So after a particularly hard winters driving the engine bay has seen better days, nothings broken but I'd prefer to get it cleaned up so any faults are more easily apparent. Plus it would look a hell of a lot nicer too.

Whats your top tips for doing this and things to avoid? Having never had an offroader before I've never had an engine bay look this bad.

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There are a few threads on this - see, for example, http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic11346.html

But they're no help - half the replies say never pressure wash, the other half say I always pressure wash and never a problem.

Personally, if it starts to worry me I just close the bonnet...

If mine is very sandy
I use a hose pipe on slow and a paint brush
Just to move the sand to the floor ha ha

get some cleaner and a small brush to work on the grime
I use Autosmart G101
and running water (not pressure washer)

I use a pressure washer - set to fine spray (you can comfortably hold your hand in the jet). If greasy I use a gentle spray of Jizer from a hand spray bottle before the jet wash. Jules

A roll of cling film to wrap around electrical plugs/components etc.
Autoglym Engine and Machine Cleaner (peanuts from Hell-frauds)
A long handled Radiator paintbrush to agitate
A pressure Washer on either high or low velocity
Autoglym Vinyl and Rubbercare after scrub-down

Job jobbed

Simples! Foraging near Gaydon....
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MY13 HSE Lux SD4, Baltic Blue - current, 30,000> miles without fault
MY12 HSE 2.2 SD4, Sumatra Black - gone after 10 months/43,000 fault-free miles

personally I'd never put water anywhere near an engine - there's too many things in there that you can get to in order to protect but the water will find it easily enough!

Hard work and elbow grease is the best bet, once you do the first clean it's easy enough to keep ontop of it if you do it each time you wash the car.

As A valeter I wouldn't recommend just blasting with a pressure washer but if you are careful & don't direct the jet onto anything you shouldn't you should be fine. I used it on a BMW 1 series the other day & a New Range Rover Voque but stood further away so there wasn't a too fine a jet.
On my engines I use as said above - hose on a trickle flow & a detailing brush/s with TFR or similar or usually just water & a brush as I keep them very clean. On my MG's I only need a spray polish/cleaner plus a rag as they don't go in the rain.

Tips to help keep engines clean = drive more carefully so as to avoid puddles & on fast roads try & stay further back from cars in front & avoid being behind lorries etc. (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
(Past) RR Evoque Dynamic Lux Si4 In Firenze Red.
(Past) RR Evouque Pure Tech in Barollo Black with bespoke Firenze Red colour coding.
(Present) Freelander Metropolis 2015 MY In Santorini Black with Ivory Premium Leather.

Maxxed_Ross wrote:

personally I'd never put water anywhere near an engine - there's too many things in there that you can get to in order to protect but the water will find it easily enough!

Hard work and elbow grease is the best bet, once you do the first clean it's easy enough to keep ontop of it if you do it each time you wash the car.

indeed I am

Aren't Landrovers supposed to be dirty? My son keeps his looking muddy otherwise he claims that he looses credibility with his farming clients.
As for cleaning the engine bay I would have thought that you are asking for trouble putting a hose in there given the number of electrical connectors to go wrong. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

The outside generally stays in a state of dirtyness, but with the old Land Rover Build Quality™ I'd rather keep the engine bay nice and clean (or at least cleaner than it is) to spot any problems easily.

Sounds like I'll just do it by hand with some damp cloths and cleaner, feels a bit safer

I used to have a Ford Granada company car back in the late 80's and it always came back from its main dealer service with the engine bay sparkling as they used to steam clean it. Then they stopped doing it and I mentioned it in passing at the next service and they said that Ford had advised dealers not to do this any more due to a rise in the number of electrical problems being seen. By comparison a modern car has a lot more electronics and connectors so the message is clear.... 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE