Engine bay cleaning

Chances are, you will have a quite lot of mud, sand and salt in the engine bay after any trip off road. It's always a good idea to quickly clean all this up so it doesn't sit inside the engine bay and cause issues like foul smells, or get in the way when you're trying to swing a spanner. It's best to do this before the rest of the car, to avoid water drying on the rest of the paintwork.

Grab some Down & Dirty, a brush from our Foursome set and/or a Chubby brush, a Twisted Little Sucker and a battery powered portable blower if you have one. Make sure the engine and any rubber hoses are cool to the touch before you start.

Give the engine a good rinsing, being careful to avoid intakes, electrics, and any other locations you don't want water getting into. Some manufacturers have exposed ECUs under the windscreen area, so do your best to not force water in here (angle the hose towards the front of the car where possible).

Break the engine bay up into quarters and work on one section at a time, to ensure you get a thorough clean done.

Spray the Down & Dirty directly onto the surface you are working on, and begin agitating with your combination of brushes. Make sure to be thorough and get all sides and angles of the components for a more thorough clean. Don't let it dry, rinse off thoroughly after to ensure you've gotten rid of all of the dirt.

After rinsing, blow any remaining water out of nooks and crannies with the blower, then dry the rest of the engine bay down with a clean and dry grey Twisted Little Sucker cloth.