Is it safe to Engine Wash new Cars with ECU?

[greenlight]

I was planning to give my Fortuner a complete wash early this week which was supposed to include an engine wash in one of the inside-the-village car wash shops. Medyo reliable naman sila as I have been going there for several years already with several cars. This is my first time with my Fortuner and when I asked, they refused to wash the engine. They are afraid that they might short the ECU.

My question now is, is it safe to engine wash cars like the Fortuner? I have not asked the CASA about this or the Gasoline Stations where they might have experience in washing the engine of the new cars.

Kung meron man, can you also recommend which car wash does a decent job? Medyo madumi na ang engine and I want to keep it clean.

Thanks for your comments.

[caloyski5]

try bigberts koya. magaling and sulit ;)

[ILuvDetailing]

AFAIK its safe, just make sure to cover the critical parts like the alternator. Try bigberts

[mcbry]

try Bigberts, sir. i'm sure kayang kaya nila yun. i even saw a new honda jazz having a full detail sa BB. ganda ng pagkagawa.

[yebo]

just cover the air intake and alarm horn. car engines were made to get wet. kung di pwede mabasa yan e di sana totally enclosed na ang engine. it rains on this planet!

[alwayz_yummy]

and ung ecu wala sa engine bay, but its somewhere under the dash, right?

[rcl_inno]

sir,
3.0 D4D ba engine mo? kung diesel yan sir walang problema, i had mine wash at Toyota San Fernando wala naman naging problema basta after they wash it , pinahanginan lang yung engine bay. luminis na naman ang engine, i dont know sa 2.7 VVTi kung magkakaproblema ang EFI? so the best thing to do is pa wash mo sa CASA at least pag nagka problema, sila na ang hahanap ng solusyon.

[hondacivic_vtis]

Sa casa mo nalang dalin yan. Tutal bago pa yan

[flakez]

pag nagpapaengine wash ako ng civic namin ang tinatakpan lang ung alternator saka ung air intake. so siguro ganyan din ung gagawin sa fortuner.

[seonadancing]

i wouldn't risk it, kung papahugas mo, dun ka sa hand cleaning lang with brush and degreaser. Rain is never as hard as a pressure washer so it's different. I've heard a lot of horror stories about cars stalling and malfunctioning after getting an engine wash so dun ka na sa sigurado.

[lakay]

Why don't you do it yourself, at least you know that it clean. Just make sure that you cover the alternator and distributor with plastic bag (microwave plastic works the best). And also, don't use high pressure water, regular watermain pressure will do (25 - 30 psig).

[niky]

alternator, distributor, IGNITION WIRES and FUSEBOX.

I agree with seonadancing, rain is never as hard as a pressure washer. The idiots who engine washed my Sentra before sprayed the valve cover directly and water got past the weather seals of the ignition wires and into the spark plug wells.

You can have it engine washed, but make sure they're very very careful.

[greenlight]

Thanks for all your responses. My unit is a 2.7 VVTi.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I will try to wash the engine myself (kung sisipagin ako). But the next time ipasok ko sa kasa ang kotse ko, I will ask them to engine wash it and get their recommendation regarding doing an engine wash.

Looks like Big Bert's is highly recommended. I will try this out.

Thanks a lot again.

[mcbry]

sir, i suggest bring it to bigbert's first. pag nakita mo na how they wash the engine then next time pag sisipagin ka then that's the time DIY mo nalang if you want. at least may idea kana how they wash it the proper way. just my 2 cents.

[theveed]

Honestly, if your car is that new, there won't be any oil leaks in your car anyway, so other than regular dust and moisture, it shouldn't get that dirty, so just spend time wiping it down again and again everyweek and it'll stay clean for years to come.

Just remember that maintenance beats restoration any day hehe.