Cleaning And Care Of The Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3 Owner's Manual

Cleaning and Care of the Vehicle

In operation, your vehicle is subjected
to a great amount of varying external
influences which, if gone unchecked,
can attack the paintwork as well as the
underbody and cause lasting damage.
Such damage is caused not only by
extreme and varying climatic condi­
tions, but also by air pollution, road
salt, tar, gravel and stone chipping.
Grease and oil, fuel, coolant, brake
fluid, bird droppings, tree resins, etc.
should immediately be removed to
avoid paint damage. Frequent wash­
ing, however, reduces and/or elim i­
nates the aggressiveness and potency
of the above adverse influences.
More frequent washings are necessary
to deal with unfavorable conditions; for
example, near the ocean, in industrial
areas (smoke, exhaust emissions), or
during winter operation.
You should check your vehicle from
time to time for stone chipping or other
damage. Any damage should be re­
paired as soon as possible to prevent
the start of corrosion.
In doing so, do not neglect the under­
side of the car. A prerequisite for a
thorough check is a washing of the
underbody followed by a thorough
inspection. Damaged areas need to be
re-undercoated.
Your vehicle has been treated at the
factory with a wax-base rustproofing in
the body cavities which will last for the
lifetime of the vehicle. Post-production
treatment is neither necessary nor re­
commended by MERCEDES-BENZ
because of the possibility of incompati­
bility between materials used in the
production process and others applied
later.
After every engine cleaning you should
have the engine compartment re-rust-
proofed. Before rustproofing, all control
linkage bushings have to be lubricated
with hydraulic oil (check with your local
MERCEDES-BENZ dealership for re­
commended brands).
We have selected car-care products
and compiled recommendations which
are specially matched to our vehicles
and which always reflect the newest in
technological standing. You can obtain
MB car-care products at every
MERCEDES-BENZ service station.
Scratches, corrosive deposits, corro­
sion or damage due to negligent or
incorrect care cannot always be re­
moved with the car-care products re­
commended here. In such cases it is
best to seek aid at your MERCEDES-
BENZ service station.
The following topics deal with the
cleaning and care of your vehicle and
give important " how-to" information as
well as references to recommended
MB car-care products.