G'day...

Basically... On the 1st Meet of DTM Australia... we did a lot of off-road driving on dirt roads, and a lot of dust and dirt basically coated the car inside and out ... took me about 10-12 hours too remove all the dirt/dust/grime/and everything from the inside of the car and the outside of the car, however, the remaining problem is the entire engine bay :( :( ...

How do I clean the engine bay, without fuckin up my car basically... I am looking for any TIPS and TRICKS too clean the engine bay, or is it just use a dry/wet cloth or what ?? I have a 4 cylinder engine btw, so there is no nice little cover or anything like some of you have in your pics... :( (I know I cannot take too it with the hose basically, but what can I do too get it clean), caus at the minute the entire thing is covered with a layer of thick dust and dirt... :( :( ...

Here's an idea of how dirty the car got on the meet... :stickoutt :D :

http://dtmaust.bab.wox.org/DTM_Australia/Meet_1_Pics/Dsc02929.jpg

Sorry for the long post... :( ... Please Any Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated... How do others keep their engines spotless or at least clean it once in a while???

Cheers... :alright

Cover up everything electrical in your engine bay with plastic bags. (Spark Plugs, Computer housing, etc)

Then spray everything with Simple Green.

Also, PM Hyperion. He did it a while back....

Originally posted by RightM3
Cover up everything electrical in your engine bay with plastic bags. (Spark Plugs, Computer housing, etc)

Then spray everything with Simple Green.

Also, PM Hyperion. He did it a while back....

Okay... Coolies... :) :)

Thanx Matt... :) :)

I just got back and I got a PM, so I thought I should drop in on this thread...

Ok, your best friend for cleaning an engine from dirt dust grime, and just general junk would be engine degreaser. Engine degreaser just sprays on, then sits for 15 minutes, then is washed off. You had an issue with water on the engine, but I assure you it is not going to do much, just don't flood the engine, and do not get it near the intake. A cars engine is desinged to work pretty much under water or "wet" but you don't want to push your luck. Just make sure every thing is really dry before you turn it back on. You don't want any water screwing stuff up if it is still moist. Other than that once all the dirt is gone, just go at it with every single product you have. I used Eagle One Tire Wet and Black Majic Tire Spray to coat every black peice. I also used Mothers back to black on a rag and just whiped down everything black that I could see, like hoses, horn, other stuff. Thats pretty much it, if you follow those directions, you should be good to go.

Ok now for the headlights. My origional write up was done using thoothpaste, and Turtle Wax Fiberglass restorer. I got good results, but I decided to have a little fun, and play around some more. I went out and bought some 3M Rubbing Compound (removes 1500 grade sandpaper scratches) and I must say, it left a crystal shine. Except for the extream pitting. But the 3M Rubbing Compound was BY FAR THE BEST. I have not had enough time to do a write up on it, but trust me, if you want to clean up the head lights use the 3M.

If you need anything else I might be able to help with, just ask.

Thank You Hyperion.... That information was exactly what I was lookin for... :) ... I will go out and get the Meguiar's Engine Degreaser now... :) ...

The Headlight Cleaning... I am not so clear about... I do not have Ellipsoids nor any other fancy stuff, just the stock headlights and what not (as do you I think)... do you have any pics too show the steps you took, caus I am more interested in: a) How you actually clean it... b) Does it make a difference .. caus yeah, all I know is mine are cloudy and not really too clear so do I clean the inside or outside or what... and how do I remove the headlight or what needs too be done??

Cheers... ;) !!

Well...

First off, the only MeGuiars degreaser is EXTRA which is a shine/degreaser for all surfaces (grill/engine/anything) and it will run you about $4.99 for 32 oz according to there catalog I have sitting infornt of me.

Or you can get Degreaser in a much larger volume aerosol can at your local Kragen or Pep Boys (do they even have those on that side of the planet?). Go cheep, you don't need alot.



Ok, now for the headlights. You have the Cheep-O-Derepo ones that I have right? The ones made of plastic? If you do, then all you have to do is smear the stuff on withe a cloth (100% cotton) and then rub it in, in a circular motion, then turn the towel, and continue to do so until all the compound is removed. It is basically following the directions on the back of the bottle. It will clear up any cloudyness that you are experiencing.

As for the back of the lights, that should neither be dented, nor cloudy. If it is, you are going to have lots of problems because the cheep plastic model was not desinged to be able to be dissassembeled. So, try the 3M rubbing compound first, then see if you need to really take them apart and go from there. I doubt you will, but if you do need to we will be here to help you do so.

