Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
212Regular wax applications help to protect the paintwork from environmental
contaminants ⇒page 209. It is also effective in protecting against minor
scratches.
Even if a wax solution is used regularly in the vehicle washing tunnel, it is
advisable to protect the paint with a hard wax coating at least twice a year.Polishing the paintwork
Polishing brings back gloss to the paintwork.Polishing is only necessary if the paint has lost its shine, and the gloss cannot
be brought back by applying wax. Polishing products can be purchased in
your Authorised Service Centre.
The vehicle must be waxed after polishing if the polish used does not contain
wax compounds to seal the paint ⇒page 211, “Vehicle paint maintenance”.
Caution
To prevent damage to the paintwork:•Do not use polishes and hard wax on painted parts with a matte finish or
on plastic parts.•Do not polish your vehicle in a sandy or dusty environment.Caring for plastic parts
Solvents damage plastic parts.If normal washing fails to clean plastic parts, clean them with approved
solvent-free plastic cleaning and care products.
Caution
•The use of liquid air freshener directly over the air vents of the vehicle may
damage the plastic parts if the liquid is accidentally spilled.•Cleaning products which contain solvents will damage the material.Cleaning windows and exterior mirrorsCleaning windows
– Moisten the windows with commercially available, alcohol based glass cleaner.
– Dry the windows with a clean chamois leather or a lint-free cloth.
Removing snow
– Use a small brush to remove sn ow from the windows and mirrors.
Removing ice
–Use a de-icer spray.Use a clean cloth or chamois leather to dry the windows. The chamois
leathers used on painted surfaces are not suitable to clean windows because
they are soiled with wax deposits which could smear the windows.
If possible, use a de-icing spray to remove ice. If you use an ice scraper, push
it in one direction only without swinging it.
Use window cleaner or a silicone remover to clean rubber, oil, grease and sili-
cone deposits off.
Wax deposits can be removed with a special cleaner available in your Author-
ised Service Centre. Wax deposits on the windscreen could cause the wiper
blades to judder. Adding a window clea ner that dissolves wax to the wind-
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Checking and refilling levels227
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Checking oil level
– Park the vehicle in a horizontal position.
– Briefly run the engine at idle speed until the service temperature
is reached and stop.
– Wait two minutes.
– Pull out the dipstick. Wipe the dipstick with a clean cloth and insert it again, pushing it in as far as it will go.
– Then pull it out once more and check the oil level ⇒ page 226,
fig. 166. If the oil level is too low, add more engine oil
⇒ page 227.
Oil level in area
–Do not top up oil.
Oil level in area
–Oil can be topped up. After topping up the oil level should be in
area .
Oil level in area
–Oil must be topped up. After topping up the oil level should be in
area .Depending on how you drive and the conditions in which the vehicle is used,
oil consumption can be up to 0.5 l/1000 km. Oil consumption is likely to be
higher for the first 5000 km. Therefore, the engine oil level must be checked
at regular intervals, preferably when filling the tank and before a journey.
Topping up the engine oil
E
–Unscrew cap
E
from oil filler opening ⇒page 295, fig. 233 .
– Carefully put in the specified grade of oil ⇒page 226, adding
0.5 litres at a time.
– After two minutes, check the oil level once again ⇒page 226.
– Where necessary, add more engine oil.
– Replace the oil filler cap carefully and push the dipstick all the way in.
WARNING
•When refilling with oil, make sure no oil falls onto hot engine parts.
Failure to comply could result in fire.•Wash your skin thoroughly if it comes into contact with engine oil.
AaAb
Aa
Ac
Aa
Fig. 167 In the engine
compartment: Engine oil
filler cap
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Checking and refilling levels
228
Caution•The oil level must never be above area . This could damage the cata-
lytic converter or the engine. Contact a qualified workshop to drain the engine
oil if necessary.•No additives should be used with engine oil. Any damage caused by the
use of such additives would not be covered by the factory warranty.For the sake of the environment
•Oil must not be disposed of in the drain or on the ground.•Always observe legal requirements when disposing of empty oil
canisters.Cooling systemCoolant fluid
The purpose of the coolant fluid is to carry heat away from the
engine. The correct amount of antifreeze is decisive in
preventing the cooling system from freezing in winter.The vehicle’s engine cooling system is filled for life at the factory, so no
coolant needs to be changed. The coolant fluid consists of a mixture of water
and antifreeze G12++. This is a glycol-based antifreeze with anti-corrosion
additives.
Coolant fluid additive
The amount of antifreeze required depends on the temperatures to be
expected in the winter season. If the antifreeze concentration is too low the
coolant can freeze, resulting in failure of the cooling system and heater. The cooling system is filled at the factory with the correct amount of anti-
freeze for the country concerned.
In most cases, the mixture consists of 60% water and
40% antifreeze. This
mixture gives the required antifreeze protection at temperatures down to -
25°C and particularly protects the metal parts of the cooling system against
corrosion. It also prevents scaling and significantly raises the boiling point of
the coolant fluid.
Countries with warm climate
The coolant fluid concentration must not be reduced by adding plain water,
even in the summer or in warm climates. The concentration of the antifreeze
must always be at least 40%.
Countries with cold climate
If greater freeze protection is required in very cold climates, the proportion of
G12++ antifreeze can be increased. A concentration of 60% offers antifreeze
protection of temperatures down to approx. - 40°C. However, the concentra-
tion of antifreeze must not exceed 60% , as the antifreeze protection would
then drop and the performance of the coolant system would suffer.
Vehicles for countries with cold climates (e.g. Sweden, Norway and Finland)
have factory-filled antifreeze protection for temperatures down to -35°C. In
these countries, the concentration of antifreeze should always be at least
50%.
Caution
•It is advisable to have the cooling system checked before the winter
season to make sure that the antifreeze concentration is adequate for the
conditions to be expected. This applies particularly if you intend to take the
vehicle into a colder climate zone. If necessary, have the antifreeze concen-
tration increased to 50 - 60% as required.•Use only G12++ antifreeze, an additive meeting the “TL-VW 774G” spec-
ification. Other antifreezes may give considerably inferior corrosion protec-
Aa
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