# Engine bay dressing alternative?



## Webarno

Hi all,

Looking to give my engine bay a good scrub on the weekend. 
I've ordered some AutoGlym Engine Cleaner, and will use that and rinse off. 

My question is, to save money, what should I use to dress it all in after?
I don't want to buy a specific product for this, so what I have available in my arsenal to use is:

Meguiars endurance tyre gel
Slick rims spray tyre dressing
Autofinesse Finale
Chemical Guys Speed Wipe

What would you use/recommend?

And any other tips in regards to tackling this would be appreciated. 

Thanks in advance.


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## cossiecol

G303 aerospace protectant will do the job very nicely.


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## Webarno

cossiecol said:


> G303 aerospace protectant will do the job very nicely.


Thanks for the that. Ideally I want to use something I already have though. 
I've got the things listed about, and some other bits too, like QD's, tyre dressing etc.


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## Kimo

I used car pro perl for waxstock in 2014

Went to prep again in 2015 and it was still beading


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## AllenF

Go with the slick rims


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## A&J

Any of the mentioned would be fine exept Megs Endurance (because of the endurance part)

Wolfs chemicals blackout is another great spray version dressing used for tyres, plastic, rubber, engine. Great durability, nice looking, easy to use...


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## -Kev-

Wd40 believe it or not, is brill..


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## Webarno

Thanks for all the suggestions. Liking the sound of that Car Pro Perl Kimo!


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## Kimo

-Kev- said:


> Wd40 believe it or not, is brill..


It actually is


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## Hufty

Megs do a special engine detailer but to be honest anything that is either a trim dressing or synthetic qd will do trick. Your speed wipe will do nicely or the finale.

Meguiars Engine Dressing Motor Conserver 450 ml: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike


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## Clancy

Wd40 is very good, has all sorts of uses. If you have a composit door on your house it's the nuts for cleaning them too :thumb:


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## Webarno

Hufty said:


> Megs do a special engine detailer but to be honest anything that is either a trim dressing or synthetic qd will do trick. Your speed wipe will do nicely or the finale.
> 
> Meguiars Engine Dressing Motor Conserver 450 ml: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike


Thank you. This forum is always so useful!


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## DrH

-Kev- said:


> Wd40 believe it or not, is brill..


Used for years in the engine bay on most of my cars:thumb:


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## Sputnik

-Kev- said:


> Wd40 believe it or not, is brill..


How is WD40 being applied, just spray the engine/engine bay after cleaning or do you target specific parts/areas ?

:newbie:


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## LewisChadwick7

only trouble i found when i used wd40 it attracted dust pretty easily  but still made it look mint for a short while :lol:


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## eric272

WD40,*burns* with heat and turns BLACK.making the engine look 200% worse.Silicon spray is the best anti heat/corrosion/waterproof spray, EVER.Halfords own brand is the absolute best.
WD40 is also bad for certain rubbers.


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## Webarno

Right so I'm going to avoid the WD40. 

This is what I'll do and correct me on any parts if you wish:

Cover up alternator and other electrical wires/parts with foil or bags.
Liberally spray entire bay with Autoglym engine cleaner.
Agitate with various brushes.
Rinse off with watering can.
Spray slick rims tyre dressing on whilst wet?
Allow to dry naturally. 

Now on the last bits, should I dry first after rinsing then dress, or spray dressing whilst wet.
If I spray whilst wet, should I then dry or allow it to dry naturally?

Thanks all.


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## Hufty

I'd dry first if you are using a dressing think you will get the max shine that way.


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## -Kev-

eric272 said:


> WD40,*burns* with heat and turns BLACK.making the engine look 200% worse.Silicon spray is the best anti heat/corrosion/waterproof spray, EVER.Halfords own brand is the absolute best.
> WD40 is also bad for certain rubbers.


Been fine on my ST's engine bay since being applied several months ago


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## Webarno

Hufty said:


> I'd dry first if you are using a dressing think you will get the max shine that way.


Perfect. Thanks


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## PugIain

Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber care. Only product I ever use on engine bays.


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## Alexaudi26

Would autofinnesse tyre gloss work?


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## Kimo

Hufty said:


> I'd dry first if you are using a dressing think you will get the max shine that way.


Depends on product

For hoses etc I have a little trick with a certain product


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## hobbs182

Kimo said:


> Depends on product
> 
> For hoses etc I have a little trick with a certain product


Waxstock bay 2k14 you'll never let it down


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## Alexaudi26

What would be better out of these two revive trim dressing or gloss tyre dressing


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## Hufty

Kimo said:


> Depends on product
> 
> For hoses etc I have a little trick with a certain product


Let's have it then and don't say Glasur !


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## ffrs1444

AS Finish always think better then AF Dressle


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## Summit Detailing

Have you thought about giving the engine bay a thorough clean but not using a dressing which 9/10 attract dust and dirt making them counter productive.

clean, dry, vinegar on a microfibre to remove any water marks...close bonnet....drive:driver:

:thumb:


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## realist

AS finish for me too, great value especially when diluted 50/50:thumb:


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## Mikej857

I normally use a diluted AS finish but recently moved over to carpro perl and have to say it gives as nice as finish as finish but just seems to last a lot long


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## turbosnoop

Summit Detailing said:


> Have you thought about giving the engine bay a thorough clean but not using a dressing which 9/10 attract dust and dirt making them counter productive.
> 
> clean, dry, vinegar on a microfibre to remove any water marks...close bonnet....drive:driver:
> 
> :thumb:


Have to agree with this. Unless a cars on show or something, I personally don't think there's much point in using a dressing, imo


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## Webarno

A dressing makes it looks clean and shiny. I know it's not seen as often but still.


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## Juke_Fan

AS Rubber and Plastic dressing.


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## Eddmeister

I use Finish kare #108 

Find that works really well


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## justina3

my routine, part of the pre-clean i give the engine a good wash down with engine cleaner, I like autosmart"PLUS10" they class it as a heavy duty solvent cleaner certainly moves all the crud, car is then given a final rinse down and then brought inside, i then give the engine a quick wipe over with autosmart mechoil this protects and greases all the bits the plus 10 removed, last on my list is a quick spritz of autosmart Krull, they class is as "long life resin dresser unique high glass dry finish will not attract and thats under the bonnet done.


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## Webarno

Ok, so after cleaning the outside, I tackled the engine bay.

Covered up electrical connectors and alternator in foil and also put a bag over the alternator.

Did it in 3 parts, left, middle then right.

Sprayed AutoGlym engine cleaner liberally. Agitated nooks with small brush, then rinsed off with water from a bottle.

Dried with microfibres then sprayed on Slickrims tyre dressing. 
Rubbed that in with another clean microfibre.

It left a lovely finish and smells good too.

Unfortunately I didn't get any before pictures. It want too bad to start with but definitely not clean and not to our standards either.


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## rob267

10 out of 10. The finish on the plastics looks amazing. Well donr bud.😉


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## Clancy

Looks spot on mate


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## Webarno

Thanks all. Thanks for all the advice and tips! 
Love this forum


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## turbosnoop

Tidy job there


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## Webarno

turbosnoop said:


> Tidy job there


Thank you. I'm really pleased with he results.


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## Alexaudi26

Looks a brand new engine


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## wee man

Great job; well done that man.

Wee Man


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