So I had a great day yesterday: oil change, wash dry, touch up paint chips, and re-stitched DS leather seat seam.

It was all good until....!!!
I'll preface this by saying Ive used Simple Green on my 2000 4Runner to clean the under side of hood with no problems.

I sprayed simple green (undiluted) on the underside of my hood to clean up some gunk. As I started to clean with a rag the paint started coming off. I went into panic mode and wiped of gently then grabbed some windex to get off any remaining simple green. Same result. Then water and paper towels to "stop the bleeding"

I'm sure I'm not the first. So feel free to "let me have it" because I didn't read up on it first. I'll post a couple pics when able.

 

What?? Why is that? I use simple green to clean the engine bay on my F150 at least a couple times a year, for years and have never had a problem. Why is the paint coming off on the MINI? Not cool.

 

I've heard some not so good things about the stuff, therefore I tend to steer clear from it. I'd highly recommend using something like Adam's In and Out Spray for under the hood. The stuff does wonders. Here - http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/...pol-detail.htm

 

Simple Green very acidic. Needs to be diluted for about 99.9% of all applications.

Adams has an all purpose cleaner in a spray bottle. I get mine from www.Detailersdomain.com and then use the Adams In/Out Spray to spruce up the black parts.

 

If you have a well used older car the paint is probably ready to come off with the slightest chemical blast and pure Simple Green is nasty.

 

The paint under the hood and the hatch jambs is also not clear coated which was a bad decision by MINI. Also, not sure if the formulation has changed, but Simple Green was/is banned by the military because of the corrosive effects on aluminum and other aircraft components.

 

Thanks for the "Adams" tip!
Thanks for the info on SG! I really thought this stuff was ok and now I know better.
I believe the fact that Ford, Toyota, and others clear coat everything and the fact that Mini doesn't (under hood, inside boot hatch) is the difference.

 

Post some pics of the aftermath. Without pics it didn't happen.

I used Las Awesome cleaner/degreaser (yellow liquid) under the hood. A 16-20 ounce spray bottle can be had a your local dollar store for a buck. Refills of larger volumes without the sprayer are also a buck. Works really well for me. Suggest you test whatever you choose to use on a small, inconspicuous area first before spraying the entire engine bay. I have some Simple Green but for some reason I don't use it as much after I found the Awesome stuff.

 

You probably meant, Simple Green is on the alkaline side. According to their website FAQ: pH of 8.5 - 9.5. (pH neutral is 7.) Your point of caution is well taken. I only correct for future references, not because I know anything about cleaners or chemistry.
You are very correct in the dilution recommendation. This goes for most APCs. Not only is it safer on your car parts, but also saves money.

 

Oh it happened lol

 

100% Simple Green .... OUCH ... that's serious stuff!

For safe under the bonnet and engine cleaning/degreasing consider a small steam cleaner. They can be had for around $100 and really cut the gunk safely. I use a small one to clean the engine compartment of my 79 annually and cleaned a heck of alot of old grease from the suspension with it too.

example: http://www.target.com/p/mcculloch-he...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

 

P21S Total Auto Wash works great for my MINI's engine bay and under the hood. It is paint-safe so no ill effects so far. I know it's not cheap stuff but engine cleaning only needs to be done once or twice a year.