Cleaning the outside of your vehicle Vehicle care and maintenance 9-43
9
N00945901738
Chemicals contained in the dirt and dust picked up from air, rain, snow, or road sur- faces can damage the paint and body of yourvehicle if left on. Frequent washing and wa
xing is the best way
to protect your vehicle from this damage.Do not wash the vehicl
e in direct sunlight.
Park the vehicle in the shade and spray it with water to remove dust.
Next, using plenty of
clean 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. Af
ter washing the vehicle,
carefully clean the join
ts and flanges of the
doors, hood, etc., wher
e dirt is likely to
remain.
Salt and other chemicals used on winter roads in some geographical areas can have a detri-mental effect on the vehicle underbody. You should flush the underb
ody with a high pres-
sure hose every time you wash the outside ofyour 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 is equipped with the rain sen- sor, place the wiper switch lever in the“OFF” position to
deactivate the rain sensor
before washing the vehi
cle. Otherwise, the
wipers will operate in
the presence of water
spray on the windshiel
d and may get dam-
aged as a result.
Never spray or splash
water on the electrical
parts in the engine compartment. This maydamage them. Be careful also when washingthe underbody to ensure that water does not enter the engine compartment. Avoid automatic car washers that use rotat- ing brushes. These br
ushes may scratch the
paint surface and 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 wate
r can damage 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 the glass surface.
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
rearview mirrors.
• Tape or remove the rear wiper arm assem- bly.• If your vehicle is equi
pped with roof rails
or a roof spoiler, check with the car washoperator before using the car wash.CAUTION
• If your vehicle is e
quipped with the rain
sensor, place the 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 force may tear off or cr
ack the rubber gasket
installed around the door. Pour warm water to 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
BK0264300US.book 43 ページ ２０１８年２月２８日 水曜日 午後５時１６分
Cleaning the outside of your vehicle 9-44 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
N00946000205
Wax your vehicle once or twice a year, or when 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 surfaces are cool.
N00946100046
If painted surfaces ha
ve been severely dam-
aged and lost their original luster and colortone, polish the surface lightly with a fine polishing compound. Avoid limiting your polishing to the damage
d surface only; polish
a somewhat wider area
, moving the polishing
cloth in one direction.
After polishing, flush
the compound from the surface and apply acoat of wax to regain a beautiful luster.
N00946201099
Small cracks and scratches in the paint coatshould be touched up as
soon as possible with
touch-up paint to prevent corrosion. Check body areas facing the road or the tirescarefully for damage to the paint caused by flying stones, etc. The
paint code number for
your vehicle can be found on the vehicle
information code plate located on the front passenger door sill.
N00946301221
Use a sponge or chamois to clean these parts.If the vehicle wax sticks to a gray or blackrough surface of the bumper, molding or lights, the surface may appear white in color. In this case, wipe it off using lukewarm water and a soft cloth or chamois.
Waxing
CAUTION Waxes containing high abrasive compounds should not be used. Th
ese waxes remove rust
and stain effectively fr
om the paintwork, but
are harmful to the finish of the paint, because they 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 or paint thinners to remove
road tar or other dirt
from the vehicle surface. Do not put wax on the areas having black matte coating because
it can cause uneven
discoloration, patches,
blurs, etc. If these get
wax on them, wipe the wax off right away with a soft clot
h and warm water.
On vehicles with sunr
oof, be careful not to
apply any wax on the
weatherstrip (black
rubber) when waxing the area around thesunroof opening. If stained with wax,
the weatherstrip cannot
maintain a weatherproof seal with the sun-roof.
Polishing Damaged paint
CAUTION
Cleaning plastic parts
CAUTION Do not use a scrubbing brush or other rough scrubber as these may damage the plasticsurface. Do not use wax containing compounds (pol- ishing powder) which ma
y damage the plas-
tic surface. Do not let plastic parts
get soiled with gaso-
line, oil, brake fluids
, engine oils, greases,
paint thinner, and sulfuric acid (battery elec-trolyte), as such substa
nces will cause stains,
cracks, or discoloration. If any of these get on a plastic part, wipethem up with a soft cloth or chamois and a mild solution of soap and water. Then rinse them immediately with water.
BK0264300US.book 44 ページ ２０１８年２月２８日 水曜日 午後５時１６分
