2012 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE maintenance

7-72 Vehicle care and maintenance
7Cleaning the inside of your vehicle
N00945200037
After washing the inside of your vehicle with any cleaner, wipe
it dry in a shady, well ventilated area. NOTE
Always read the instructions on the cleaner label.Plastic, vinyl leather, fabric and flocked parts
N00945300201
1. Lightly wipe these off with a soft cloth soaked in a 3%
solution of gentle soap and water.
2. Dip cloth in fresh water and wring out well. Using this
cloth, wipe off the detergent thoroughly.NOTE
Do not use cleaners, conditioners, and protectants contain-
ing silicones or wax.
Such products, when applied to the instrument panels or
other parts, may cause reflections on the windscreen and
obscure vision.
Also, if such products get on the switches of the electrical
accessories, it may lead to failure of these accessories.
Upholstery
N00945500030
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 gentle soap
in lukewarm water.
2. Clean the carpeting with a vacuum cleaner and remove
any stains with carpet cleaner. Oil and grease can be
removed by lightly dabbing with a clean white 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.Genuine leather
(if so equipped)
N00945600246
1. To clean, lightly wipe the leather with a soft cloth soaked
in a 5% solution of gentle soap and water.
2. To rinse, dip the cloth in fresh water, wring it out well, and
wipe off all the soap.
3. To preserve and protect, use a leather protecting agent on
the genuine leather surface. NOTE
If genuine leather is wet with water, wipe it with a dry,
soft cloth.
If left damp, mildew may grow and damage the leather
surface.
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.
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Vehicle care and maintenance
7-73
7

The genuine leather surface can be damaged if brushed
with a nylon or synthetic fiber brush.

Organic solvents such as benzine, alcohol, gasoline, acid
or alkaline solvents can discolor the genuine leather sur-
face and should not be used.

Remove dirty patches or oil substances quickly as they
can stain genuine leather.

The genuine leather surface may harden and shrink if it is
exposed to the direct sunlight for long hours. When your
vehicle is parked, place it in the shade as much as possi-
ble.

When the temperature of the vehicle interior rises in sum-
mer, vinyl products left on the genuine leather seat may
deteriorate and stick to the seat.
Cleaning the outside of your vehicle
N00945700016
To protect your vehicle’s finish, wash it often and thoroughly.
If desired, you may wax your vehicle using a nonabrasive auto-
mobile wax. Foreign material
N00945800017
Industrial pollution, road tar, bird droppings, tree sap, insect
remains, sea water and other foreign matters can damage the
finish on your vehicle.
Generally, the longer any foreign material stays on the finish,
the worse the damage. Wash your vehicle as soon as possible
whenever the finish gets soiled.Wa s h i n g
N00945900584
Chemicals contained in the dirt and dust picked up from air,
rain, snow or road surfaces can damage the paint and body of
your vehicle if left on.
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
plenty of clean water and a car washing mitt or sponge, wash
the vehicle from top to bottom.
Use a mild car washing soap if necessary. 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.
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7-74 Vehicle care and maintenance
7
During cold weather Salt and other chemicals spread on winter roads in some geo-
graphical areas can have a detrimental effect on the vehicle
underbody. You should flush the underbody with a high pres-
sure hose every time you wash the outside of your vehicle.
Take special care to remove mud or other debris which could
trap and hold salt and moisture.
After washing your vehicle, wipe off all waterdrops from the
rubber parts around the doors to prevent the doors from freez-
ing.NOTE
When the door is frozen, opening it by force may tear off
or crack the rubber gasket installed around the door. Pour
warm water to melt the ice. Be sure to thoroughly wipe off
the water after opening the door. To prevent freezing of
the weatherstripping on the doors, hood, etc., treat with
silicone lubricant.
CAUTION
!
When washing the underside of your vehicle or the
wheels, wear a pair of rubber gloves to protect your
hands.
Never spray or splash water on the electrical parts
in the engine compartment. This may damage them.
Be careful also when washing the underbody. Do not
spray water into the engine compartment.
Avoid automatic car washers that use rotating
brushes. These brushes may scratch the paint sur-
face and make it dull.
Scratches are more noticeable on darker colored
vehicles.
Some hot water washing equipment uses high pres-
sure and heat to clean your vehicle. This heated
water may damage your vehicle’s resin parts. It can
flood the interior of the vehicle. Therefore, be sure
of the following:
• Keep the washing nozzle at least 20 inches (50 cm)
away from the vehicle body.
• When washing around the door glass, hold the
nozzle at a distance of more than 20 inches (50 cm)
and at right angles to the glass surface.
• It is recommended that the water should be
sprayed at a 45° angle to the side windows and top
seals. (ECLIPSE SPYDER only)

