2019 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER maintenance

Engine
compartm ent Hood
Imp ortant safety notes G
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If th ehood isunlat ched, itmay open up
when theveh icle isin mot ionand blockyour
view. Thereis arisk ofan acc iden t.
Nev erunlat chthehood while driving.Bef ore
ever ytrip, ens ure that thehood isloc ked. G
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When openingand closingth ehood ,it may
sudde nlyfall intoth eclo sed posit ion.Ther e
is arisk ofinjury topers onswith inran geof
mov emen tof thehood .
Open andclosethehood onlywhen noone
is with inits ran geofmov emen t. G
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NING
Open ingthehood when theeng ineisove r-
heat edorwhen there isafir ein theeng ine
com partmen tcoul dexp ose you tohot gases
or other servicepro duct s.Ther eis arisk of
inj ury.
Let anove rheatedeng inecoo ldown before
open ingthehood .If th ere isafir ein the
eng inecom partmen t,ke ep thehood closed
and contactth efir edepar tment . G
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NING
The enginecom partmen tcon tain smov ing
com ponents.Cert aincom ponents,suc has
th eradiat orfan ,may continue torun orstart
again sudde nlywhen theign ition isoff .
Ther eis arisk ofinjury.
If you needto do any work inside theeng ine
com partmen t:
R swit choff theign ition
R nev erreac hint oth earea whereth ere isa
risk ofdang erfrom mov ingcom ponents,
suc has thefan rotatio narea R
rem ove jewelry andwatc hes
R ke ep items ofclo thing and hair, forexam -
ple, away from mov ingpart s
To ens ure theflow offresh airthroug hth eair
ven tsint oth eveh icle interio r,please observe
th efoll owin gno tes: (Y page 122)
Open ingthehood G
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NING
Cert aincom ponentsin theeng inecom part-
men t,suc has theeng ine,radiat orand parts
of theexh aust system, canbecome very
hot .Wor kingin theeng inecom partmen t
pose sa risk ofinjury.
Wher eposs ible, lettheeng inecoo ldown
and touch onlythecom ponentsdesc ribedin
th efoll owin g. G
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NING
When thehood isopen andthewind shield
wiper sare setinmot ion,you can beinjured
by thewiper linkage. Thereis arisk ofinjury.
Always switchoff thewind shieldwiper sand
th eign ition befo reopen ingthehood .
! Mak
esure that thewind shieldwiper sare
no tfold edaway from thewind shield.You
coul dot her wise damag eth ewind shieldwip-
ers orthehood . X
Mak esure that thewind shieldwiper sare
tur ned off.
X Pull release lever0043 onthehood .
The hood isrele ased. Engine
compartm ent
265Maintenance andcare Z

Make
surethatwindshield washerconcen-
trate isnot spilled inthe vicinity ofthe filler
neck . Example
X To open: pullcap 0043upwa rdsbythe tab.
X Add thepremixed washerfluid.
X To close :press cap0043onto thefiller neck
until itengages.
If the washer fluidlevel drops below therec-
ommended minimumfluidlevel of1US qt
(1 liter), amessage appearsinthe multifunc-
tion display prompting youtoadd washer fluid
(Y page 231).
Further information onwindshield washer
fluid/antifreeze (Ypage 325). Overview
ofthe engine compart -
ment Example
engine
0043 Oildipstick
0044 Brake fluidreservoir
0087 Engin eoil cap
0085 Coolant expansion tank
0083 Washer fluidreservoir ASSYST
PLUS Service
display
The ASSYST PLUS service interval displayindi-
cates theremaining timeperiod orthe remain-
ing distance tothe next regular service due
date.
Inform ationonthe type ofservice andservice
intervals (seetheseparate Maintenanc eBook-
let).
You canobtain further information froman
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCenter orat
http: //www.mbusa.com (USAonly).
i The
ASSYST PLUS service interval display
does notshow anyinformation onthe
engine oillevel. Observe thenotes onthe
engine oillevel (Ypage 266).
The multifunction displayshowsaservice dis-
play forafew seconds, e.g.:
R Service Ain ..Days Service
Ain ..Days
R Service ADue Service
ADue
R Service AExceeded by..Days Service
AExceeded by..Days
Depending onthe operating conditionsof the
vehicle, theremaining timeordistance until
the next service duedate isdisplay ed.
