# Engine bay budget clean - E92 330d M Sport



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Hi everyone! A few weeks back I bought the car i've always wanted. Sadly the previous owner didn't really look after it and ever since I got it, I wanted to have a crack at the engine bay which was filthy :wall:

Title of the post states "budget" and that's exactly how I approached it. Quite strapped for cash since buying the car and I sold all my detailing equipment a few months back when I had to move house 

My approach:
- Not removing any parts
- No polishing of metal
- No use of quick detailer or anything that would buff it to a shine
- Reach anywhere my stubby fingers can realistically get!

Pics follow below. 

*BEFORE*
What she looked like under the hood:



























My toolkit (yes, Dettol for APC. I really do mean budget!):









Getting started (filthy!!) and yes, those are those free plastic gloves you get at Shell garages :lol::









*AFTER 4 HOURS*


















The oil and marks on the engine cover just wouldn't shift :wall: they seem to have got underneath the lacquer/clearcoat. Any ideas on how to get rid?









Would like to know what you think? It's not perfect I realise, I'd give my own work a 5/10 maybe but open to ideas on how to improve and once I have some proper detailing kit, areas you think I should target?


----------



## lemansblue92 (Aug 6, 2015)

big difference mate even with a limited kit, have you considered a dressing?


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

lemansblue92 said:


> big difference mate even with a limited kit, have you considered a dressing?


Cheers! usually i'd use Gtechniq's T2 or a Koch Chemie product, just saving up to buy one at the moment. What do you use?


----------



## lemansblue92 (Aug 6, 2015)

there's loads off different options, in the past i have used ag rubber and vinyl as i already had some in the garage and it did the job nicely. Tommorow i'm picking up some auto finesse dressle so will be interesting so try that out


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

interesting! Let me know if you post any pics of the auto finesse product, would love to see how that looks. Heard a lot about AF.


----------



## lemansblue92 (Aug 6, 2015)

i will do mate, i had to try some after watching this video 




I think yours is the 1st "budget" thread I've seen which contains items from waitrose lol


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

lemansblue92 said:


> i will do mate, i had to try some after watching this video
> 
> 
> 
> ...


:lol:wondered if somebody would point that out! In my defence it's the nearest shop to me - 15 mins walk away. The joys of living in Surrey. I'll make sure I only use poundland's finest next time


----------



## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

Good job but jeeez 4 hours to clean an engine? I'm not that dedicated.


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Franzpan said:


> Good job but jeeez 4 hours to clean an engine? I'm not that dedicated.


lol it's my first time doing it on that scale. Tbh I don't know my way around the 330d's engine bay - I covered the obvious electrical parts but was too scared of going to town on it with lots of water. So...I used a damp microfibre to wipe down any surface after applying the APC...rinse...clean...rinse...clean etc.

That's why it took so long. That and all the dirt was bloody hard to shift and in the most awkward of places!


----------



## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Great job with the tools at hand 

My lazy method is just spraying brake cleaner on everything, rinse with more break cleaner. Quick wipe off and then a dressing. Don't have your patients :lol:


----------



## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

It's not budget when you're using items from waitrose


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Clancy said:


> Great job with the tools at hand
> 
> My lazy method is just spraying brake cleaner on everything, rinse with more break cleaner. Quick wipe off and then a dressing. Don't have your patients :lol:


Haha, whatever works for you I guess! The brake cleaner I had used to leave behind an oily finish so I tend not to use that in the engine bay. Always gives me nightmares of a mechanic who used spray grease inside my old Honda's engine bay "because it looks good and protects everything"  took me ages to get rid of that


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Kimo said:


> It's not budget when you're using items from waitrose


See my reply to the other fella. And well... waitrose *essential* after all :lol:


----------



## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Raptor_F22 said:


> Haha, whatever works for you I guess! The brake cleaner I had used to leave behind an oily finish so I tend not to use that in the engine bay. Always gives me nightmares of a mechanic who used spray grease inside my old Honda's engine bay "because it looks good and protects everything"  took me ages to get rid of that


Haha yeah it can be on certain materials I've just learnt what bits not to get it on. Spraying any metal work it's the best, God send for cleaning motorbike


----------



## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

Great turnaround and just goes to show what can be done with basic products! 

