Need critiquing of my engine detailing!

ABCDetail

ABCDetail

New member
I've had a lot of requests for engine detailing, but have yet to offer it since I had no experience doing them. So I decided to start practicing, and need to find out if I'm doing a decent job. This is my third one, on a little silver C class I'm going to be messing with all week. I wet the entire engine, degreased, used a spoke brush for hard to reach areas, and then rinsed. Then I used Megs PPC on the painted parts and dressed with Poly Protectant (local Car Brite Distr.). It took about an hour, is that average? Let me know what ya think, thanks!

before:
 
Hmmm seems like it cleared up the engine just fine, but the flash pictures make it look like there isnt any protectant at all. I'm guessing the dressing is making it look like brand new.

Just wondering, how busy is business nowadays?
 
Yeah, the Poly doesn't leave a real high shine, just a real clean natural look to it. I think next time I'm gonna use another CarBrite product that came out called Perfect 10, leaves a higher shine. Oh, and business is booming, startin to get a little humid here in Cary though ya know!
 
Look-n-Good!! :)

Here's a method I've used with years of great results...
on a motor, warm to the touch:
  1. saturate motor with degreaser
  2. wipe down any areas that are extremely dirty
  3. saturate again
  4. pressure wash off -- taking care not to directly blast fuse/relay boxes
  5. blow dry with an air gun
  6. clean and wax any painted areas that may need it
  7. saturate with diluted dressing
  8. close hood and go about detailing rest of car
  9. when rest of car is done, except for waxing; open hood and dry/wipe down puddled areas, check hoses that did not get coated adequately and check areas that might have uneven dressing
  10. start the car and let run for a couple of minutes, shut it off and wipe up dressing splatter on the inside of the hood.
  11. finish up the car
    [/list=1] This method works on 98% of all vehicles most detailers will encounter today. Old carbureted and distributor cap & rotor type vehicles I will remove the air cleaner, stuff a rag down the carb, and cover with a baggie rubber band. Then, when I blow dry the motor, I will remove the cap and spray a little ether into it and let dry before replacing it.
 
Ususally when I do an engine detail, I spray all aluminum and other metal engine parts with WD-40. It eliminates any white staining you may get from cleaners and it makes the metal look new while offering protection. One advantage to using WD-40 on engine parts is that it makes them easier to clean the next time. You could possibly get some buildup from dirt sticking to the oily surface, so giving it a little wipe down afterwards helps. Don't leave it soaking wet.
 
ABCDetail said:
Yeah, the Poly doesn't leave a real high shine, just a real clean natural look to it. I think next time I'm gonna use another CarBrite product that came out called Perfect 10, leaves a higher shine. Oh, and business is booming, startin to get a little humid here in Cary though ya know!
Click to expand...

Good to see. Its troublesome now just to find a job. I am sorta liking this overcast right now.

By the way, do you have a DBA Permit?
 
The engine looks great. It usually takes me about a half hour 45 min to do a complete engine bay so a hour is about right making sure the nooks and crannies are clean seperates us from the guy down the road....

Good job
Jay
 
Hmm, Im surprised no one has said anything about water+engine electronics, especially on a Benz. I wouldnt want to pay for a computer gone bad because of a cleaning.

Some precautions you should take. Spray WD-40 on all electrical connectors, it repels the water. Also, cover any high risk areas with aluminum foil like the fuse box, altenator, ecus, etc. Oh, never use EngineBrite or any heavy duty degreasers (the ones that spray). They deteriorate the hoses, belts, and other rubber. With the dressing, make sure it is water based for the same reasons.
 
In close to 20 years of detailing, and the # of details running in the thousands, I've only had one incident with a computer gone bad... it was on a 10 year old '79 Cadilliac with, if I remember right, one of those short lived deisel motors. (the dealer deemed it was questionable whether it was due to the wash or just a bad part so we split the cost of the repair). I have had a couple of vehicles backfire and a few stall due to not drying out the distributor adequitly but never anything else.

I also might mention that with the new EPA regulations, unless there is a water trap at the location, I no longer offer this service... the risk is just not worth the $35 up-sale.
 
Nice Job!

Ironically, I follow the exact same routine as dr_detail! I too, get great results, and have never had any damage or harm occur with the process!

Not to hi-jack your thread, but I have included a picture of my engine as a reference to taking a picture without the flash! It turns out better for presentaion and advertising purposes!
 
denverdetail said:
I will usually run the engine for 15 minutes so the grease washes off easier.
Click to expand...
Although it's never happened to me, the experience and wisdom of others allows me to know that one can crack an exhaust manifold or even worse, a head if cold water/degreaser is sprayed directly on a hot motor (this mistake cost a close friend $2300).
 
Thanks for the heads up dr detail. A valid concern for sure. I don't think though that 15 minutes of low idle on a motor will create enough heat to crack either with cold water. I maybe wrong though. Anyone have any problems personally with this. I do it all the time and have never had an issue. If I'm wrong, I'll stop doing it this way. I've always found that the grease comes off easier when the motor is warm.
 
Here's a little hint for you... find an old Water Pik on ebay or just buy a new one for about $25. Crank it all the way up, it's amazing how that little jet of water blasts away anything in it's path, especially in those places a Q-Tip wouldn't even fit.
 
DFTowel said:
Here's a little hint for you... find an old Water Pik on ebay or just buy a new one for about $25. Crank it all the way up, it's amazing how that little jet of water blasts away anything in it's path, especially in those places a Q-Tip wouldn't even fit.
Click to expand...

Hey I like that idea...good one!:bigups Nice work on your engine cleanup....
Here is mine!

Eng6.jpg


TC
:cool
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top