1 Series - Engine Bay cleaning / Detailing...

[1addyfan]

I take very good care of my car's interior and exterior... but I rarely clean under the hood tbh. Last week I opened it up and noticed how dirty it had gotten under there... which was in quite a bit of contrast from the exterior/interior

I've seen people "high pressure wash" their engines and soak them in water to clean it... especially older vehicle owners. My neighbor literally takes his garden hose and washes his old Ford Explorer engine with soap & degreaser water lol. I've always been afraid of doing something like that to my car, especially a BMW which seems to have such sensitive electrical components under the hood... Just seems counter intuitive imo.

Anyway, I searched around and found a car restoration & detail shop that offers "hand" engine detailing... So after speaking with the owner, I decided to give them a go. They deep clean and detail the engine all by hand (on all cars) to avoid any potential issues that may arise from introducing large amounts of water into the engine bay -- more of an issue on newer vehicles imo. The job took a few hours, but the shop owner told me the engine bay would be in "Showroom condition" by the time it was done.

This, of course, was music to my ears...





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All I can say is, the job looked amazing when they finished. My '09 engine looked like one of those new engines you'd see sitting inside a dealership... They really got into every nook and cranny. I've known a few people who have "pressure washed" / soaked their engines in the past... and it ran terribly / sluggish afterwards. Mine ran great! Hell, I'd even argue it ran better... but that could just be a placebo effect

Anyway, I'd give this place 5 out of 5 stars. If you have a BMW or luxury car and live in the SoCal area, give them a shot.

Location/Address: Burbank Auto Detail Shop @ 1827 N Keystone St, Burbank, CA 91504 (Los Angeles County)

[gregthegr8]

Wow, looks brand new. Curious how long it took them and can I ask how much that cost in case I ever want that done? Much obliged.

[Qunadry]

When I wash my 135i I take a damp cotton towel and wipe down the inside of the engine bay as well as the inside of the trunk and doorjambs. I've been doing this with every car I have owned and have never needed to have the engine bay done by some else. Only takes a couple of minutes and is very well worth it.

[1addyfan]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Wow, looks brand new. Curious how long it took them and can I ask how much that cost in case I ever want that done? Much obliged.

Took a couple of hours, because they did the interior too.

Cost only $125 for engine bay detailing and car interior "leather re-conditioning" package... which includes a full "interior" detail + steam cleaning the carpets. All cars will range from $125 to $175 for that package (original quote I got over the phone), depending on size and type of stains that are present.

Well worth it, imo!

[ErvGotti]

Looks good I use Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine to clean my engine bay. It's one of the best products you can by. It can be used as a quick detailer, car wash, clay lube, and engine cleaning. It won't make the plastics shine in the engine but it'll keep it looking clean.

[1addyfan]

Originally Posted by ErvGotti

Looks good I use Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine to clean my engine bay. It's one of the best products you can by. It can be used as a quick detailer, car wash, clay lube, and engine cleaning. It won't make the plastics shine in the engine but it'll keep it looking clean.

I've heard good stuff about Optimum, but never used it before.

It's funny, because on my old 330ci, I used to just take a little bit of mobil 1 oil and wipe around the engine to give it a little shine... probably not the best way to go about it though. I'll probably end up wiping it down with something like Optimum and then getting the engine bay fully detailed once a year at this place... to maintain that "factory new" look forever.

[dorkdog]

Here's how mine looks. I don't really do much to maintain it; this is a week after my last 303 treatment but before a weekly dry brushing in the crevasses. I treat all the plastic with 303 about once every 2 months and then it's brushes and compressed air weekly. Before treating it with 303 I will generally brush it all off with simple green, rinse with my pressure washer - black (low pressure, higher flow) nozzle only and then blow dry with my leaf blower.

I don't think there is anything under the hood that 303 will hurt; it's beneficial to almost everything under there and does as good of a job under the hood as ArmorAll wheel protectant does for me against brake dust.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Qunadry

When I wash my 135i I take a damp cotton towel and wipe down the inside of the engine bay as well as the inside of the trunk and doorjambs. I've been doing this with every car I have owned and have never needed to have the engine bay done by some else. Only takes a couple of minutes and is very well worth it.

Same here.

I consider it preventative maintenance.

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Same here.

I consider it preventative maintenance.

I consider it therapy!

[sochermit]

Can you use ArmorAll in the engine compartment? After a wash I blow dry the entire compartment and wipe down surface areas with a cotton cloth.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by sochermit

Can you use ArmorAll in the engine compartment?

I wouldn't use ArmorAll on anything.

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

I wouldn't use ArmorAll on anything.

I agree with one exception: Their wheel protectant helps me fight brake dust; it's spray-on and works great. It's the only one of their products I use.

I have always liked the 303 for some reason; I've been using it on convertible plastic windows for a long time and it has served me well, so I use it exclusively on my interior and exterior plastics, including those in the engine room. It's history finds use in the aviation subset, typically a harsher environment.

Armor-all interior cleaner/protectant; I don't like the smell and it's white, and slippery. Short term gains at a long term cost, I suspect.

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by sochermit

Can you use ArmorAll in the engine compartment? After a wash I blow dry the entire compartment and wipe down surface areas with a cotton cloth.

Never!! Their is a spray especially for the engine bay to make it shine.


I did my engine bay this weekend as well(no pics) didn't do much. Just sprayed some natural auto degreaser on it left it for about 5 mins and gently hosed it off. After that sprayed an engine detail spray it on it and its all good.

[MZWIE]

I just pressure wash. I've never had an issue with his or any previous BMW. Since I don't really like shiny plastic (it's not the way it was designed) then just cleanning is good enough for me.

[ErvGotti]

Originally Posted by dorkdog

I agree with one exception: Their wheel protectant helps me fight brake dust; it's spray-on and works great. It's the only one of their products I use.

Totally agree their wheel protectant is the best product for wheel dust ever. It's like Teflon on your wheels. I've spent a pretty penny on "wheel wax" before and nothing comes close to this. Other than that I wouldn't use any other Armor all product.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by dorkdog

I agree with one exception: Their wheel protectant helps me fight brake dust

BMW must've changed OEM brake compounds, 'cause I get very little dusting.

[1addyfan]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

BMW must've changed OEM brake compounds, 'cause I get very little dusting.

Interesting.

I have a year left of free maintenance... but I'm thinking about moving away from BMW pads. I just washed my car on Saturday, and my wheels already look like they've just taken a tour through the Sahara Desert.

[jbro1988]

That looks great! Glad you had a good experience I would say its worth the $$$ but I am cheap so I would rather spend 2 hours TLC on him myself

[notmisfit]

Originally Posted by dorkdog

I agree with one exception: Their wheel protectant helps me fight brake dust; it's spray-on and works great. It's the only one of their products I use.

This. I learned about this product from 1addicts and buy it in bulk - it is quite amazing! If you aren't using this you are missing out!

[andrey_gta]

very clean engine bays here, I have to clean up mine

[ejm3]

Does anyone know what the owners manual says about this?
I haven't looked into it with my current crop of cars but I know with previous cars it normally says the manufacturer doesn't recommend cleaning the engine components.