new skool said:
Why would you leave your car running while washing it?
For us older folk who remember older distributors (60's, 70s and early 80s), you always left the engine running while going through an automated carwash (brushless or otherwise) and always gave the outside of the dizzy a spray with WD40 first. Otherwise, more often than not, you'd be pushing tha car out of the carwash because it wouldn't start.
If you decided to do under the bonnet at home. You made sure the engine was cold and coverered the distributor completely with a plastic bag. The gap between the cap and the body was so thin that the capilliary action would draw water straight in, bye, bye ignition until it dried out.
Some habits die hard, and even though I only use a brushless car wash after a long bug-splattered trip (when I am going to re-wax the car any way), I still always let the engine run.
The classic MINIs (at least the early ones) didn't even like heavy rain. A pair of small rubber gloves were always left in the car, with a very small hole cut in each finger tip. This allowed you to push the 4 plug leads and the coil lead through the holes and the wrist of the glove over the dizzy's body - a good temporary measure for heavy rains and deep puddles.