Engine wash

Hello everyone!

The engine bay of my Octavia looks quite dirty. In many places, it's already showing significant signs of corrosion after only 3.5 years. I suspect this is due to road salt that enters the engine compartment through the radiator and leaves its damaging effects there.

Therefore, a car wash is now necessary. But even then, there's a lot that can go wrong. I've also read about alternators failing after a car wash. So, I'll definitely cover that. Which other parts would you cover, and where shouldn't you aim the water stream directly? What should I use to protect everything? The Sonax preservative wax label states that it should not be used on parts that get hot.

Regards,
mcgregg

Hi!

The Lima can handle water to a certain extent, but it's less tolerant of excessive power being applied to the windings. Therefore, you don't need to cover them.

Make sure to properly seal the intake manifold of your D4WSC, because Eberspächer heaters don't like it when they suddenly suck in water.

Otherwise, use a good cold cleaner on the engine while it's still cold, let it sit for a bit, and then spray it. You don't have to get as close with the cold cleaner, as it easily removes dirt.
Removed the engine cover and then got started with enthusiasm.

After that, disconnect the spark plugs and blow out any moisture from the plugs and the spark plug wells.

The trick is simply to not get the steamer too close to the components. Many people disregard this, and then water gets in where it shouldn't.