# Astra Engine Bay Detail



## octobersown

Think this is the first engine clean my car has ever had, after a year of owning it I was appalled at the condition I had left it in, should have been cleaned first day I bought it .
Beleive it or not this is my engine bay, no idea how it got this dirty in the past, I definantly havent done this ha.



















Pretty bad huhh :'(

Sorry no pictures of the steps just before and after.

To clean the engine I used Autoglym Engine and Machine Cleaner and Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber Care. And a flexible wheels brush, i also whipped out a toothbrush for the hard to gte places.



















I started by rinsing off the engine with the hose just to get all the loose dirt off. Then wiped over the whole engine bay with a sponge and hot soapy water.

Next up is the Engine Cleaner...










Basically just sprayed this one small section of the engine at a time, scrubbed with the brush and then rinsed off, repeated this over the whole engine bay until i was happy that it was as clean as possible, then i did the same to the under side of the bonnet. Then grabbed the hose pipe again and rinsed off any more cleaner i had missed.
Next thing I did was dry the engine. I used a microfibre cloth to get the majority of water off then just let it dry naturally.

Now the engine was clean i had to get the shine back so time for the Vinyl and Rubber care...










I sprayed this generously across the whole engine bay covering all plastics and rubber pipes etc. Once its covered i shut the bonnet and ran the engine on idle for 5-10mins. The heat helps it soak into the plastics and rubber. Then using a cloth wiped off any excess spray.

After pics...























































Before









After


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## will3232

Pictures aren't loading up on my computer


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## octobersown

I know sorry, Just sorted it so the pics now load up once u click them but im trying to make them visable on the thread :s not working for some reason.


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## octobersown

Done haha


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## suspal

different car well done :thumb:


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## WhichOne'sPink?

Looking good there mate.


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## volvodude

Looks great love the before and after, clean engine always looks well


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## Mr A4

Looks great, reminds me I need to do mine:thumb:


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## DMH-01

Looks much better mate, good job :thumb:


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## Niknok

Good effort, looks like new again.


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## Ross08

Great turnaround, well done!


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## Marky-G-66

Love engine bay details.

This ones Fantastic.. nice job.


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## darren1229

Real nice. Only a couple of products used aswell. How long did this take?


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## Nally

Great work and good little write up


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## steview

Great work completely transformed


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## Trip tdi

Very professional job from yourself, complete transformation there :thumb:

Which brand shampoo did you use, the suds from the shampoo look high in the bucket.. nice and frothy


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## bradbury

Nice work, good old ecotec engines!


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## ercapoccia

Nice work, it looks pretty clean now.


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## octobersown

Wow thanks for the comments people really apprectiate them. To answer a few questions it took me approx 1 hour, it took a lot of patients getting into the nooks and crannies, and the shampoo used was Chemical guys maxi suds II.


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## Derekh929

Well done looks great know


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## dailly92

looks superb. ive always wanted to properly clean my engine bay but always worried i muck it up and damage electrics etc


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## mnight

dailly92 said:


> looks superb. ive always wanted to properly clean my engine bay but always worried i muck it up and damage electrics etc


That's what I'm worried about too


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## octobersown

If you have a new ish car i wouldnt worry too much about the electrics, they're all weather proof so a light blast with the jet wash then a rinse with a watering can wont do any harm. If you have any aftermarket wires like amp etc then i would recommend covering the exposed connection with something e.g tin foil or cling film?


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## id_doug

Cracking job buddy. There is a certain sense if satisfaction getting your engine bay that clean when you know no one will see it


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## CleanCar99

Great turnaround! One thing, i always do the underside of the bonet first. This way, the dirt drips on to a dirty engine, rather than a freshly cleaned engine.


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## s29nta

You done good, you must be very pleased. Top work:thumb:


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## TW15T3D

Good job been meaning to do my engine bay on my astra but was a bit scared off my electrics. Will just follow by your example now cheers


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## sprocketser

Great Engine bay detailing in there ! Didn t knew AG was good in Engine bay !


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## octobersown

TW15T3D said:


> Good job been meaning to do my engine bay on my astra but was a bit scared off my electrics. Will just follow by your example now cheers


Yeah do it mate, don't be too worried about the electric's, i find with most newer cars the electrics a protected and water proofed and if your still worried just use a watering can to rinse away the residue instead of a jet wash or hose.



sprocketser said:


> Great Engine bay detailing in there ! Didn t knew AG was good in Engine bay !


Yeah i always use AG on engine bays, top stuff and i love the finish the vinyl and leather care gives on the plastics and rubbers.


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## sprocketser

octobersown said:


> Yeah do it mate, don't be too worried about the electric's, i find with most newer cars the electrics a protected and water proofed and if your still worried just use a watering can to rinse away the residue instead of a jet wash or hose.
> 
> Yeah i always use AG on engine bays, top stuff and i love the finish the vinyl and leather care gives on the plastics and rubbers.


AG can be obtained easily in Canada , will have to check it out next time I go at Canadian Tire , which carry it .


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## custard1

Mate that looks really good, well done. I really want to do my bay using this method but I'm scared that I'll mess something up by getting water somewhere that it shouldn't be


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## Hercs74

custard1 said:


> Mate that looks really good, well done. I really want to do my bay using this method but I'm scared that I'll mess something up by getting water somewhere that it shouldn't be


Your be fine..... I use this method, and sometimes I use a steam cleaner....!!!! Either way just don't go OTT with the water. If your concerned about the alternator etc just cover it with a plastic bag. I do this on slightly older cars. I've done over ten engine bays and never had a problem... Just be sensible and all will be fine.....!!!!


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## octobersown

custard1 said:


> Mate that looks really good, well done. I really want to do my bay using this method but I'm scared that I'll mess something up by getting water somewhere that it shouldn't be


Yeah mate hercs is right, on older cars or if you have any after market electrics then cover them but u don't need to use a lot of water. Use the degreaser to clean it and just use small amounts of water to rinse


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## custard1

Thanks guys I will give it a go on my mk5 astra


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## J77ONO

Nice work ..im going to have to get mine sorted now ; )


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## mwad

Impressive results


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