Operation Manual

Cleaning the outside of your vehicle
9-50 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
N00945900526
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 way
to protect your vehicle from this damage.
Do not wash the vehicle 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. After washing the vehicle,
carefully clean the joints and flanges of the
doors, hood, etc., where dirt is likely to
remain.
Salt and other chemicals spread on winter
roads in some geographical areas can have a
detrimental 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 and
moisture.
After washing your vehicle, wipe off all
waterdrops from the rubber parts around the
doors to prevent the doors from freezing.
Washing
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 washing
the 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 the
paint 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, hold
the 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, to
avoid 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 rear
spoiler, check with the car wash operator
before using the car wash.
• If your vehicle has rain sensor wipers, place
the wiper switch lever in the “OFF” posi-
tion to deactivate the rain sensor.
During cold weather
CAUTION