Cleaning my 330i

[quikryptonite]

So I got my car back from Dallas last weekend and my Dad and I started cleaning/detailing my car.

Last night after we finished up, we totaled the numbers and figured we spent 12 man hours working on my car. First of all we washed the whole car with no-rinse car wash. I spent about 45 minutes cleaning the wheels while my Dad clayed the whole car.

The next two nights were spent using the orbital and working on getting swirls out of the car. We used Maguiar's 105 and then 205 compound on the paint/finish. Then we waxed the car using Maguiar's 2.0 wax and then cleaned the wheels again.

The car looks great, I am hoping to get some pictures up soon.

Does anyone have any recommendations about cleaning the engine bay? I found a guy who will clean it for $35. Does anyone degrease their own engine? Any risks involved with getting electrical systems screwed up?

Thanks.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I know that Jeff posted some pictures of his engine bay. Let me see if I can find them.

[danewilson77]

I typically just use a spray detailer and give it a wipe down. Nathan Carter has a more aggresive and thorough approach. He covers the intake and electrical connections with bags, then sprays a degreaser all over, then rinses softly with water. Lemme see if I can find his post.

By Nathan Carter....

First, as long as you don't have any oil/fluid leaks, you DON'T need a steam cleaner, aggressive degreaser, or pressure washer. On a 2008 7-series, I doubt you have any more than just a bit of road grime and a nice layer of dust.

- Make sure the engine is cool, or at least not at operating temperature. Don't spray water onto a hot engine..
- Cover any exposed electrical components or cone-style air filter. On an '08 I doubt there's anything to worry about, though you may want to cover the alternator with aluminum foil or a plastic bag.
- Rinse off most of the surface dust with a garden hose and gentle mist sprayer - similar to what you'd do to the outside of the car.
- Mix up a fresh batch of car wash soap. Wash down whatever you like with a wash mitt and a variety of brushes. I use a cheap bench brush with soft bristles, and a long skinny wheel brush to get into crevices (see below for specifics). If you're really particular, you can get every last nook and cranny with a stiff-bristled toothbrush, but I don't bother to go this far on my daily driver.
- Rinse off the soap with another gentle spraying from the garden hose.
- Take it for a brief spin to displace any standing water and help evaporate anything that remains.
- Give it a light but even spritz with an appropriate detailer/protectant. I like 303 Aerospace Protectant, it dries to a clean-looking matte finish. DON'T use petroleum-based sprays like WD40, or anything super-shiny like Armor All, as these will just cause more dust to stick in the future. Some folks like the super-shiny-wet look in the engine bay, but I think it just looks used-car-dealer cheap.
- Blot up any standing puddles of protectant/detailer.
- Close the hood and walk away. Inspect the results the next morning.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

And here is Jeff's thread.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?907-The-Treatment-2011-2005-BMW-330-Sparkling-Graphite-ZHP-Coupe

[kayger12]

Another good resource here. (http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/how-to-detail-your-engine-bay/)

[gr330zhp]

Need pics!!!


My motor has never gotten greasy, so I usually just use brushes to dust and detailer spray :dunno