Cleaning the outside of your vehicle9-42 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
Salt and other chemicals used on winter roadsin some geographical areas can have a detri-mental effect on the vehicle underbody. Youshould flush the underbody with a high pres-sure hose every time you wash the outside ofyour vehicle.Take special care to remove mud or otherdebris which could trap and hold salt andmoisture.After washing your vehicle, wipe off allwaterdrops from the rubber parts around thedoors to prevent the doors from freezing.
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Wax your vehicle once or twice a year, orwhen water does not bead up on the paint.Use a soft cloth to put a small amount of waxon 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 surfacesare cool.
Never spray or splash water on the electricalparts in the engine compartment. This maydamage them. Be careful also when washingthe underbody to ensure that water does notenter the engine compartment.Avoid automatic car washers that use rotat-ing brushes. These br
ushes may scratch the
paint surface a
nd make it dull.
Scratches are more not
iceable on darker col-
ored vehicles.Some hot water wash
ing equipment uses
high pressure and heat 
to clean your vehicle.
Because hot water can da
mage plastics parts
and seep inside your ve
hicle, make sure you
do the following when using such equip-ment:• Keep the washing nozzle at least 28 inches(70 cm) away from the vehicle body.• When washing around the door glass, holdthe nozzle at a distance of more than 28inches (70 cm) and at a right angle to theglass surface.
Make sure to do the following when using anautomatic car wash, with help from eitherthis manual or the car wash operator, toavoid damaging your vehicle:• Fold the outside 
rearview mirrors.
• Tape or remove the rear wiper arm assem-bly.• If your vehicle is equi
pped with a roof rails,
check with the car wash operator beforeusing the car wash.CAUTION
• If your vehicle is e
quipped with the rain
sensor, place th
e wiper switch lever in the
“OFF” position to deac
tivate the rain sen-
sor.
During cold weather 
NOTE
When the door is frozen, opening it by forcemay tear off or crack the rubber gasketinstalled around the door. Pour warm waterto melt the ice. Be 
sure to thoroughly wipe
off the water after opening the door. To pre-vent freezing of the 
weatherstripping on the
doors, hood, etc., treat 
with silicone lubri-
cant.CAUTION
Waxing 
CAUTIONWaxes containing high abrasive compoundsshould not be used. Th
ese waxes remove rust
and stain effectively fr
om the paintwork, but
are harmful to the finish of the paint, becausethey also remove
 paint/clearcoat.
They are also harmful to other glossy sur-faces such as the grille, trim, moldings, etc.Do not use gasoline, benzine, kerosene orpaint thinners to remove
 road tar or other dirt
from the vehicle surface.Do not put wax on the areas having blackmatte coating because 
it can cause uneven
discoloration, patches, bl
urs, etc. If these get
wax on them, wipe the wax off right awaywith a soft clot
h and warm water.
BK0249100US.book  42 ページ  2017年5月10日 水曜日 午前8時49分