2007 Dodge Caliber engine bay detailed

[SwedishRider]

I detailed my second engine bay- an '07 Dodge Caliber 2.0L. I took some of the advice from the first thread I wrote here on BITOG on my pickup truck. This time, I used compressed air to blow down the cleaned engine, and only idled it for about 5 minutes after blowing it down. I also removed the plastic engine cover and cleaned the top of the engine (then cleaned and replaced the cover before dressing). Chrysler used a fabric-type material on the firewall, so it looks a little splotchy in the pics, but even though I avoided it, it got a little wet and hadn't dried yet. I think it came out pretty nice overall.

I did some homework on other products for engine cleaning and dressing, and the local parts stores are pretty thin in that area. Online, Griot's looks very expensive for not much product volume (seems to be for show cars or exotic cars). Meguiar's seems to have moderately priced products that are high quality. And there are others I saw out there that are in many other ranges too.

Any of you have preferred engine detailing products you like to use? I used GUNK for both my truck and this car, and I think the results were very good. But is there anything better out there that I should try? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[VetteElite]

I've done a WD40 engine detail before. It looks real nice and not too shiny when you are done, but it attracts dust very quickly. I ordered some 303 Aerospace Protectant for the plastic parts of my engine bay by the recommendation of another forum. It seems to be a pretty highly regarded product (and doesn't make everything super shiny and dirt attracting)

 

[Donald]

Hot water pressure washer would be my first choice.

 

[Mr Nice]

Looks good, nice job.

 

[SatinSilver]

I have another one you can do.

 

[SwedishRider]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
I have another one you can do.

Haha.. thanks for the vote of confidence. I've actually had a few people look at the two engine bays I've done, and try to nonchalantly drop in the "well, now that you've tried it, if you need more practice, my car is right over there..." bit.

I'm really just an amateur who's still learning.

 

[gregk24]

Good job and thanks for sharing! I clean the engine bay often on my Accord. I just lightly hose it down with a garden hose, spray a mixture of dish soap and water (very little dish soap) let it sit for a minute then rinse off. Once rinsed I blow it all off with a electric leaf blower. This gives it a matte finish that does not attract dust.

 

[ryanschillinger]

If you have a pressure washer, hit it with that first. Then soak it with degreaser, but don't let it dry. Scrub the bad spots, then spray more degreaser over the whole thing again. Let it sit a minute or so, then pressure wash it off until clean. I use Silk Shine by Chemical guys to spray everything down after rinsing clean. Drive the car or at least let it run to operating temperature a while to evaporate some of the water before taking a microfiber and wiping the excess dressing off.
The Silk Shine doesn't leave an oily residue, so doesn't attract more dust.

 

[Joel_MD]

Really nice job on engine #2!

 

[RTexasF]

Very nice.