[GC4UrMom]

After a year and half owning my f36 440, I open up the hook and found it's quite dusty especially after my dealer installed the MPPSK two days ago. An tips how to do this? Which part I need to cover so water won't go in? What do I use?

[dorkiedoode]

Subscribed. I’ll probably need to do this in the winter.

[B58]

You're probably better off buying a cheap steam cleaner off Amazon or eBay and steaming the sensitive areas and just using a rap to wipe down the remaining dirt. I wouldn't hold water directly on the engine especially a BMW its probably sensitive.

[Billfitz]

Everything under the hood is reasonably well protected from water, since water can and does make it's way in there just as easily as dirt and dust. The most potentially problematic spot would be the fuse box, and that's very well sealed. Generic engine cleaners work fine, just be judicious when rinsing anything that has wires attached to it.

[sspade]

My recommendation is to start with a DRY cleaning first. In other words... use a vacuum cleaner of sorts (with a brush end) to remove any loose stuff. Trust me. Makes the whole process much easier. From there, I use a glass cleaner type product (nothing special) to clean all the plastic bits and any metal areas that I want clean. I haven't actually sprayed water directly inside engine compartment yet (with a hose) although you probably wouldn't damage anything so long as you were careful in doing that.

Interested to hear other people's methods!

A clean engine bay is underrated in my opinion.

[cfm56d7b]

Equally interested in others' practical experience.

[Billfitz]

I'll tell you one product to avoid, it's Gunk Engine Shine.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Gunk Engine Cleaner works fine, I've used it for decades. I decided to try the Engine Shine, which you use after cleaning. It looked pretty good, at first. But it had a tacky feel that never went away, and held dirt and dust worse than an untreated engine. I figured that the Engine Cleaner would take it off when I used it again, but it didn't. It remained dirty and tacky. I had to use a hand held steam cleaner to get the Engine Shine off.

[RTPenland]

so I go to the local coin operated do it yourself auto wash - select low pressure spot free rinse - pop the hood hit the under hood first then the motor area and the inner fenders - close my hood do the rest of the car and drive away

[GC4UrMom]

So I decided to do a light wash since my car is less than two years old. I vacuum, spray chemical guys nonsense (this is the only thing i got that label applicable to engine not that it's good), brush and lightly hosed with water and dry with micro fiber . Result is not too bad. Now I need to find better product to use for my next wash as well something to keep it clean after the wash. I know some recommend Black on Black but I have use those on Black trims and I don't like the result.

[Blubaron79]

Off topic question: where is your Sticker on the engine bay after they installed the power kit?

[GC4UrMom]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

Off topic question: where is your Sticker on the engine bay after they installed the power kit?

The one that say M Performance?

[Blubaron79]

Originally Posted by GC4UrMom

The one that say M Performance?

Yes, it says M performance power kit.

Edit: did the mechanic put it on the engine cover?

[GC4UrMom]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

Yes, it says M performance power kit.

Edit: did the mechanic put it on the engine cover?

Yeah. This one on the image.

[Orion4]

Been using Gunk Engine Cleaner and a hose w/medium spray setting for years without an issue on all 6 BMWs I've owned. Obviously if you have an exposed or open Eng air filter system, bag that securely. Everything else is pretty water tolerant.

[Soul_Glo]

[tsm007]

It would be a good idea to clean the engine bay right before washing the entire car. First I pull out any dried leaves caught between the sides of the bay. I usually cover the electrical components with a small plastic bag. Then depending on the severity of the dirt and debris, I'll spray degreaser & let it soak in for about 30 minutes - 1 hour. Then just spray it down with water. Honestly, that does a pretty decent job. But if you really want to geek out, you can take a sponge and soap and clean till it's shines (but I see no point of that unless it's a show car). Good luck!

[wdeerfield]