2019 INFINITI QX50 Owners Manual

7 Appearance and care
Cleaning exterior.................................7-2
Washing ......................................7-2
Waxing .......................................7-2
Removing spots ...............................7-3
Underbody ....................................7-3
Glass .........................................7-3
Aluminum alloy wheels ........................7-3
Chrome parts .................................7-3
Tire dressings .................................7-3
Cleaning interior .................................7-4
Leather cleaning kit (if so equipped) ............7-4Air fresheners
.................................7-5
Power moonroof (if so equipped) ..............7-5
Floor mats (if so equipped) ....................7-5
Seat belts .....................................7-6
Cleaning the seat tracks .......................7-7
Corrosion protection .............................7-7
Most common factors contributing to
vehicle corrosion ..............................7-7
Environmental factors influence the rate
of corrosion ...................................7-7
Protect your vehicle from corrosion ............7-7

In order to maintain the appearance of your
vehicle, it is important to take proper care of
it.
To protect the paint surfaces, wash your ve-
hicle as soon as you can:∙ After a rainfall to prevent possible dam- age from acid rain.
∙ After driving on coastal roads.
∙ When contaminants such as soot, bird droppings, tree sap, metal particles or
bugs get on the paint surface.
∙ When dust or mud builds up on the sur- face.
Whenever possible, store or park your vehicle
inside a garage or in a covered area.
When it is necessary to park outside, park in a
shady area or protect the vehicle with a body
cover.
Be careful not to scratch the paint surface
when putting on or removing the body cover.WASHING
Wash dirt off with a wet sponge and plenty
of water. Clean the vehicle thoroughly using a
mild soap, a special vehicle soap or general
purpose dishwashing liquid mixed with clean,
lukewarm (never hot) water.
CAUTION
∙ Do not use car washes that use acid in the detergent. Some car washes, especially
brushless ones, use some acid for clean-
ing. The acid may react with some plastic
vehicle components, causing them to
crack. This could affect their appearance,
and also could cause them not to function
properly. Always check with your car
wash to confirm that acid is not used.
∙ Do not wash the vehicle with strong household soap, strong chemical deter-
gents, gasoline or solvents.
∙ Do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight or while the vehicle body is hot, as the
surface may become water-spotted.
∙ Avoid using tight-napped or rough cloths, such as washing mitts. Care must
be taken when removing caked-on dirt or
other foreign substances so the paint
surface is not scratched or damaged. Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with plenty of
clean water.
Inside edges, seams and folds on the doors,
hatches and hood are particularly vulnerable
to the effects of road salt. Therefore, these
areas must be cleaned regularly. Take care
that the drain holes in the lower edge of the
door are open. Spray water under the body
and in the wheel wells to loosen the dirt and
wash away road salt.
A damp chamois can be used to dry the ve-
hicle to avoid water spots.
WAXING
Regular waxing protects the paint surface
and helps retain new vehicle appearance.
Polishing is recommended to remove built-up
wax residue and to avoid a weathered ap-
pearance before re-applying wax.
An INFINITI retailer can assist you in choos-
ing the proper product.
∙ Wax your vehicle only after a thorough washing. Follow the instructions supplied
with the wax.
∙ Do not use a wax containing any abra- sives, cutting compounds or cleaners that
may damage the vehicle finish.
CLEANING EXTERIOR
7-2Appearance and care

Machine compounding or aggressive polish-
ing on a base coat/clear coat paint finish may
dull the finish or leave swirl marks.
REMOVING SPOTS
Remove tar and oil spots, industrial dust, in-
sects, and tree sap as quickly as possible from
the surface of the paint to avoid lasting dam-
age or staining. Special cleaning products are
available at an INFINITI retailer or any auto-
motive accessory store. It is recommended
that you visit an INFINITI retailer for these
products.
UNDERBODY
In areas where road salt is used in winter, it is
necessary to clean the underbody regularly in
order to prevent dirt and salt from building up
and causing the acceleration of corrosion on
the underbody and suspension. Before the
winter period and again in the spring, the
underseal must be checked and, if necessary,
re-treated.
GLASS
Use glass cleaner to remove smoke and dust
film from the glass surfaces. It is normal for
glass to become coated with a film after the
vehicle is parked in the hot sun. Glass cleaner
and a soft cloth will easily remove this film.
CAUTION
When cleaning the inside of the windows,
do not use sharp-edged tools, abrasive
cleaners or chlorine-based disinfectant
cleaners. They could damage the electrical
conductors, radio antenna elements or rear
window defroster elements.
ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEELS
Wash the wheels regularly with a sponge
dampened in a mild soap solution, especially
during winter months in areas where road
salt is used. If not removed, road salt can
discolor the wheels.
CAUTION
Follow the directions below to avoid stain-
ing or discoloring the wheels:
∙ Do not use a cleaner that uses strong acidor alkali contents to clean the wheels.
∙ Do not apply wheel cleaners to the wheels when they are hot. The wheel
temperature should be the same as ambi-
ent temperature.
∙ Rinse the wheel to completely remove the cleaner within 15 minutes after the
cleaner is applied.
CHROME PARTS
Clean all chrome parts regularly with a non-
abrasive chrome polish to maintain the finish.
TIRE DRESSINGS
INFINITI does not recommend the use of tire
dressings. Tire manufacturers apply a coating
to the tires to help reduce discoloration of the
rubber. If a tire dressing is applied to the tires,
it may react with the coating and form a
compound. This compound may come off the
tire while driving and stain the vehicle paint.
If you choose to use a tire dressing, take the
following precautions:
∙ Use a water-based tire dressing. The coating on the tire dissolves more easily
than with an oil-based tire dressing.
∙ Apply a light coat of tire dressing to help prevent it from entering the tire
tread/grooves (where it would be diffi-
cult to remove).
∙ Wipe off excess tire dressing using a dry towel. Make sure the tire dressing is com-
pletely removed from the tire
tread/grooves.
∙ Allow the tire dressing to dry as recom- mended by tire dressing manufacturer.
Appearance and care7-3

