Mitsubishi MOTORS i-MiEV, Owner'S Manual

Page: 278 / 297

Cleaning the outside of your vehicle
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-31
9
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.
N00946000247
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.
N00946100059
If painted surfaces have been severely dam-
aged and lost their original luster and color
tone, polish the surface lightly with a fine
polishing compound. Avoid limiting your
polishing to the damaged surface only; polish
a somewhat wider area, moving the polishing
cloth in one direction. After polishing, flush
the compound from the surface and apply a
coat of wax to regain a beautiful luster.
N00946200089
Small cracks and scratches in the paint coat
should be touched up as soon as possible with
touch-up paint to prevent corrosion.
Check body areas facing the road or the tires
carefully 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. Refer to “Vehicle
information code plate” on page 11-2.
N00946300211
Use a sponge or chamois to clean these parts.
If a vehicle wax sticks to a gray or black
rough 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.
During cold weather
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 on the paint and the
plate, because they also remove clearcoat.
They are also harmful to other glossy sur-
faces such as the grille, trim, moldings, etc.
 Do not use gasoline, kerosene, benzine 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 cloth and warm water.
Polishing
Damaged paint
Cleaning plastic parts
CAUTION
 Do not use a scrubbing brush or other rough
scrubber as these may damage the plastic
surface.
BK0220400US.book 31 ページ ２０１４年１１月１８日 火曜日 午前７時２７分