Hybrid vehicle engine bay detailing

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

How are you guys cleaning up the engine bays of Hybrid vehicles?

I have a Honda Insight to clean up to ship back to the U.S. and part of the shipping process is to clear customs inspection. With this it is a thorough cleaning of the vehicle to remove any foreign debris to include dirt, dust, oil & grease etc.

Normally its not a problem to get busy cleaning up the bay of a normal vehicle but I figured I would ask if others have encountered Hybrids before.

[oldmodman]

I would recommend going to one of the big Honda forums and see what is required to disconnect and "safe" the battery pack before you get it wet.

I have a friend that has an early Impulse and he has removed his battery pack to replace it and he did not experience any problems. But he did not get it wet.

[Ebg18t]

Maybe just using a waterless type wash? That way the engine bay isn't getting any more wet than it would driving down the road in a rainstorm?

[Audios S6]

Can't say I've done one Mike, but I regularly use a tornador and go through 12-16oz of liquid to do an engine. I use zep heavy duty citrus degreaser.

There was a video of a guy in germany who did a review of the Blackfire AIO Tire and Trim Protectant on some engine bay plastics, he seemed to like it. I think his name was Mike too, maybe you guys can compare notes. :props:

So for minimum moisture:

Protect critical electronics and intake
Utilize Tornador for difficult to reach areas
spray cleaner directly on brush and lightly agitate stubborn grime before wiping dry and purging with air
Wipe down all plastics with Blackfire AIO

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

I would recommend going to one of the big Honda forums and see what is required to disconnect and "safe" the battery pack before you get it wet.

I posted the same question on FB groups and from what I gather there is no special precautions to take other than not blasting everything at close range with a pressure washer.


Maybe just using a waterless type wash? That way the engine bay isn't getting any more wet than it would driving down the road in a rainstorm?

I understand what you mean but a WW isn't going to do any justice when customs gives the vehicle a thorough inspection.


Can't say I've done one Mike, but I regularly use a tornador and go through 12-16oz of liquid to do an engine. I use zep heavy duty citrus degreaser.

There was a video of a guy in germany who did a review of the Blackfire AIO Tire and Trim Protectant on some engine bay plastics, he seemed to like it. I think his name was Mike too, maybe you guys can compare notes. :props:

So for minimum moisture:

Protect critical electronics and intake
Utilize Tornador for difficult to reach areas
spray cleaner directly on brush and lightly agitate stubborn grime before wiping dry and purging with air
Wipe down all plastics with Blackfire AIO

I actually ordered a Tornador Black a month ago while it was on sale for scenarios like this. Ends up, during the sale AG had they sold out of them rather quickly and Tornador can't make them fast enough.

I will have to chat with this guy named Mike about his BF AIO T&TP and how he used it. :xyxthumbs:

Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback Bob. Really appreciate it. :props:

[Setec Astronomy]

I have a Honda Insight to clean up to ship back to the U.S. and part of the shipping process is to clear customs inspection. With this it is a thorough cleaning of the vehicle to remove any foreign debris to include dirt, dust, oil & grease etc.


I understand what you mean but a WW isn't going to do any justice when customs gives the vehicle a thorough inspection.

Maybe I'm missing something, but customs won't let you bring into the country any foreign dirt, dust, oil or grease? Are you saying they actually are doing a cleanliness inspection on the engine? And the rest of the car?

Sorry if I'm being snarky, I honestly don't understand. I would only expect them to be checking for contraband and that the car was legal for US roads, etc.

[Muddyoldgoat]

Maybe I'm missing something, but customs won't let you bring into the country any foreign dirt, dust, oil or grease? Are you saying they actually are doing a cleanliness inspection on the engine? And the rest of the car?

Sorry if I'm being snarky, I honestly don't understand. I would only expect them to be checking for contraband and that the car was legal for US roads, etc.

I was once escorting one of our helicopters back from the desert and when we landed in Spain for fuel (last stop before the US), customs said our helicopter was too dirty. We had to download it from the C-5 and tow it into a hanger. We were 8 guys pulling T-shirts and bottles of water out of their backpacks to clean with. A day later they let us upload and continue.

I learned from that and always had the guys cleaning while we were flying.

[Setec Astronomy]

I was once escorting one of our helicopters back from the desert and when we landed in Spain for fuel (last stop before the US), customs said our helicopter was too dirty.

So they are concerned you're bringing in non-native plant material? Vermin? Insects?

I could see the cleaning helping for seeds, not so much for vermin & insects.

[Muddyoldgoat]

So they are concerned you're bringing in non-native plant material? Vermin? Insects?

I could see the cleaning helping for seeds, not so much for vermin & insects.

I would assume all of the above. They didn't explain much, just said your stuck here till its clean.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

I was once escorting one of our helicopters back from the desert and when we landed in Spain for fuel (last stop before the US), customs said our helicopter was too dirty. We had to download it from the C-5 and tow it into a hanger. We were 8 guys pulling T-shirts and bottles of water out of their backpacks to clean with. A day later they let us upload and continue.

I learned from that and always had the guys cleaning while we were flying.

Thanks for chiming in. I know what you mean.


Maybe I'm missing something, but customs won't let you bring into the country any foreign dirt, dust, oil or grease? Are you saying they actually are doing a cleanliness inspection on the engine? And the rest of the car?

Sorry if I'm being snarky, I honestly don't understand. I would only expect them to be checking for contraband and that the car was legal for US roads, etc.


So they are concerned you're bringing in non-native plant material? Vermin? Insects?

I could see the cleaning helping for seeds, not so much for vermin & insects.

Customs gives the vehicle a thorough white glove inspection to make sure that nothing is brought back into the country. Anything you can think of that is foreign to the vehicle it must be removed.

It can be a real headache to deal with them.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

They didn't explain much, just said your stuck here till its clean.

Truth.

[Setec Astronomy]

Customs gives the vehicle a thorough white glove inspection to make sure that nothing is brought back into the country. Anything you can think of that is foreign to the vehicle it must be removed.

It can be a real headache to deal with them.

Weird. Especially since there are (commercial) airplanes with oily/dusty landing gear, oily/dusty passengers, and oily/dusty cargo and containers going back and forth across both ponds every day. Not to mention all those cargo ships from China and elsewhere.

Unless you military guys get this scrutiny because of potential for different kinds of contaminants, on the combat equipment described and also a personal car since it's been on-base. Anyway, sounds like you got your washdown advice--I've always been fine with a (low-pressure) hose-off and some car wash with APC in the greasy areas, hose again and blow off the excess water, and I've been fine, but I've only done that a handful of times.

I always figure they design this stuff so the kid in the wash bay at the dealer can't wreck your car...and certainly everything is sealed way better than the days when we would spray a can of Gunk on the engine and hose it off.

[Desertnate]

Customs gives the vehicle a thorough white glove inspection to make sure that nothing is brought back into the country. Anything you can think of that is foreign to the vehicle it must be removed.

It can be a real headache to deal with them.

It's really bad when you're shipping stuff to/from an island. I've done the vehicle shipment dance twice...once to the UK and once to Hawaii. They are extremely paranoid regarding invasive species that could be hitching a ride on a vehicle.

No to get off topic, but another "gotcha" when shipping the car back to the US is the EPA sticker under the hood. If it's not there, that car isn't coming into the US until it's in place. While in the UK, we knew someone who had been in a wreck and had the hood repaired/painted. As a part of the repair process the British body shop removed that sticker. The owner had no idea there was an issue until he dropped off the car for shipment and it was refused.