BMW 840Ci Owner's Handbook Manual page 142

Care of the car
Touching in paint damage
Minor paint damage can be touched
in with a BMW paint spray can or a
BMW paint pencil, or repaired with
BMW paint film.
Your car's paint colour is stated on a
label close to its type plate, and also
on the first page of the Service Book-
let.
Scratches and damage caused by fly-
ing stones must be repaired immedi-
ately, to prevent rust from forming.
If any areas of the body have already
started to rust as a result of paint dam-
age, clean them with a wire brush and
apply a rust inhibitor or converter (pro-
tect the eyes and skin.) Allow to act for
several minutes, then rinse off with
water and allow the treated area to dry
thoroughly. Apply primer and allow this
to dry thoroughly, then apply the top
coat. After a few days, polish the re-
painted areas and apply paint protec-
tion.
More widespread paint damage should
be entrusted to BMW Service, which
can repair it expertly in accordance with
the manufacturer's specifications and
using Original BMW paint materials.
Care of special components
Light alloy wheels should be treated
with wheel cleaner, but do not use
products which are of an aggressive
nature, contain acid or abrasives or are
strongly alkaline. Steam jets used to
clean the wheels should not reach a
temperature of more than 606. (In all
cases, comply with the manufacturer's
instructions.)
The insides of the windows and the
mirror glasses can be cleaned with a
glass cleaner which leaves no smears.
Never clean mirror glasses with prod-
ucts containing quartz or similar
abrasive polishing pastes.
Plastic parts, imitation leather uphol-
stery or trim, roof linings, light glasses
and parts sprayed with matt black paint
must be cleaned with water, to which a
car shampoo can be added if required.
Do not allow the roof lining to become
wet right through. If necessary, treat
plastic parts with a plastics cleaner.
Never use solvents such as nitro thin-
ners, cold cleansers, fuel or similar.
Apart from water, treat rubber parts only
with rubber care products or silicone
spray.
Clean the wiper blades with soapy
water. They should be renewed twice a
year (before and after the winter sea-
son).
Seat belts should only be cleaned with
mild soap suds (without removing them
from the car). Do not dry-clean or use
chemical products, or the fabric may be
weakened.
Never allow automatic seat belts to
retract unless they are dry. Dirt on the
seat belts can interfere with the action
of the reel and represent a safety haz-
ard.
b
BMW Service can supply suit-
able car-care products.c
Online Edition for Part-No. 01 41 9 790 191 - © 12/98 BMW AG
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