2004 DODGE STRATUS COUPE light

CLEANING THE INSIDE OF YOUR VEHICLE
After cleaning the inside of your vehicle with cleaner,
wipe it dry in a shady, well ventilated area.
CAUTION!
Do not use organic substances (solvents, kerosene,
alcohol, gasoline, etc.) or alkaline or acidic solutions.
These chemicals can cause discoloring, staining or
cracking of the surface.
If you use cleaners or polishing agents, make sure
their ingredients do not include the substances men-
tioned above.
NOTE: Always read the instructions on the cleaner
label.
Plastic, vinyl leather, fabric, and flocked parts
1. Lightly wipe with a soft cloth soaked in a 3% solution
of neutral detergent and water.2. After using detergent, dip the cloth in fresh water and
wring out well. Using this cloth, wipe off the detergent
thoroughly.
NOTE: Cleaners, conditioners, and protectants contain-
ing silicons or waxes may cause annoying reflections and
obscure vision.
Upholstery
1. To maintain the value of your new vehicle, maintain
the upholstery carefully and keep the interior clean.
Use a vacuum cleaner and brush to clean the seats. If
stained, vinyl and synthetic leather should be cleaned
with an appropriate cleaner. Cloth fabrics can be cleaned
with either upholstery cleaner or a 3% solution of neutral
detergent in lukewarm water.
2. Clean the carpeting with a vacuum cleaner and re-
move any stains with carpet cleaner. Oil and grease can
be removed by lightly dabbing with a clean colorfast
cloth and spot remover.
NOTE: If fuzzing is difficult to remove from the seat
upholstery, draw a suitable defuzzing brush over the
surface in one direction.
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Genuine leather (if so equipped)
1. Lightly wipe with a soft cloth soaked in a 5% solution
of neutral detergent and water.
2. Dip the cloth in fresh water and wring it out well.
Using this cloth, wipe off the detergent thoroughly.
3. Apply a leather protecting agent to the genuine leather
surface.
NOTE
1. If genuine leather is wet with water, wipe off the water
as quickly as possible with a dry, soft cloth.
2. Slight stains on genuine leather may be removed with
a leather cleaner.
3. The genuine leather surface may be damaged if a
nylon brush is rubbed hard against it.
4. Organic solvents such as benzine, alcohol, gasoline,
acid or alkaline solvents may discolor the genuine leather
surface and should not be used.
5. Dirty genuine leather seats may mildew. Be very
careful about oil stains and remove them immediately.6. The genuine leather surface may harden and shrink if
it is exposed to the direct rays of the sun for long hours.
When your vehicle is parked, place it in the shade as
much as possible.
7. When the temperature of the vehicle interior rises in
the summer, vinyl products left on the genuine leather
seat may deteriorate and stick to the seat.
CLEANING THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR VEHICLE
To protect your vehicle's outside finish, it is important
that you wash it often and thoroughly. If desired, you
may wax your vehicle by using an automobile wax.
Foreign material
Industrial fallout, road tar, bird droppings, tree sap,
insect remains, sea water, and other foreign matter can
damage the finish of your vehicle.
Generally, the longer the foreign material remains in
contact with the outside finish the more extensive the
damage. Wash your vehicle as soon as possible if it
becomes contaminated with foreign material.
254 VEHICLE CARE

