Dry ice blasting.
Grime, gone in vapour.
Precision dry ice blasting for engine bays, motorcycles, restoration projects and hard-to-clean components. No water, no chemicals, no abrasion — and no residue left behind. Just the metal, exactly as it was made.
Three forces. One clean surface.
Dry ice blasting fires rice-sized pellets of solid CO₂ at the surface using compressed air. Three things happen in the same instant — and none of them harm the substrate underneath.
Impact
Pellets strike the contaminant at high velocity. Unlike sand or soda, dry ice is soft relative to metal — it breaks the grime, not the surface, the plating or the paint beneath it.
Freeze & fracture
At −78.5°C, the contaminant layer freezes instantly and becomes brittle. Oil, grease, wax and old underseal lose their grip on the surface and crack away.
Vanish
On impact the pellet turns straight from solid to gas, expanding roughly 800 times in volume. That micro-explosion lifts the debris off — and the blasting media simply disappears into the air.
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If it's caked in history, bring it in.
From concours engine bays to barn-find gearboxes. Every job is assessed individually — send us photos and we'll tell you honestly what dry ice can and can't achieve on your part.
Engine bays
Degrease and detail complete engine bays in situ — around wiring looms, ECUs, sensors and hoses — with zero moisture risk. Show-ready results without removing a single component.
Motorcycles
Engines, frames, swingarms, wheels and hard-to-reach fin detail. Ideal for classics where a jet wash is out of the question and hand-cleaning would take days.
Restoration projects
Strip decades of oil, wax and road film from shells, panels, subframes and running gear — revealing the true condition of the metal before paint or repair decisions are made.
Wheel arch plastics & liners
Bring dull, mud-impregnated arch liners and trim back to a deep, factory-fresh black without silicone dressings that wash off in the first rain shower.
Brake calipers & hubs
Remove baked-on brake dust and corrosion staining from calipers, carriers and hubs — perfect prep before painting, or simply to look right behind open-spoke wheels.
Gearbox & engine casings
Alloy casings, sumps, diffs and ancillaries cleaned back to bare, bright metal — including casting detail and stamped data plates that abrasive blasting would erase.
Straight talk — what we don't do
We're a fixed-site workshop, not a mobile service, and we don't blast complete vehicle undersides. We focus on the areas where dry ice genuinely excels: engine bays, components, arches, casings and restoration parts. If your job falls outside that, we'll say so and point you in the right direction. Dry ice removes contamination — it won't fill rust pitting or repair damaged surfaces, and we'll always tell you before we start.
Drag the line. See the difference.
Recent work
Every completed job gets its own gallery. Customers are welcome to share their album, tag their car club, and leave a comment on the result.
We post every completed job to our Facebook page first — and the latest albums appear right here automatically. Follow us on Facebook to comment on jobs, get tagged when your own gallery goes live, and catch work-in-progress vapour shots on blast days.
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LATEST ALBUMS · AUTO-UPDATING
Compared with the alternatives
| Method | Damages surface? | Water / moisture | Chemical run-off | Residue / grit left | Safe near electrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry ice blasting | Non-abrasive | None | None | None — sublimates | Yes |
| Pressure washing | Can lift paint & stickers | Soaks everything | Degreaser run-off | Watery sludge | High risk |
| Abrasive / soda blasting | Etches & erodes detail | Dry, but dusty | Soda residue is corrosive | Grit in every cavity | No |
| Hand degreasing | Safe but slow | Rinse usually needed | Solvent waste | Cloth fibres, missed areas | With care |
From enquiry to collection
Send photos
Fill in the enquiry form below with a few photos of the areas you'd like cleaned. The more angles, the more accurate the quote.
Assessment & quote
We'll review the condition and contamination type, confirm what dry ice will achieve, and give you a clear fixed quote and booking date.
Blast day
Drop your vehicle, bike or parts at our workshop, next to CS Vehicles in Melbourne. Most engine bays take half a day; components are often same-day.
Collect & keep
Inspect the result with us, collect your gallery link to share, and take home an aftercare sheet to keep it looking freshly blasted.
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Track weekend? Show season? Selling up?
We're on the doorstep of Donington circuit. Book a blast before a track day scrutineering check, ahead of a show or club meet, or before listing your car for sale — a spotless engine bay tells buyers everything about how a car has been kept.
What owners say
Reviews below are placeholders — swap in real customer feedback from Facebook and Google as it comes in.
"Thirty years of grease off the block in an afternoon. The casting numbers are readable for the first time since I've owned it."
— Classic Mini owner · Placeholder"They were honest about what it would and wouldn't fix on my arches, then exceeded what they'd promised. Rare these days."
— Defender owner · Placeholder"Engine bay done the week before the show. Judges commented on it. Booked the bike in next."
— Show entrant · PlaceholderFrequently asked
Is it safe on wiring, sensors and electronics?
Will it damage paint, plating or rubber?
Do you clean the whole underside of cars?
Are you mobile? Can you come to me?
How long does a job take?
How much does it cost?
Does my car need to be driveable?
Is it loud? Can I watch?
Is dry ice blasting environmentally friendly?
Tell us about the job
A few quick questions so we can quote accurately first time. We aim to reply within one working day.
- Photos make quotes faster and more accurate — we'll ask for them in our reply, or attach them if you email us directly.
- Not sure if dry ice is right for your job? Ask anyway — we'll give you a straight answer either way.
- Trade & workshop enquiries welcome — regular-volume rates available for detailers, restorers and dealers.
Dry ice blasting for the East Midlands
Our workshop sits next to CS Vehicles in Melbourne, South Derbyshire — right on the doorstep of Donington Park and Castle Donington, and an easy drive from across the region.
Derbyshire
Home turf. Melbourne, Derby, Swadlincote, Burton upon Trent and the whole of South Derbyshire — most customers are with us in under 30 minutes.
Leicestershire
Quick access from Loughborough, Leicester, Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch via the A42 and M1 — handy for club runs and pre-show engine bay prep.
Nottinghamshire
Straight down the A453 or M1 from Nottingham, Long Eaton and Beeston. Trailered parts, motorcycles and restoration components all welcome.
Further afield? We regularly take on classic and restoration work from across the East Midlands and beyond — if the job is right for dry ice, distance is rarely the deciding factor. Send photos and ask.
Next to CS Vehicles, Melbourne
Workshop details
South Derbyshire
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