engine dressing

[Tassadar]

Whats wrong 2hotford? I see people use TRim Shine all the time under the hood.

[2hotford]

A lot of people smoke cigarettes too.

Only trying to help!

[Tassadar]

Whats wrong with using it? Natty even recommended it to me.

[Poorboy]

2hotford is not saying Bold N Bright which is a water-based product as Natty stated, but Trimshine is not and can cause long term damage...did I get your interpretation correct ? 2hotford...
If a product used in an engine compartment is not water-based it will dry rot rubber bushings, hoses, belts, etc...it may give a great shine but...as Clint would say..do you feel lucky? ..that`s Eastwood...

[2hotford]

How are you spraying it? Are you applying it to a cloth so that you can control where and how much might be drawn into the electrical connectors? What about the brushes in the Alt.? What if they get saturated by accident? Is the dressing water based???

My point is simple, there are many products that people use in a lot of places. However, that does not make it the right choice. It is like a comparison a friend of mine said to me the other day. It is like using a cresent wrench on a 5/16 nut. Sure it might work OK, but a box end 5/16 wrench is the right tool to use. I literally have many many products each designed for a specific purpose. Moreover, when working around engines you also need to be cognitive of flash off etc... . I have 5 gallon containers of non-corrosive cleaner for even wheel wells. Why, because many cars have sensors in them. Take a MAS sensor in today`s modern cars. When people put in a high performance oil coated air filter, if they clean and oil the filter with too much oil, the oil can accidently coat the little thin wire of the MAS. Guess what, the car barely runs. The computer will sense a lean condition when it should be rich and vice versa. Look at tail pipes on modified cars, the tips will be black from this very reason.

I am not saying that Stoner`s is a bad product. Quite the contrary, it is an excellent product. But the impretion I get is that you are just spraying it every where and that is what I am concerned about. Moreover, it must me water based and I believe Trim and Shine is not.

[2hotford]

Hi Poorboy!

Yes, you have interpreted my point correctly. Like, I said, the right product for the right job! Detailing has become very complicated! Even Ford, in the last 18 months, has introduced a new type of paint so vehicles that are two tone do not have to go through the paint and bake process twice like they used to. However, because of this change, there are new polishing procedures needed to deal with this new and much harder paint.

oh well....! :)

Cheers!
Tim

[NattyBumppo]

I`ve used Trim Shine in the engine bay a couple times before and it does a very good job. I was under the impression that it was safe to use. I had an emal back about a year ago where I asked that very question and the response was yes, it is safe.

I`ll check with Stoners again and be very specific with my questions...I`ll let you know.

Since I began using Bold N Brite for tires and exterior trim I stopped buying Trim Shine as Bold N Brite works very well as an engine dressing (just one less extra product to keep around). Still, I wouldn`t hesitate to use Trim Shine again. I`ll have to check if I still have that email.

Natty

[Ringo]

2Hotford,

Thanks for all the good info.

[NattyBumppo]

Here`s the response from Stoners regarding Trim Shine and engine detailing;

I checked with the lab this morning concerning "Trim Shine" on the engine, we suggest that you don`t spray on a hot engine, waite for it to cool down. Also, waite for product to dry before starting the engine. Trim shine is fine on your hoses; we just suggest that you keep Trim Shine away from the oxygen sensor.


Common sense stuff that you would follow with any dressing applied in the engine compartment. Regarding the o2 sensor, I believe they meant MAF sensor which you would avoid with any dressing.

Natty

[2hotford]

Hi Natty,

My concern is that most people will not be that careful when they apply a product like that (Natty, as I said before, you are a first rate detailer! You are not whom I am worried about).

If they suggest not applying it to a hot engine, I wonder if it is flammable? Or has flash off? Also, how does one know when it is dry? If it runs down into an engine compartment nooks and crannies, a lot of wet product will be around. Also, I doubt that the average detailer will take the time to let it dry.

As far as I know, water based products are the only ones recommended specifically for application in the engine compartment. To me, the risk is too high for anything else.
Just IMHO!!

