[SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd]

I have detailed my bay, but I would not recommend hosing down the bay with a hose directly. Instead I used a fine mist spray bottle with warm soapy water, a basic bristle brush to agitate nooks and crannies, a damp towel to wipe with (not dripping), and a vacuum cleaner to collect dust and debris - pretty happy with the results and plenty of patience.

I edge on the side of caution what with the hybrid having twice the amount of electrical components over the gas models. I'm sure the engine area is built with a good amount of water-resistance for daily wear and tear, but why chance it and causing corrosion somewhere.

 

[SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd]

And the more often you do it, like anything else, the easier it is to keep maintained.

It's my weekly sunday therapy ?

 

[SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd]

It doesn't impact neither resale value or performance. Waste of time IMHO, but I understand that some have OCD with cleanliness. BTW, after almost a year ownership engine bay is very clean in mine.

Agreed, if anything a clean bay will show wear and tear over the years, dirt and grime helps mask the flaws for the sheister's out there lol

What I have noticed is that with a clean and cared car/engine, mechanic's (the one's I've been to) do treat the car better and go the extra mile because you're not getting them dirty. I'd like to believe it's a silent form of respect from one guy to another appreciating the craft that is the car since more than likely they too are an enthusiast.

 

[SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd]

As someone that works on other peoples cars; I appreciate working on clean cars. You still get dirty but the differing degree of filth is amazing. Worked on my buddies Mustang GT that is like six months old and I was amazed how much more fun it is to work on being so clean. I did get dirty but it was clean enough to not warrant using gloves. We dropped the rear sub frame components to put a better sway bar on and lowering springs. Usually that is a black arms and gloves type of a job.

I hear ya, anything clean I just have a natural desire to understand it significantly more, dirty gives me the vibe of a buyitforlife object - use it till it fails. And when it does IF I have the care, then I'll crack it open to see if I can repair it because I'm cheap LOL.

It just feels right, I get the car is a tool, but you practically live in it for 30% of your life. I mean, I wouldn't go to bed with muddy feet, just sayin ?

 

[SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd]

Hey OP, I gather you might be a new hybrid owner wanting to baby the car, respect ?

One bit of advice, the best mod I have done so far is installing a rubber seal on the headlights. This significantly reduced the grime/waterspray in the engine bay, I have only had to wipe some dust once or twice over the last 3 months with a very wet and slushy winter.

Hood Weather Seal Installation

I ordered the weather seal from Amazon Amazon.com: Etopars 157" 4M P Shape Car Door Trim Edge Moulding Rubber Weatherstrip Seal Strip Auto: Home & Kitchen I cléaned the top of the headlight assembly prior to applying the weather seal. There is a seam on the surface of the light assembly which...

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