This vehicle has new and unique surfaces on
the center console and door pull finishers. If
cleaning is required use mild soap and water.
However if mild soap and water won’t clean
the center console and door pull finishers, use
Genuine INFINITI Vinyl and Leather Cleaner
(or equivalent).
Occasionally remove loose dust from the in-
terior trim, plastic parts and seats using a
vacuum cleaner or soft bristled brush. Wipe
the vinyl and leather surfaces with a clean,
soft cloth dampened in mild soap solution,
then wipe clean with a dry, soft cloth.
Regular care and cleaning is required in order
to maintain the appearance of the leather.
Before using any fabric protector, read the
manufacturer’s recommendations. Some
fabric protectors contain chemicals that may
stain or bleach the seat material.
Use a cloth dampened only with water to
clean the meter and gauge lens.
Use a slightly moist (with water) microfiber
cloth to clean the wood trim. If necessary, use
water with natural soap or wood dedicated
cleaning products, such as furniture polish.WARNING
Do not use water or acidic cleaners (hot
steam cleaners) on the seat. This can dam-
age the seat or occupant classification sen-
sor. This can also affect the operation of the
air bag system and result in serious per-
sonal injury.
CAUTION
∙ Never use benzine, thinner, or any similarmaterial on the interior surfaces or sur-
face damage may occur. Such damage is
not covered under the INFINITI
warranty.
∙ Small dirt particles can be abrasive and damaging to leather surfaces and should
be removed promptly. Do not use saddle
soap, car waxes, polishes, oils, cleaning
fluids, solvents, detergents or ammonia-
based cleaners as they may damage the
leather’s natural finish.
∙ Never use fabric protectors unless rec- ommended by the manufacturer.
∙ Do not use glass or plastic cleaner on me- ter or gauge lens covers. It may damage
the lens cover.
LEATHER CLEANING KIT (if so
equipped)
Spray onto leather cleaning cloth, then gently
wipe the surface of the leather. Use a dry
towel to absorb any excess moisture.
Clean light-colored leather more frequently
because soiling on such surfaces is much
more visible.
Always follow the manufacturer’s instruc-
tions supplied with the leather cleaning kit.
You can obtain the leather cleaning kit from
an INFINITI retailer or other authorized repair
shop.
CAUTION
Do not leave the leather cleaning kit inside
the vehicle. The leather cleaning kit left in a
closed vehicle can become very hot.
CLEANING INTERIOR
7-4Appearance and care

AIR FRESHENERS
Most air fresheners use a solvent that could
affect the vehicle interior. If you use an air
freshener, take the following precautions:∙ Hanging-type air fresheners can cause permanent discoloration when they con-
tact vehicle interior surfaces. Place the air
freshener in a location that allows it to
hang free and not contact an interior sur-
face.
∙ Liquid-type air fresheners typically clip on the vents. These products can cause im-
mediate damage and discoloration when
spilled on interior surfaces.
Carefully read and follow the manufacturer’s
instructions before using the air fresheners.
POWER MOONROOF (if so
equipped)
The sunshade is made from a tricot material.
CAUTION
To help prevent damaging the moonroof
while cleaning:
∙ Do not rub the material with a cloth. Do- ing so can damage the surface of the ma-
terial or cause a stain to spread.
∙ Never use benzine, thinner or any similar chemical to clean the sunshade. This may
discolor the moonroof and damage the
surface.
∙ Clean water based stains by patting the surface with a clean soft cloth dampened
in warm water. Press a clean dry cloth
onto the surface to remove as much
dampness as possible and then let air dry.
∙ Clean oil based stains by patting the sur- face with a clean soft cloth dampened in
warm water. Press a clean dry cloth onto
the surface to remove as much dampness
as possible and then let air dry.
FLOOR MATS (if so equipped)
WARNING
To avoid potential pedal interference that
may result in a collision, injury or death:
∙ NEVER place a floor mat on top of an-other floor mat in the driver front posi-
tion or install them upside down or
backwards.
∙ Use only Genuine INFINITI floor mats or equivalent floor mats, specifically de-
signed for use in your vehicle model and
model year.
LAI2094
Appearance and care7-5