Thanx again mate... True Dat, the Meguiars Extra is $14.95 Australian.... for the same size as their quik detailer/quik wax/window cleaner bottle with spray nozzle... :) ... Mmm, hehehe, if by "Pep Boys" or what not, you mean the local Hardware Store or the local Auto Parts Store or something, then I guess I could find something cheaper and more too the point/effective... but if not, will this product do?? So basically, I am looking for Engine Degreaser... and that will remove the thick layer of dust/dirt and crap from my engine bay... sweeet... :)

The Headlights... ahh okay, so the cloudiness and basic lack of cleanliness is due too the exterior of the light... that is good too hear.... I will give what you say a shot mate, and see how it goes... :) :) ... thanx for that....

Any other things you have tutorials for or have cleaned in your time, make sure too let me know okay... hehehehe, I am a clean freak when it comes too my car... :) :)

Cheers Buddy... :) :)

Ya, any engine degreaser will do. Just go to your local store and tell them what you want, they will hook you up and give you any special instructions you might need.

Sorry I did not respond right away, I think I missed your question the first time I read it.

And no tutorials for now. Possibly an H7 conversion tutorial, but only because Seed missed something in his, that Jim covered, and Jim missed something in his that Seed covered. But I do not know yet, I have to see how it goes first, I found out that I could have gotten brighter H1's, so I am still working on it...:dunno

Hyperion... You are one of the most helpful people on this board... mad props too you mate... :) :) ... seriously though, you should make your own form of Seedsters Web Page... "Tutorials The Hyperion Way" ... I reckon its worth the while, and just put the simple things on it that most people would overlook as well as other things, including your Headlight, Grill Removal, Wash/Wax (Which I have become an expert in, thanx too your first push in the right direction)... :) :)

Should be sweeet mate... Cheers... :redspot

Well.... The grill removal page had a little problem when I accidently did not realize what I was doing, and deleted two pics... Now the most important part is missing.

I might do a caliper painting lesson for everyone out there, and I might do all the other random things like painting my valve cover, I think I have enough pics to do a lesson on that. I just have to dissassemble my old site, I deleted alot of stuff from it, and not it looks funky... I might get a site where I actually pay for it, and then it would be a totally professional looking site, and have everything carefully explained, and recorded. But right now, I am kinding of doing that here on BF.C... I just hope they don't realize that... Or they might out me...:devillook

Cheers...:boink

Good Luck with the Web Site Mate... :) :) ... I wanted too make my own personal website as well, but I dont have a Digital Camera (and that is a major factor in writing tutorials or product reviews or what not)... :( :( ... let me know if you need any help, but then again, you are most probably a thousand times more skilled and better at most things than me... :) :) ...

Thanx again for your help... its 6:45pm here, and I missed the shops closing... :( .. so tomorrow morning I will go out and get some 3M Rubbing Compound (is that what its called) and either the Meg's Degreaser or another one... :) :) !!

Cheers Hyperion...

PS: My car had a little temper tantrum over the last couple of the days... the filaments in both the parking lights burnt, so I bought new Parking Lights with blue tinge (wedge bulbs or something)... one of the Headlights is quit fucked and looks like it aint goign too work too much longer, but I took them out too look at em and the size of the bulbs doesnt look like the ones the shops near me sell, different base and bulb size... any ideas what type/size of bulb I need too replace teh Headlights in my 318??

Cheers... :redspot

Ya, M3 Rubbing Compound. It has a pic of a red Corvett on the front.

Hmmm... Headlights... I have not ripped out my headlights and looked at them in a long time. I have no clue what they would be, and unfortunately I do not have my book on hand, I just realize I left it at home. Try looking at the light, at the size they are it probably has the type of light it is written on it somewhere. Or, try asking it in the OT area, I am sure someone has to know what it is. Or hit up Stockman, I know he has the BMW parts CD, and it will have it in there. I think it could be like a #9003 or something, but I am not sure. If everything else fails, just take it to your local store, and show it to them, and they will know whats up.

Also, check your fuses, and read up on your parking lights that you replaced, if they are drawing different amps, or volts and it has caused too much demand on your battery that could be a possibility as to why it is flickering. Try taking out both parking lights and then looking at the headlights and see if that fixed the problem.

Originally posted by Hyperion
Ya, M3 Rubbing Compound. It has a pic of a red Corvett on the front.

