During a routine oil change, a rodents nest was found in my engine bay. Fortunately it was now vacant, but they had chewed on a chewed away large portions of the engine bay firewall insulation. I learned that since the mid 2000's that all auto makers started using soy based insulation instead of petroleum based insulation. Soy is food, so rodents eating away cables and lines is a common issue I wasn't aware of. There were rodent droppings and little bits of fiberglass throughout the engine's nooks and crannies. My mechanic said he's seen many incidents of this where far more damage was done and that I got lucky. He said he wouldn't worry about trying to have it repaired, but that he would recommend a professional detailing of the engine bay to get out all traces that rodents once lived in there, as scents could attract rodents to do it again. Plus, rodent droppings carry airborne disease. I began calling detailing businesses nearby.
I called three different businesses trying to see if they cleaned engine bays, how much it would cost, and when it could be done. One I got a voicemail for saying they'd call back in the evening (they didn't), the other said they were booked out for two weeks because it's the busy season, then I called Washed Clean Detailing.
Chad answered immediately, and answered my questions while performing another detail. He confirmed they cleaned engine bays, quoted me a price, and said he MIGHT be able to get to my car today. I explained how upset I was over the issue and asked kindly if he could please do it today. He empathized with me and said he would.
Chad and David showed up at my home in the late afternoon/early evening, connected their pressure washer up to my outdoor faucet and power outlet, did an initial foam soak of the bay with their preferred product, then went to work scrubbing with all different sizes of brushes that could get into tight areas, as well as scrubbing by hand with rags and sponges. We chatted while they were doing the work - they were both extremely friendly and professional. When they were done, my engine bay looked brand new again (except for the exposed firewall insulation the rodents didn't finish eating before they moved). No more bits of insulation, droppings, grease, or oil. I breathed a sigh of a relief and paid their very fair price for the work and thanked them.
I have attached a picture after the clean, unfortunately I didn't take a before picture. You can see the exposed firewall insulation remnants behind the engine. Check your engine bays at least once a month for any signs of exposed insulation or what happened to me could happen to you - and it could be far more costly and truly require repairs depending what gets nibbled on!
Chad and David from Washed Clean Detailing have earned my business loyalty and I will only use them moving forward. I plan to have them fully detail my car in the future. This time I was only concerned about the engine bay.
I would recommend this business to anyone for detailing services.