Cheers!
Tim

[Tassadar]

2hotford, I would love to be able to buy a bazillion products to detail cars with. I have litterally sat here and made up orders from multiple companies, because I want to buy all of that stuff. The problem is, I am 17 years old. i dont have a day job to make money from. The job ecnonomy here is absolutely horrible. Downtown Oklahoma City is an absolute ghost town, out of the nearly 200 buildings down there, possibly 20 of them are occupied, and thats coming from my father who just retired from 27 years in the police force here.

I am forced to use what I can buy locally, and my only advantage is that I do a better job than my competitiors. If that means it takes me nearly 10 hours to do a job that most of you would take 4-5 on, then so be it. I am not saying I am a better detailer by any means, but I cant let anything slip.

As for the engine bay, I am very careful with it. The engine bay is washed and dryed several times before it is ever dressed. And the dressing is applied after the car is washed (engine detailing is the first thing I do) so the car has easily sat for over an hour and its usually very cool in the mornings here. I make sure the engine is cool to the touch, and then I dress it.

Most of the electronic parts in these cars are well sealed. MAF sensors are attached to air tight air inlet tubes. The only way for anything to get in there, is if a connection is loose, or if the electronics on the housing a loose. Thus I check all of this before hand.

Trim Shine is the only product I have locally that works well. The only other product I could use is Megs #40, but its $10 for a spray bottle of this stuff, and they usually only restock 1 or 2 bottles a week.

The market for detailing where I live is small. Most people take it to the powerwasher and be done with it. I have advertised and word of mouth even. Most people here do not care about swirls, they think thats just something you have to deal with. And if people clean their cars at home, then just wash it off and POSSIBLY use Wax-As U-Dry from Eagle One.

I dont mean to rant, but your making me feel like you think I dont know what im doing. Ive been palying with electronics my entire life, ive disassebled more computers than I care to count. I doub there is a stock setting left in the EEC on my 90 Mustang (TwEECer R/T and a laptop does wonders for tuning).

Thanks,
Dan

[Poorboy]

Tassadar I know Natty has a bunch of Megs# 40 maybe he`ll sell you some:confused:

[2hotford]

Dan,

No one is trying to make you feel bad. But you said it yourself, you are only 17 years old. As such, some of us have been around for quite some time and may have a little more experience. Moreover, the benefit from being on a forum is that we can all gain experience from people in the know.

You sound like a young guy that has a lot of determination and wants to do a quality job. For that, I commend you and any other young up coming detailer that has the drive to be the best that they can be. But remember we all started somewhere. My post was not intended to question your motives but to rather make you aware of a few potential problems; some very expensive potential problems.

If money is tight, find a Pro Wax dealer in your area. Get a gallon of C-55 Non-Corrosive Cleaner/Degreaser (this made for under the hood and for sensitive electrical components). The stuff sells for around $20 per gallon and is dilutable to 2:1. That should make you 2 full gallons of an excellent cleaner for the wheel wells, engine compartment (I still squirm as I would still stay away from there!) etc... . You can get Meguiar`s water based dressing or Engine Kote. A little goes a long way! In the long run, this will save you money, will do a better job and will avoid (hopefully) unforseen problems.

I wish you the best of luck and great success!!

Tim

[Poorboy]

Don...Tim is right....we are all here to help eachother....let`s say you used a little too much product under the hood and you did your usual check of connection and you start the vehicle up and it sucks some product in somewhere you couldn`t see....do you carry insurance to protect yourself ...just in case?
I don`t know how old Tim is but I`m in my 40`s and have been detailing since middle school...got much better at it as I got older and learned a lot from others I worked with....my best teacher was the painter from the body shop I was partners with...
No one is knocking you and we all applaud your efforts to be the best where you are. I have cousins out your way..if I was talking to them I`d send you some business:D

[Tassadar]

Sorry about my reaction. My Mustang club is having a bit of a civil war right now, so it kinda rubbed off.

Anywho,
There are ZERO distributors in my area. Atleast none that well sell to someone like me. I tried calling the distributors for Meguairs. Unless I buy a CRAPLOAD of product, they wont sell.