The letter A A
or B B,
possibly inconn ection witha
number oranother letter,shows thetype of
service. A A
stands foraminor service andB B
for
a major service.
You canobtain further information froman
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCenter.
Depending onhow thevehicle isused, the
ASS YST PLUS service interval displaymay
reduce theservice interval, e.g.inthe follow-
ing situations:
X the vehicle isprimarily usedtotravel short
distances
X ifthe engine isoften leftidling forlong peri-
ods
X ifthere arefrequent coldstart phases
Mercedes-Ben zrecommen dsyou avoid such
operating conditions.
The ASSYST PLUS service interval displaydoes
not take intoaccount anyperiods oftime dur-
ing which thebattery isdisconnec ted. ASSY
STPLUS
269Maintenance andcare Z

Maintaining
thetime-dependent servicesched-
ule:
X Note down theservice duedate display edin
the multifunction displaybeforedisconnec t-
ing the battery.
or X Aft erreconn ectingthebattery, subtract the
battery disconnec tionperiods fromtheser-
vice date shown onthe display . Hiding
service displays
X Press the0076 or0038 button onthe steer-
ing wheel. Showing
servicedisplays
X Switch onthe ignition.
X Press 0059or0065 onthe steering wheel
to select theServ. Serv.
menu.
X Press 0063or0064 toselect theASSYST ASSYST
PLUS PLUS
submenu andconfirm bypressing the
0076 button.
The service duedate appears inthe multi-
funct iondisplay . Informat
ionabout Service
Resetting theASSYST PLUSservice
interval display !
If
the ASS YST PLUS service interval dis-
play hasbeen inadvertent lyreset, thisset-
ting canbecorrect edataqual ified special-
ist workshop.
Have service workcarried outasdescribed
in the Maintenanc eBooklet. Thismay other-
wise leadtoincreased wearanddamage to
the major assemblies orthe vehicle.
A qual ified specialist workshop, e.g.anauthor-
ized Mercedes-Ben zCenter, willreset the
ASS YST PLUS service interval displayafterthe
service workhasbeen carried out.Youcan
also obtain further information onmainte-
nance work,forexample. Special
servicerequirements The
specified maintenanc einterval takesonly
the normal operation ofthe vehicle into
account. Serviceworkwillneed tobe per-
formed moreoften ifthe vehicle isoperated
under arduou scondition sor increased loads.
The ASSYST PLUS service interval displayis
only anaid. Thedriver ofthe vehicle isrespon-
sible forwhether serviceworkwillneed tobe
performed morefrequently thanrequired asa
result ofthe actual operating conditions
and/or loads.
Examples ofarduou soperating conditions:
R regular citydriving withfrequent intermedi-
ate stops
R the vehicle isprimarily usedtotravel short
distances
R frequent useinmountainous terrainoron
poor roadsurfaces
R the engine isoften leftidling forlong peri-
ods
R particularly dustycondition s,or ifair-recir-
culation modeisfrequently used
In these orsimilar operating conditions,have
the interior filter,airfilter, engine oiland oilfil-
ter, forexample, changedmorefrequently.
Under arduou soperating conditions,the tires
must becheck edmore often. Further informa-
tion canbeobtained ataqual ified specialist
workshop.
Driving abroad An
exten siveMercedes-Ben zService network
is also availa bleinother countr ies.You can
obtain further information fromanyauthorized
Mercedes-Ben zService Center. Care
Notes
oncare H
Environmental
note
Dispose ofempty packaging andcleaning
cloths inan environm entallyresponsible
manner.
! When
cleaning yourcar,donot use:
R dry, coarse orhard cloths
R abrasive cleaningagents 270
CareMaintenance
andcare

R
solvents
R cleaning agentscontaining solvents
Do not scrub.
Do not touch thesurfaces andfilms with
hard objects, e.g.rings orice scrapers. Oth-
erwise, youmay scratch ordamage thesur-
faces andfilms.
