Meh, took my acoustic cover off my E38 for awhile. Eventually you'll just end up putting it back on for no apparent reason:)

What do you mean? In terms of actual performance? In terms of engine temp? Engine sound?? You got me all confused here!!:dunno:

I would not think you would see any performance gains. I would expect perhaps a slight drop in underhood temp due to the ability of the hot air to get out.

If it is sound you are talking about I think there might be a slight difference. There has to be some reason it is an accoustical piece.

put that cover back on. the horses might escape.

Especially with the many electrical issues that BMW has, aren't you all a little worried about cleaning under the hood?? Are you using water to rinse??

I did notice yesterday when adding a quart of oil how dirty mine was, but I am just a little leary about getting things wet under there.

Any helpful tips would be great!!

Simple Green and paper towls, lots of em, are my main cleaning tools. I will then use a sponge and not a hose to wipe down the area and remove the Simple Green residue. I am going to use a Scotchbrite pad to clean up the aluminum.

I agree with you the thought of getting everything wet scares me. You never know what will get moisture and then decide it does not want to work!

x5dawg and others

Initially I just use a 1 inch paint brush to get all the dust off/out. Just using a dry cloth works wonders but a damp cloth better - not saturated though. Just go easy. There's no need for hosepipes or running water in there. A little engine degreaser can be good with a tooth brush just beware of using this stuff around shiny paint !!!!!!. I've mentioned re the benefits I foresee of using a small electrical tool loke a dremell or whatever they are called. Plenty of different wire brushes and detilainf brushes out there too. Don't pull tug on cables/pipes/connections - nice and easy does it some will unplug just be careful you can put them back properly without breaking anything.

I'm not going for concours but I like manageable engine bay for my daily driver that is also driven on rainy uk winter roads. When done I just keep on top of it every 2-3 weeks for say 30 mins perhaps allowing some of this time to concentrate in one area.

By the way anyone doing this rubber gloves are of use to keep your nails free from dirt. Generally I hate them so I spend ages scrubbing my nails afterwards as going out later in a spotless car is no good if you look like cooter form the dukes of hazard.