UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

My main question is whats the best and safest way to keep your engine clean?

As you can see in my Signature, i have a Mark 1 Polo L in Yellow, it has a great coat of paint as its been garaged all its life, i wash it every weekend as its almost certainly dirty..

I use a power washer to get any debris, grime and dirt or what ever off it, then use a bucket of hot water + fairy liquid to wash the car, then i power wash it again leave it to dry and come back an hour or so later and T-Cut it.. which makes it look magnificent..

What should i be using? - I realise its an old car, and yes the paint has faded since 1980, but you don't notice it.. it still has a nice bright yellow shine

Advice on engine cleaning and general washing..

Firstly don't use fairy liquid...Wash with Maguire’s car shampoo, dry with a chamois then apply a polish and then a wax. Is your car has swirl marks or other scratches on it use a cutting compound like a swirl remover before the polish. www.waxit.com.au is a good site you can get some idea of what products you can buy and what does what.

Something like Autoglym Engine Cleaner or any degreaser should work fine.

Spray it on (avoiding electrical areas obviously) wipe with a damp cloth and keep rinsing the cloth. Once all clean and dry dress with something like AutoGlym Vinyl and Rubber Care.

People say you can hose your engine down but it is never something i feel confident doing - hence the cloths and water routine.

The above posts are correct. I would like to add that T-Cut is not something you should do often. T-cut is a mild abbrasive, if you ever do use t-cut you should polish the paint after to protect it. Also power washers are not too good for the paintwork either, they blast dirt against the paint and cause tiny scratches.

T cut should never be used! Does more harm than good imho

do NOT use fairy liquid again!!!

it's a detergent go on any site about car cleaning and it'll say not to use it...even if you just use some cheapo car shampoo from wilkinsons or something.