Make sure to do the following when using an auto-
matic car wash, with help from either this manual or
the car wash operator, to avoid damaging your vehi-
cle:
• Fold the outside rearview mirrors.
• Remove the antenna.
• Tape or remove the rear wiper arm assembly.
(ECLIPSE only)
• As your vehicle is equipped with rear spoiler,
check with the car wash operator before using the
car wash.CAUTION
!
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Vehicle care and maintenance
7-75
7
Waxi n g
N00946000074
Wax your vehicle once or twice a year, or when water does not
bead up on the paint.
Use a soft cloth to put a small amount of wax on the painted
surfaces. After the wax has dried, polish with a dry soft cloth.
Do not wax your vehicle in direct sunlight.
You should wax when the painted surfaces are cool.
Polishing
N00946100062
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
N00946200076
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 dam-
age to the paint caused by flying stones, etc. The paint code
number for your vehicle can be found on the vehicle informa-
tion code plate. Refer to “Vehicle information code plate” on
page 9-2.
CAUTION
!
Waxes containing high abrasive compounds should
not be used. These waxes remove rust and stain
effectively from the paintwork, but are harmful to
the finish of the paint, because they also remove
paint/clearcoat.
They are also harmful to other glossy surfaces such
as the grille, trim, moldings, etc.
Do not use gasoline, kerosene, benzene or paint thin-
ners to remove road tar or other dirt from the vehi-
cle surface.
Do not put wax on the areas having black matte
coating because it can cause uneven discoloration,
patches, blurs, etc. If these get wax on them, wipe
the wax off right away with a soft cloth and warm
water.
On vehicles with sunroof, be careful not to apply any
wax on the weatherstrip (black rubber) when wax-
ing the area around the sunroof opening.
If stained with wax, the weatherstrip cannot main-
tain a weatherproof seal with the sunroof.
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7-76 Vehicle care and maintenance
7
Cleaning plastic parts
N00946300178
Use a sponge or chamois to clean these parts.
If a vehicle wax sticks to a gray or black rough surface of the
bumper, molding or lights, the surface may appear white in
color. In this case, wipe it off using lukewarm water and a soft
cloth or chamois. Chrome parts
N00946400010
To prevent spots and corrosion of chrome parts, wash with
water, dry thoroughly, and apply a nonabrasive automotive
wax. If the chrome is severely damaged or pitted, use a com-
mercially available chrome polish.
Aluminum wheels
N00946500213
1. Remove dirt using a wet sponge.
2. Use a mild detergent on any dirt that cannot be removed
easily with water.
Rinse off the detergent after washing the wheel.
3. Dry the wheel thoroughly using a chamois leather or a soft
cloth.Window glass
N00946600012
The window glass can usually be cleaned using only a sponge
and water. Glass cleaner can be used to remove wax, oil,
grease, dead insects, etc. After washing the glass, wipe it dry
with a clean, dry, soft cloth.
CAUTION
!
Do not use a scrubbing brush or other rough scrub-
ber as these may damage the plastic surface.
Do not use wax containing compounds (polishing
powder) which may damage the plastic surface.
Do not let the plastic parts get soiled with gasoline,
oil, brake fluids, engine oils, greases, paint thinner,
and sulfuric acid (battery electrolyte). These fluids,
etc., may crack, stain or discolor the plastic parts.
If any of these get on the plastic parts, wipe them up
with a soft cloth or chamois and a mild solution of
soap and water. Then rinse them immediately with
water.
CAUTION
!
Do not use a brush or other hard implement on the
wheels.
Doing so could scratch the wheels.
Do not use any cleaner that contains an abrasive
substance or is acidic or alkaline. Doing so could
cause the coating on the wheels to peel or become
discolored or stained.
Do not directly apply hot water using a steam
cleaner or by any other means.
Contact with seawater or road salt used for de-icing
can cause corrosion. Rinse off such substances as
soon as possible.
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Vehicle care and maintenance
7-77
7
Wiper blades
N00946700013
Use a soft cloth and glass cleaner to remove grease, dead
insects, etc., from the wiper blades.
Replace the wiper blades when they no longer clean the wind-
shield and rear window properly.Cleaning the sunroof (ECLIPSE only, if so
equipped)
N00946800056
Clean the inside of the sunroof with a soft cloth. Hard deposits
should be wiped away with a cloth dipped in warm, neutral
detergent solution. Wipe away the solution with a sponge
dipped in fresh water.NOTE
The surface treatment on the inside of the glass may be
removed if a hard cloth or organic solvent is used.Convertible top (ECLIPSE SPYDER only)
N00946900031
Wash the top with water and a soft nylon brush or something
similar. Wash the window sections with a sponge. If dirt or
mud cannot be washed off in this way, use a 0.1 concentration
of household laundry powder in water and a cloth to scrub
lightly, and then wash with plain water again. If laundry pow-
der is used, rinse thoroughly; be sure that none of the soap
remains on the top. If soap does remain on the top, it could
cause cracking and/ or discoloration.
After cleaning, always be sure the top is completely dry before
it is lowered. Lowering the top while wet or damp may cause
interior water damage, water stains or mildew of the top mate-
rial.
NOTE
Always sprinkle water from above.

