Do It Yourself Car Maintenance - Engine bay upkeep

The engine bay does not have to be cleaned everyday. Cleaning it once or twice a week is enough. Make sure the engine has cooled down before cleaning the engine bay. Ask the car manufacturer if it is okay to wash the engine bay of the car. Usually, the engine bay of all modern cars can be washed. 

Do not use a high pressure hose to wash the engine bay as it may loosen or detach wires within the engine bay. A high pressure hose can be used to wash the inside of the open bonnet. Use a normal water pipe to gently spray water in the engine bay. After the dirt has been washed off, a cloth can be used to wipe various parts within the engine bay while the water is still flowing. Be careful and take care that the pipe does not touch the outer body of the car, as it can scratch the paintjob of the car. Once the engine bay is washed, wipe it dry with a cloth. 

Perform checks to see if any of the wires have come lose and if the sparkplug wires are intact, just in case. Check the levels of all fluids like coolant, brake oil, power steering fluid and windshield washer fluid. Usually these fluids are always at the right level when a car is serviced at regular intervals, but it’s a good idea to check for high consumption levels. Get it filled up immediately if any fluid is below the required level. Keeping a check on these will also help in the time of servicing, when any fluid top up needed can be mentioned. Top up the washer fluid if needed with a windshield washer fluid that is available in the market. It can prevent scratches on the windshield at the time of using wipe and wash while driving.