330d must be a beast. :devil:


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Arvi said:


> Great turnaround and just goes to show what can be done with basic products!
> 
> 330d must be a beast. :devil:


Thanks  will follow up later next year when I have a go with some Gtechniq & Koch Chemie products.

Hell yes :devil: quite a step up from a 1.8 Type S! Toying with the idea of a remap to 300bhp but it's a monster already. So much fun, have you ever driven one?


----------



## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

No toying mate, get it remapped it's definitely worth it. Makes such a difference, lovely engines these are


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Clancy said:


> No toying mate, get it remapped it's definitely worth it. Makes such a difference, lovely engines these are


I might do it in a few months then. Got a £350 spend coming up on MOT & sorting our rear brakes and pads etc which is setting me back.

I was going to use celtic tuning, heard they're pretty good. Any recommendations for the Surrey/Hampshire area?


----------



## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Good idea to leave it a while anyway, once you've got used to the car properly then when it's remapped it feels like you've got a new car for a little while which is always nice 

No recommendations worth mentioning as I'm nowhere near sorry mate, sure someone else will be though. Try asking in the motoring section I'm sure you'll get some good recommendations


----------



## Mr Concours (Mar 8, 2006)

That was a terrible engine bay,well done!


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Mr Concours said:


> That was a terrible engine bay,well done!


Thanks


----------



## IamDave (Feb 6, 2015)

Cracking turn around that! Job well done I'd say.


----------



## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

Nice work, where did you buy it from , the Sahara ?


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

dholdi said:


> Nice work, where did you buy it from , the Sahara ?


lol Portsmouth but given what was under the hood, it may well have come from there! Cracked alloy, sand in the engine bay, chicken bone in the leaf catcher (yes, really!), who knows what I'll discover next :doublesho

Amazes me how little some people care for their cars


----------



## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Taking into consideration with the materials you've used,a dantastic job.:thumb:


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

suspal said:


> Taking into consideration with the materials you've used,a dantastic job.:thumb:


wow thanks! really encouraged by all the feedback today especially given the reputation you all have. thanks :thumb:


----------



## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

Raptor_F22 said:


> Thanks  will follow up later next year when I have a go with some Gtechniq & Koch Chemie products.
> 
> Hell yes :devil: quite a step up from a 1.8 Type S! Toying with the idea of a remap to 300bhp but it's a monster already. So much fun, have you ever driven one?


When I was looking for a new car I test drove the 320D which was uninspiring. Then an Alpina D3 came up so that's what I have now. The 330 I imagine will have a nicer power delivery as well as more useable torque.

I think these guys are local to you if you wanted to enquire about remaps. I've no personal experience of them though a friend has. Shame they are so far away as they have mapped an Alpina before.

http://www.bmconversions.co.uk


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Arvi said:


> When I was looking for a new car I test drove the 320D which was uninspiring. Then an Alpina D3 came up so that's what I have now. The 330 I imagine will have a nicer power delivery as well as more useable torque.
> 
> I think these guys are local to you if you wanted to enquire about remaps. I've no personal experience of them though a friend has. Shame they are so far away as they have mapped an Alpina before.
> 
> http://www.bmconversions.co.uk


Strangely enough it was actually an Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo Coupe that I had my heart set on but I could never justify spending so much to get the same level of spec/kit. Are you finding your D3 has a noticeable turbo lag? I read about that before

This is the only 330 i've driven so I can't compare it to anything else out there. Still trying to understand its' driving dynamics. Sometimes the power delivery is smooth and the torque puts a huge grin on your face. Other times I put my foot down and nothing...nothing...then WHAM, wheelspin, bit of a wiggle and mountain of torque hits you in the face. Then on occasions the power delivery is so silky smooth when I put my food down I'm like " why is she not pulling away like mad?" then I look at the speedo and realise I've just gone from 50-110 without realising it.

Sounds bizarre I know but it's what I've experienced so far.

Thanks for the link, will check them out!


