How to protect the underside of the hood

[75snow]

I have a new car and would like to keep the underside of the hood clean and most of all, from collecting dirt. Since the underside is not factory clear coated, what product(s) can I apply here to keep it clean. Also, I realize this could be a back-breaking chore if I don't do it now while the underside is clean, as reaching and working on the underside of the hood will be easy. Thanks in advance.

[TTQ B4U]

On a non clear coated or painted surface I would wash and seal it with a WOWA product. painted and finished, just polish it.




Polish and coat them

[Dr Oldz]

I clean, dry then spray with Sonus Motor and Trim Kote. Works nicely on rubber, plastics and painted surfaces under the hood. Makes next clean up super easy also.

[FUNX650]

•Doesn’t your new car have a thin layer
of sound dampening material (some call
it insulation) covering most of the under-
side of the hood?

•What section(s) of the hood’s underside that’s
not covered by this dampening material can
be quite easily kept clean and shiny by using
a waterless/rinseless washing solution that’s
labeled as being a wash & wax/wash & gloss.

-Here are a few WWs/RWs from which to choose:
Auto Geek- Your Car Wax SuperStore, Car Wax, Auto Detailing Supplies , Car Accessories, Car Buffers Store, We Are Car Care


•To clean the sound dampening material:
-I’ll brush/vacuum as deemed necessary.


Hope this helps.


Bob

[75snow]

TTQ 4BU:

Thank you for your reply. Now I hang my head and hide my face as I ask...what is WOWA?

Your hoods look fantastic! I'm jealous and inspired. I can't imagine the time and effort it took to get around all those metal edges in the top picture. And, i hope your wife and son appreciate your hard work, but I'm guessing you kind of enjoy it.


FUN X650: Good point. I should’ve mentioned the sound deadening material. Thanks for the reply and cleaning suggestion. As for vacuuming the underside, I’m glad I have a garage. Don’t want to know what my neighbors would think if they saw me vacuuming there!

[TTQ B4U]

TTQ 4BU:

Thank you for your reply. Now I hang my head and hide my face as I ask...what is WOWA?

haha! no big deal. Wipe On Walk Away. Something like Blackfire Crystal Seal or Optimum Opti-Seal.

Your hoods look fantastic! I'm jealous and inspired. I can't imagine the time and effort it took to get around all those metal edges in the top picture. And, i hope your wife and son appreciate your hard work, but I'm guessing you kind of enjoy it.

Thanks. Customer cars and my cars mixed in. I offer it as an add-on for my customers. Fairly easy to impress as they often see them trashed.

[FUNX650]

FUN X650:
As for vacuuming the underside, I’m glad
I have a garage. Don’t want to know what
my neighbors would think if they saw me
vacuuming there!

You could always remove the sound dampening,
material and make the hood’s underside look like
the one posted below. Imagine then what your
neighbors would think.




•For the record:
-Some of my biggest kicks come from what my
neighbors think/say about my detailing...uh,
let’s call it, my detailing “style”.




Bob

[WillSports3]

Because it's the engine hood, I'll use a coating and layer it on thick. I dont' bother leveling it, since I don't care so much about the rainbow streaks underneath the hood. But it definitely will last longer.

[Mike Phillips]

Wow!

Great advice already. Nice work regulars.


Now that I know you have the sound deadening material, here's what I would do,

First - keep it simple. If it's simple you'll do it.

For the smooth painted areas - get a can of SONAX Polymer Net Shield. Clean the paint good first, heck wipe it down with some glass cleaner and a microfiber towel. Then apply the PNS, wipe if off immediately and you're done.

For the sound deadening mat - this stuff is normally easily damaged, ripped and torn if it's thatched together. Regardless, get a can of RaggTopp Fabric Protectant. Spray this stuff on coat by coat until you drain the can.

[Mike Phillips]

More....



SONAX Polymer Net Shield - Closest thing to a coating without being a coating

Anyone that's used this product knows what I'm talking about. It's about durability and how this product creates a hydrophobic surface that sheds water easily. And this is primarily what we like about ceramic paint coatings, that is they last a long time and create a hydrophobic surface that sheds water. The water shedding, that is high surface tension which cause water beading also makes the surface self-cleaning because as the water leaves the surface it takes anything else on the surface off with it, thus self-cleaning.

The thing about SONAX Polymer Net Shield is it's a lot easier to apply than most coatings and you can apply it to dang near any surface material, at least most car surface materials and by this I mean the primary surface materials found on the outside of a car, i.e. paint, glass and plastic.

It's NOT for a dirty, contaminated surface, so treat this product like a "finishing wax" or a "finishing sealant", that is the paint must first be clean and smooth to the touch, basically after you have done at least one machine polishing step after washing and claying. The apply to a small section at a time, wait about a minute and then wipe that section before moving onto a new section.

I tend to apply this to the hood, roof and trunk lid over any cleaner/wax I'm using when detailing a customer car. It's the horizontal surfaces that take the most beating from Mother Nature and also it's these surfaces that most people focus on when "looking" at a car. It's fast, only requires a small amount of product and it dramatically extends the water beading and protection of any cleaner/wax.

Here's the good news.... it's now available in a pocket-size aerosol container. This is a great way to test this product out and if you end up liking it or like many others including me, loving it, then next time you place an order with Autogeek bump up to the full size can.

SONAX Polymer Net Shield





Get them both here,

SONAX Polymer Net Shield 75 ml. - $9.99

SONAX Polymer Net Shield 340 ml. $29.99


SONAX Polymer Net Shield = good stuff....