BMW engine cleaning and/or detailing

[empy]

that's surprising. if a n00b like me can clean his bmw engine regularly with no problems whatsoever, i wonder why the BB experts won't touch it?

[theveed]

M54: Ngayon ko lang nakita to hehe...

Mainly because quite often, Euro cars sold here are very finicky with moisture. I honestly can't explain why it happens as I've washed quite a few engines in the US using coin-op car washes with no probs (especially after running over a dead skunk or something), but locally, quite a few owners (not even our customers) have experienced shorted ECUs and sensors even with the slightest moisture exposure.

We take great (can't emphasize that word enough) care when working on Euro engine bays, taking us 2-3x more effort cleaning them than with Japanese and American counterparts, sometimes, it just happens...

My assumptions will be pretty the same for older vehicles... As plastics and rubber wear off, the clamps that keeps moisture out of electronics can't provide a decent seal causing water-related electricity spikes.

Quite common phenomenon would be where the sparkplug wires are located, with most BMW engines, they're angled downwards with a metal "tray" underneath it trapping water as well... With plugs that don't seal well, it's nearly impossible to prevent water from entering the plug holes.

I know someone who DIY'ed his E36 (1.6li) at home with a normal hose and fried his ECU, TPS, MAF in one go...

But if you think about it, makes no sense for ANY engine not to be able to withstand water contact hehe.

My Altima engine compartment hates water as well, I couldn't start the car once when I cleaned it personally with a TABO... Compared to my Corolla where I engine wash my car weekly.

Kinda funny story is that many local Isuzu dealers tell owners NEVER to get Trooper engines washed because the ECU and other electronics are exposed in the engine compartment, yet their posters and brochures show Troopers submerged in a river or something :P

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While I'm pretty sure that if we clean 100 euro engines, 99 of them will turn out fine, but we really don't think the 1 engine that will experience any cleaning-related problem is worth the customer's headaches and heartaches.

We don't like to experiment with our customer's cars.