water leaks into engine at car wash

len125 · 06-03-2022, 01:22 PM

how can this much water not affect the engine..this is scary...any advice?

Callaway SC630 · 06-03-2022, 02:09 PM

Drain holes are already there and then engine heat.

arpad_m · 06-03-2022, 02:20 PM

Mid-engine lyfe, I guess

Spaceme1117 · 06-03-2022, 02:21 PM

Car is designed to be driven in the rain and go through car washes. Drain holes, weather pack connectors, etc. all protect and seal the engine and electrical systems from water.

So nothing at all to worry about.

Zr8000 · 06-03-2022, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by len125

how can this much water not affect the engine..this is scary...any advice?

Classic case of looking for a problem that doesn’t exist. A camaro ss has a giant hole in the top of the hood, open front grill, and a wide open bottom. I am sure you would see worse results in a camaro.

SSDan · 06-03-2022, 02:28 PM

Well - that was almost unbelievable! The amount of water that flowed in there would convince me that someday it would get where you don’t want it (like inside of electrical connections). I know that GM designed and tested the car to handle this but I’d be tempted to only hand wash that car from now on.

LT1ornothing · 06-03-2022, 02:43 PM

Anyone who puts a c8 through an automatic car wash deserves whatever issue/damage could potentially happen. Either wash it yourself or take it to a high end hand wash carwash/detailing business.

Rayvan · 06-03-2022, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SSDan

Well - that was almost unbelievable! The amount of water that flowed in there would convince me that someday it would get where you don’t want it (like inside of electrical connections). I know that GM designed and tested the car to handle this but I’d be tempted to only hand wash that car from now on.

As long as water doesn't enter the airbox, I don't see a problem.

Electrical connections are all sealed these days. GM has been using sealed connectors since the early eighties.

Bumbleboy92 · 06-03-2022, 03:46 PM

All I see is a free engine bay wash whenever you wash the exterior

Whitespeed · 06-03-2022, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1LEornothing

Anyone who puts a c8 through an automatic car wash deserves whatever issue/damage could potentially happen. Either wash it yourself or take it to a high end hand wash carwash/detailing business.

It was a touchless wash. In other words no spinning brushes contacting the car and the car was probably stationary the whole time (no tracks). What's the big deal?

Nigel

LT1ornothing · 06-03-2022, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitespeed

It was a touchless wash. In other words no spinning brushes contacting the car and the car was probably stationary the whole time (no tracks). What's the big deal?

Nigel

Anything can happen on one of those units, they are not meant to exclusively contour to dimensions of a low profile mid engine exotic car. These systems are designed to universally clean trucks, suv's, vans, sedans and econoboxes, most of the time doing a piss poor job in the process due to so much variances in dimensions. The hand wash upscale detailers provide a value and reassuarnce which I feel is absolutely worth the upcharge cleaning exotics, sports, and high end models, c8 included.

LT4Greg · 06-03-2022, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1LEornothing

Anyone who puts a c8 through an automatic car wash deserves whatever issue/damage could potentially happen. Either wash it yourself or take it to a high end hand wash carwash/detailing business.

Ditto! I agree completely with this.

Whitespeed · 06-03-2022, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1LEornothing

Anything can happen on one of those units, they are not meant to exclusively contour to dimensions of a low profile mid engine exotic car. These systems are designed to universally clean trucks, suv's, vans, sedans and econoboxes, most of the time doing a piss poor job in the process due to so much variances in dimensions. The hand wash upscale detailers provide a value and reassuarnce which I feel is absolutely worth the upcharge cleaning exotics, sports, and high end models, c8 included.

The touchless washes I use spray water and soap over the car using a moving gantry that follows the profile of the car while the car is stationary. It even sprays the underside of the car as you drive in, which you can't get with a hand wash. Again, no spinning brushes, or anything for that matter other than soap and water, touch the car ever. Unless the car is really filthy, this does the job perfectly well the majority of the time, particularly if the car has been ceramic coated. Drive in, rinse, soap, rinse, blow dry and drive out, towel dry door jams etc. Is it the absolutely best wash you can get? Of course not. But this idea that it's somehow going to mangle your car or leave a layer of grime all over it is far fetched.