! Do
not park yourvehicle foralong period
of time directly aftercleaning, particularly
after cleaning thewheel rimwith wheel
cleaner. Wheelcleaner canlead tothe
increased corrosionofthe brake discsand
pads. Therefore, driveforafew minutes
after cleaning. Byheating upthe brakes, the
brake discsandpads dry.Thevehicle can
then beparked foralong period oftime.
Regu larcare ofyour vehicle isacondition for
retaining thequal ityinthe long term.
Use care products andcleaning agentsrecom-
mended andapproved byMercedes-Benz . Washing
thevehicl eand cleani ng
the paintwork
Automatic carwash G
WARNING
Braking efficiency isreduced afterwashing
the vehicle. Thereisarisk ofan accident.
Aft erthe vehicle hasbeen washed, brake
carefully whilepayingattent iontothe traffic
conditions untilfullbraking poweris
restored.
! When
DISTRONIC PLUSorthe HOLD func-
tion isactivated, thevehicle brakesauto-
matically incertain situations.
To avoid damage tothe vehicle, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUSandtheHOLD function in
the followi ngorsimilar situations:
R when towing thevehicle
R in the carwash
! It
is preferable touse carwashes with
adjustable high-pressure pre-cleaningthat
corresponds tothe specification forthe
Cabri oletprogram. Incar washes thatuse
high water pressures, thereisarisk that a
small amount ofwater mayleakintothe
vehicle. !
Vehicles
withHAND S-FREE ACCESS: ifa
SmartKey withKEYLES S-GOiswithin the
detection rangeofthe KEYLES S-GO
antenn a,the followi ngsituations couldlead
to the unintent ionalopening ofthe trunk lid:
R using acar wash
R using apower washer
Make surethattheSmartKey isat least
6.5 ft(2 m) awa yfrom thevehicle.
! Never
cleanyourvehicle inaTouchless
Automatic CarWash asthese usespecial
cleaning agents.Thesecleaning agentscan
damage thepaintwork orplastic parts.
If you have yourvehicle cleaned inahigh-
pressure automatic carwash, small
amounts ofwater mayenter thevehicle.
! Make
surethattheautomatic transmission
is in position Nwhen washing yourvehicle
in atow-through carwash. Thevehicle could
be damaged ifthe transmission isin another
position.
! Make
surethat:
R the side windows andtheroof arecom-
pletely closed
R the climate controlblower isswitched off
R the windshiel dwiper switch isat position
0
The vehicle couldotherwise bedamaged .
You canclean thevehicle atan automatic car
wash fromthevery start.
Preferably cleanthevehicle atautomatic car
washes thatusetextilewashing elements
without brushes. Thisprevents finescratches
from forming onthe paintwork andfilm.
If the vehicle isvery dirty, pre-wash itbefore
cleaning itin an automatic carwash.
Aft erusing anautomatic carwash, wipeoff
wax from thewindshiel dand thewiper blades.
This willprevent smearsandreduce wiping
noises caused byresidue onthe windshiel d.
i Vehicles
withdecorative film:select a
wash program withouthotwax atthe auto-
matic carwash.
Washing byhand In
some countries, washingbyhand isonly
allow edatspeciall yequip pedwashing bays. Care
271Maintenance andcare Z

Observe
thelegal requirements ineach coun-
try.
X Do not use hotwater anddonot wash the
vehicle indirect sunlight.
X Use asoft sponge toclean.
X Use amild cleaning agent,suchasacar
shampoo approved byMercedes-Benz .
X Thoroughly hosedown thevehicle witha
gentle jetofwater.
X Do not point thewater jetdirectly towards
the airinlet orthe edges ofdecorative foils.
X Use plenty ofwater andrinse outthe
sponge frequently.
X Rinse thevehicle withclean water anddry
thoroughly withachamois.
X Do not letthe cleaning agentdryonthe
paintwork orthe decorative foils.
Careful lyremove alldeposits ofroad saltas
soon aspossible whendriving inwinter.
Powe rwashers G
WARNING
The water jetfrom acircular jetnozz le(dirt
blasters) cancause invisible exteriordam-
age tothe tires orchassis component s.
Components damagedinthis way may fail
unexpectedly. Thereisarisk ofan accident.
Do not use power washers withcircular jet
nozz lestoclean thevehicle. Havedamaged
tires orchassis component sreplaced imme-
diately .
