Engine Bay Cleaners & Dressings

Engine bay cleaners and dressings for the oil, grease and road grime under the bonnet. We carry engine degreasers such as Shiny Garage Red Devil, Infinity Wax Super De-Greaser and Dodo Juice Release the Grease, and engine bay dressings such as Koch-Chemie MP Motorplast and Tenzi Motorplast that protect the clean metal, plastic and rubber afterwards.

How to choose

• Regular cleaning: a cleaner you dilute to the dirt. Shiny Garage mixes Red Devil Engine Degreaser at 10 to 200ml per litre of warm water and leaves it for about 60 seconds before agitating, and says it contains corrosion inhibitors.
• Heavy oil and grease: a dedicated degreaser. Infinity Wax Super De-Greaser is a water-based gel that clings and dwells for up to 20 minutes, and Dodo Juice Release the Grease is a strong citrus degreaser for oily grime.
• Dressing afterwards: Koch-Chemie MP Motorplast dries completely with no lubricating film, so dirt does not stick, and Tenzi says its Motorplast resists high temperatures and makes the next clean easier. Sonax PROFILINE PlasticCare is sprayed on straight after the engine wash, once excess water has been blown out of the recesses.

Good to know

• Work on a cool engine, out of direct sunlight, and keep liquid away from exposed electrics and air intakes. Check the vehicle handbook first, above all on hybrid and electric cars.
• Never aim a pressure washer jet into the engine bay: wipe with a damp cloth or rinse gently where the handbook allows it. Our guide to cleaning an engine bay safely goes through it step by step.
• A strong degreaser can strip old dressing, so dress the plastics again once the bay is dry, and keep dressing off belts, pulleys and electrical connections.

How do you clean and protect an engine bay?

With the engine off and cool, clear the loose debris, spray a diluted engine cleaner or degreaser, work it in with a soft detailing brush and rinse it gently or wipe it off before it dries. When the bay is dry, an engine bay dressing such as Motorplast protects the metal, plastic and rubber and helps keep dust off until the next clean.

Related: All Purpose Cleaners, Trim Dressings, Detailing Brushes, Gloves & PPE. Popular brands here: Koch-Chemie, Infinity Wax, Dodo Juice, Sonax, Tenzi.