- Warm up the engine by running it for a few minutes, then turn it off.
- Cover the distributor and either cover the alternator and fuse box or use low pressure spray in these areas.
- Wet the engine with high pressure spray.
- Spray the engine and compartment with full strength Simple Green (dirty engine), otherwise use a 50/50 mixture (50% Simple Green, 50% water).
- Leave to soak in for about 5 minutes. Use a brush on heavily soiled areas.
- Rinse with high pressure spray, but use low pressure around electrical components. Don’t forget the underside of the bonnet.
After rinsing, start the engine and run until the engine is dry. Start wiping the painted areas – but be careful while the engine is running. When the engine is dry, wipe and towel dry the areas you couldn’t reach with the engine running. Finally, spray the hoses and plastic parts with silicone spray and you are ready to go.
Unless you have oil leaks, you shouldn’t need to clean your engine more than twice a year.
Battery terminal maintenance
Here’s a quick and easy way to get rid of all that disgusting, mouldy green stuff that feeds on your battery terminals like a snail on the wall of an aquarium. You have two choices:
- Coca-Cola
- a mixture of hot water and baking soda
Just pour either one directly onto your battery terminals and watch all that corrosion dissolve instantly. Personally, I prefer the water/baking soda method so I don’t have to clean up dried, sticky cola later. To get the best connection between your battery post and the terminal cable, loosen or remove the cable before cleaning with any of the above cleaning solutions.
Windscreen Wiper Tech
To help your wiper blades last longer, simply add a drop of dish soap to the windscreen washer reservoir and you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes!
How to maintain rubber
On almost all of my cars, the rack and pinion boots and other exposed boots under the car get cracked over time. I have found that spraying all the boots with silicone spray once a year keeps them protected and flexible. It’s easy and cheap and will keep all your rubber boots and other rubber parts (door seals, etc.) much longer. Silicone will cause dust to stick to certain parts and collect dirt, so be careful where you spray!
