16 1Self-help, vehicle care
Vehicle care
When caring for your vehicle, observe all
nationa l environmental re gulations,
particularly whe n was hing it.
Re gula r, thorough care helps to imp rov e
the a ppearance of your ve hicle and
maintain its value ov er the ye ars. It is also
a p re requisite for warranty claims for any
paint or corrosion dam age. The following
page s contain tip s for ve hicle care which, if
use d prope rly, w ill he lp comba t the
unavoidable damag ing effects of the
environment.Ve hicle ca re a ids 3
Ve hi c l e w a s h :
zWash brush,
zC ar Shampoo,
zSp on ge s,
zWheel Cleaners,
zEngine Cleaners,
zGlass Clea ne rs,
zIn s ect Re mo val Spo n ge,
zChamois Leather.
Ve hicle care :
zPaintwork Cleaner,
zPaintwork Polish,
zC re am Polis h,
zMe tallic Paintw ork W ax,
zHard Wa x,
zTouch-U p Applicator,
zAerosol and Touch-Up Paint,
zL ock C ylinder Gre ase ,
zW h ee l P re s er ve r ,
zA l l o y W h ee l P r es er ve r
zTar Re moval S pray,
zIn s ect Re mo ve r,
zWindow Cleaner,
zCleaning Solvent and Antifreeze,
zSilicone Oil for Rubbe r Se als .
Inte rior care:
zInterior/Upholstery Cle aner.Washing
The paintwork of your vehicle is exposed to
env ironmental influenc es, e.g. c ontinuous
change s in w eather conditions, industrial
was te gas es and dus t or thawing s alts, so
wash and w ax y our v ehicle regularly.
Bird d ropp ings, dead insec ts, resin,
polle n and the like s hould b e cle aned off
imm ediate ly, a s the y contain aggre ss ive
constituents which can ca use paint
dam age.
If us ing a car wash, comply with the
pe rtine nt ins tructions of the car was h
m a nu f a ct u r er . T h e w i n dscr e en w i p er s m u st
be switched off – see pa ges 15, 71. Rem ove
ante nna b y unscre wing anti-clockwis e.
I f y o u w a sh y o ur v eh i c l e b y ha n d , m a k e
sure that the inside s of the wings are also
thoroughly rinsed out.
C lean edges and folds on opened doors
and flaps as we ll as the a reas they cover.
Thoroughly rinse off a nd leather-off the
vehicle. Rinse leather frequently. Use
s epa ra te le athe rs for paint and window
surfac es: rem nants of wax on the windows
will im pair vis ion.
O bse rve national re gulations .
16 3Self-help, vehicle care
Wheels
Us e a pH-neutral whe el cle aning age nt to
clean the wheels.
W hee ls are painted and can b e tre ated
with the same age nts as the body. F or alloy
w h ee l s, w e r eco m m en d t h e u se o f A l l oy
W h ee l P re s er ve r .
P aintw ork da mage
Re pair s mall area s of p aint damage s uc h
as stone impacts, scratches etc.
imme diate ly using a Touc h-Up Applicator
or Aerosol and Touch-Up Paint before rust
can form. I f rust has already form ed, have
the c aus e rectified by a works hop. Pleas e
als o pay attention to surfaces and edge s
be ne a t h t h e v eh i cl e w h er e r us t m a y h a ve
formed unnoticed for some time .
Tar spots
Do not use hard ob jects to rem ove spots of
tar – use Tar Re moval S pray. Do not use
Tar Re moval S pray on the covers of
head la mps or other exterior lamps.
Exterior lamps
He adlamp and othe r protectiv e lam p
covers are made of plastic. If they require
additional cle aning after the vehicle has
be en w a s h ed, cl ea n t he m w i t h C a r
Shamp oo. Do not us e any ab ra sive or
caus tic age nts , do not us e an ice s crape r,
and do not cle an them dry.Pl astic and rubbe r par ts
For add itional cle aning of plas tic and
rubb er parts , us e I nte rior/ Upholste ry
Clea ne r. Do not use any othe r age nt, and
in particular do not us e solve nts or petrol.
D o no t u s e hi g h - p r e ss u r e j e t cl ea ne r s.
Wheels and tyres
D o no t u s e hi g h - p r e ss u r e j e t cl ea ne r s on
whee ls and tyres.
Interior and upholster y
Clea n the ve hicle interior, including the
ins trument pane l fasc ia , using Inte rior/
Upholstery Cleaner.
The instrume nt panel s hould only be
cleaned using a soft da mp cloth.
Clea n fa bric upholstery with a va cuum
cleaner and brush. To remove stains, use
Inte rior/Upholste ry C leaner t hat is s uitab le
for b oth fabrics and vinyl.
Do not use cleaning agents such as
acetone, carbon tetrachloride, paint
thinner, paint remov er, nail v arnish
re move r, was hing powde r or blea ch to
clean fabrics, carpets, the instrum ent panel
or leather trim 3 in the vehicle inte rior.
Pe trol is also unsuitable .
Open Velcro fasteners on clothing could
damage s eat uphols te ry. Make sure that
Velcro fasteners are closed.Se at be lts
Alway s k ee p s eat b elts clean a nd dry.
C lean only with lukewa rm water or Inte rior/
Upholstery C leaner.
Windows
When cleaning the hea ted rear window,
ma ke s ure that the he ating ele ment on the
insid e of the window is not damaged.
Use a soft lint-free cloth or chamois leather
in conjunction with Window Cleaner a nd
In s ect R emo ve r.
O p el Cl ea ni n g S o lv en t a n d A n t i f r ee ze i s
s uita ble for de -icing windows.
F or mec ha nical removal of ice, use a
comm ercially available sharp-e dge d ice
s crape r. Pres s the s craper firmly agains t
the glass s o that no dirt can ge t under it
and s cratch the glass .
Windscreen wiper b lades
W a x su ch a s t h e w a x u s ed i n ca r w a s h es
ca n c a us e sm ea r i n g o n t h e w i nd scr e en
when the windscreen wipers are sw itched
on.
S mearing wiper blades c an be cle ane d with
a soft cloth a nd Opel C leaning Solvent and
Antifre ez e, and replac ed if ne ces sa ry –
s ee page 1 57 .
