The Easy Way To Clean Your Engine Bay

Seven Simple Steps to a Pristine Engine Bay – All in Under 20 Minutes!

It's a classic statement, but a gleaming engine bay truly adds the perfect finishing touch to any detail. The odd thing is, there’s often one thing standing in the way of achieving the engine bay of your dreams – fear! While engine bays may seem complicated, the good news is that cleaning them is much safer and easier than most people think. Today, most vehicles are designed with built-in protection for the engine and components, making the detailing process far simpler than in the past.

Here’s how to do it, along with the products you'll need, in seven easy steps.

Step 1 - Inspect & Protect

It’s essential to ensure the engine bay is cool before starting, and we always begin with a thorough assessment of the layout. Some older vehicles, which may have minimal or no protection for their electrics, might not be suitable for the process outlined here. In such cases, spraying a little Finale Quick Detailer directly onto a microfibre cloth and working it in to remove grime is an effective alternative. Finale is also ideal for freshening up an engine bay with only light soiling. For modified vehicles, which often use an open cone filter for power tuning, it’s important to keep these dry. Protect them by covering with plastic sheeting or completely bagging them up.

Step 2 - Pre-Rinsing

Now it’s time to start cleaning, and just like with your exterior, a thorough rinse with a pressure washer is key to removing loose dirt and debris.

Be thorough, directing your washer deep into the bay, onto the chassis rails, and around the shuts and arches. However, it’s crucial to avoid spraying water directly onto exposed electrics, fuse boxes, the battery, or the alternator. While these areas are typically protected, it’s important to be cautious with your aim.

And don’t overlook the underside of the bonnet—grimy spots here are often missed!

Step 3 - Verso

As always, begin at the top and work your way down. A 1:5 dilution of Verso All Purpose Cleaner works perfectly for tackling areas like the underside of the bonnet and dirty panel shuts. Simply spray generously, agitate with a detailing brush, and rinse away the grime.

Step 4 - Deep Clean and Degrease with Eradicate

Cleaning a greasy engine bay demands a powerful solution, and that’s where our Eradicate Engine Degreaser excels. This versatile cleaner is incredibly effective against oil and grime, yet gentle enough for use on all parts of your engine bay, including plastics, rubbers, bare metal, and painted surfaces. We recommend a bit of pre-soaking by generously applying Eradicate over the entire engine bay and allowing it to dwell for a few minutes to begin breaking down even the toughest grime.

Step 5 - Agitation

The next step is agitation, which enhances the cleaning power of Eradicate Engine Degreaser, helping to lift away even the most stubborn, ground-in contaminants.

All you need is a detailing brush—or a selection of brushes in various sizes for harder-to-reach areas. Simply work the product into all areas under the bonnet with light brushing. You’ll notice it foams up effectively, delivering impressive cleaning power as you scrub away grease and oils.

Step 6 - Final Rinse

After agitation, it’s time for the final rinse. By now, the grime will have been lifted from the surfaces and suspended in the Eradicate solution, ready to be completely washed away. As always, take your time and be thorough to ensure every area is clean.

Step 7 - Finishing Up

With your engine bay now spotlessly clean, you can elevate the finish effortlessly using Dressle All Purpose Dressing—possibly the easiest step in the history of detailing.

A true "spray and walk away" product, Dressle is one of the unsung heroes of our range. For engine bays, we recommend applying it right after rinsing. Simply spray generously over all plastics and rubbers, close the bonnet, and let it work its magic.

In just a few hours, Dressle will fully cure, transforming your engine bay from this…

… to this—all without any additional effort on your part.

Alternatively, for precise application or a quick touch-up, you can spray Dressle directly onto a microfibre cloth and wipe it over the surfaces.

And there you have it! An immaculate engine bay using just three products, all in under 20 minutes.