Mitsubishi MIRAGE, Service Manual

Page: 279 / 300

Cleaning the outside of your vehicle
9-34 Vehicle care and maintenance
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.
N00946000234
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.
N00946100046
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.
 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 the wiper arm assembly.
• If your vehicle is equipped with a rear
spoiler, check with the car wash operator
before using the car wash.
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.
 Do not use gasoline, benzine, kerosene 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
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