Who doesn’t love the look of a freshly cleaned and detailed car? Lately, we’ve been traveling a lot, so I haven’t had a chance to do as much automotive detailing as I wanted. However, over the Labor Day weekend, I gave our rides some TLC. This included some intense detailing, including the engine bay.
As you saw in the Reel, I will go as far as to pull off the windshield wiper cowl once a year. I’m not doing this because I want the underside to look spic and span. Rather, I’m doing this because our cars reside outside. And our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek specifically, isn’t covered by our carport. So it gets a lot of leaves, seeds, and debris from our big old maple tree and the host of pine trees above it. Unfortunately, some of that stuff will fall under that cowl, entering through grates and surrounding areas where the wipers attach. That can clog up the drains and cause all sorts of issues. So I take the time to carefully pull the cowl off and clean as needed. It’s too bad no one makes a cover for these cowls. If you know of one, drop it in the comments!
New Favorite Automotive Detailing Tools: Bushes
A quick note: Last year for Christmas, I got a set of three automotive detailing brushes. This set has changed the way I detail, especially the engine bay. With soap, water, and these brushes, you can really get into the nooks and crannies. They help to get the grime out of the areas around bolts, emblems, and even window trim. (With the amount of moss we get in the Pacific Northwest, those window chases can get nasty, especially in winter!) If you’ve never had a set, you don’t know what you’re missing. Highly recommended.