∙ Properly position the mats in the floor-well using the floor mat positioning hook.
For additional information, refer to
"Floor mat installation" in this section.
∙ Make sure the floor mat does not inter- fere with pedal operation.
∙ Periodically check the floor mats to make sure they are properly installed.
∙ After cleaning the vehicle interior, check the floor mats to make sure they are
properly installed.
The use of Genuine INFINITI floor mats can
extend the life of your vehicle carpet and
make it easier to clean the interior. Mats
should be maintained with regular cleaning
and replaced if they become excessively
worn.
Floor mat installation
Your vehicle is equipped with floor mat re-
tainer clips. The number and shape of the
floor mat retainer clips for each seating posi-
tion varies depending on the vehicle. When installing Genuine INFINITI floor mats,
follow the installation instructions provided
with the mat and the following:
1. With the ignition in the OFF position, the shift lever in P (Park) position and with
the parking brake fully applied, position
the floor mat in the floorwell so that the
floor mat grommet holes are aligned
with the retainer clips.
2. Secure the grommet holes into the clips and ensure that the floor mat is properly
positioned.
3. Make sure the floor mat does not inter- fere with pedal operation. With the igni-
tion still in the OFF position, the shift
lever in the P (Park) position and with the
parking brake applied, fully apply and
release all pedals. The floor mat must not
interfere with pedal operation or prevent
the pedal from returning to its normal
position.
It is recommended that you visit an INFINITI
retailer for details about installing the floor
mats in your vehicle. The illustration shows the location of the
floor mat retainer clips.
SEAT BELTS
The seat belts can be cleaned by wiping them
with a sponge dampened in a mild soap solu-
tion. Allow the belts to dry completely in the
shade before using them. For additional in-
formation, refer to “Seat belt maintenance” in
the “Safety—Seats, seat belts and supple-
mental restraint system” section of this
manual.
Retainer clips
LAI2095
7-6Appearance and care

WARNING
Do not allow wet seat belts to roll up in the
retractor. NEVER use bleach, dye or chemi-
cal solvents to clean the seat belts, since
these materials may severely weaken the
seat belt webbing.
CLEANING THE SEAT TRACKS
CAUTION
Periodically clean the seat tracks to pre-
vent reduction of ability to move the seats.
Clean periodically with a high-powered
vacuum cleaner. Dirt and debris may reduce
the ability to adjust the seat. A wet cleansing
agent may be used if necessary.
MOST COMMON FACTORS
CONTRIBUTING TO VEHICLE
CORROSION
Most vehicle corrosion is caused by:
∙ The accumulation of moisture-retaining dirt and debris in body panel sections,
cavities, and other areas.
∙ Damage to paint and other protective coatings caused by gravel and stone
chips or minor traffic collisions.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
INFLUENCE THE RATE OF
CORROSION
Moisture
Accumulation of sand, dirt and water on the
vehicle body underside can accelerate corro-
sion. Wet floor coverings will not dry com-
pletely inside the vehicle and should be re-
moved for drying to avoid floor panel
corrosion.
Relative humidity
Corrosion will be accelerated in areas of high
relative humidity, especially those areas where the temperatures stay above freezing
and where atmospheric pollution exists and
road salt is used.
Temperature
High temperatures accelerate the rate of cor-
rosion to those parts which are not well ven-
tilated.
Air pollution
Industrial pollution, the presence of salt in the
air in coastal areas, or heavy road salt use
accelerates the corrosion process. Road salt
also accelerates the disintegration of paint
surfaces.
PROTECT YOUR VEHICLE FROM
CORROSION
∙ Wash and wax your vehicle often to keep
the vehicle clean.
∙ Always check for minor damage to the paint and repair it as soon as possible.
∙ Keep drain holes at the bottom of the doors open to avoid water accumulation.
∙ Check the underbody for accumulation of sand, dirt or salt. If present, wash with
water as soon as possible.
CORROSION PROTECTION
Appearance and care7-7

CAUTION
∙ NEVER remove dirt, sand or other debrisfrom the passenger compartment by
washing it out with a hose. Remove dirt
with a vacuum cleaner or broom.
∙ Never allow water or other liquids to come in contact with electronic compo-
nents inside the vehicle as this may dam-
age them.
Chemicals used for road surface de-icing are
extremely corrosive. They accelerate corro-
sion and deterioration of underbody compo-
nents such as the exhaust system, fuel and
brake lines, brake cables, floor pan and fend-
ers.
In winter, the underbody must be cleaned
periodically.
For additional protection against rust and
corrosion, which may be required in some
areas, it is recommended that you consult an
INFINITI retailer.
7-8Appearance and care