! Vehicles
withdecorative film:parts ofyour
vehicle arecovered withdecorative film.
Maintain adistance ofat least 27.5in
(70 cm) between thefilm-covered partsof
the vehicle andthenozz leof the power
washer.
Information aboutthe correct distance is
avail able from theequip ment manufacturer.
Move thepower washer nozzlearound when
cleaning yourvehicle.
The water temperature ofthe power washer
must notexceed 140‡(60 †).
! Alway
smaintain adistance ofat least
12 in(30 cm) between thevehicle andthe
power washer nozzle.Information aboutthe
correct distance isavail able from theequip -
ment manufacturer. Move
thepower washer nozzlearound when
cleaning yourvehicle.
Do not aim directly atany ofthe followi ng:
R Tires
R Door gaps, roofgaps, joints, etc.
R Electrical component s
R Battery
R Plug-type couplings
R Light bulbs
R Seals
R Trim elements
R Ventilation slots
Damaged sealsorelectrical component s
can lead toleaks orfailu res.
! Vehicles
withHAND S-FREE ACCESS: ifa
SmartKey withKEYLES S-GOiswithin the
detection rangeofthe KEYLES S-GO
antenn a,the followi ngsituations couldlead
to the unintent ionalopening ofthe trunk lid:
R using acar wash
R using apower washer
Make surethattheSmartKey isat least
6.5 ft(2 m) awa yfrom thevehicle.
Cleani ngthe paintwork !
Do
not affix:
R stickers
R films
R magnetic platesorsimila ritems
to painted surfaces. Youcould otherwise
damage thepaintwork.
Scratc hes,corrosive deposits,areasaffected
by corrosion anddamage causedbyinade-
quate carecannot alwaysbe completely
repaired. Insuch cases, visitaqual ified spe-
cialist workshop.
X Remove dirtimmediately ,where possible ,
while avoidi ngrubbing toohard.
X Soak insect remains withinsect remover
and rinse offthe treated areasafterwards.
X Soak birddroppings withwater andrinse off
the treated areasafterwards.
X Remove treeresin, oils,fuels andgreases by
rubbing gentlywithacloth soaked inpetro-
leum ether orlighter fluid
X Remove coolantandbrake fluidwithamoist
cloth andclear water. 272
CareMaintenance
andcare

X
Use tarremover toremove tarstains.
X Use silicone remover toremove wax.
If water nolonger forms"beads"onthe paint
surface, usethepaint careproducts recom-
mended andapproved byMercedes-Benz .This
is the case approximately everythreetofive
months, depending onthe climate conditions
and thecare product used.
If dirt has penetrated thepaint surface orif
the paint hasbecome dull,the paint cleaner
recommended andapproved byMercedes-
Benz should beused.
Do not use these careproducts inthe sun or
on the hood while thehood ishot.
X Use asuitabl etouch-up stick,e.g.MB
Touch-Up Stick,to repair slightdamage to
the paintwork quicklyandprovisionall y.
Matt efinish care !
Never
polish thevehicle orthe light alloy
wheels. Polishingcauses thefinish toshine.
! The
followi ngcan give thepaint aglossy
appea rance andthus reduce thematt
effect:
R Rubb inghard withunsuitabl eagents
R Washing thevehicle indirect sunlight
! Never
usepaint cleaner, buffingorpolish-
ing products, orgloss preserver, e.g.wax,
for the purpose ofpaintwork care.These
products areonly suitabl efor high-gloss sur-
faces. Theiruseonvehicles withmatte
paintwork leadstoconsiderable surface
damage or,more specificall y,to shiny, spot-
ted areas.
Alway shave paintwork repairscarried outat
a qual ified speciali stworkshop.
! Only
useautomatic carwashes whichcor-
respond tothe latest technological stand-
ards. Never usewash programs whichfinish
by treating thevehicle withhotwax.
Observe thesenotes ifyour vehicle hasaclear
matte finish. Thiswillhelp youtoavoid dam-
age tothe paintwork duetoincorrect treat-
ment.
These notesalsoapply tolight alloy wheels
with aclear matte finish.
i Use
only insect remover andcarshampoo
from therange ofrecommended and
approved Mercedes-Benz careproducts. Cleani
ngthe decorative film !