Nigel

Number 3 · 06-03-2022, 10:04 PM

Yeah, OP, use that same camera and drive in a heavy rain. This isn't a trunk it’s an engine compartment. It will get wet and what the video shows is normal and expected.

That being said, and mentioned earlier, if the engine isnt ingesting water it’s a non issue. Late launch change for C6 Z06 due to car wash…….cough………cough

06-03-2022, 02:09 PM	#2
Callaway SC630 Drives: 2020 Callaway Camaro SC630 Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 319	Drain holes are already there and then engine heat. __________________ 2020 Callaway Camaro SC630 - MN6 1SS Satin Steel Gray 2019 Callaway Corvette SC757 - MN7 1LZ Elkhart Lake Blue

06-03-2022, 02:20 PM	#3
arpad_m Drives: 2018 Camaro 2SS A8 Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 11,574 View My Garage	Mid-engine lyfe, I guess __________________ 2018 Camaro 2SS — G7E MX0 NPP F55 IO6 735 rwhp \| 665 rwtq Magnuson TVS 2300 80mm pulley \| Kooks 1 7/8" LT headers \| JRE smooth idle terminator cam \| LT4 FS & injectors \| TSP forged pistons & rods JMS PowerMAX \| DSX flex fuel kit \| Roto-Fab CAI \| Soler 95mm LT5 TB \| 1LE wheels \| 1LE brakes \| BMR rear cradle lockout \| JRE custom tune 1100 - 1/30/18 \| 2000 - 1/31/18 3000 - 2/06/18 TPW 2/26/18 3400 - 2/19/18 \| 3800 - 2/26/18 4300 - 2/27/18 \| 4B00 - 3/01/18 4200 - 3/05/18 \| 4800 - 3/14/18 5000 - 3/16/18 \| 6000 - 3/19/18

06-03-2022, 02:28 PM	#6
SSDan Drives: 2016 1SS 6MT NPP Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Lake Murray, SC Posts: 2,243 View My Garage	Well - that was almost unbelievable! The amount of water that flowed in there would convince me that someday it would get where you don’t want it (like inside of electrical connections). I know that GM designed and tested the car to handle this but I’d be tempted to only hand wash that car from now on. __________________ 2016 Camaro 1SS Hyper Blue 6MT NPP 2010 Camaro 2SS Cam/Headers/CAI/3.91 gears 476 rwhp/440 rwtq (sold)

06-03-2022, 03:46 PM	#9
Bumbleboy92 Long hauler Drives: 2022 Camaro 2SS 1LE Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,616 View My Garage	All I see is a free engine bay wash whenever you wash the exterior __________________ 2022 2SS 1LE - Cold Air Inductions Elite Carbon CAI 2016 1LT v6 - Totaled Happiness: Infinite

06-03-2022, 10:04 PM	#14
Number 3 Hail to the King baby! Drives: '19 XT4 2.0T & '22 VW Atlas 2.0T Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Illinois Posts: 12,169 View My Garage	Yeah, OP, use that same camera and drive in a heavy rain. This isn't a trunk it’s an engine compartment. It will get wet and what the video shows is normal and expected. That being said, and mentioned earlier, if the engine isnt ingesting water it’s a non issue. Late launch change for C6 Z06 due to car wash…….cough………cough __________________ "Speed, it seems to me, provides the one genuinely modern pleasure." - Aldous Huxley Last edited by Number 3; 06-04-2022 at 07:03 AM.

06-03-2022, 02:21 PM	#4
Spaceme1117 Drives: 2017 Camaro SS, 2011 Corvette GS Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Erlanger, Kentucky 41018 Posts: 815	Car is designed to be driven in the rain and go through car washes. Drain holes, weather pack connectors, etc. all protect and seal the engine and electrical systems from water. So nothing at all to worry about.

06-03-2022, 02:43 PM	#7
LT1ornothing Drives: 2020 LT1 M6 Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: South, the DEEP south Posts: 1,114	Anyone who puts a c8 through an automatic car wash deserves whatever issue/damage could potentially happen. Either wash it yourself or take it to a high end hand wash carwash/detailing business.

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