Cleaning the car's engine compartment: how to do it well in 5 steps

How do you clean the car's engine compartment effectively and safely ?


Many people don't clean the engine compartment of their car because they don't know how and they fear doing some serious damage by compromising the functionality or reliability of electrical or mechanical parts. The engine compartment of your car is resistant to atmospheric agents, therefore to water and also to specific products for thorough cleaning, what is important to remember is:

  • Do not use pressurized water
  • Do not spray cleaning products in excessive quantities
  • Do not clean the engine compartment when it is hot

Cleaning the car engine compartment step by step

The fundamental point is to work with the engine completely cold before carrying out any operation.

Step 1:

Cover the alternator, exposed electrical wires or connectors and especially the air filter even with simple plastic bags and duct tape.

Step 2:

Let's start with cleaning the engine compartment ! Use an engine compartment cleaning spray , a multi-purpose degreaser. Spray the product on all surfaces, paying particular attention to pipes and liquid containers which may be particularly dirty!

Step 3:

Use a brush to remove any dirt, use a steam machine to remove the product and clean all parts of the engine compartment thoroughly!

If you don't have a professional steam machine or a steamer , you can use a spray bottle with water and spray it on the various surfaces (ATTENTION: having covered all the electrical parts and filters is FUNDAMENTAL, especially in this step!).

Step 4:

Before applying any product to protect or renew the plastics , the engine compartment must be perfectly dry. You can use an electric dryer such as our Monello Maestro Car Dryer . 

Step 5:

You can then use a product like SC2 Dressing to revive and nourish all the plastic and rubber parts without having a "greasy" feeling to the touch.

Finally the engine compartment of your car will be like new ! Once you follow these steps, cleaning your car's engine compartment will be much easier and, if done regularly, will always look like it just came from the factory with minimal effort! The engine compartment should be washed every 3 – 6 months to keep it clean and protected.

Are you looking for products to clean and protect the engine compartment of your car? We have created a kit that contains everything you need.

Back to Guide Car Detailing - How to take care of the car - Car-Care.it

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