The
followi ngmay have aneffect onthe
service lifeand color ofdecorative film:
R sunlight
R temperature, e.g.hot-air fan
R weather conditions
R stone impacts anddirt
R chemical cleaningagents
R greasy substances
! Do
not use anytypes ofpolish onmatt
decorative film.Polishi ngsurfaces covered
with filmgives itashiny finish.
! Do
not treat mattorstructured decorative
film with wax. Thismay lead tomarks that
cannot beremoved.
Observe thenotes inthe section onthe care
and treatment ofmatte paintwork
(Y page 273); these notes alsoapply tomatte
decorative film.
To clean, useplenty ofwater andamild clean-
ing agent without additional orabrasi veprod-
ucts, e.g.acar shampoo approved by
Mercedes-Benz .
X Dry vehicles coveredwithfilmusing asoft,
absorbent clothafterevery wash.
Water marks couldotherwise form.
Scratc hes,corrosive deposits,areasaffected
by corrosion anddamage causedbyinade-
quate carecannot alwaysbe completely
repaired. Insuch cases, visitaqual ified spe-
cialist workshop.
X Remove dirtimmediately ,where possible ,
while avoidi ngrubbing toohard.
The decorative filmmay beirreparab lydam-
aged.
X Soak insect remains withinsect remover
and rinse offthe treated areasafterwards.
X Soak birddroppings withwater andrinse off
the treated areasafterwards.
The cleaning product, PaintCleaner, which has
been approved andrecommended by
Mercedes-Benz ,should beused when dirthas
penetrated thedecorative filmsurface orthe
decorative filmhasbecome dull.
The manufacturer canprovide youwith infor-
mation onspecial careandcleaning products.
Laminated surfacesmayexhibit optical differ-
ences tosurfaces whichwerenotprotected by Care
273Maintenance andcare Z

a
dec orat ivefilm when thedec orat ivefilm is
rem oved.
i Hav
ework orrepai rson dec orat ivefilm
car ried outataqualifi edspec ialist work-
shop .Mer cedes-Ben zrec omm endsth at you
use anauth orizedMer cedes-Ben zCent erfor
th is purpo se. Cleani
ngthevehi cleparts
Cleani ngthewheels G
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NING
The wate rje tfr om acir cular jetno zzle (dirt
blast ers)can caus einv isible exterio rdam-
age tothetir es orchassis components.
Compo nentsdamage din this way may fail
unex pectedly. Ther eis arisk ofan acc iden t.
Do notuse power washer swith circular jet
no zzles tocle an theveh icle.Hav edamage d
tir es orchassis componentsrepl aced imme-
diat ely.
! Do
notuse acidi cwheel cleanin gprod ucts
to rem ove brak edust .This coulddamage
wheel boltsand brak ecom ponents.
! Do
notpark yourvehicle foralon gperi od
of tim edire ctly aft ercle anin g,part icular ly
aft ercle anin gth ewheel rimwith wheel
cle aner .Whee lcle aner canlead tothe
inc reas edcor rosion ofthebrak edisc sand
pads. Therefore, driv efor afew minutes
aft ercle anin g.By heat ingupthebrak es,the
brak edisc sand pads dry.Thevehicle can
th en be park edfor alon gperi odoftim e.
Cleani ngthewindows G
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NING
You couldbec ome trapped bythewind -
shie ldwiper sif th ey start mov ingwhile
cle anin gth ewind shieldor wiper blades .
Ther eis arisk ofinjury.
Always switchoff thewind shieldwiper sand
th eign ition befo recle anin gth ewind shield
or wiper blades . !
On
lyfold thewind shieldwiper saway from
th ewind shieldwhen vertical. Other wise, you
will damage thehood .
! Do
notuse drycloths, abras iveprod ucts,
solv entsor cle anin gagen tscon tain ingsol-
ven tsto cle an theins ide ofthewind ows. Do
no tto uch theins ides ofthewind owswith
hard object s,e.g .an ice scraper orring.
Ther eis other wise arisk ofdamagi ngthe
wind ows.