Do not run this vehicle through any automatic car washes.
These car washes may cause water to enter the vehicle and
cause damage to the convertible top. If you wash the vehi-
cle by hand do not spray water directly at side windows
and top seals which may cause water to enter the vehicle.
Therefore, be sure to observe the following.
• Maintain a good distance of approx. 16 inches (40 cm)
or more between the vehicle body and the washing noz-
zle.
• It is recommended that the water should be sprayed at a
45° angle to the side windows and top seals.

Do not use harsh or abrasive type cleaners or bleaching
agents on the top material or damage may result.Engine compartment
N00947000084
Never spray or splash water on the electrical components in the
engine compartment, as this may cause damage.
Do not allow any nearby parts (such as plastic parts) come into
contact with sulphuric acid (battery electrolyte), which may
crack, stain, or discolour them.
If this occurs, wipe the parts with a soft cloth saturated with a
mild detergent and water solution.
Then immediately rinse the affected parts with plenty of water.
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Alphabetical index
3
E
Electric convertible top 3-31
Electric rear window defogger switch 3-135
Electronic immobilizer (Anti-theft starting system) 3-3
Emission-control system maintenance 7-31
Engine
Compartment 7-6
Coolant 7-10
,9-9
Coolant temperature gauge 3-109
Hood 7-4
Malfunction indicator 3-112
Oil and oil filter 7-7
,9-9
Overheating 6-6
Serial number 9-3
Specifications 9-7
Error codes 5-67
,5-69
Exhaust system 7-36
F
Filling the fuel tank 1-4
Floor console box 3-176
Fluid
Automatic transaxle fluid 7-12
,9-9
Brake fluid 7-15
,9-9
Clutch fluid 7-15
Engine coolant 7-10,9-9
Manual transaxle fluid 9-9
Power steering fluid 7-16
,9-9Washer fluid 7-14
,9-9
Fluid capacities and lubricants 9-9
Fog lights
Bulb capacity 7-48
Indicator 3-111
Replacement 7-57
Switch 3-131
For cold and snowy weather 7-37
Front seats 2-4
Front turn signal lights
Bulb capacity 7-48
Replacement 7-55
Front turn signal, parking and side-marker lights
Bulb capacity 7-48
Replacement 7-56
Fuel
Fuel economy 4-2
Fuel gauge 3-108
Fuel hoses 7-32
Low-fuel warning light 3-108
Modification/alterations to the electrical or fuel systems 1-8
Tank capacity 1-5,9-9
Fuel selection 1-2
Fuse links 7-37
Fuses 7-38
Block location 7-38
Identification 7-44
Load capacities 7-40
Replacement 7-45
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Alphabetical index
4
G
Gauges 3-104
General maintenance 7-33
General vehicle data 9-5
Genuine parts 1-9
Glove compartment 3-175
Glove compartment light
Bulb capacity 7-50
,7-51
Replacement 7-69
H
Hands-free Bluetooth
® cellular phone interface system with
voice recognition 3-137
Hazard warning flasher switch 3-130
Hazard warning lights 3-111
Head restraints 2-12
Headlight levelling switch 3-128
Headlights
Bulb capacity 7-48
Dimmer 3-127
Headlight flasher 3-128
High beam indicator 3-111
Levelling switch 3-128
Replacement 7-51,7-52
Switch 3-125
High-mounted stop light
Bulb capacity 7-49
Hood lock release mechanism and safety catch 7-36Horn switch 3-136
I
If the vehicle breaks down 6-2
Ignition switch 3-60
Important facts to know in case of an accident 8-4
Indicator 3-111
Indicator and warning light package 3-110
Inside emergency trunk lid release 3-20
Inside rear hatch/trunk lid release 3-18
Inside rearview mirror 3-56
Instrument cluster 3-104
Instrument panel control switch 3-138
Interior lights 3-169
J
Jack 6-9
Storage 6-8
Jump-starting the engine 6-2
K
Key reminder buzzer 3-14
,3-62
Keyless entry system 3-7
Keys 3-2L
Labeling 9-2
License plate light
Bulb capacity 7-49
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