Grime Watchers

February 2009

Grease is the word when it comes to hiding potentially costly faults on your car. Keeping your engine bay clean not only means simple maintenance checks can be done without getting covered in oil, but you can easily spot potential problems like fluid leaks and cracks in hoses and belts.

While some plastic parts can be dealt with using interior grimeshifters, only a degreaser will do when removing oily grime. The drive to be eco-friendly has seen more and more biodegradable cleaners go on sale, but can they match conventional solvents? We took 12 of the best, covering both types, to find out.

The Test
Oil-caked suspension parts from a scrapyard were sectioned off and tackled with each cleaner – first using light water pressure, then a paintbrush, before rinsing. Results were assessed after each attempt, plus when the parts had dried, and we wanted an oil-free finish. Price was our final consideration

Verdict

Comma won our 2003 degreaser test (Issue 783), and it’s now back at the top. Hyper Clean performed superbly, shifting the grime and leaving a dry, oil-free finish. It is also great value. The low-priced, highly capable Jizer takes second spot, while our pick of the ‘green’ cleaners is from Autoglym – it secures the final podium place.

Top 3

1. Comma Hyper Clean
2. Gunk Green
3. Wynn’s Engine Degreaser

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