Hi all
I'm in the process of selling my Saxo, and I'm thinking of getting the engine and bay steam cleaned.
My question is, is this safe to do so?
Thanks all.
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I was warned off doing my old Golf because the electronic connections have some sort of sealant or something on them?
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There are several arguments to steam cleaning.
1. If you're not careful you can damage electrical components, or engine seals.
2. A potential buyer might be put off by a *sparkling* engine and wonder why it is so clean. Is the seller trying to hide something? New engine, or recent rebuild work, etc.
3. A reasonably dirty engine isn't such a bad thing - providing there are no fresh oil stains or dribbles. It can show that it is genuine, and does the job an engine is supposed to do.
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If you do want a shiny engine you might find a professional outfit to do it.
There's one near me that charges about £25.
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One thing to bear in mind,
your engine bay will most likely have a wax coating to protect itself aswell as the oil moisture that will be there.
If you remove these and with the weather we have at the moment with the salted roads, you will leave yourself open for corrosion to set in, on your engine and body panels etc.
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Why not get some Gunk engine cleaner, paint it on with an old paint brush and then hose it off with a hose without silly pressure. I have done this in the past both to tidy up the appearance and also to avoid getting absolutly filthy when doing a job under the bonnet, ie, timingbelt change. Much safer, you can go carefully near seals and the electrics.
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I too am aware of the waterproof/electrics argument, and with so much delicate electrics around a full pressure wash may be risky. However a clean engine in my experience does impress and is so much nicer to work on. You can also see leaks and trouble earlier. In the past I have used Gunk and its Commer equivailents, and have had no trouble. I did dry out connections and electrical pins with a hairdrier, and covered the brake hydraulics with a plastic bag. Do it with the battery out. By the way, I find that buyers are more impressed by a very clean battery. It is probably better to clean the engine when you buy the car, then doesn't look too clean. Do clean the sump of grease etc to improve oil cooling flows for summer. A clean radiator will also show up leaks well.
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I would advise against steam cleaning on a modern car with so much electronics under the bonnet. I've certainly never done mine, and I wouldn't, either.
Good results can be obtained by applying neat washing-up liquid, using a paintbrush to loosen the engine dirt, then washing off with a low pressure hose, or a watering can.
You can even leather off the bits you can get to with an old leather!
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