! Clean
thewate rdrain agechann elsofthe
wind shieldand therear wind owatreg ular
int erv als. Deposit ssuc has leave s,pet als
and pollen mayunde rcer tain circum stanc es
prev entwate rfr om drain ingaway. Thiscan
lead tocor rosion damage anddamage to
elec tron iccom ponents.
X Clean theins ide and outside ofthewind ows
with adamp clothand acle anin gpro duct
th at isrec omm endedand appro vedby
Mer cedes-Ben z.
Cleani ngwiper blades G
WAR
NING
If th ewind shieldwiper sare setinmot ion
while youarecleanin gth ewind shield,you
can betrapped bythewiper arm.Ther eis a
risk ofinjury.
Always switchoff thewind shieldwiper sand
th eign ition befo recle anin gth ewind shield.
! Do
notpull thewiper blade. Other wise, the
wiper bladecouldbe damage d.
! Do
notcle an wiper blades toooft en and
do notrub them toohard .Ot her wise, the
grap hitecoat ingcoul dbe damage d.This
coul dcaus ewiper noise.
! Hol
dth ewiper armsecurely when folding
back .The wind shieldcoul dbe damage dif
th ewiper armsmac ksagain stitsudden ly.
X Fol dth ewind shieldwiper armsaway from
th ewind shield.
X Caref ullyclean thewiper blades witha
damp cloth.
X Fol dth ewind shieldwiper armsback again
befo reswit ching ontheign ition . 274
Car
eMaintenance andcare

Clean
ingtheext erior ligh ting !
On
lyuse cleanin gagen tsor cle anin g
clo thsth at are suitable forplast iclen ses .
Caust ic,irritan tor other wise unsuitab le
cle anin gagen tsor cle anin gclo thscoul d
sc rat ch ordamag eth eex terior light ingplas-
tic lenses .
X Clean theplast iclen ses oftheex terior light s
wit hawet spon geand amild cleanin g
agen t,e.g .Mer cedes-Ben zcar sham pooor
cle anin gclo ths.
Clean ingthemir ror turn signa ls !
On
lyuse cleanin gagen tsor cle anin g
clo thsth at are suitable forplast iclen ses .
Un suit able cleanin gagen tsor cle anin g
clo thscoul dsc rat ch ordamag eth eplast ic
len ses ofthemir ror turnsign als.
X Clean theplast iclen ses ofthemir ror turn
sign alsintheex terior mirror hous ingusin ga
wet spon geand mild cleanin gagen t,e.g .
Mer cedes-Ben zcar sham pooorwit hcle an-
ing cloths.
Clean ingthesensor s !
If
you clean thesen sorswit hapower
washe r,mak esure that you keep adist ance
of at least 11.8in(30 cm)be tweenthe vehi-
cl e and thepower washer nozzle. Infor ma-
tio nabout thecor rectdist anceis availabl e
fr om theequipm entman ufacturer. X
Clean sensors0043 ofthedriv ingsyst ems
with water,car sham pooandasof tclo th.
Cleani ngtherev ersing cam era !
Do
notcle an thecam eralensand thearea
aroun dth erear view camerawith apower
washer . X
Use clean wate rand asof tclo thto cle an
cam eralens0043.
Cleani ngtheexha ustpipe G
WAR
NING
The exhaust tailpipe andtailpipe trim can
bec ome veryhot .If you com eint ocon tact
with these partsof theveh icle,you could
burn yours elf.Ther eis arisk ofburn s.
Always bepart icular lycar eful andsuper vise
ch ildre nclo sely aroun dth eexh aust pipeand
th eexh aust pipetrims. Allowthese com po-
nen tsto coo ldown beforetouchi ngthem.
! Do
notcle an theexh aust pipewithacid-
based cleanin gagen ts,suc has bat hro om
cle aner orwheel cleaner .
X Clean theexh aust pipewithach rom ecar e
prod ucttested and appro vedbyMer cedes-
Ben z.
Imp urities com bined with theeff ect sof road
grit and corrosive env iron men talfactors may
caus eflash rusttofor mon thesurf ace. You
can restore theorig inal shineof theexh aust
pipe bycleanin git reg ularly, especially inwin-
te rand afterwashin g. Car
e
275Maintenance andcare Z