Has anyone done this? What areas should I avoid, so i do not mess up anything?
Thanks,
Mike

 

Mike, yes, you can do it. But I do not recommend using anything stronger (ie, more powerful) than say your garden hose. A pressure washer is right out of there. Even then, try not to spray down directly at the coils. You can let water flow by them to push away some of the grime and what not, but don't blast it directly. Not following this can result in water getting down into the plug wells and shorting out a plug. Your car will not be happy only running on 5 or 4 cylinders.

The other caution that I will tell you to keep an eye out for is if you are planning on using some sort of degreaser. The degreaser is hell on electrical parts (especially electrical wiring insulation. If you spray some on, be aware of what you are spraying and if you get it on wiring, spray it off immediately.

Otherwise, spray away. The only other spot that I would tell you not to drown is the grille area right at the base of the windshield. There is a filter there that removes the dust from the incoming air and if you get too much water in the chamber, it can leak into the interior of the car and lead to leaks inside on the passenger's feet. Not a big concern, but I have heard of cases where someone has gotten overly aggressive and opened up other issues.

 

I would hesitate to use anything other than a rag and a spray bottle of mild detergent solution.

I have seen too many "I washed my engine, now it is messed up," threads on these boards over the years to risk putting any significant quantity of water on the engine.

A garden hose? No way I would put that much water on a Jag engine.

What you will gain from a clean engine could be severly offset by problems with the coils, plugs, electronic connections, etc.
Vector

 

I'm having the exterior, interior and engine bay of my car steam-cleaned at a professional, some point during this summer. I'll try to report how it goes.

It's my understanding as well that a pressure washer is out of question, but the idea with steam-cleaning is apparently that the actual amount of water used is surprisingly low. That's also why the interior should need just an hour or two to dry instead of the rest of day.

 

Steam migrates everywhere. As the gaseous form of water, the molecules are smaller than "solid" H2O.

When it condenses, it can end up in a lot of places you don't want it.

My experience is that steam cleaning is worse than pressure washing, and I have ruined more than my share of things with a pressure washer.

If ya gots to clean it with steam (tons of greasy gunk), or a pressure washer, leave the engine running as you do it. When it dies, you'll have a bit of a clue where the problem is - likely the last thing you shot with the wand.

 

See post #7 in this thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...airable-97036/

I could find more posts like this one, but you get the point.

Here is some info from the V12 boys. "Cats don't like water." Hand clean your engine: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...g-motor-86519/

Vector

 

I know its a risk with any car. But after all the X-type only has a ford duratec v6, and i am sure there are many ford's with the same engine that have been washed. I would never on a v12...

 

On both my sons older Clios it was a case of a degreaser of sorts followed by agitation with a brush ( Toothbrush for smaller areas - largr version for bigger areas ) and get it cleaned, then a soaking with the garden hose.

The electrical areas were covered by plastic bags and the engine running at the time.
All worked very well with no issues.

My Audi underbonnet is almost as clean as the day it left the factory, its part of my wash routine and only takes a few minutes.

If you're looking to do it on the Jag and its a real mess or never been done before, I'd recomend as follows.......

Get yourself a spray bottle with a hot soapy water mix, a toothbrush or similar, plenty of rags....

Spray the affected areas with the hot soapy water mix and then use the brush to agitate.
Spray the area again and use the rags to dry as necessary.

This should more than suffice to get the area as clean as you want it to be. The rubber / plastic areas can then be treated with back to black or similar to bring back that lustre / sheen to those parts and give a nice clean / shiny engine bay

BEFORE.......


AFTER......





BEFORE......


AFTER......



Ok so I know they're not Jags and the end result isn't show class standard, but it gets the desired results.

Hope it helps

 

How to clean your interior: Vector