Cleaning the outside of your vehicle 9-50 Vehicle care and maintenance
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Chemicals contained in the dirt and dust picked up from air, rain, snow or road sur-faces can damage the paint and body of your vehicle if left on. Frequent washing and waxing is the best wayto protect your vehicle from this damage. Do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight. Park the vehicle in the shade and spray it withwater to remove dust. Next, using plenty ofclean 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 cham- ois or soft cloth. After washing the vehicle, carefully clean the joints and flanges of thedoors, hood, etc., where dirt is likely to remain.
Salt and other chemicals spread on winter roads in some geographical areas can have adetrimental effect on the vehicle underbody. You should flush the underbody with a high pressure hose every time you wash the out-side of your vehicle. Take special care to remove mud or other debris which could trap and hold salt andmoisture. After washing your vehicle, wipe off all waterdrops from the rubber parts around thedoors to prevent the doors from freezing.
Wa s h i n g
CAUTION When washing the underside of your vehicle or the wheels, wear a pair of gloves to pro-tect your hands. If your vehicle has rain sensor wipers, place the wiper switch lever in the “OFF” position to deactivate the rain sensor before washingthe vehicle. Otherwise, the wipers will oper- ate in the presence of water spray on the windshield and may get damaged as a result.
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 rotat- ing brushes. These brushes may scratch thepaint surface and make it dull. Scratches are more noticeable on darker col- ored vehicles. Some hot water washing equipment uses high pressure and heat to clean your vehicle.This heated water may damage your vehi- cle’s resin parts. It can flood the interior of the vehicle. Therefore, be sure of the follow-ing:• Keep the washing nozzle at least 20 inches(50 cm) away from the vehicle body.• When washing around the door glass, holdthe nozzle at a distance of more than 20 inches (50 cm) and at right angles to the glass surface.
When using high-pressure water to wash a vehicle equipped with the F.A.S.T.-key sys-tem, keep the water from spraying on the open button on the trunk. This could cause the trunk to open and flood the inside of the trunk. Make sure to do the following when using an automatic car wash, with help from either this manual or the car wash operator, toavoid damaging your vehicle:• Fold the outside mirrors.CAUTION
• Put down (except for vehicles with SIRIUS satellite radio antenna) or remove the antenna.• If your vehicle is equipped with rearspoiler, check with the car wash operator before using the car wash.• If your vehicle has rain sensor wipers, placethe wiper switch lever in the “OFF” posi- tion to deactivate the rain sensor.
During cold weather
CAUTION
