15 Minutes Kosmetic Engine Detail - With 303 - Wheel Woolies and Metro-Vac

[Mike Phillips]

15 Minutes Kosmetic Engine Detail - With 303 - Wheel Woolies and Metro-Vac


This is the engine compartment for a 2016 Mercedes-Benz S550 Coupe. It's not dirty like most engine compartments but it's also looking drab and dusty. This is the perfect type of engine detailing you want for your business. You don't want a super dirty engine compartment that will take hours to properly clean. You want engine bays just like this where there not to bad, they just need a little dressing up.

Most people charge around $75.00 to $100.00 to detail an engine bay, the key thing is to teach yourself how to do a KOSMETIC engine detail and learn to do it quick, fast and easy. Or if you only work on your own cars, here's how you keep your engine compartment looking factory new.


Let me know you how and this took less than 15 mintutes and 4 items. A dressing, a brush, a microfiber towel and a source of compressed air.


Here's the engine compartment, there's so much plastic overlay panels you cannot even see the engine, or at least the engine block. You also see 303 Aerospace Protectant and a Wheel Woolies Boar's Hair Wheel Brush.






I use and share this Wheel Woolies Boar's Hair Wheel Brush a LOT. Why? Because it's the most functional brush money can buy. I use this brush for cleaning wheels, cleaning interiors and for engine bays.








First thing - liberally spray the 303 over all the plastic panels.






Technique Tip

If you give the spray trigger a HEALTHY squeeze and hold the bottle back a ways, the spray head will do a better job of ATOMIZING the liquid dispersing a much finer spray pattern than if you were to only half-heatedly squeeze the trigger. When you squeeze the trigger weak, it sprays like a squirt gun, that is a stream of product to a small area. Thus give the trigger a strong, deliberate squeeze and test me to see if I'm not right about this.








Here's the engine compartment with a healthy dose of 303 Aerospace Protectant applied all over it.






Next work the dressing all over the engine compartment. Use the bristles to help you get the dressing into all the tight areas plus do a great job on the major sections.














Get everything plastic...








The engine compartment should look like this when you're done.






Now take a clean, microfiber towel with a large fluffy nap like you see here. This is where a large fluffy nap really comes in handy for getting into all the nooks and crannies you just worked all the dressing into.






This is real simple stuff folks - just start wiping. And do a GREAT job.








Next blast all the small, tight intricate areas with some form of compressed air. The Metro-Vac Blaster Sidekick works great for this....










Done.












And now the engine compartment looks as crisp and clean as the exterior of the car.







My comments...

When the topic of ENGINE DETAILING is brought up, most people think about some type of process that includes degreasers and a pressure washer. This is old school. It's mess, time-consuming, hard work and rarely profitable and filled with risk. The thing is, most cars on the road today... when you pop the hood they look like the engine compartment you see in the above pictures. That is, it's all PLASTIC. You can't even see the actual engine. This is why you don't do the heavy super degreaser and pressure washer routine, you teach yourself to be an expert at Kosmetic Engine Detailing. With the 4 simple things I shared above, you can tackle most engine in 15 minutes or less.

Don't take something that should be very easy and turn it into Rocket Science - it's not, it's plastic man.... lots of plastic.




On Autogeek.com


303 Aerospace Protectant 16 oz.

Wheel Woolies Boar’s Hair Wheel Brush

Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel - 16 x 16 inches

Metro Blaster SideKick

[Mike Phillips]

Continued.....


From this...





To this....





Quick, fast and easy plus... little risk.

Mostly just be careful with the brush. Don't knock any thing around like electrical plug-ins, etc.

[bob m]

I just recently did my engine detail (5 month old car with low milage). I used a different product but the results are fine. I cleaned the not so dirty engine with IIRC, with some APC - maybe Simple Green on a wet MF cloth, wiped off and went over some of the plastic with GG's Rubber Cleaner, then the spray coating.

I did notice that you did not wipe down the engine before applying the 303. Surely even this well maintained engine had some dust dirt on it prior to the 303,or am I wrong?

[LEDetailing]

Great article and a really cool car.

I’ve done a very similar process using Meguiars X-press Spray Wax (D156) or Megs Hyper Dressing (D170). When I owned the Trans Am I used the D156 as a dressing and it doubled as a wax to the underside of the hood and any other exposed painted area (strut towers).

[Mike Phillips]

I did notice that you did not wipe down the engine before applying the 303.

