Sorry if this is a repost, but I had a few questions on engine bay maintanence for anyone who has done it successfully. I've read somewhere in the past that with 6th gen you don't need to cover anything in the engine bay, but I'm not sure on it. Do I just use soap and water to clean everything under the hood or do I need to avoid soaping some parts? Should I use high pressure water to clean everything under the hood? How long do I need to wait before starting up the car? And any other major questions I may haven't asked.

If anyone has any experience with engine bay cleaning it'll be great if you could post some pointers up. Thanks.

 

Well...
Don't spray water on a hot engine.
You can probably spray water on everything under the hood, but don't use high pressure. I just spray a degreaser on and use a gentle spray of water on it.
On the hoses, NXT Tech Protectant works wonders (apply after cleaning...apply, then after a minute, wipe off).
Mother's Mag/aluminum polish works well on metal areas. I use a terry towel to apply/buff it.
If you're air filter is exposed (aftermarket intake) cover it with a plastic bag or something while spraying.

 

Make sure to cover the battery with a plastic bag (the ones from the grocery store work well) and dont spray water directly into the alternator. Otherwise, what 95 max said is true. also, You can use the pressure from a sprayer you put on the hose, just dont use a pressure washer.

 

Don't forget to cover up the intake scoop. Just stuff a plastic grocery bag in there to seal it and avoid that area as much as possible.

 

Just be sure to cover up your vitals like your battery terminals, alternator, spark plugs, cone intake (if you have one), etc.. with plastic bags and rubber bands. It's a piece of cake and your engine will look brand new.

 

If you're really worried about it, you could also try to avoid your belts. They'll squeak for a bit if they get wet.
To avoid all of this covering and stuff, I have just been doing this stuff by hand without any spraying.
To be honest, when I first degreased my engine, I went nuts on it with the degreaser and the hose, without covering anything but my CAI. Everything worked fine afterward. You might get a squeak from the belt, but other than that there shouldn't be any problems. If you want to be as careful as possible, go ahead and cover up half of the engine bay.
I also was inside a body shop, so there was a drain right under the car to catch all of the degreaser spilling out of my engine bay. It's not good for the environment, so if you're concerned about that at all, it's just another reason to do this type of thing by hand.