Washing
Chemicals contained in the dirt and dust picked up from
air, rain, snow, or road surface can damage the paint coat
and body of your vehicle if left in prolonged contact.
Frequent washing and waxing is the best way to protect
your vehicle from this damage.
Do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight. Park the
vehicle in the shade and spray it with water to remove
dust. Next, using an ample amount of clean water and a
car washing mitt or sponge, wash the vehicle from top to
bottom.
Use a mild vehicle washing soap. Rinse thoroughly and
wipe dry with a chamois or soft cloth. After washing the
vehicle, carefully clean the joints and flanges of the doors,
hood, etc., where dirt is likely to remain.CAUTION!
²When washing the under side of your vehicle,
wear a pair of rubber gloves in order to protect
your hands.
²Never spray or splash water on the electrical
components in the engine compartment, as this
may adversely affect the starting circuit.
Exercise caution also when washing the under-
body; be careful not to spray water into the engine
compartment.
²Using an automatic car wash, pay attention to the
following items, referring to the operation manual
or consulting a car wash operator.
²The outside mirrors and the antenna are retracted.
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Waxing your vehicle
Wax your vehicle once or twice a year, or when painted
surfaces do not shed water well.
Apply a small amount of wax to painted surfaces with a
soft cloth. After the wax has dried, polish with a dry soft
cloth.
Do not wax your vehicle in direct sunlight.
You should wax after the surfaces have cooled.CAUTION!
²Waxes containing high abrasive compounds
should not be used. Such waxes remove rust and
stain effectively from the paintwork, but are
harmful to the luster of the painted surface, since
they also remove paint/clearcoat.
Further, they are detrimental to glossy surfaces
such as the grille, garnish, moldings, etc.
²Do not use gasoline, kerosene, benzene or paint
thinners to remove road tar or other contamina-
tion to the painted surface.
²Do not apply wax on the areas having black mat
coating as it can cause uneven discoloration,
patches, blurs, etc. If stained with wax, immedi-
ately wipe off with a soft cloth and warm water.
²Be careful when waxing the area around the
sunroof opening, not to apply any wax on the
weatherstrip (black rubber).
If stained with wax, the weatherstrip cannot main-
tain a weatherproof seal with the sunroof.
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Polishing your vehicle
If painted surfaces have been severely damaged and lost
their original luster and color tone, polish the surface
lightly with a fine polishing compound. Avoid limiting
your polishing to the damaged surface only; polish a
somewhat wider area, moving the polishing cloth in one
direction. After polishing, flush the compound from the
surface and apply a coat of wax to regain a beautiful
luster.
Damaged paint
Small cracks and scratches in the paint coat should be
touched up as soon as possible with touch-up paint to
prevent corrosion.
Check body areas facing the road or the tires carefully for
damage to the paint coat caused by flying stones, etc. The
paint code number for your vehicle can be found on the
vehicle information code plate in the engine compart-
ment.
Cleaning plastic parts
Use a sponge or chamois.
If vehicle wax adheres on the plastic bumper or mold-
ings, the surface may appear white in color. In this case,
wipe it off using lukewarm water and a soft cloth or
chamois.
CAUTION!
²Do not use a scrub brush or other hard tools as
they may damage the plastic part surface.
²Do not use wax containing compound (polishing
compound) which may damage the plastic part
surface.
²Do not bring plastic parts into contact with brake
fluids, engine oils, greases, thinner for painting,
and sulfuric acid (battery electrolyte) which may
stain, crack or discolor the plastic parts.
If they touch the plastic part, wipe them with a
soft cloth, or chamois and an aqueous solution of
neutral detergent. Then, immediately rinse the
affected parts with water.
258 VEHICLE CARE

EMERGENCIES
CONTENTS
mIf the vehicle breaks down................263
NIf the engine quits.....................263
mOperation under adverse driving conditions...263
NIf your vehicle becomes stuck in sand, mud or
snow..............................263
NOnawetroad........................264
NOn snowy or icy roads..................265
mSpare tire, jack and tool set storage.........266
NHandling spare tire....................266
NJack...............................267
mCompact spare tire.....................267
mWheel covers (if so equipped).............268
mJacking and tire changing................270
NJacking up the vehicle..................270
mEngine overheating.....................278
mJump-starting the engine.................279
NIf your vehicle has anti-lock brakes.........284
mTowing..............................284
mFuses...............................286
NFuse block...........................286
mFusible links..........................287
NFuse load capacities....................287
mReplacement of light bulbs................292
NBulb capacity.........................292
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NHeadlights..........................294
NAdjustment of headlight aim..............297
NFront turn signal and parking lights.........297
NFront fog lights (if so equipped)...........297
NFront side marker lights.................300NRear combination lights.................300
NHigh-mounted stop light................302
NLicense plate light.....................302
NBack up lights........................303
NDome light..........................305
262 EMERGENCIES

IF THE VEHICLE BREAKS DOWN
If the vehicle breaks down on the road, move to the
shoulder and activate the hazard warning flashers. If
there is no shoulder, or the shoulder is not safe, drive in
the right lane, slowly, with the hazard flashers activated,
until you reach a safe place to stop. Keep the flashers
activated.
If the engine quits
If the engine stops, power will be lost to the steering and
brakes, making steering and braking difficult.
1. The brake booster becomes inoperative and the brake
pedal will be harder to push than usual.
2. Since power steering system is not operative, the
steering wheel will be stiff when turning. Turn the wheel
with more effort than usual.
OPERATION UNDER ADVERSE DRIVING
CONDITIONS
If your vehicle becomes stuck in sand, mud or
snow
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, sand, or mud, it can
often be moved by a rocking motion. Turn your steering
wheel right and left to clear the area around the wheels.
Move the gearshift lever or selector lever rhythmically
between the 1st and REVERSE position (with manual
transaxle), ``L'' (Low) and ``R'' (REVERSE) position (with
automatic transaxle), Autostick and ``R'' (REVERSE posi-
tion (with automatic transaxle autostick), while applying
slight pressure to the accelerator pedal.
Avoid racing the engine or spinning the wheels. Pro-
longed efforts to free a stuck vehicle may result in
overheating and transaxle failure.
Allow the engine to idle for a few minutes to let the
transaxle cool between rocking attempts.
If the vehicle remains stuck after several rocking at-
tempts, seek other assistance.
EMERGENCIES 263
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