CLEANING UNDER HOOD OF XLR?

[OH!4XLR]

WHATS THE BEST AND SAFEST WAY TO CLEAN UNDER HOOD OF XLR? I have an 04. Usually i wipe it down with damp cloth on top of engine but theres alot of dirt n dust. can i rinse any areas with a hose? Usually with any car i have im hesitant to do so. How do all of you do it n any reccomendations appreciated.

 

[Rob]

Moving out of the Site Help and Feedback forum and into the XLR Care and Detailing forum...

 

[XLRATING]

I think you're very smart to avoid spraying/hosing down this particular engine bay.

I use a tedious but pretty safe & risk-free method that involves NO major spraying on the engine. I take a spray bottle of waterless car wash & clean the engine by spraying it on a rag or toothbrush (whichever one I need to be using), then using those on areas to clean. For using the toothbrush, I keep another rag handy to catch any run off. I may spray a few areas with the waterless wash if I can verify neither the spray nor the runoff from it is going to get into anything electrical. Over the years I've collected various detailing brushes and sticks (similar to these Detail Engine | Detailing Sticks | Detailing Tools) to help. Since I've done all the work to get it cleaned up, it's easy to just spot clean or wipe down every now & then.

It will take a lot more time to do it this way, but it's faster & cheaper than messing something up by hosing down the engine. Too many sensors, grounds, etc. for me to feel comfortable that I've gotten everything covered up for heavy duty water spray.

My 2 cents ...

 

[rexster314]

And the cars are getting on in age, with invisible cracks/crevices that won't tolerate a water spray very well. I use a cheap spray detailer when I do car shows, otherwise I might wipe the engine compartment down every month or so just to keep the dust at bay

 

[Crimson Pearl]

I think you're very smart to avoid spraying/hosing down this particular engine bay.

I use a tedious but pretty safe & risk-free method that involves NO major spraying on the engine. I take a spray bottle of waterless car wash & clean the engine by spraying it on a rag or toothbrush (whichever one I need to be using), then using those on areas to clean. For using the toothbrush, I keep another rag handy to catch any run off. I may spray a few areas with the waterless wash if I can verify neither the spray nor the runoff from it is going to get into anything electrical. Over the years I've collected various detailing brushes and sticks (similar to these Detail Engine | Detailing Sticks | Detailing Tools) to help. Since I've done all the work to get it cleaned up, it's easy to just spot clean or wipe down every now & then.

It will take a lot more time to do it this way, but it's faster & cheaper than messing something up by hosing down the engine. Too many sensors, grounds, etc. for me to feel comfortable that I've gotten everything covered up for heavy duty water spray.

My 2 cents ...

Trust me, she keeps a really clean XLR!