Do you clean inside the engine compartment regularly? and how? chemical? spray? paper towel?

 

LOL @ myself because I even wax the painted surfaces.

 

There have been a lot of threads started about this, Look in the "Detailing" section.

And to answer your query, I have kept every one of my engine compartments as clean as I can! It makes working in there easier, looks better, and if you, god forbid, must take it to someone for them to work on it, they might respect your vehicle a bit more. Or see in advance that you are concerned about the little things and will do the job clean and correct!

Best.

 

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...gine+detailing

 

Me too, that's just wrong isn't it?

 

haha ~ too much work for me to wax inside the engine area. i only wipe out the grease and dirt using paper towel, but doesn't seem to work very good. Any good or proper way to clean it?

btw, thanks maxcichon, i'll look at those threads.

 

Aren't the engine bays flat finish, i.e. no clear coat?

How does the wax look on the base only paint? I can understand maybe coating the engine cover, but I've never seen wax on a non-cleared engine bay...not sure what it will look like.

SQ

 

I read from other threads that we can use Simple-Green and a garden hose to clean the engine area. But I still have some questions.

Question 1: Do I need to cover any parts with foils?
Question 2: Do I need to remove that plastic cover?
Question 3: Do I need to keep the engine running when hosing it?
Question 4: Do I need to apply wax or protector afterwards?

Thanks.

 

It doesn't look any different and makes it a lot easier to keep clean. You can polish, then wax any base coat to bring it to shine. FYI not every paint job is clearcoated. I don't even think the Alabaster XF paint is clear coated. In fact the reason it may look like a "Flat" finish is that it doesn't have the depth of the exterior finish (ie not as many layers of base color coat on the non exposed surfaces). That's why I wouldn't recommend polishing it. However waxing is perfectly save IMO.

 

Mine has always been kept clean but I have cleaned a number of other engine compartment. I don't know about the garden hose thing I would prefer to use a pressure washer that doesn't flow as much water.

1) Maybe the ECUs on the XF.
2) Yes, you want to clean underneath and it comes off pretty easy.
3) I always do and you may want to use a degreaser if it really greasy.
4) I use wax, It make it a lot easier to keep clean.

 

I have never seen a Crossfire's engine bay with a "flat finish". My black base model is not flat. Nor were the blaze red limited that I test drove. While they may not be clearcoated ( mine looked like it was ), they definitely do not have a flat finish. A true flat finish could not be waxed because flat paint does not have a smooth finish. Because of this, you would never be able to remove wax that was applied to a "flat" paint job. The best way that I could describe a flat paint finish is think of body part that has a coat of primer on it.

A few weeks ago, I waxed all of the exposed engine bay paint that I could easily access. It was no more difficult to wax than the exterior paint. Opening the hood 90 degrees sure helped.

 

Flat, to me, means no gloss.

And, my engine bay is flat, as are the underside of the hood, underhood edges of the fenders, radiator support, etc. This is typical on 90% of cars that I've ever worked on (and I worked in a body shop doing paint for a few years).

Typically, when doing a repair on these cars, we spray a base coat only - no clear, which gives the flat finish.

As for the alabaster white not having clear-coat, I'd be really surprised...

SQ

 

Mine has a very nice gloss to it. I take it to the diy coin wash. Be sure to cover the air intake at the rear of the motor if you remove the engine cover for washing. Don't get too close with the high psi water. You may need to get a can or two of engine cleaner if it's really dirty. Once you get it nice and clean you can just spray it down once a month at the car wash. Don't forget to dry off the painted areas to prevent water spots. After the drive home an old mf cloth and some Turtle Wax Ice detail spray will work wonders.

EngineCover.jpg

 

I pulled this from an older thread:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ht=touch+paint

From Paintscratch.com:
Color Color Description Color Code
Black Clearcoat 040/9040/P41/PXB
Sapphire Silver Metallic Clearcoat 368/5368/BS3
Blaze Red Cry. Metallic Clearcoat 591/3591/ARH
Classic Yellow Clearcoat 695/1695
Graphite Metallic Clearcoat 759/7759/ZDR
Aeroblue Metallic Clearcoat 959/5959
Alabaster 960/9960/P61

I know from past experience that some solid colors (Non metallic or pearlescent) don't have a clear coat.

 

I went to quarter car wash, open engine compartment and sprayed with high pressure hose, then dried with towel, no problems.

 

Either my engine bay is flat (no clear), or REALLY faded!
Roy, I'll show you next time I see you - I won’t be at Biff's this Friday though, going to a concert.

As for the Alabaster,

Here are references to Alabaster having a clearcoat:

From Chrysler (go to their site and build a 2006 model with alabaster clearcoat):



From cars.com :
http://www.cars.com/go/crp/research....=&aff=national

From Edmunds:
http://www.edmunds.com/used/2004/chr...67/colors.html

If that isn't proof enough, ask Andrew...he just had his re-painted not long ago. He will likely know whether it has clear or not.

I know they still do some single stage, but the fact that it is not a metallic color doesn't have anything to do with whether or not it has clear (as someone alluded to earlier). Most auto manufacturers are using base/clear these days, some even with tri-coats with base/pearl coat/clear.

SQ

 

Thanks Shawn, I'm glad to see that my Alabaster XF is clearcoated. I hope you don't really think your engine compartment paint is faded. Could it have been repainted at some stage?

 

No, I don't really think it is faded...it just doesn't have clearcoat (came this way from the factory).

I posted in the SRT forum to see if maybe it is the SRT cars ONLY that don't have clear under the hood. However, I also had an '04 Limited, and it was flat-finish under the hood as well (no clear coat, just base coat). Both of my cars have been Graphite.

It was never repainted...I bought it with the dealer plastic still on it.

Interesting to hear if your cars really do have clearcoat under the hood, or if someone is just mistaken. I need to try an area and see what wax does - maybe it will shine? If so, maybe that's why yours are shiny under the hood - because you've waxed them. I guess I never thought to go as far as to wax underneath the hood because there was no clear coat. I assumed that with just a base coat, I wouldn't get any shine with wax. Maybe I am wrong?

For the record, the following cars I own, and none of them have clearcoat (glossy finish) under the hood:
2000 Ford Focus
2004 Dodge Ram 2500
1991 Mustang
1985 Mustang
2004 Crossfire Limited (sold)
2005 Crossfire SRT

SQ

 

the area under the hood has a slight satin finish... but not to the degree of the exterior paint surface.

when my fender was replaced & painted i made sure the body shop did not clear the inner part of the fender edge as they did the exterior paint surface... they ended up applying just a base coat (& slightly buffed/rubbed out) to mimic the factory finish... it turned out perfectly as I had hoped.

hope this helps...

 

waxed...
Sometimes I'm kinda embarrassed about obsessing but what can I say. It just ain't right. I'm glad I don't have a lift...or maybe...