Cleaning the exterior of your vehicle
9-4
Vehicle care
9
net and other sections where dirt is likely to
remain.
The salt and other chemicals spread on the
roads in some areas in winter can have a
harmful effect on the vehicle body. You
should therefore wash the vehicle as often as
possible in accordance with our care-instruc-
tions. It is recommended to have a preserva-
tive applied and the underfloor protection
checked before and after the cold weather
season.
After washing your vehicle, wipe off all
waterdrops from the rubber parts around the
doors to prevent the doors from freezing.
E00901001945
Waxing the vehicle will help prevent the
adherence of dust and road chemicals to the
paintwork. Apply a wax solution after wash-
ing the vehicle, or at least once every three
months to assist displacing of water.
CAUTION
When washing the under side of your vehicle
or wheel, be careful not to injure your hands.
As your vehicle has rain sensor, place the
wiper switch lever in the “OFF” position to
deactivate the rain sensor before washing the
vehicle. Otherwise, the wipers will operate
in the presence of water spray on the wind-
screen and may get damaged as a result.
Refrain from excessively using a car wash as
its brushes may scratch the paint surface,
causing it to lose its gloss.
Scratches will be especially visible on darker
coloured vehicles.
Never spray or splash water on the electrical
components in the engine compartment.
Doing so could have an adverse effect on the
engine startability.
Exercise caution also when washing the
underbody; be careful not to spray water into
the engine compartment.
Some types of hot water washing equipment
apply high pressure and heat to the vehicle.
They may cause heat distortion and damage
to the vehicle resin parts and may result in
flooding of the vehicle interior. Therefore;
• Maintain a distance of approx. 70 cm or
more between the vehicle body and the
washing nozzle.
• When washing around the door glass, hold
the nozzle at a distance of more than 70 cm
and at right angles to the glass surface.
After washing the vehicle, drive the vehicle
slowly while lightly depressing the brake
pedal several times in order to dry out the
brakes.
Leaving the brakes wet could result in
reduced braking performance. Also, there is
a possibility that they could freeze up or
become inoperative due to rust, rendering the
vehicle unable to move.
Using an automatic car wash, pay attention
to the following items, referring to the opera-
tion manual or consulting a car wash opera-
tor. If the following procedure is not
followed, it could result in damage to your
vehicle.
• The outside rear-view mirrors are retracted.
• As your vehicle is equipped with a roof
rails, consult a car wash operator before
using the car wash.
• The wiper arms are secured in place with
tape.
• If your vehicle is equipped with a roof
spoiler, consult a car wash operator before
using the car wash.
• As your vehicle has rain sensor, place the
wiper switch lever in the “OFF” position to
deactivate the rain sensor.
CAUTION
• If your vehicle is equipped with the Ultra-
sonic misacceleration Mitigation System
(UMS), turn off the system.
Refer to “FCM and UMS ON/OFF switch”
on page 6-88.
During cold weather
Waxing
CAUTION
