anyone had issues with water in the engine bay going through those high pressure laser washes?

 

Wouldn't know I always hand wash my Baby

 

I had a issue once where some water got my HKS filter wet and it caused my car to buck pretty bad and the CEL came on. If your gonna use a car wash for the winter just keep away from the hood vent if you have a open element filter on it. Simple as dat.

 

Your gonna have water in the engine bay regardless of weather or type of car wash. Don't worry about it.

The biggest concern of water in the engine bay is going thru the turbo, all the intake piping, the intercooler, into the engine and causing a hydro-lock. The chances of that happening under normal driving circumstances are so slim, don't worry about it. Most water ingested is vaporized or atomized in the turbo under heat compression anyway.

 

well i have the HKS intake with that foam filter mushroom looking thing, i hate the brush washes so i wanna use the Laserwash but the PSI is so high and it comes out at a angle. So i am concerned it will jam the water through the vent an into the filter area. Wonder if buying one of those Aluminum heatshield things for the filter would help? The car will be washed, i dont care if i have to hand wash the damn thing in the middle of 3' of snow!!!! What about shutting the car off while im in the wash?? Maybe??

 

I would never use pressure wash. Only hand wash. I wont even let anyone hand wash the car.

 

Shutting the engine off in the middle of the wash doesn't help. If the filter gets wet it gets wet. an induction box will fix that. Either that or put the stock airbox back on for the winter season...

 

I am on my second winter with regular car washes at leats once a week. I do the hand wash in my garage when time permits, the quarter car was when I am feelin cheap, and the full blown all options automatic car wash once a month.

I have never had a problem with this open element intake, or any open element intake in my other cars.

It's not really something I really even think about, except when I am cleaning the engine bay with a high pressure washer. Then I just bag the intake with some plastic and spray away.

 

I have an open filter intake and I have had to go through one of those car-washes before, I think somone egged my car or somthing and I just wanted to get as much of it off as soon as possible. The carwash gave me no problems at all but I would much rather just wash my car by hand, it deserves more..

 

hey sean, i goto scrub-a-dub's laser wash in salem, nh in the winter when it gets way too cold to hand wash it. The high pressure wash there gives me no problems what so ever on a stock evo. Although I'd prefer to hand wash the evo, in the winter here, I usually have no choice if i want to this thing clean.

 

i do the same

 

thanks for the info ill have to check that place out. I always hand wash my car, but im sure you relize how crazy it is to hand wash your car in a NE Winter.....Brrrrrrrrrrr....Ill definatly try to hand was it as much as i can, but obviosuly when it gets cold enough i cant, and im gonna need to get the salt off the car, The Rally Red doesnt have much clearcoat as it is, i dont need anymore eatten off.

 

Never had any trouble with the local laser wash.