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I've been washing all my engines with plain water for longer than I will admit
Than there is power wash and power wash.
I own commercial PW who with 3000 psi will blast a hole in 2x plank, or will rip all hoses off the engine.
Never used it on engine as even with lowering the pressure and being careful it is danger and not efficient.
Having 150 psi city water pressure, good garden hose and one of those "fireman" nozzles is all I need to clean even older grime from warm engine.
Modern electronics are well protected and I've been hosing alternators just fine.
Ignition coils are something you don't want to wash with water, but they take side mist with no problems.
I don't hesitate to wash down spark plugs boots and only 30 years ago had a problem with occasional misfire till engine got hot and dried everything out.
I'm in the same boat as the OP i honestly just use a spray bottle and a few rags to make it look clean i know a power wash would be better but I have 0 risk doing it my way.
water spray and wipe down i use Aero space 303 spray it all over then wipe it down to make it have that like new look
I'm just posting something so I'm subscribed hahaha I'd like to see what people do
All the time but
1- no detergents..detergents are caustic and burn the finish
2- no direct high pressure especially where not needed..wiring..intake tubes..etc
first a little spray with simple green..soft brush...pressure rinse
All the time but
1- no detergents..detergents are caustic and burn the finish
2- no direct high pressure especially where not needed..wiring..intake tubes..etc
first a little spray with simple green..soft brush...pressure rinse
Damn that looks super clean but I'm still still scared of doing it hahaha
Yeah. Some owners clean their engines better than their bathtubs or toothbrushes
With such detailed engine, I would be tempted to drive with hood off.
ahahaha!! I don't think i've ever see anyone with a Mercedes drive with their hood off but it would be pretty interesting to see.
Ya I clean mine once before each season and it still look 85% like the picture above just because i rush it a little bit, but Aerospace 303 is amazing you can clean the whole interior with it as well and its not greasy like other products. Also its not to expensive and lasts you a while. Its nice to have one product that you can actually pretty much clean your whole car with.
well good on you for taking care of your ML63 AMG a lot of people can only dream to have one but its defiantly really nice to see people enjoy cars like that and keep them in mint shape.
1. Bag the alternator with a grocery bag and elastic band, use a common engine degreaser, scrub the nooks and crannies, wash off with regular hose pressure.
2. Re-lubricate
3. Treat black surfaces with plastic treatment like ReNew.
Nano did an exceptional job, I don't think an engine would ever look that nice in Ontario Canada.
I didn't see your location. I agree, your roads suck!
I'm in Waterloo Region, and the salt use here is absurd. I washed my R320 and a day later you couldn't tell it was black - thick coating of salt on the entire vehicle! It gets inside the engine bay too and corrodes the aluminum.
I take the engine cover/airbox right off and power wash it separately. I use what degreaser I have laying around for that. Make sure you take the air filters out first.
On the engine, I'll use Dunk Degreaser or something like that and hose it off with low pressure. Make sure you bag your alternator! You don't want that stuff getting inside it.
After that I rub everything down with an off-the-shelf plastic restorer like McGuires or ReNew. To make everything look pretty. Then I re-lube the hood latch, hood cylinders, and anything showing signs of rust with Fluid Film.
It usually takes about 3 - 4 hours and I do it twice a year.
Once again, plain water on warm engine works for me for decades. Standard washing takes about 90 seconds and keeps my hand relatively clean if I have to work on the engine.
Only if newly acquired engine has dried out gunk that water will not remove, I use wire or soft brush on it.
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