2012 MITSUBISHI GALANT maintenance

7-64 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.Waxing
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.
CAUTION
!
When washing the underside of your vehicle or the
wheels, wear a pair of 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.

Make sure to fold the outside mirrors when using an
automatic car wash to avoid damaging your vehicle.
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.
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Vehicle care and maintenance
7-65
7
Polishing
N00946100017
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
N00946200018
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 codenumber for your vehicle can be found on the vehicle informa-
tion code plate in the engine compartment.

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.
CAUTION
!
BK0139500US.book 65 ページ ２０１１年４月１９日　火曜日　午後１時４８分

7-66 Vehicle care and maintenance
7
Cleaning plastic parts
N00946300208
Use a sponge or chamois to clean these parts.
If vehicle wax sticks to a gray or black rough surface of the
bumper, moulding 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
(if so equipped)
N00946500167
1. Remove dirt using a sponge while sprinkling water on the
wheel.
2. Use neutral detergent on any dirt that cannot be removed
easily with water.
Rinse off the neutral 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,
light oil, brake fluids, engine oils, greases, paint thin-
ner and sulfuric acid (battery electrolyte). These flu-
ids, 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 watery solution of
gentle soap. 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 and road deicer can cause
corrosion. Rinse off such substances as soon as pos-
sible.
BK0139500US.book 66 ページ ２０１１年４月１９日　火曜日　午後１時４８分

Vehicle care and maintenance
7-67
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
(if so equipped)
N00946800014
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.
Engine compartment
N00947000042
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.
BK0139500US.book 67 ページ ２０１１年４月１９日　火曜日　午後１時４８分

Alphabetical index
2Parking brake lever stroke 7-28
Pedal 3-47
Pedal free play 7-28
Power brakes 3-48
Service brake 3-47
Warning light 3-78
Break-in recommendations 3-2
Bulb capacity 7-45
C
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements 1-9
Capacities 9-8
Cargo loads 4-13
Catalytic converter 7-3
Certification label 9-4
Charging system warning light 3-80
Child restraints 2-27
Child safety locks for rear door 3-15
Cleaning
Inside of your vehicle 7-62
Outside of your vehicle 7-63
Clock 3-123
Coat hooks 3-134
Combination headlights and dimmer switch 3-81
Consumer information 8-2
Coolant (engine) 7-9
,9-8
Cruise control 3-57
Indicator light 3-58
Cup holder 3-133
D
Defogger (rear window) 3-90
Digital clock 3-123
Dimensions 9-4
Dimmer (high/low beam change) 3-83
Disc brake pads 7-31
Dome light 3-129
Capacity 7-46
Replacement 7-59
Door-ajar warning buzzer 3-80
Door-ajar warning light 3-80
Doors
Lock 3-12
Power door locks 3-14
Drive belt 7-32
Driving during cold weather 4-6
Driving, alcohol and drugs 4-2
E
Electric rear window defogger switch 3-90
Electronic immobilizer (Anti-theft starting system) 3-3
Emission-control system maintenance 7-29
Engine
Compartment 7-6
Coolant 7-9
,9-8
Coolant temperature gauge 3-76
Hood 7-4
Malfunction indicator light 3-79
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Alphabetical index
3
Oil and oil filter 7-6
,9-8
Overheating 6-5
Serial number 9-2
Specifications 9-6
Error codes 5-64
,5-66
Exhaust system 7-33
F
Filling the fuel tank 1-4
Floor console box 3-132
Floor mat 4-3
Fluid
Automatic transaxle fluid 7-12
,9-8
Brake fluid 7-14
,9-8
Engine coolant 7-9,9-8
Power steering fluid 7-15
,9-8
Washer fluid 7-13
,9-8
Fluid capacities and lubricants 9-8
Fog lights
Indicator 3-78
Switch 3-86
For cold and snowy weather 7-34
Front fog light
Capacity 7-45
Front fog lights
Replacement 7-51
Front seats 2-4
Front side-marker lights
Capacity 7-45Front turn-signal lights
Capacity 7-45
Fuel
Fuel economy 4-2
Fuel gauge 3-75
Fuel hoses 7-30
Low-fuel warning light 3-75
Modification/alterations to the electrical or fuel systems 1-8
Tank capacity 9-8
Fuel selection 1-2
Fuse links 7-34
Fuses 7-35
Block location 7-35
Identification 7-42
Load capacities 7-37
Replacement 7-42
G
Gauges 3-72
General maintenance 7-31
General vehicle data 9-4
Genuine parts 1-8
Glove compartment 3-131
Glove compartment light
Replacement 7-59
H
Hands-free Bluetooth
® cellular phone interface system with
voice recognition 3-92
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Alphabetical index
6Heated seats 2-10
Rear seat 2-11
Seats and restraint systems 2-3
Seat belt 2-15
Adjustable seat belt shoulder anchor 2-21
Child restraints 2-27
Maintenance and inspection 2-37
Pre-tensioner 2-25
Seat belt extender 2-24
Seat belt guide 2-22
Seat belt reminder/warning light 2-20
Seat belt use during pregnancy 2-25
Service brake 3-47
Service precautions 7-2
Skid control function 3-53
Snow tires 7-27
Spark plugs 7-30
Speedometer 3-73
Steering
Power steering fluid 7-15
,9-8
Tilt lock lever 3-29
Wheel lock 3-36
Steering wheel remote control switch 5-62
Stop lights
Capacity 7-45
Replacement 7-53
Sun visors 3-121
Sunroof 3-26
Supplemental Restraint System 2-38How the Supplement Restraint System works 2-41
Servicing 2-59
Warning light 2-46
T
Tachometer 3-73
Tail lights
Capacity 7-45
Replacement 7-53
Tank capacity 9-8
Theft-alarm system 3-20
Timing belt 7-33
Tire pressure monitoring system 3-63
Tires 7-19
How to change a tire 6-9
Inflation pressure 7-23
Maintenance 7-24
Quality grading 8-2
Replacing tires and wheels 7-24
Rotation 7-25
Size (tire and wheel) 9-7
Snow tires 7-27
Tire and loading information placard 4-10
,9-3
Tire chains 7-27
Tread wear indicators 7-25
Tissue holder 3-132
Tools 6-8
Storage 6-7
Towing 6-21
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NOTE
Maintenance recordName of Owner Date of Purchase
Address of Owner Model of Vehicle
Name and Address of Dealer Vehicle Identification Number
Service Performed DateKilometers
MilesInspection and Maintenance Item
MMNA_表3.fm 1 ページ ２００５年１２月１５日　木曜日　午後２時５７分