Engine Bay Detailing... what the Ford Tech said NOT to do!!

[rcryniak]

OK, so I've been wanting to detail my engine bay. Ford Tech says that the yellow sticky stuff around the edges of things (and in the door jambs) is a protective coating against rust, and I must never ever remove it or my car will die from a horrible rusty collapse of death.

OK, I'm exaggerating a little bit, but what I really do want to know is (a) what best cleans that off, and (b) what exactly is it so I can replace it with fresh clean anti-rust goo. If that's even what it is. lol.

 

[mmh64]

Oh , I didn't know that stuff was supposed to be all over everything. Thanks for the info. Every time I detail I find more. I use 409 and a tooth brush. I just wet the brush with it so it's not being sprayed in unwanted areas. Then wash and dry area as usual. That's good information. I'm interested in what that product is also. I would like to reapply as well. It would be nice to know all the areas it should be applied. I have cleaned a lot off just don't remember where. Wish I had known this before. Living in a rust prone area I need all the help I can get. Now I feel like I made a mistake cleaning it off. It just looks so nasty especially in door jam area where I had to look at it all the time. If I can get that stuff I will put it on with a lot more care than the assembly plant. It won't look so sloppy if I do it and I can live with looking at it every time I open the door. I bet it is really noticeable on white cars. Please do post your findings on this matter.

 

[SilverSH0]

Can you post a picture of this stuff? I don't recall anything like it on my car so it was likely cleaned off by the previous owner.

Can you ask the Ford tech what it is and where you can get more?

 

[mmh64]

Here is door hinge. And lower door seam. It is no longer yellow. Collects dirt and hard to clean off. It really is ugly and hard to miss on my silver car. Cleaning and reaplication in a nice workmanship manner is what I need.

 

[SilverSH0]

Yeah, that's definitely gone on my car.

 

[mval]

i show my '10 sho at car shows & i can't remember it having anything like that ever in those 2 areas. it amazes me that ford would have done that on purpose. now an aftermarket rust protection place doing a horrible job yes. i wax that area on mine just like i do on the outside & have seen no rust develop. i know those ford dealer techs know a lot more than i do but to me that should never be there & i've seen a lot of high end newer cars at car show & never seen that. i detail the engine bay plastic/rubber parts w/ aerospace 303 & metal with wax just like outside of car

 

[bpd1151]

It's spray on rust proofing.

I had the same exact craptastic $h!t on my 2010.

I bought in, into the whole sales pitch from my dealership sales person, when I bought my SHO new.

It came along with undercoating, Scotch guarding the interior & something else which skips me at this moment.

IIRC, it was a lil over $1k for all of this post sales "service". I had to bring car back 3 days after I drove mine off the show floor.

When I got it back, the crap was everywhere..... door jambs, hinges, engine bay, shock/strut towers, you name it.

It was hideous. Sticky as all ****, collected dirt just as you described, turned black, my God what a fk'n mess.

I was ******.

I eventually used a combination of Xylene, a commercial grade wax/tar remover, & good old fashioned elbow grease combined with one of those "safe" scrub/sponge pads designed to remove bugs & crap from car's exterior.

It was a painstaking, several day process, but eventually I got it all removed.

Now, just like my fellow Mike posted (mval) I too show my SHO, I too am religious about cleaning/waxing these areas as well.

Proud to report, no issues in 6yrs of ownership, along with most all of those years seeing daily driven use here in good 'ol CHI-Town, the new ****** capital of the world.

Don't believe crap that Tech says, he/she is blowing donuts up your @$$ & is likely "trained" to go right along with the sales ploy/pitch from the sales dept. to help increase/pad the profit margin(s).

Steer way clear. Run the other direction.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[mmh64]

^ That's it. Second season cleaning mine off. I looked under the car and has under coating also. Must have got the whole package. Hope it helps the underside. This is my 2004 taurus wagon purchased new. Photo from November.

Floor board passenger side.

 

[SHOdded]

Holy schmokes!!! Quality is NOT Job 1 here!

 

[mmh64]

It was quality 12 years ago when I bought it. A lot of sheet metal ,rivits ,spot welds screws,and undercoating. It's good as new again. Talk about bad pinch welds. Those jack points on the wagon are virtually non existent now. Gotta love rust.