A clean and sparkling engine compartment can make your car look impressive. With sleek metal and glistening hoses, a spotless engine does wonders for your car confidence. And while most vehicle owners are great about cleaning their car’s interior, what about what’s lying just under the hood? This handy guide will talk about why it’s important to have a clean engine, and how you can keep yours sparkling.

Why is it Important to Have a Clean Engine?

Not only will a clean engine look awesome, but it also offers a lot of benefits to your vehicle aside from aesthetics. Here are a few reasons a clean engine is important:

You can easily identify trouble spots in your engine if it’s clean. A dirty engine will mask things like fluid leaks and cracks that are hidden by gunk and grime.
When you keep your engine clean, you’re eliminating road salt and other debris that can often lead to serious corrosion problems.
Hot spots can form on your engine due to grime buildup as well as things like leaves and oil, which are serious fire hazards.
A clean engine will make you feel good whenever you work on your car, and it also gives your vehicle higher resale value.

How to Make Your Engine Sparkle

Now that you know more about the benefits of a clean engine, it’s time to get to work. There are a few ways you can clean the engine, but steam cleaning is not recommended. When you use steam, you can seriously damage electrical components and wiring. Instead, try a few engine cleaners you can find at most auto parts stores or online. Degreasing products will help to dissolve gunk and grease buildup on the engine. You can find these products in various formats including a gel, foam, spray, and solvent-based formula. For tough grease, the solvent-based formulas work best since they’re specially designed to cut through pesky dirt and grime.

A gel-based cleanser is another great engine cleaner that uses scrubbing action to eliminate nasty buildup. Don’t forget to use a drip pan when you clean the engine so it can catch all of the runoff that will drip down during the process. You don’t want all of the cleaners and dirt to seep into the ground or run down the street into a stormwater drain. Capture those nasty fluids using the drip pan and some heavy-duty absorbent pads. You can let everything sit in the sun until the excess moisture evaporates and then recycle everything when you’re done.

Tommy’s Hi Tech Auto Repair has been keeping drivers in the Denton, Texas area on the road since 1991. When you need great auto care backed up by excellent customer service, you can trust Tommy’s. We offer factory recommended maintenance, air conditioning services, engine diagnostics, brake systems, steering and suspension, electrical diagnosis and repair, transmission and drivetrain repair, engine repair, and cooling system services. To schedule an appointment or get in touch, give us a call at 940-387-0070 or email us at service@tommyht.com.