Vehicle care and maintenance
7-81
7
Cleaning the outside of your vehicle
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To protect your vehicle’s finish, wash it often and thoroughly.
If desired, you may wax your vehicle using a nonabrasive auto-
mobile wax.
Foreign material
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Industrial pollution, road tar, bird droppings, tree sap, insect
remains, sea water and other foreign matters can damage the
finish on your vehicle.
Generally, the longer any foreign material stays on the finish,
the worse the damage. Wash your vehicle as soon as possible
whenever the finish gets soiled.
Washing
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Chemicals contained in the dirt and dust picked up from air,
rain, snow, or road surfaces 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 chamois or soft cloth. After washing the
vehicle, carefully clean the joints and flanges of the doors,
hood, etc., where dirt is likely to remain.
CAUTION
!
● When washing the underside of your vehicle or the
wheels, wear a pair of gloves to protect your hands.
● If your vehicle has rain sensor wipers, place the
wiper switch lever in the “OFF” position to deacti-
vate the rain sensor before washing the vehicle. Oth-
erwise, the wipers will operate 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 com-
partment.
● Avoid automatic car washers that use rotating
brushes. These brushes may scratch the paint sur-
face and make it dull.
Scratches are more noticeable on darker colored
vehicles.
● Some hot water washing equipment uses high pres-
sure 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 equipment:
• Keep the washing nozzle at least 16 inches (40 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 a right angle to the glass surface.
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