Dry ice cleaning risks, dangers, etc to cars long term ?

I too would sure like to hear about it.

 

The only 'risk' I think is removal of undercoating (factory stuff) that would otherwise be a rust preventative.

That's kind of it (well, beyond a novice breaking things by using too big of a particle, or spraying it somewhere where the material is too thin to handle it).

 

I did the undercarriage of my 993. Other than perforating the outer sleeve of a wiring harness (got too close) it worked great.

Can't think of any downsides unless you were going to drive something in the winter/salt. (cosmoline removal)

 

Are there any inexpensive blasting equipment. Everything I could see online was a few thousand. How does this compare to soda blasting for engine cleaning?

 

The mess created by other media is the biggest push for ice.

That is a 'problem' with the dry ice stuff though as well in that it isn't cheap. You CAN go cheap, but smaller machines will take forever to do an undercarriage.

Case and point, a good buddy just bought a machine. I told him over and over to get the bigger machine...he didn't, and now after ONE session, he's already complaining about his choice...

 

Cosmoline removal would be the big one for those who want absolute originality. When I bought my 911/964 the dealer mentioned that as a selling point, although eventually everything needs disassembly and a rebuild…


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I hear you! I did the same with a pressure washer. I got a good electric, tried it for a short time, now I am going to sell it or give it away and buy another pressure washer.

 

depends on the manufacturer. Of the handful of OG low mileage BMWs I’ve been around from the 70’s and 80’s, the original cosmoline is very much intact underneath and in all of the crevices.

 

how much do these machines cost?

 

A good one cost +$13k, at minimum

 

The crusty stuff is undercoating. A much different, more rubbery, thicker substance than cosmoline. That stuff is nasty when it comes off as it turns into TINY particles that seek your eyeballs very well.

 

The machines can be $10-$40k but you need to have a proper air compressor, desiccant air dryers etc. These setups can be $100k easy.

 

And you need to have access to the dry ice pellets. Shelf life is one week in a standard cooler. I'm in a metro area of 400,000 people and there is no source for the pellets.