Operation Manual

Cleaning the outside of your vehicle
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-41
9
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 underbody with a high pres-
sure hose every time you wash the outside 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.
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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 wax
on 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.
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 to ensure that water does not
enter 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.
Because hot water can damage plastics parts
and seep inside your vehicle, 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, hold
the nozzle at a distance of more than 28
inches (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, to
avoid damaging your vehicle:
• Fold the outside rearview mirrors.
• Remove the antenna.
• Tape or remove the rear wiper arm assem-
bly.
• If your vehicle is equipped with a roof rails,
check with the car wash operator before
using the car wash.
• If your vehicle is equipped with the rain
sensor wipers, place the wiper switch lever
in the “OFF” position to deactivate the rain
sensor.
During cold weather
CAUTION
NOTE
 When the door is frozen, opening it by force
may tear off or crack 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.
Waxing
CAUTION
 Waxes containing high abrasive compounds
should not be used. These waxes remove rust
and stain effectively from 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.
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