Maintenance and Car Care
271
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Start washing the vehicle by thoroughly
wetting the paintwork and rinsing the heavy
dirt off.
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After washing the vehicle, rinse it thoroughly
with water and rub it dry with chamois-leather.
Do not use the same chamois for rubbing
dry as you use for cleaning the windshield
and windows.
Warning!
Risk of accidents! Reduced or uneven
braking action may be caused by wet
brakes.
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After washing the vehicle, test the brakes
and steering and briefly brake the discs dry.
When doing so, make sure that vehicles
travelling behind you are not affected.
Cleaning in car washes
Optional add-on parts or parts that project beyond
the contours of the vehicle may be damaged by
design features of car washes.
The following parts are particularly at risk:
– Windshield wipers and rear wiper
(always switch them off – wiper stalk in
position
0
– to prevent them wiping
unintentionally in intermittent or sensor
operation).
– Exterior mirrors (always fold in).
– External antenna (always unscrew).
– Roof transport system
(always remove completely).
– Spoiler.
– Wheels (the wider the rim and the lower the tire
height, the greater the risk of damage).
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Please consult the operator before using
automatic car washes.
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All parts not reached by a car wash, such
as door and lid seams or door sills, must
be washed and polished by hand.
Paint care
In order to protect the paint on your vehicle in
the best possible way against mechanical and
chemical damage, you should
– preserve it regularly,
– polish it if necessary,
– remove spots and stains, and
– repair damaged paintwork.
General Notes
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Never rub a dusty vehicle with a dry cloth,
because the grains of dirt will damage
the paintwork.
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Do not treat matt-painted components with
preservatives or polishes as these remove
the matt effect.
Preservation
The paint surface becomes dull over time due
to weathering.
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Preserve paint regularly.
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Apply paint preservative after washing the
vehicle and polish it smooth to preserve
the paintwork.
This keeps the paint shiny and elastic. Dirt is
prevented from adhering to the paint surface and
industrial dust is prevented from penetrating
the paint.
