60 Cleaning the car, corrosion protection
Care and maintenance
Your brand new BMW is certaìnly a fine
sight, but how long it will keep its smar[
appearance depends on the care and
attention you devote to it.
Road dirt, dust and in particular the
pollution encountered in industrial areas
(rust particles, lime, §oot etc.), but also
dead insects and splashes on the paint-
work caused by parking under trees all
contain various aggressive chemicals
which, if left unattended on the paintwork
for too long, will damage the finish. For
this reason your car should be w@hed as
often as possible.
In order to harden and preserve new
paintwork, wash it frequently with clean
tap water.
Do not wash the car when 1:he engine
compartment lid is still warm or after the
car has stood in the sun. Wash the car in
the shade to prevent marks and fading
paintwork.
Tar stains, insect smears and minor paint
blemishes caused by flying stones should
be removed or touched in as soon as
possible in order to prevent paint dis-
coloration or patches of rust.
Fìemove spilt fuel, oil, grease or brake
fluid immediately, or else the paintwork
will be attacked and the finish affected.
Clean the interior of the car with a brush
and pan or avacuum cleaner.
Soften dirt on the body with a finely
atomized water spray before rinsing off.
Do not direct the water hose into the air
inlet or outlet slots for the ventilation
system.
After rinsing the paintwork, wash down
with a sponge, special washing glove or
similar and an abundant supply of water
(not more than luke-warm), starting with
the roof. Rinse out the sponge frequently.
Clean the lower part of the body and the
wheels last of all, if possible with a
second sponge kept only for these areas.
After washing down, rinse the car again
thoroughly with the hose and dry off with
a clean wash-leather to prevent patches
from formìng.
lf washing with water alone is insuffi-
cient, you can add a car-wash product of
reputable make in the concentration
recommended by the manufacturer,
rinsing down afterwards with plenty of
water. However, too frequent use of car-
wash products will remove fats from the
paintwork pigment and render it brittle,
so that the car wi 11 then have to be given a
coat of a reputable paintwork preserva-
tive.
If the car is put through a machine car
washing plant, try to choose one without
excessive brush pressure amd with ample
rinse water available. Most modern in-
stallations operate to these high stand-
ards.
During the cold season of the year, try to
have the car washed more frequently
than usual, since the roads are dirtier and
the resulting dirt more likely to damage
the paintwork if not removed quickly.
A sure sign that your car's paintwork
needs a further protective coating or
polishing is when water no longer forms
round droplets on the surface and tends
to flow off.
Please use only brand-name car care
products, and follow their manufactur-
ers' instructions.
Minor paint blemishes can be rectified
with a BMW paint spray aerosol or a
BMW touching-in pencil. The paintwork
shade designation is shown on an ad-
hesive label close to the car's type plate.
Corroslon protection: your car is given
body cavity protective coating and an
additional one-season underseal before
leaving the factory.
After not more than 14 months and again
after 3 years from the date of initial regis-
tration of the car, the body cavity treat-
ment and undersealing should be renew-
ed, in order to ensure that your BMW
mai ntains its value.
Full details are enclosed with each car,
depending on which national market it is
intended for. Your BMW service station
knows the BMW-approved products and
the company's official body treatment
and undersealing procedures.
When applying underseal, shield the disc
brakes carefully. None of the material
applied should be allowed to reach the
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