Engine Detail

luke667 · 01-22-04, 08:20

Hey guys, here are 2 pics of my Engine of my Nissan xtrail, fairly new and always garaged and detailed using my meguiars arsenal.

Engine 1

Engine 2

For the engine, all i have used in the past was a wet cloth and cleaned the dust and dirt off..
and maybe a bit of Meguiars Extra tough all round cleaner on the stubborn bits.

Excuse the dust in the pics...

Using MEGUIARS PRODUCTS ONLY. what do you recommend i use? recommend any meguiars products you want. thanks

Dale DeSteno · 01-22-04, 08:50

What kind of Nissan is that? Engine looks good, nonetheless!

AndyC · 01-22-04, 08:52

Nice work Luke!

Terrible admission time - until a fortnight ago, I'd only opened my bonnet to fill up the windscreen washer bottle! And that's in 46,000 miles.

I decided to have a go at the engine and I'm pretty lucky as virtually everything's covered with black plastic panelling. I wipred over everything with a damp MF then applied QS everywhere including underside of bonnet.

Looked OK for a rush job but now I'm a fussy autopian I need to see it look a whole lot better!

EDIT: It's an X Trail isn't it?

luke667 · 01-22-04, 09:07

My Baby X Trail

Thats my nissan....any other tips on what to use in the engine?

tnoy66 · 01-22-04, 03:58

Hey Luke, I just got (2 days ago) some APC+ and Citri-gel, they can both be used in engine bays. I've never done an engine bay to autopian standards (yet) so my help is limited

On the back of the Citri-gel it says........
Non-caustic, non-butyl, non-solvent
Safe on aluminium, paint, rubber and plastic
Cleans engines, door jambs, fender wells and white walls
Removes bugs and tar
Use as a carpet pre-spotter
Excellent for vinyl or canvas convertible tops

The APC+ can be diluted to varying strengths for different jobs. Either of them will do and use brushes to help agitate the cleaner to remove stubborn dirt.

Type 'engine' into the search function, select titles only....you'll find 127 existing threads to help (or confuse) you

I got your PM, thanks for letting me know

luke667 · 01-22-04, 07:40

thanks for your help, how concentrated is the APC+ and Citri Gel? which do you recommend for overall cleaning, i.e engine, wheel wells, etc

tnoy66 · 01-23-04, 04:10

Quote:

Originally posted by luke667
thanks for your help, how concentrated is the APC+ and Citri Gel? which do you recommend for overall cleaning, i.e engine, wheel wells, etc

The citri-gel you can use as it is or dilute it 1:1
I bought one of megs foaming sprayers to use with the citri-gel, it helps you use less product to do the same job.
I haven't had a chance to use them yet, but I will probably be using the citri-gel for the wheel wells and engine bay and the APC+ for general cleaning, but diluted to different strenghts for different jobs.

Wording on the APC+......
Super wetting agents for engine degreasing
Fabric softeners and brightners
Biodegradable

Dilution rates
Exterior dewaxing 64:1
Cloth-upholstery cleaning 20:1
Carpet cleaning 12:1
Vinyl cleaning 9:1
White walls 4:1
Engine degreasing 4:1

luke667 · 01-23-04, 04:39

so looks like citri gel is probably stronger....but APC+ has more uses...

tnoy66 · 01-23-04, 09:44

You could say that yes. Also remember that if you use the APC+ in the engine bay, wheel wells or similar, it will run down vertical areas quickly because it is a liquid. The citri-gel will hang on the same surface for longer......

Ah decisions, decisions..........

Lynn · 01-23-04, 03:19

I know you specified "Meguiar's only," but ... Do you have access to a home cleaning product called Orange Blast, made by Greased Lightning? I like it a lot -- very effective and safe, and smells good too.

Over here, it's available in all sorts of grocery stores and WalMart-type stores.

luke667 · 01-23-04, 03:39

dunno, about the orange blast, i'll wait for feeback from the other brit guys..

i guess i'll go wit both citri gel AND APC+ like a true autopian hehe

StickKing1 · 01-23-04, 05:20

Get some Meguiar's Engine Kote while you're at it. Once you got the engine cleaned and dry, spray it liberally over everything under the hood. You may have to go over it twice at different angles to get everything covered.

Then, let it dry all by itself. You may have to take a rag and dry out the spots where it pools up, but no further work is needed. When it's dry, check for any spots missed and respray if it needs it. The Engine will look 10x better, I promise...I love this stuff!