I did mine yesterday...used the local high pressure car wash..looks like new

 

I personally have seen MANY cars being towed into my place after a steam clean due to the car running like crap. But most (90%) were domestic cars. The steam can get into the small places and mess with the electrical compnents. The max however does not have a distrubutor nor is the ECU somewere under the hood so I dont see much happening but you never know Watch this turn into a flame now, thats what happend last time some1 asked about hosing the engine bay down

 

Unless my Maxima was a show car, I don't think I'd have it steam cleaned. I'd rather concentrate on keeping the body and inside the cabin clean since those are the areas that most people will see.

 

lcf....YOU HAVE PM

 

i spray mine out every time i wash it. i got in the habit of doing that when i had my wrangler. i squirt it all down with greased lightning and hose it off. keeps it looking clean. sometimes i use the foam spray for tires afterwards. i spray the whole thing down and leave the hood open. it looks very nice and shiney and clean. never had a problem with it.

 

btw, isnt steam cleaning what you do to carpet?? how do you "steam clean" your engine?? i guess you mean just washing it.

 

Steam cleaning is very common in engine bays, although problems can arise from doing it. Plus it is expensive- $75-$125.

Personally, I would just spray it down with diluted degreaser and hose it off.

 

I agree with ASU174....

Isn't STEAM CLEANING done professionally???

Powerwashing at the local powerwash is different.

I've been powerwashing my engines for a while now - with NO ill effects, ever.

If you keep-up with it, your engine & engine bay NEVER get nasty looking and dirty.

Makes the car look newer than it really is.

-- can you say RE-SALE value?? I KNEW you could.....

gr

 

Anything vulnerable to water spray that should be covered, such as the alternator?

 

I had my engine f-up on my 92 Sentra SE-R after a wash with the hose and and old Volvo f-up too after a steam clean. I just take a wet cloth and wipe down the engine on my Max. If you do it once a month that's all you need.

 

Just make a very quick pass with the hose on everything. Try to avoid the airbox. Don't sit there for 20 minutes hosing it down.

 

Seems almost 50/50. Ima give the degreaser application/pressure wash method first and see how it does. Perhaps that's all it needs... I really doubt it though. Last winter was really rough on the car.

 

the last time I used degreaser (Gunk foam) on a Nissan I spent the next two years replacing just about every rubber part under the hood--one by one. I also had the a/c heat sensor fail, maybe coincidence.

my opinion is that using a high pressure spray is begging for trouble. motorcyclists and bicyclists know that you can make water pass crank seals this way. I would avoid this.

used car dealers often use steam arond here--professionally done--with good results it seems. I can't find anyone locally who is willing to steam clean my engines. i assume this is becasue of the liability or frequent complaints. I like the damp rag method.

 

Woah.... I didn't see anything about a high pressure sprayer. The only way I would do that would be if I used a fairly weak one on a wide setting.

 

So I guess that means I cant use mine since its at like 3000psi...

 

Powerwashing? Pressure spray?

 

just spray it off. power wash or just a hose in your drive way.
then let the car run for a few minutes. that will help it dry up and get water out of any place it doesnt need to be. nothing bad will ever happen.