young

why? and how?

Lynn

I use a damp towel to wipe down the engine cover, and all other surfaces I can reach after each wash. I do it because it looks better than not doing it.

awiner

I do the same, however, when it needs it I will also wash the engine bay down with a LIGHT spray of water from a hose. I would assume as time goes on, a agent that could cut through grease and grime may be needed on a annual basis in some areas.

The goal here is to keep your engine and engine compartment so clean that you can eat off of it.

As a side note, I clean my wheel wells out as well on a weekly basis when I wash my car. It is amazing how much a weeks worth of road grime is when you actually see it.

TimmyC230boy

I know this may sound weird but about every 2 weeks i will go to the coin-operated high presure car wash and ONLY wash the wheel wells, and underbody. Awiner, you are correct there is alot of buildup in the wheel wells over a week or two. As for the engine let it cool down and wipe it down with a wet rage or maybe an engine cleaner of some sort. or spray it with a LIGHT mist of water.

Kar don

I clean mine, this was before i cleaned it.

Kar don

This is after I cleaned it. I put klasse on the radiator support and washed the engine with a wash mitt.

rp430

Oh Yeah! A clean engine and a clean undercarriage make for a pristine vehicle. I use Meguiar's Rubber/Vinyl Cleaner and Conditioner on all the hoses, and plastic parts under the hood including the rubber pieces near the top of the headlights and the inner black plastic grill piece. I use the same stuff on the inner fender liners, etc. I used to maintain a 100 point show car on which I cleaned the entire underside after every use - I guess old habits die hard!

JamE55

Nice looking engine bay Al!

young

actually, it looks like it may be cleaner, but the pic is so dark, i can't really tell :p

well, so cleaning the engine is for aesthetic reasons? i've never really done that, but i'll give it a try. a friend has those armor all wipes; i'll borrow those and see how they work.

Kar don

the picture doesnt look dark on my computer (dell inspiron 8100, yea Jame55 u can make fun of me all u want :p ). Anyway, I would stay away from that armor all wipes crap. They are full of silicone which is bad for plastic and it will attract dust like crazy. Use somethine like 303 or zaino Z16 or meguiars mirror glaze line of products.

avlis

I did a baaaaaaad thing today.
I left the oil filler cap off by accident and drove off to work. I drove on the highway for 20 minutes and didn't notice anything wrong until I stopped in traffic. The interior was filled with smoke before I could turn off the climate control and I watched in horror blue smoke billowing out from the hood vents and grill. I got out of the car and figured it was going to be a total loss with an engine fire. I was relieved (sort-of) when I opened the hood and found the cap sitting where I left it and also the fact that the car wasn't buring to the ground.

Hopefully, the only damage will be to my ego. 10 years working on cars and I've never made a mistake like this.

What a mess though! Oil soaked and smoking engine with only 2500 miles on it. Luckily, I only lost 1/2 quart, which is how much I added last night. I drove it to a DIY carwash and soaped the entire engine down. I stood about 6 feet away from the car and directed the spray all over the engine compartment. I finished with a light spray rinse. I think I got most of it off but I'll detail it more tonight. I just hope the smell goes away...

Kar don

man that sucks, now there is no more new car smell

avlis

I had to replace the dust filter because it was choked up with the burnt oil smell. $15, not too bad. I ran into my salesman at the parts counter and I thought I would have to explain why I was replacing the filter after only 2 months.:o

I can still smell a little residue burning when when I come to a stop, but it seems to be getting better. Lesson learned....the HARD way.

Darkmann

I was going to do mine at the first service but my service advisor adviced me not to - due to the electronics. I have a 300ZXT and a Pathfinder and run them through the local DIY carwashes, low pressure on the engine bay and everything comes out great. If I spray low pressure into the MB bay, will I damage anything???

young

shamefully, i have increased the brightness on my monitor... i am now seeing more of everything! btw, it wasn't me. i have a baby, and she likes to press buttons... she must've pressed the lower brightness button! i swear. sometimes, she hits the degauss button and she thinks that is hilarious!

point taken about the armor all. i'll use something else.

avlis, did i tell you about my headlight housing dust cap incident?

Kar don

I keep it clean to make it easier on the techs. That way they can see a leak and wont get their hands as dirty. I also wash the underbody often to keep the salt off the components, etc.

avlis

No, Young.....

I'm still having nightmares that I'm going to car-owner's hell....

avlis

My thoery is this: When you drive in the rain, some amount of water is going to get into the engine compartment anyway. Whether the water comes from a hose or clouds/road doesn't matter. Hopefully the connectors and gadgets are sealed enough to protect against splashes.

I know from working on Fords that all the engine electronics connectors had internal rubber seals. I expect that MB does the same thing. I used to hose off the egine in my Ranger a few times a year with no problems. The last time I did it I ended up having to replace the alternator because the bearing was squealing like mad the next morning. I put the truck away wet that time. It had 90,000 miles on it. I don't know if the wash-downs contributed to it's failure or not.

Lightman

If your engine bay hasn't been cleaned in a few years or a lot of miles etc, you may be ready for a degreasing. Get a quality engine degreaser and go to a coin op high pressure bay. Make sure to bring some sort of plastic bags or wrap. You'll want to cover your air intake and sensitive electrical componenets with plastic. Then spray the degreaser on a (cool engine) and follow directions, only let it sit for a minute or two. blast the stuff off, dont spray too high of pressure on flimsy looking components etc(like there are flimsy components on a benz!!), or wires etc. You wont believe the black crap that will run off your engine from places you can't even see. Be sure to take the plastic stuff back off before you put the hood down!! Then drive a half hour or so to make sure to burn off any remaining water - a highway blast is good. I've done this on all of my cars, and have never had a problem, but always a clean engine. Its good because you can see if you have something leaking etc, which might otherwise be hidden by the grime and dirt.

THe most effective by FAR product that i've found is Castrol Super Clean, in the purple bottle. Great for tires and wheels, but make SURE you dont leave it on more than a minute as it will eat thru clearcoat on your wheels. I hear p2s gel wheel cleaners are great and don't harm the clearcoat. Super clean will also do wonders for cleaning your bong, with no smell or residue! =]

mleskovar

So far I haven't found oil even weeping anyplace on my car after 22K miles. I've read the older inline 6 engines leaked oil. What is the track record for the W203, they've been around for a while?

corgiman

When you use the high pressure water be sure not to strip off the protective coatings the factory applies to the underbody. They are some sort of self - healing waxy substance but can get stripped off.