A mechanic told me I had an oil leak and for them to find it, they wanted me to get the engine cleaned. So I decided to pay $150 for top and bottom to be cleaned at California Detail Shop in Glendale. I thought it'd be ok cuz they mention using steam but they're using a power washer with hot water. I also thought I had to wait 15-30 minutes before cleaning the car but they took it in and maybe it's ok because it's 7:45AM. Will this damage the ECU or electronics?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xPeW1j66UPcCJcb17
Yes.
Good. Hopefully no issues. 2000 civic with 98k! Nice. I had a 2000 civic coupe. Great little car. Sporty and easy to repair.
Yes.
Thank you for the confirmation. I just feel like crap now, but I'll have to be extra mindful and see if any issues come up.
The high pressure can inject water into the electrical connections and, damage the wiring.
If you were to have any problems, they should show in the next few days.
You can check the engine bay yourself and see if there is any residual water near connection points, but most water should have evaporated by this time.
A suggestion: look at your owners manual or go to Honda’s website and search for TSBs (technical service bulletins) for engine damage with high pressure water. If you do develop engine issues, you might have cause against them. They should have known better!!!!
You can check the engine bay yourself and see if there is any residual water near connection points, but most water should have evaporated by this time.
I checked and hour ago. It's dry at this time. The workers did use pressurized air to dry the car and I think took out the air intake manifold to dry surrounding area before putting it back to start the car. I decided to drive for about 10-15 minutes, some small street and some freeway going at least 50. No check engine light on at this time, but I'll keep an eye out and let my mechanics know that I shouldn't have been risking a pressure wash. Maybe they're not knowledgeable about the risks or the risk isn't great enough to them. They also don't seem to know about engine oil dye but they knew about AC dye.
A suggestion: look at your owners manual or go to Honda’s website and search for TSBs (technical service bulletins) for engine damage with high pressure water. If you do develop engine issues, you might have cause against them. They should have known better!!!!
I tried to search briefly but I couldn't find any TSBs at this time. I guess it's not common enough?
Thank you for this suggestion. I'm hoping nothing is wrong and definitely won't do it again. I also hope Southern Californianians who care about their cars don't go to California Detail Shop. Baffles me that they've been in the business for 40 years and they don't even cover up electrical stuff before washing. They just told me that the Civic would be okay as opposed to Ford's.
owners manual
The only recommendation to use a pressure washer is the underside and exterior but low settings. It didn't say anything about not using it to clean entire engine bay, but common sense should have been to use a degreaser and wire brush.
Good. Hopefully no issues. 2000 civic with 98k! Nice. I had a 2000 civic coupe. Great little car. Sporty and easy to repair.
Hopefully! And yeah! I just bought it last week and sold my 2015 Kia Rio LX 65k miles. It's a big gamble in terms of reliability and finances but I'm hoping for the best! What happened to yours?