7 Car Engine Detailing Tips & Tricks

These days, countless tips and tricks are available for detailing car engines.

These are accessible online and even in your email inbox. Finding the ones you can rely on and utilize repeatedly is the true challenge.

After all, you can't just buy a new car or get car engine services in Ibiza every time you make a simple mistake with your car, can you?

Sometimes you need to give your car some detailed special care.

And if you don't want to waste money every single time on engine detailing, we have some tips for you.

We've compiled a list of ten of the most reliable and effective engine detailing tips and techniques.

Clean the engine when it’s cool

First, keep in mind that you should never clean a hot engine.

The ideal time to detail your engine is in the morning after it has been sitting all night.

You run a much higher risk of doing damage if you splash cold water on a hot engine.

Prior to beginning work, you need to make sure the engine is cool.

Some detailers advise warming the engine to loosen buildup, although it should only be slightly warm.

The degreaser can dry and stain the engine surface if it's too warm.

Cover elements that aren’t water-friendly

Cover the alternator, any exposed filters, and the engine's air intake before you start detailing.

Those are the spots where you should avoid water or degreaser to pool.

Put a bag over your exposed air filter, and make sure to take the bag off before starting your engine.

Moreover, consider covering other engine components as well that aren't water-friendly.

If you have done any custom work before, you must know you need to cover electrical connections or gauges while cleaning.

Just consider what you wouldn't want to get too wet with. You can clean such places after the rest of the dirt is removed.

Note: Use only as much water and cleaners as needed to get the job done.

Clean everything thoroughly

Start by cleaning the engine bay's exterior.

You can use a degreaser on painted surfaces, but it can remove wax.

Make sure to degrease the hoses and fluid tanks as well. In general, those are the dirtiest locations.

Spray down the firewall at the back of the engine compartment, getting as far as possible.

Although a degreaser won't complete the task for you, it will definitely make it simpler.

You only need to rinse it with a gentle spray of water to remove the degreaser.

The degreaser will perform most of the work and remove the dirt, but you can add a little force by placing your thumb over the hose's end.

All that remains can simply be wiped down. To properly make the engine appear decent, you must hand-clean it.

Use wash glove to clean leftover dirt

Once you've rinsed as much as possible, you must do the rest by hand. It's great if you have a wash glove made specifically for detailing engines.

To avoid cross-contamination, you shouldn't use the same glove for the engine as you would for the rest of the car.

Make sure all the dirt is removed by washing the engine's exterior.

You can start wiping in the middle of the engine, where you might not have sprayed any degreaser.

Make sure you also clean the fluid containers and caps, as some of them require extra effort.

You might need detailed brushes to remove the dirt in some areas.

Only use soft bristles brushes and never use brass or stainless-steel brushes. They will scratch plastic and paint, trying to destroy the appearance of your engine.

To help with your detailing, combine some soapy water in a spray bottle. It'll help you in locating the places that require hand detailing.

Make sure to keep plenty of towels on hand to clean up the spots once you're done.

Use a blower to let the water go out

The engine should be dry before moving with wax or protectants.

Using a towel wouldn't be very convenient. Instead, you can use a blower, as it can get the water out of places you can't reach with a towel.

Apply wax to shine it up

After removing all the dirt, it's time to shine it up.

You can wax the paint if you want to, but make sure to use a good sealer.

A wax made of carnauba won't survive very long in the engine compartment because of the extreme heat.

To ensure that the paint is durable, you would need to choose a paint created for hot conditions.

Utilize rubber/vinyl protectant to shine up the plastics

Use a premium rubber/vinyl protectant to shine up the plastics and hoses.

Clean the hoses and all plastic surfaces to protect them from heat, grease, and dirt stains.

Choose something with some gloss if you want to show off your engine bay.

Final thoughts

The key to keeping this project simple is to keep your engine compartment clean in the first place.

A fast degreasing every year or two will help maintain your engine looking clean with about an hour of work.

But if you reach the point where you believe you can no longer manage the detailing on your own, then HOY HOY IBIZA is at your service (like always).

HOY HOY IBIZA connects you with some of Ibiza's greatest car detailers.

Our partners provide you the peace of mind and security you need to have your vehicle cleaned in your absence.