Dressing Engine Covers

[cptzippy]

Seems like newer cars have more and more engine covers. My wife's MDX has some and my new IS has almost a full cover under the hood.

Here's the question: what, if anything, do you use to dress it?

[Darkstar752]

Whatever you normally dress engines with, varies from detailer to detailer. I'll use 303 normally, just make sure whatever you use isn't streaking because it will be much more obvious over a cover like that.

With a normal car, I don't even bother unless I'm preparing the car for a show or the customer wants it detailed. Your average joe with your average car is not going to even look under the hood, much less notice if it's dressed so I added it as an option instead. This is just my experience though, YMMV.

[MichaelSpoots]

I use Hyper Dressing 3:1. Takes a few applications because it's water-based and tends to run around the surface before finally soaking in, but I like the healthy, matted "sheen". I haven't used it on enough engine covers to say definitively whether or not it can remedy those old/abused black engine covers that seem to reject dressing no matter how much you apply...but I know that it does look great on newer/cared-for engine plastics . Perhaps Meguiars' new Ultimate Protectant can turn faded engine covers back to black.

And there's a million other things that work well, too. I just use HD because I have it and it's cheapish.

[Blake]

Another vote for Hyper Dressing mixed 1 part to 3. It looks great and it dries to the touch.
Only thing I would add to MichaelSpoots is that you can rub it in rather than just let it sit on the item. With all protectants I find two very light coats to be much better than one liberal pass. The HyperDressing also seems to last very well on the parts and pieces underhood.

[Jakerooni]

Meg's hyperdressing here as well.

[Accumulator]

When I do it, which isn't all that often, I use 303 or Autoglym Bumper Care.

[MichaelSpoots]

Oh, I forgot to mention that with Hyper Dressing, I spray it on, let it dwell for about 45 seconds, then rub it in with a MF cloth, repeat a 2nd application, then finish off with a clean MF wipedown . After reading what I wrote, yeah, it did sound like I spray N walk away. That's a big no-no in my book!

One thing I still don't understand is the method of spraying HD and more or less walking away, as I have read quite a few times. I find that with (and most dressings for anything actually), you have to work it in! Else you tend to get the drips and such...