11 years.
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Every 100 miles? Whoa! That`s dedication!

I like the Swiffer idea, but I wonder if my car will build up dust too quickly for a Swiffer to be effective. I`ll have to try it out.
 
Seal the black bits (plastic *and* otherwise) with something like Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus.

Wax the painted and plated and maybe bare-metal bits (even if you just use a SprayWax).

Clean it every time you clean the rest of the car and you`ll never need anything special, might even get by with a RW. And always go over it with something (maybe that RW, or a SprayWax) every time to make subsequent cleanups even easier (and make it look nice ;) ). THAT is the big thing IME, just don`t let it get nasty. Ever.

Especially if you`re starting with a brand-new car, it`s just not *that* hard to keep `em nice.
 
Desertnate said:
Every 100 miles? Whoa! That`s dedication!

I like the Swiffer idea, but I wonder if my car will build up dust too quickly for a Swiffer to be effective. I`ll have to try it out.
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No biggie. I just incorporate it into my routine dusting/ QDing. Doesn’t take long at all
 
Accumulator said:
Seal the black bits (plastic *and* otherwise) with something like Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus.

Wax the painted and plated and maybe bare-metal bits (even if you just use a SprayWax).

Clean it every time you clean the rest of the car and you`ll never need anything special, might even get by with a RW. And always go over it with something (maybe that RW, or a SprayWax) every time to make subsequent cleanups even easier (and make it look nice ;) ). THAT is the big thing IME, just don`t let it get nasty. Ever.

Especially if you`re starting with a brand-new car, it`s just not *that* hard to keep `em nice.
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It`ll be fine until after that first Midwestern winter.:)
 
Older said:
2021 Charger Scat Pack.
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Great choice! I`d bet (as in, if I were buying one ;) ) that`s a lot more (real) fun than a Hellcat. Good on you for buying MY choice :D

It`ll be fine until after that first Midwestern winter.
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Eh, I`d expect it to shrug off even the worst MW winter same as mine do. Simply not an issue IME...
 
Accumulator said:
Great choice! I`d bet (as in, if I were buying one ;) ) that`s a lot more (real) fun than a Hellcat. Good on you for buying MY choice :D

Eh, I`d expect it to shrug off even the worst MW winter same as mine do. Simply not an issue IME...
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Thanks.

It`ll drive fine with 4 winter tires on it.

The salt and brine, however, won`t be so kind to it. That`s what FK1000p is for!:)
 
Older said:
It`ll drive fine with 4 winter tires on it.
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Yep! I`ve had plenty of RWD cars that were better in the snow than some of my AWD ones.

The salt and brine, however, won`t be so kind to it. That`s what FK1000p is for!:)
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Just be sure to take good care of the underneath. One thing that always gave me pause about the Chargers/Challengers is the "rocker panel rust-out issue" that plagued some of `em (even ones in AZ that *never saw even rain*), presumably related to the structural foam they use when building them.
 
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