Surely even this well maintained engine had some dust dirt on it prior to the 303,or am I wrong?

Dirt and dust level were low, I used the 303 as the cleaner.

Heck spit can clean. If it was dirtier I would have used a pre-clean product, maybe SONAX Glass Cleaner, maybe Dr. Beasley's Prep Wash. But I don't over-think these types of things and I sure as heck don't take something that is really very simple and make any more complicated than it has to be.


Good question, thank you for asking.

[Bill D]

303 has been my choice for engine detailing for years. I pretty much do the sa me thing except I apply with a multitude of rectangular foam applicators and foam paint brushes.

The boar's hair brush is much more efficient though. I'll have to get one. Too many good uses

Foam paint brushes are still good for very tight areas. They squeeze right in.

[BigGar]

I love 303 for engines.

I do it a bit differently though as I'll usually give the cool engine a light mist of cleaner / degreaser or soap. I'll agitate the dirtiest areas then give it a nice rinse either very carefully with pressure washer from a safe distance, or regular hose. I'm using de-ionized water. I can't imagine doing any detailing on much of anything without it these days, at least with the awful hard water we have north of San Diego, CA. After rinse, I'll wipe off the water that's easy to get to, then blow off most of the the rest with compressed air or leaf blower.

At this point I mist everything in the engine compartment with 303, hitting it from front, sides and back to not miss any spots. A brush might be necessary to get it into some places too. You'll use a good bit of product, but it's worth it.

From there, I'll blow it again to spread it around and eliminate any puddles of product.

Next I'll close the hood and start the car, letting it idle for five or ten minutes to warm everything up nice and dry up the 303. Once it's cooled down a bit, go back in with a microfiber or two and give everything a nice final buff. It produces fabulous results that hold up.

Best thing about 303 is that it's virtually harmless to any surface I've ever put it on, so you don't have to worry about where you spray it.

It's always best to get this done before you do the final exterior detailing as you will get some 303 overspray on fenders, windshield, etc. . .

[Mike Phillips]

The boar's hair brush is much more efficient though. I'll have to get one. Too many good uses

That brush is worth its weight in gold. Everyone should have 3 of these brushes.

1: For Wheel Cleaning
2: For Engine Detailing
3: for Interior Detailing


The bristles are 2" long. They are not so limp they are useless and not so stiff and hard with a sharp pokey tip that they cause damage.


Here's an example of how I use this brush for interior detailing

How to use 303 Aerospace Protectant to Restore Vinyl Seats by Mike Phillips











Here's final results...

I love 303 for engines.

Best thing about 303 is that it's virtually harmless to any surface I've ever put it on, so you don't have to worry about where you spray it.

Agree.

Here it is on an old 2-door topless job...

Review: 303 Aerospace Protectant - 1970 Cuda with Black Vinyl Top






And boat seats....

303 Aerospace Protectant on Bass Shop Pros Bass Boat

[Mike Phillips]

One more...

The brush is also great for what I call and teach,

Wet Wash Engine Detailing - it's the other type of engine detailing or the OPPOSITE of Kosmetic Engine Detailing.



The SECRET to Wet Wash Engine Detailing by Mike Phillips


Using the brush here for the painted underside of a car hood. Always do this area first and then rinse. If you do this area AFTER you wash the engine compartment you'll have to re-rinse the engine compartment because of all the drippings coming off the underside of the hood.





Then using a VARIETY of brushes to scrub your choice of degreaser including the Wheel Woolies Boar's Hair Wheel Brush

[Mike Phillips]

Ah heck... one more to give the SideKick some love....

If you ever choose to use Tuf Shine Tire Coating - you NEED the Sidekick


Review: TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat by Mike Phillips


Here's the tire completely coated with 5 applications. After applying each application I use the Metro-vac Sidekick to do two things,

1: Speed dry the coating so I can add more layers without waiting.

2: Blow the coating into all the intricate areas on the tire sidewall and then blow any excess away from the tire by blowing from the lip of the rim outward.

Done.







This Corvette at a local car show a few weeks later...













The Sidekick blows any excess coating out of all the tiny and intricate letters found on tires and also the siping, that's the lines you often find on tire sidewalls that are a paint to dress.

Plus it SPEED DRIES the coating so you can apply multiple coats really fast. And that's the secret to getting the deep, dark-black wet-look with Tuf Shine