Engine Detailing on moden covered engines?

C

cptzippy

New member
When you pop the hood on my Lexus there's one thing you can't see - that would be the ENGINE. There is a cowl/cover that covers everything except the few fillers for engine fluids. I've cleaned it but haven't taken it off to detail the engine. Partly this is because the dealership totally me there was absolutely no reason to ever remove that cover. Of course these are the same folks who also convinced me they had 'professional' detailers that had to prep my car for delivery :soscared:



So, do you think I ought to take that sucker off and detail my engine like I always have?
 
cptzippy said:
Here's a random link I found that shows what I'm talking about:

New Lexus IS 350C | Tampa
Click to expand...



Of course you should! With you being an autopian member, I'm sure you have done or eventually will do many aspects of detailing that the vast majority of car owners would never bother with. Why should this be any different? You say you have always cleaned your engine. I'm sure no one but you and whoever services your car ever sees inside the engine bay, but you still like it clean right? Why should the cleanliness of the engine be any less important just because it is hidden under fancy decorative plastic? That cover on the engine just lifts right off anyways. Don't forget to remove all of the black plastic on the sides and front of the engine bay as well. All you need is a small flathead screwdriver to pop the center push pins up, remove the rivets and all the plastics lift right off. You'd be surprised on how dirty it gets under there.
 
Yeah...that "absolutely no reason" makes me :rolleyes: "Cleaning it up and making sure there's nothing alarming under there" is a good reason IMO.



Got rodents? Got a leaky fuel system (no, they don't always throw a code)? I've found all sorts of :soscared: stuff under those covers.



Might make a good impression on the guys who work on it too, which might encourage them to take better-than-average care when working on your car.
 
Heh... that whole "no reason to take it off" thing is just a ploy. They figure if you actually listen to them, you'll keep coming back to the dealership for all your service needs and they can gouge you for more money.



I would just go ahead and take it off to clean under.
 
Agree with everyone else. Have a look and may as well clean under the covers. It good to know that even if someone else cannot see it, you see it i your mind as clean. That's a good feeling. Plus if there is an issue, you know. Have those on my 04 A6 2.7T. Removed covers, was doing a clean and noticed my hose to my diverter valve was old and cracking.



Do It
 
awcjacobs said:
..Removed covers, was doing a clean and noticed my hose to my diverter valve was old and cracking.



Do It
Click to expand...



That's exactly the sort of thing I was thinking about :xyxthumbs Not really any different from keeping the undercarriage clean so you can spot little cracks in CV boots/etc. before they become major issues.
 
I discovered an oil leak at the base of my intake manifold on my Challenger the first time I removed the cover to clean my engine. It was a very minor leak/seepage but something I would want to address with the dealer nonetheless while it is still under warranty. If I had not been as anal as am, it likely would have gone unnoticed.
 
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