Product Review: Engine Bay Cleaning Using "Holy Cow" Eco-Friendly Cleaner/Degreaser

[BuffMe]

I was perusing Wal-Mart`s automotive section the other day and came across this stuff. I haven`t tried too many eco-friendly products and it caught my attention with one of its suggested uses being engine bay cleaning. So I figured I`d give it a try at $3.84 for a pretty large bottle.



Before trying it on the engine bay, I did clean my bathroom sinks and shower, of which it did very well. However, it has a surprisingly caustic smell - one that stings the nostrils much like Sex Panther.



Anyway, moving on to the engine bay cleaning, I chose the following engine bay as a guinea pig. It`s an `07 Volvo S40 that is very well taken care of, sans a little neglect in the engine bay. The engine bay seemed like the perfect candidate being that it was covered with dirt/dust, but not to the point of no return. Seemed good to me.



Here`s the Holy Cow product I used...



http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/4325/img0398ro8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/img0398ro8.jpg/1/w1280.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img211/img0398ro8.jpg/1/)



Engine bay before cleaning...



http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/4710/img0399wp5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/img0399wp5.jpg/1/w1280.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img165/img0399wp5.jpg/1/)



After misting with water, spraying Holy Cow liberally over the entire engine, agitating the easy to reach and dirtier areas, then rinsing...



http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7852/img0400bj0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/img0400bj0.jpg/1/w1280.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img514/img0400bj0.jpg/1/)



And after the obligatory dressing with CD-2 (please don`t mind all the fuzzies on the flat surfaces, I stupidly wiped down some of the areas with a terry towel that was shedding :( )...



http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8135/img0401lx1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/img0401lx1.jpg/1/w1280.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img165/img0401lx1.jpg/1/)



It did a pretty darn good job of cleaning and degreasing. I was quite surprised. It seemed to just melt some of the easier grime right off and only took minimal agitation for the dirtier areas. It easily rinsed clean and left no traces of residue at all. I would venture to say it cleaned better than my usual Meguiar`s 4:1 APC mixture that I`ve been using (I`ve got P21s TAW but save that for more momentous occasions due to its price).



In conclusion, for the very low price and the fact that it`s eco-friendly, I would definitely recommend picking some of this stuff up not only for use on engine bays but for other diluted uses around the house as well (you can even use it on clothes stains and/or add it to the wash... wow).

[Setec Astronomy]

Sorry, I don`t spend too much time in the Eco forum, but whatever cleaning product you use your process isn`t going to be eco-friendly if you`re washing oil, brake fluid, antifreeze and grease out of the engine bay, unless said engine fluids have suddenly become biodegradeable.

[BigAl3]

interesting... i noticed sams club sells the laura klein`s green friendly line of products as well...

Sam`s Club - Laura Klein`s Green Car Cleaner Degreaser (http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=416888)

http://graphics.samsclub.com/images/products/0015231042002_L4.jpg

[BuffMe]

Sorry, I don`t spend too much time in the Eco forum, but whatever cleaning product you use your process isn`t going to be eco-friendly if you`re washing oil, brake fluid, antifreeze and grease out of the engine bay, unless said engine fluids have suddenly become biodegradeable.



Nowhere did I say the process is eco-friendly. The product is and the overarching point is that every little bit helps. Regardless, my threads don`t have any use for unnecessary cynicism.

[Setec Astronomy]

Nowhere did I say the process is eco-friendly. Regardless, my threads don`t have any use for unnecessary cynicism.



Nope, just implied in the title. I owe you a pat on the back for next time.

[BuffMe]

Nope, just implied in the title.



I`m a little lost on that one. Are you being serious in that the title implies the process itself is eco-friendly? I honestly can`t tell, but I thought it was pretty straight forward and simply denoted that the product itself was eco-friendly.

[Setec Astronomy]

I`m a little lost on that one. Are you being serious in that the title implies the process itself is eco-friendly? I honestly can`t tell, but I thought it was pretty straight forward and simply denoted that the product itself was eco-friendly.



Apparently my mistake that "Eco-Friendly" in the title of the thread implied some eco-friendliness. I notice the bottle doesn`t say "eco-friendly" between "Holy Cow" and "Cleaner Degreaser", so I guess you must have added that in, but apparently not to imply that it or the process was eco-friendly.



However, it sure looks clean and shiny, nice job, please post more of your work!

[BuffMe]

Ah, gotcha. It says it on the bottle in its description on the back. I considered posting a picture of the back.



Here`s a link to their line of products in case anyone is interested...



Holy Cow Products Info (http://www.holycowproducts.com/products.htm)



I`ve been slacking on posting on here with some of the details I`ve done lately b/c by the time I get done it`s too cold or dark (damn winter). The days are getting longer and warmer already, so I`m hoping to change that.