Hmmm... Headlights... I have not ripped out my headlights and looked at them in a long time. I have no clue what they would be, and unfortunately I do not have my book on hand, I just realize I left it at home. Try looking at the light, at the size they are it probably has the type of light it is written on it somewhere. Or, try asking it in the OT area, I am sure someone has to know what it is. Or hit up Stockman, I know he has the BMW parts CD, and it will have it in there. I think it could be like a #9003 or something, but I am not sure. If everything else fails, just take it to your local store, and show it to them, and they will know whats up.

Also, check your fuses, and read up on your parking lights that you replaced, if they are drawing different amps, or volts and it has caused too much demand on your battery that could be a possibility as to why it is flickering. Try taking out both parking lights and then looking at the headlights and see if that fixed the problem.

Thanx Mate... :) :) ... I will go too the local Auto-One or Auto-Barn tomorrow and see whats up... :) ... I already replaced the Parking Lights and its all sweeet now, and the Headlights are okay but I am going too replace em with some blue tinted/whitish bulbs not the yellow existing ones... :) :)

Cheers... :redspot

Watch out, too blue at the same wattage will feel like your lights are losing power. The blue blends in with the road, and it is a little harder to pic out at night.

Originally posted by Hyperion
Watch out, too blue at the same wattage will feel like your lights are losing power. The blue blends in with the road, and it is a little harder to pic out at night.

Okay Mate... Thanx For The Tip... :) :) ...

I will let you know how it all goes... thanx heaps for all your help in this thread... I am really greatful mate... :) :) ... you have been a big big help... :clap: !!

:redspot :redspot :redspot

blue doesnt blend in with the road.. its simply that the blue spectrum sucks for visibility

Originally posted by Stockman
blue doesnt blend in with the road.. its simply that the blue spectrum sucks for visibility

LOL... You say it your way, I will say it my way...:laugh

kev:

autobarn and auto1 are the same shit as super cheap auto: they dont know crap and its all they carry.

go and check out Repco or Rare Spares, theyre your best bet. last thing you want to do is replace a bulb and have to re-do it 6 months later...

I know I'm late to post this, but Castrol Super Clean (degreaser) is by far the best cleaner I have ever used bar none. It desolves oil and stuff on contact.

Originally posted by ultim8DTM5
kev:

autobarn and auto1 are the same shit as super cheap auto: they dont know crap and its all they carry.

go and check out Repco or Rare Spares, theyre your best bet. last thing you want to do is replace a bulb and have to re-do it 6 months later...

Oh.... I See... :devillook

Okay... Thanx Pete... I will be sure too check them out... :) :) !!

Hey I took your grill removal and I indexed it at another site.. look here: http://www.bimmerinfo.com/tech_docs.htm

It's on the right side: http://angelfire.lycos.com/retro/bimmerinfo/grill_removal.htm

Good Luck.. I have had so little time to update my page.. but it has some good info indexed.

Originally posted by SLVR M
I know I'm late to post this, but Castrol Super Clean (degreaser) is by far the best cleaner I have ever used bar none. It desolves oil and stuff on contact.


Superclean is like a bottle of pure whupass

I have used it to clean concrete before... works well

It used to be cheap... now its not so cheap

Originally posted by nughaud
Hey I took your grill removal and I indexed it at another site.. look here: http://www.bimmerinfo.com/tech_docs.htm

It's on the right side: http://angelfire.lycos.com/retro/bimmerinfo/grill_removal.htm

Good Luck.. I have had so little time to update my page.. but it has some good info indexed.

Oh shit...

You are my hero!

I accidently deleted some of my pics, and I never had them on my HD, so I thought I had lost them forever. Thank you very much.

Oh ya, unfortunately my webpage is down (I exceded my bandwith), but it should be up soon. But I am currently working on a new site which will have lots more stuff like that.

Once again thank you very much for the pictures.

np... that is one of the reasons that I did that.. because sites go up and down and photos get deleted or lost.

cya

Please carefully note the following....

Some engine degreasers such as gunk and a couple of others will etch polished aluminum. If you have a nice shiny strut brace etc, be very careful. There are a lot of Dinan bars that look like shit because of engine degreaser. Use degreaser on greasy parts, simple green or car wash soap and a soft brush on regular dirt.

This is the best and easiest way I’ve found.

Visit Jim Powells site, heres the link to cleaning your engine bay:

http://www.apexcone.com/TechProcedures/EngineBayCleaning/ArmorAll.html