----------



## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

I've got the single turbo and don't find it lags that much but it is my first turbo'd car so I have nothing to compare it too. The Bi turbo I imagine would be better. I fear if I test drove one I'd want to change but I've just got my car how I want it!

It's my first RWD car as well but I've never felt it being uncontrolable. The traction is great thanks to the suspension set up and I can't rate Michelin Supersports highly enough (www.tyreleader.co.uk I highly recommend for service and price).


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Arvi said:


> I've got the single turbo and don't find it lags that much but it is my first turbo'd car so I have nothing to compare it too. The Bi turbo I imagine would be better. I fear if I test drove one I'd want to change but I've just got my car how I want it!
> 
> It's my first RWD car as well but I've never felt it being uncontrolable. The traction is great thanks to the suspension set up and I can't rate Michelin Supersports highly enough (www.tyreleader.co.uk I highly recommend for service and price).


Cool, I'll keep them in mind as i'm looking for an alternative to BlackCircles.

My first RWD too...not sure what the driving experience will be this winter!


----------



## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

On 265/30/19 profile I've not had any problems the last 2 years. I've purchased some winter wheels and tyres last month but the temperature for the next Month looks fairly mild. The difference is supposed to be night and day and also means I'm spreading the wear on my summer tyres and the salt off the wheels too.


----------



## ibiza55 (Feb 22, 2008)

Dressle is great, just spray it on , leave it to soak overnight, then wipe any excess off the next day, but if it hasn't been treated before, it probably will just soak in to leave a lovely finish, and not tacky, its my favourite engine dressing.


----------



## lemansblue92 (Aug 6, 2015)

Raptor_F22 said:


> interesting! Let me know if you post any pics of the auto finesse product, would love to see how that looks. Heard a lot about AF.


As promised here's a before and after pic using dressle on the wife's car, engine bay wasn't to bad just ran a cloth over it and finished with dressle.

was very easy to use, some people say they leave it overnight before wiping off but the bottle says remove sooner. I tried a bit of both


----------



## Wrigit (May 2, 2007)

Raptor_F22 said:


> Strangely enough it was actually an Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo Coupe that I had my heart set on but I could never justify spending so much to get the same level of spec/kit. Are you finding your D3 has a noticeable turbo lag? I read about that before
> 
> This is the only 330 i've driven so I can't compare it to anything else out there. Still trying to understand its' driving dynamics. Sometimes the power delivery is smooth and the torque puts a huge grin on your face. Other times I put my foot down and nothing...nothing...then WHAM, wheelspin, bit of a wiggle and mountain of torque hits you in the face. Then on occasions the power delivery is so silky smooth when I put my food down I'm like " why is she not pulling away like mad?" then I look at the speedo and realise I've just gone from 50-110 without realising it.
> 
> ...


I understand what you are getting i found the same thing, I am assuming you have an auto?

If that is the case its the car learning a new person driving it and it will feel odd for a while! you can reset the pedal http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=455949

Try the link and see how you get on, failing that just leave it in sport mode lol :thumb:

** dont know if its o.k to link to other forums, please let me know if i need to take it down ***


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

Wrigit said:


> I understand what you are getting i found the same thing, I am assuming you have an auto?
> 
> If that is the case its the car learning a new person driving it and it will feel odd for a while! you can reset the pedal http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=455949
> 
> ...


Hi there! Sorry, it's a little hard to keep track of posts when you're on different forums. Yes I have an auto and yes I did reset the pedal - it made a big difference and also as you'll see from the thread link below, my air intake duct wasn't connected which also made a big difference now i've put it back in place.

Loose air duct
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=19003530

mpg figures and driving style
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1200253


----------



## Raptor_F22 (Apr 8, 2015)

lemansblue92 said:


> As promised here's a before and after pic using dressle on the wife's car, engine bay wasn't to bad just ran a cloth over it and finished with dressle.
> 
> was very easy to use, some people say they leave it overnight before wiping off but the bottle says remove sooner. I tried a bit of both


That looks fantastic :thumb: can't wait to see how it compares to Koch Chemie's stuff when I get hold of it again


----------

