Whats the deal with the paint finish in the engine bay? I was doing a bit of cleaning today when I noticed their were some bug stains underneath my hood around the latch that the soap and water didnt remove. I took some scratchX2.0 and lightly rub it in. Before I knew it there was paint all over the rag and I had damned near polished through the paint. All this in under a minutes time of light to medium rubbing. There spot in question is obviously lighter now. What the hell.

 

I done that too but stopped immediately. Maybe the heat, vapors, etc., removes the protecting wax/clearcoat?

 

There is no clear coat there. Even the inside of the fenders where the attaching bolts are only has an slight over spray of clear coat.

 

That sure is good to know. Is this common for all auto manufactures to not clear coat the engine bay? I dont ever remember polishing through the paint back when I had a mustang.

 

No they dont clear there, they save money that way. We use stuff called engine bay activator for under hoods that mixes with the paint we use (water based). It helps it cure faster but gives it s slightly less shiny sheen....just like the paint under the hood.

On another note, I wax my engine bay and never went thru the paint..honestly never saw that either!

 

On another note, I wax my engine bay, says green ghost.


OOOOOO way TMI even among friends! But hey, you call it what you like, we understand!

 

The spot is quarter size, I guess I will just cover it with a mobil 1 decal.

 

Don't judge me , It gives me a happy feeling, you should try it sometime

 

Lighten up Francis.


I've cleaned up my engine bay and used Meguiars cleaner wax. I figure it will only help protect on top of looking cleaner.

 

The paint in my engine bay is as new. Protected with Waxoyl. As is most everything else to stop oxidation except exterior paint. That gets ICE. Gary

 

i've been a detailing "geek" since the 60's and have always washed and waxed the paint in my engine bay. what i've learned over the years is the importance of first making sure that the paint is clean, which is often easier said than done, depending on what the previous owner(s) left you with. back in the 60's and 70's when i lived in the new england area, i always used a steam cleaner to clean my engine bays, followed by hand waxing. now, imho, nothing comes even remotely close to cleaning a dirty engine and engine bay like a steam cleaner, and with a little practice you can get by without having to protect electronics with protective plastic wrap. so, if you have access to a steam cleaner, i wholeheartedly recommend your using it, as it will save you an enormous amount of time, and clean places you'll NEVER get to by hand. then, wax away. you'll be astonished by the results! just make sure that you have a means of controlling the greasy runoff, ok.

as noted by others in this thread, the crossfire engine bay is not clearcoated like the car's exterior, which means that you are not going to get that deep shine that you want in the engine bay like you have on the exterior paint, which is a real bummer, imho... but don't let that stop you from waxing the engine bay, as the result is still well worth it. enjoy!

 

btw, those water spots that you could not remove in the engine bay are something that those of us who detail their engine bays have always had to deal with. they are really evident the first time that you attempt to clean up your engine bay, and the majority are the result of water from puddles being baked on by engine heat. as such, they are tough to remove, as you discovered the hard way. now, i for one would have never used the product that you used to try and remove them, as it's far too abrasive. a better method, and one that has always worked for me, is to first try a regular non-cleaner type wax on them, and if that doesn't work, then try a cleaner type wax. the good news is that once you remove them, and if you continue to wash and wax the engine bay, you will notice that they don't form nearly as often, and are much easier to remove when they do. enjoy.

 

Thanks for the great info mach2plus. Great tips and a nice read!

 

Not to judge you mach2,
Welcome aboard the most beneficial Crossfire forum.
You have Got to get a new avitar! that photo needs to be stowed in the
ol' foot locker...

 

I recently became a huge fan of Meguire's Hyper Lube - diluted down to a 3-1 ratio. I rinse the engine bay, spray on the HL and allow to dry and then wipe off any excess. The stuff gives a nice, like new appearance to all under-hood components without the Armorall greasyness. Just make sure the engine bay is clean prior to application.

Cheers,
KrzyFast

 

That's actually Meguiar's Hyper Dressing, not Lube. Just in case anyone goes looking for it!

 

What parts should I protect before I spray down the engine bay with a hose for cleaning? Or is that a big no-no? I am assuming battery and maybe the coil packs on the valve covers? I accidentally messed up my supercharger clutch bearing when I tried to clean the engine with a citrus degreaser ... cost me an arm and a leg almost. Now I'm paranoid about what parts I need to watch out for, and was curious to know your experiences with hosing down the bay.

 

Help please!

The painted areas inside my engine compartment (each side of engine) has always had a sticky goey film over it. Bought this car new as a company car, has always been there. Now 9 years later it is my personal car and spray cleaner at car wash doesn't even put a dent in the dirt.

Doesn't sound like any of you had this sticky film?

 

Try using Simply Green. ( "I spray that sh** on everything" ) Make sure the engine is slightly warm but not hot. Spray entire engine bay. Let soak for a few minutes. Rinse and Repeat.

 

If you had bought this car from Arado, I would guess you are trying, unsuccessfully, to remove "Waxoyl".

I use Simple Green on my underhood too. Should work. Let us know?